A Bad Case of Stripes
Description
Vocal Characteristics
Language
EnglishVoice Age
Middle Aged (35-54)Accents
North American (General)Transcript
Note: Transcripts are generated using speech recognition software and may contain errors.
A bad case of stripes by David Shannon. When you hear this sound, that means it's time to turn the page. Let's get started. Camilla click cream loved lima beans but she never ate them. All of her friends hated lima beans and she wanted to fit in. Camilla was always worried about what other people thought of her today. She was fretting even more than usual. It was the first day of school and she couldn't decide what to wear. There were so many people to impress. She tried on 42 outfits, but none seemed quite right. She put on a pretty red dress, looked in the mirror. Then she screamed. Her mother ran into the room and she screamed too. Oh my heavens. She cried. You're completely covered with stripes. This was certainly true. Camilla was striped from head to toe. She looked like a rainbow Mrs Cream felt Camilla's forehead. Do you feel all right? She asked, I feel fine. Camilla answered. But just look at me. You get back in bed this instant her mother ordered. You're not going to school today. Camilla was relieved. She did not want to miss the first day of school, but she was afraid of what the other kids would say. She had no idea what to wear with those crazy stripes. That afternoon. Doctor Bumble came to examine Camilla. Most extraordinary. He exclaimed. I've never seen anything like it. Are you having any coughing, sneezing, runny nose aches, pains, chills, hot flashes, dizziness, drowsiness, shortness of breath or uncontrollable. Twitching. No, Camilla told him I feel fine. Well, then Doctor Bumble said, turning to Mrs Cream. I don't see any reason why she shouldn't go to school tomorrow. Here's an ointment that should clear up those stripes in a few days if it doesn't, you know where to reach me and off. He went the next day was a disaster. Everyone at school laughed at Camilla. They called her Camilla crayon and night of the living lollipop, she tried her best to act as if everything were normal. But when the class said the pledge of allegiance, her stripes turned red, white and blue and she broke out in stars. The other kids thought this was great. One yelled out, let's see. Some purple polka dots. Sure enough, Camilla turned all purple polka dotty. Someone else shouted checkerboard and a pattern of squares covered her skin. Soon everyone was calling out different shapes and colors and poor Camilla was changing faster than you can change channels on TV. That night, Mr harms the school principal called, I'm sorry, Mrs Cream. He said, I'm going to have to ask you to keep Camilla home from school. She's just too much of a distraction and I've been getting calls from the other parents. They're afraid those stripes may be contagious. Camila was so embarrassed she could have believed that two days ago, everyone liked her. Now, nobody wanted to be in the same room with her. Her father tried to make her feel better. Is there anything I can get you, sweetheart? Oh, thank you. Sighed Camilla. What she really wanted was a nice plate of lima beans. But she had been laughed at enough for one day. Hm. Well, yes, I see. Doctor Bumble mumbled when Mrs Jereme called phoned the next day, I think I'd better bring in the specialists. We'll be right over. About an hour later, Doctor Bumble arrived with four people in long white coats. He introduced them to the creams. This is Doctor Gropp. Doctor Sponge, Doctor Cricket and Doctor Young and the specialists went to work on Camilla squeezed and jazzed, tapped and tested. It was very uncomfortable. Well, it's not the mumps concluded. Doctor Crock or the measles said doctor sponge definitely not chickenpox. But in Doctor Cricket or Sunburn said, Doctor Young try these. The specialist said they each handed her a bottle filled with different colored pills. Take one of each before bed said Doctor gropp. Then they filed out the door, followed by Doctor Bumble that night, Camilla took her medicine. It was awful when she woke up the next morning, she did feel different. But when she got dressed, her clothes didn't fit right. She looked in the mirror and there staring back at her was a giant multicolored pill with her face on it. Doctor Bumble rushed over as soon as Mrs Cream called. But this time he instead of the specialists, he brought the experts. Doctor Gord and Doctor Mellon were the finest scientific minds in the land. Once again, Camilla was poked and prodded, looked at and listened to the experts wrote down lots of numbers and they huddled together and whispered. Doctor Gord finally spoke with. It might be a virus. He announced with authority suddenly little virus balls appeared all over Camilla or possibly some form of bacteria said, Doctor Mellon out, popped squiggly little bacteria tails or it could be fungus added. Doctor Gord instantly, Camilla was covered with different colored fungus blotches. The experts looked at Camilla and then at each other, we need to go over these numbers back at the lab. Doctor Gord explained, we'll call you when we know something, but the experts didn't have a clue. Much less a cure. By now, the TV news had found out about Camilla reporters from every channel were outside her house telling the story of the bizarre case of the incredible changing kid. We begin today with breaking news soon. A huge crowd is camped out on the front lawn. The creams were swamped with all kinds of remedies from psychologists, herbalists, nutritionists, psychics, an old medicine man, a guru and even a veterinarian, each so-called cure only added to poor Camilla's strange appearance until it was hard to even recognize her. She sprouted roots and berries crystals and feathers and a long furry tail but nothing worked. One day, a woman who called herself an environmental therapist claimed she could cure Camilla. Close your eyes. She said breathe deeply and become one with your room. I wish you hadn't said that. Camilla groaned slowly. She started to melt into the walls of her room. Her bed became her mouth. Her nose was her was a dresser and two paintings were her eyes. The therapist screamed and ran from the house. What are we gonna do? Cried, Mrs Cream. It just keeps getting worse and worse and she began to sob. Hm. At that moment, Mr Cream heard a quiet little knock at the front door. He opened it and there stood an old woman who was just as plump and sweet as a strawberry. Excuse me? She said brightly, I think I can help. She went into Camilla's room and looked around my goodness. She said with a shake of her head. What we have here is a bad case of stripes. One of the worst I've ever seen. She pulled a container of small green beans from her bag here. She said these might do the trick. Are those magic beans? Ask Mrs Cream? Oh my, no replied. The kind old woman. There's no such thing. These are just plain old lima beans. I'll bet you'd like some wouldn't chew. She asked Camilla. Camilla wanted a big heaping plateful of lima beans more than just about anything. But she was still afraid to admit it. Oh, yuck. She said no one likes lima beans, especially me. Oh, dear. The old woman said sadly, I guess I was wrong about you. She put the beans back in her bag and started toward the door. Camilla watched the old woman walk away. Those beans would taste so good and being laughed at for eating them was nothing compared to what she'd been through. She finally couldn't stand it. Wait, she cried. The truth is I really love lima beans. I thought so. The woman said, with a smile, she took a handful of beans and popped them into Camilla's mouth. Said Camilla, oh, suddenly the branches, feathers squiggly tail to disappear. No. Swirled around. When it stopped, there stood Camilla and everything was back to normal. I'm cured. She shouted. Yes. Said the old woman. I knew the real you was in there somewhere is Camilla on the and she went outside and vanished into the crowd afterward. Camilla wasn't quite the same. Some of the kids at school said she was weird. She didn't care a bit. She ate all the lima beans she wanted and she never had even a touch of stripes again.