CHAPTER SIX: EGGHEAD LAND
"Gosh," said Donny, "we must be getting near the restaurant. I see food walking all over the place".
"Yes, the Library's not far, my boy, not far at all. But those are people: eggheads, to be exact".
The car stopped and the kids all piled out.
"To be or not to be? -- that is the question," boomed a deep voice".
"Who's that?" asked Mark.
"Looks like an omelet," said Donny.
"Yes, indeed," confirmed Sir Real. "That's Omelet, Prince of Denmark. He and his cousins, the scrambled eggs, like to read their books up-side down. They tend to be a bit gloomy, a mite over-done. The young ladies who are sunbathing while they read are cheery sunny-side-up eggs. The ones reading the business news are mostly hard-boiled".
"Who is that leaning against the wall?" asked Gaynell. "He must be the saddest egghead in the whole world".
Sir Real explained, "That's Humpty Dumpty. He's in the dumps right now. Really depressed. You see, he's in love with a wallflower, that light blue one right up there on top of the wall. He and she had been sitting up there for years, never paying any attention to each other, just watching people go by and reading good stories. Then one day, by accident, they got to talking; and Humpty fell for her, fell all the way down to the ground. And when he saw that he couldn't climb back up, he was all broken up about it. And there he's sat ever since".
"Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall," recited Kathy and Gaynell. "Humpty Dumpty had a great fall".
"Gaynell, Kevin, don't climb those trees," called Miss Prysby. "Linda Crotty, this is no time to go wandering off. Timmy get down off that wall".
But Timmy stayed on the wall and walked right up to the wallflower, "Can I take it home?" he asked. He was all set to reach out and pick it.
"No, Timmy," said Miss Prysby, "this is a very special flower. She has thoughts and feelings just like you and me, and it wouldn't be right to hurt her".
"You're so nice to protect me," said the Wallflower. "But what's the use? I was just a quiet little flower before I met Humpty. I was too scared to ever say a word. All I wanted was just for nobody to pick me or step on me. And since I was on top of a wall, not many people walked near me. And since I was so homely, not many people would want to pick me. And the homelier I was the safer I'd be. Every day was just the same as another; but at least I was safe. And then I got to know Humpty, and everything was different, and I came to life and started to talk. And more than anything in the world I wanted him to pick me, even if it would be the death of me. But just as he started to reach for me, he tottered and fell. And I've been so alone and miserable that I just can't go on. And I'd be glad if anybody, just anybody would pick me and end it all".
"I wish I could help, miss," said Miss Prysby. "But I've never read anything about how to cheer up sad little wallflowers".
"I've got an idea," said Kathy.
"What is it?" asked Miss Prysby.
Kathy whispered to her. Then the two of them whispered to Mr Shermin.
"Brilliant, my dear, brilliant!" he exclaimed. "Kathy, you lead the empty flowerpothead over to the wall".
"Watch out now, Kathy," warned Miss Prysby. "Remember, he can't see where he's going, and if he trips, he might hurt himself".
"Mark, Eugene, fill that empty flowerpothead with some good rich dirt," ordered Mr Shermin. "Timmy, dig up the little blue wallflower -- very gently. Be sure not to hurt the roots".
Soon they had planted the Little Blue Wallflower in the flowerpot. Then Cindy poured in some of the water from the fishbowl.
Suddenly, the pothead started staggering. Miss Prysby and Mark and Eugene and Kathy, who were all right there, tried to hold him up. And Humpty got up for the first time since his fall and came running to help.
"Heavy, man, heavy. Where's my head at?" And he reached for the flowerpot like he wanted to lift a great weight from his shoulders.
"Somebody stop him!" shouted Miss Prysby. "Fast! He looks like he's going to pull his head off".
Only they couldn't stop him. With a sudden yank, he did rip the flowerpot right off.
Joey and Peter and Linda Crotty screamed and hid their eyes.
"Gosh," said Donny, "he's got another head. Can you do that again, mister?"
Miss Prysby said, "What beautiful blue eyes he has".
Mr Shermin said, "Those are blue irises".
"Yes," explained Miss Prysby, "the iris is the part of the eye that is colored". She was very pleased that Mr Shermin had reminded her so she could tell the class.
Mr Shermin went on, "The iris is a kind of flower, too. That little blue wallflower is an iris; and it looks like it was planting the iris in his empty head that made it so the pothead could see".
"Man, I feel like a new man," said the former pothead as he handed Humpty the flowerpot.
Mr Shermin said, "Well, that's what we'll call you then, Mr New Man".
"He looks just like Paul Newman," said Miss Prysby.
Kathy and Gaynell giggled, and Miss Prysby blushed.
"Paul Newman? Who's that?" asked Empty. "Some football player or something?"
"No," said Mr Shermin, "that's your new name. With a new head, it's only right that you have a new name.
"But Paul Newman?" he asked.
"I'm sure that one day you'll make that name famous," said Mr Shermin.
Meanwhile, the Little Blue Wallflower and Humpty Dumpty were very happy to be together again. They thanked Miss Prysby and Mr Newman and the rest of the class time and again.
