Adapted from Should Wizard Hit Mommy?

Jack told the story of Roger Skunk—an animal that emitted a foul smell and how the wizard changed his smell to that of roses at his request. The other little creatures, who earlier hated Roger Skunk, now gathered around him because he smelled so good. ... Jo thought that the story was all over. Jack continued the story. Jo didn’t like the end of the story... Should Wizard Hit Mommy!

Today's story was about Roger Skunk. It was a new animal. Jack had got a new hero. He started the story : “Once upon a time, in the deep dark woods, there was a tiny little creature by the name of Roger Skunk.” He smelled very bad. He smelled so bad that other little creatures would not play with him. They would run away. Roger Skunk would stand there all alone. Two round tears would fall from his eyes.

Little Jo could already guess what would be the storyline next. Jack used to tell threading stories to his daughter Jo in the evenings and for Saturdays naps. Every creative story of his own had a small creature, usually named Roger. It could be Roger Fish, Roger Squirrel or Roger Chipmunk. In every story Roger went to the wise owl and the owl would send Roger to the wizard. She asked thus, “Won’t he see the owl?” Jack continued. There lived a big wise owl on the top of a tree. Roger Skunk told him his pathetic tale. The wise owl advised him to go to the wizard.

At last, Roger Skunk came to a little white house. He had to cross the dark woods and the swamp. A little old man came out. He had a long white beard and a pointed blue hat. Roger Skunk told the wizard how all the little animals ran away from him. He smelled very bad. The wizard asked Roger not to get very close to him. Inside the house, all magic things were jumbled together in a big, dusty heap. The wizard demanded seven pennies. Roger had only four. He started crying. The wizard sent him to a magic well where Roger found three pennies. He took them back to the wizard. The wizard was very happy and made him smell so good. They played games and laughed all afternoon.

Roger Skunk’s mommy asked him what that ‘awful smell’ was. Roger replied that he himself smelled like roses. The wizard made him smell like that. She told Roger that they were going right back to “that very awful wizard”. But Roger cried that he smelled so bad before that all other animals ran away. The mother said that she didn’t care for that. Roger Skunk used to smell the way a little skunk should have smelled. They went to the wizard. She went there with an umbrella and hit that wizard right over his head. The wizard made him smell very bad again.

Jo didn’t like the end of the story. Poor little Roger Skunk was made to smell bad again. She wanted her father to tell her that the wizard took “that magic wand and hit that mommy”. She insisted on making that change in the story, but her father made no change in the ending.