The Trip to Xanadu

The Little Man

The summer had arrived at last
With its summer sun that cast
Intensely radiating light,
Wonderfully warm and bright
Upon three kids who played a game
That the oldest gave the name
Of "catch me if you dare or can".
She threw a ball, and then they ran
Around the garden where that day
The children had gone out to play.

The game they played was lots of fun,
But it was tiring to run
In the bright, warm summer sun.
So soon they all sat down to rest,
And argued who of them was best
At playing Frieda's little game
(This was the game's inventor's name.)

Philip, who was very small,
Thought that he was best of all.
But Marius did not agree.
He said: "The very best of all us three.
"Was me, of course, that's plain to see."
The argument went on and on.
An agreement? They reached none!

Eventually they all just sat
Thinking it was better that
They went in to Mum and Dad
Before they all got very sad.
But then it was that Philip saw
A little man made out of straw
Who came walking straight at him.
On the man's face was a grin
That seemed totally unreal.
Uneasy this made Philip feel.

The little man was very small.
No more than eighteen inches tall,
And when the man came closer still
He introduced himself as Bill.
His little voice was very weak.
He had to shout instead of speak.

Bill asked the way to Xanadu:
"Where the king lives. You know who."
But Philip could not help the man.
He'd never heard of such a land.
So what was Philip now to do?
He nudged and asked the other two
If they had heard of Xanadu.

When Marius and Frieda saw
The little man made out of straw,
They found him very strange to see
For could it really truly be
That men like that could walk about,
Ask strange questions, grin and shout?
Well, the man was clearly real
His presence they could see and feel.

"Let me think. I think it may
"Very well be up that way."
Said Frieda pointing to the hedge
That marked the garden's outer edge.
"For in that hedge, there is a hole
"And in that hole there is a pole
"And on that pole there is a word
"That has been painted by a bird
"And that word is Xanadu.
"Take a look. You'll see it's true!"

The man stood up and left the three
And as he walked, he sang with glee:
"Xanadu, how I love you,
"You are real and you are true."
He found the hole and disappeared.
Marius said: "Gosh, he was weird.
"But look!" He said, "He dropped something.
"He dropped a little silver ring.
"We'll have to bring it to that man.
"If we're fast, I think we can
"Return this ring to little Bill.
"If we're quick, I think we will."

"Let's go!" Was all that Philip said.
They got up and charged ahead.
They went through the deep, dark hedge
That marked the garden's outer edge.
They passed a brightly painted pole
That was inside the dark hedge-hole.
Rushed passed some twigs and round a bend
Emerging safely at the other end.

They were just in time to see
Bill disappear behind a tree.
"Hey! You dropped your ring." They all cried out.
"This ring you should not leave without."
But Bill was gone; gone on his way,
Not hearing what they had to say.

The Bird

When Marius took a look behind
The tree to see if he could find
The little man made out of straw,
The strangest thing was what he saw.
"Come here and take a look at this."
Said Marius, "You must not miss
"This spectacle that I can see."
Then all three looked behind the tree.

What they saw was quite absurd.
It was a brightly coloured bird
That would sing and scream and shout
As it skipped and jumped about
With a paint brush in its claw
That it used to paint and draw
Messages on little poles
That it planted in small holes.

Philip was not too surprised
For in his mind he realized
That if some men are made of straw
Then chances are that birds can draw.
So Philip walked straight over to
The bird, now painting words in blue:
"This is the way to Xanadu!"

"Excuse me," Was what Philip said,
"Should I keep walking straight ahead
"In order to find little Bill?
"Or will I find him up that hill?
"Or maybe he is down that way?"
"Yes!" Was all the bird would say.

"This answer is no help to me,"
Said Philip, "For it's plain to see
"That all my options cannot be
"Leading to the man that we
"Are looking for inside this wood.
"Your short answer clearly should
"Be more precise than yes or no
"For me to know where I should go."

"More precise than yes or no.
"That is not possible you know.
"Ask the very most astute
"If yes is not an absolute,
"And you will learn that this is true.
"My answer is the best for you."

But Frieda who had overheard,
The discussion with the bird
Said "Maybe you could be so kind.
"Be less precise, so we can find
"The little man we're looking for.
"It seems that this time, less is more."

"Such nonsense I have never heard."
Was the answer of the bird.
"If it's true that less is more
"Then one and one might well be four.
"So please restrain that silly whim
"For you are clearly pretty dim.
"And if such logic should get out
"To roam the world and get about,
"Then we would always live in fear
"That nothing can be less my dear."

Then it was that Marius said
"Should we simply go ahead?
"Ignore this bird and walk away.
"There are no reasons we should stay.
"Let's go home! This bird is mad!
"Let's go home to Mum and Dad."

"And what exactly makes you think,
"That I am mad, you little stink."
"Well, you refuse to help us out.
"It's only squawk, the words you shout."
"Contain yourself you little twit.
"I'll help you out if you will sit.
"Listen to the words I say!
"Pay attention and you may
"Find what you are looking for
"And maybe even much, much more."

"All right! Please tell us what you know.
"Please let us know where we should go."
This was what the children said.
"Please tell us how to go ahead
"And find the little man that we
"Were looking for behind this tree."
Then all three children settled down.
Settled down and gathered 'round
The curious bird with colours bright
That sparkled in the bright sunlight.

"Well, first of all, I'd like to say
"That not too many come this way.
"But those who come, go up that hill,
"And their names are always Bill.
"That's all I have to say to you.
"You found it short? Well, that is true!"

But Frieda who expected more
Said "You must have some more in store."
"No!" Was all the bird would say
It dropped its brush and flew away.

"At least it told us where to go.
"There's nothing more we need to know."
Was all that Marius could say.
Then he got up and on his way.
He ran up the little hill,
Looking for the man named Bill,
Followed by the other two,
For they were very curious too.

The Little Hut

There was a cabin on that hill,
But not the slightest sign of Bill.
"I think we've lost him." Said Philip.
"Let's go home and end this trip."
Then they heard a voice that said:
"Don't give up. Please go ahead.
"Come on in and look around.
"Look at all the things I found."
The voice that asked them all to enter
Came from inside the cabin's center.

Philip walked up to the shack
And went inside; not looking back
At Marius and Frieda who
Did not know what to say or do.
But they could not let Philip go
Alone inside the cabin, so
They followed him in close pursuit
Hoping that there was no brute
(Someone with a nasty knack
"Of stabbing people in the back)
Inside the little wooden shack.

But there had been no need for fear.
There was no fearsome brute in there.
There was no one at all in there!
The only ones inside the hut
When the door behind them shut
Were the three who'd just come in
Through the door of the cabin.
And this was very strange indeed
Because a voice does always need
A body that can hold the voice;
Someone who can mould its noise
Into words that one can hear,
Or else the words will not appear.

Not only was the hut without
A person who could sing or shout,
It also was completely free
Of anything to feel or see.
"Where are the things you talked about?
"There's nothing here! There is no doubt
"That you have told us a big lie
"So we will leave you now. Goodbye!"
Said Marius into the air
For there was no one else in there.

"When you leave, leave through the door
"Where a bird has painted 'More',
"And you will see there's more in store.
"Much, much more than on this floor."

"But this shack is much too small,
"It is not wide, it is not tall;
"So how can it have any more
"Than this one room on this one floor.
"And who are you who say this thing;
"That all this nonsense to us bring?"

"You'll soon see that my words make sense,
"Although it's true I'm pretty dense
"Because my body is this shack.
"By the way, my name is Jack.
"But I am bigger than you think
"For my body forms the link
"Between the world of the material
"And the world of the ethereal."

"How strange it is to be inside
"A cabin that can speak with pride
"And claim that its interior
"Is larger than exterior."
Were Frieda's thoughts about the hut.
"This hut, I think, must be a nut!"
Then all three kids went through the door
Where a bird had painted 'More'.

It did not take the children long
Before they knew that they were wrong
In thinking that the hut was small;
Not very wide nor very tall,
For they went through a lot of doors
Up many stairs to many floors.
But every room that they went through
(Some painted red, some painted blue)
Was empty as the entrance hall,
And this was not much fun at all.

"Where are those things you bragged about?"
Did the children finally shout.
"For we have been through many doors;
"Through many rooms on many floors,
"But all the rooms we have been through
"Have been devoid of things to view.
"Tell us please, what should we do?"
"Go through the little yellow door.
"There you will find a lot, lot more."

They looked around, and then they saw
A tiny little yellow door
In the corner of the room.
"That's the door, I would assume."
Said Frieda, "But it's much too small.
"We cannot get in there at all,
"For we are much too big and tall.
"But let us get down on the floor,
"Open up that tiny door
"And peek inside, so we can see
"What all the wondrous things might be."

But when the children peered inside,
They could not see if Jack had lied
For it was very dark in there.
It did not help to sit and stare.
There simply was no way that they
Could ever see the things that may
Have been hidden; stowed away
Behind the little yellow door
Where Jack had said that there was more.

"I'll stick my hand in so that I
"Can feel around. It's worth a try."
Said Marius and went ahead,
Doing what he had just said.
"There's something there, I feel it now.
"I've got it now, don't ask me how.
"And yes! There's something more in there.
"Take a look! I've got it here.
"But that is all. There's nothing more.
"There's nothing more behind this door."

"Did you take a proper look
"In every corner, every nook?
"Did your searching hands explore
"The walls, the ceiling and the floor?
"Was there really nothing more
"Hidden there behind that door?"
Said Frieda slightly irritated.
"For have you, Jack, not clearly stated
"That we should find a lot in there;
"Much more than Marius brought out here?"

"I never said that you would find
"More than these two things behind
"That little yellow wooden door.
"This is all I had in store;
"All I had in store for you.
"It is not much. That may be true,
"But isn't this much, much more
"Than the nothing that you had before?
"And should you not be very glad
"Instead of dissatisfied and sad,
"Because these things you now have got
"Might very well help you a lot.
"Please take a moment and inspect
"These little things, for I suspect
"That this compass and map will be
"Of interest to all you three."

Frieda took the little map
And spread it out upon her lap.
It was a map where one could see
How to get from A to B.
But how to get from B to A
Was something that it did not say.

Although this very curious fact
Did momentarily distract
The children in the search that they
Were engaged in on that day,
It took not long before they saw
That the map could tell them more:
"It says here that all men of straw
"Live in a land not far away
"Where they eat and drink and play."
"Let's go!" Did Marius and Philip say.
"The compass here will show the way."

The children said goodbye to Jack
And left the little wooden shack
Thanking it for all they'd got,
For although it was not a lot,
It was both generous and kind
Of the hut to let them find
Such useful little gifts that they
Could use to help them on their way.

"It's been a joy to have you three
"Come inside and visit me.
"And I am very glad to hear
"That the things you found in here
"Are useful things that you may need.
"This makes me very glad indeed."
With this fond farewell from Jack,
The kids went down a narrow track
That led towards some apple trees
Swaying gently in the breeze.

June

Behind the trees, there was a yard:
A garden like a greeting card
With lots of flowers, bushes too
And roses white and red and blue.
The garden seemed a place of bliss
Where children sing and lovers kiss,
And so the children sang a tune
About a bright and happy moon
Until they met a girl named June.

June sat on a bench and cried
Little tears she could not hide
For she was very, very sad.
It was clear that something bad
Had just happened to poor June.
"Why do you cry this afternoon?
"Why are you crying on this day?
"Please answer us so that we may
"Help you in our little way."
Did the three small children say.

"Once upon a summer day,
"I was born to sing and play;
"To live a life of happiness
"For you will never, ever guess,
"What the midwife found when she
"Looked inside my mouth to see
"That there was nothing wrong with me.
"Well, she found a silver spoon
"In my mouth that afternoon."

"But that's no reason to be sad.
"That is a reason to be glad!
"To be born in such a way
"On a sunny summer day
"Is curious and dangerous too
"But not a reason to be blue."

"But you see, I've lost that spoon."
Was the sad reply from June.
"The spoon I got when I was born
"I've lost and now my heart's forlorn.
"That is why I sit and mourn.
"That is why my heart is torn."

"Where did you lose it, do you know?
"Was it high or was it low?
"And have you done your best to find
"That spoon by looking under and behind
"Each little bush and flower small
"And every single tree so tall."

"I have searched the garden here
"Searched here and there and everywhere.
"I've searched this garden through and through.
"Looked up that way and down there too,
"But that has not helped me a lot
"For in this garden, it was not
"That I lost my silver spoon
"On this fateful afternoon."

"But if you did not lose it here,
"Then clearly it is so that there
"Is no point in searching here.
"You will not find it in this yard,
"Not even if you look real hard.
"The spoon you lost will always be
"Where you lost it, don't you see?"

These words made June cry harder still.
"This means there is no way I will
"Retrieve the spoon that I have lost
"For in sheer panic I have tossed
"The little spoon I held so dear
"At a monster-beast I saw in there."
June pointed to a cheerful house
As brightly coloured as her blouse.

"And what exactly is that thing
"That such fear to you can bring?
"What is that monster that you fear
"Preventing you from going there
"To retrieve your spoon so dear?
"Please tell us 'cause we want to hear."

"In that cheerful little house,
"There lives a creepy little mouse.
"And this mouse is what I fear
"So much that I am forced to bear
"That I have lost my spoon in there."

"Are you really scared of mice?"
Asked the children in surprise.
"Well, we can go and get your spoon.
"You will see that pretty soon
"We'll find the spoon that you have lost;
"Find the spoon that you have tossed
"At the mouse that lives in there,
"And then we'll bring the spoon out here."

The children ran into the house.
They looked around and found the mouse
And next to it the silver spoon
That had been tossed and lost by June.
They took the spoon. Brought it outside.
Held it high and waved with pride.
"Look here! We found your silver spoon."
Did the children shout to June.

June came rushing up to them.
Her relief she could not stem
So she jumped and laughed and cried
Tears of joy she did not hide.
"You are my heroes, all of you!
"Is there anything that I can do?
"Anything at all that may
"Help you in some little way?
"For now I feel it is my turn
"To give you something in return."

"We're looking for a man named Bill.
"If you can help us, then that will
"Be very useful to us three.
"If you know anything that we
"May need to help us on our way
"Then that would really make our day."

"Ah, little Bill, that little man,
"Lives in a tiny little land,
"Not very far from here they say
"Just down that path and up that way.
"And in that land there lives a king
"Who likes to eat and drink and sing.
"This king goes by the name of Bing.
"And if you ever meet this king,
"Do not forget to bring something.
"A little gift. Some little thing.
"For if you don't: He will be sad,
"And when he's sad, he's very bad.
"But if you do: I think you'll find
"The king both generous and kind."

"Thank you for this information
"About that tiny little nation.
"This knowledge may well be of use.
"But now we're off, if you'll excuse
"Us in our rush to find this man
"And go explore this tiny land."

The Balloon

Shortly after leaving June,
The children found a small balloon.
A small balloon that was marooned
In a tree that had been pruned
Into a very funny shape.
Marius jumped and caught the tape
Of the small marooned balloon,
Pulled at it and pretty soon
He had untangled the balloon.
He gave this to his little brother.
This made him happy as no other.
Then they all resumed their song.
Singing while they walked along;
Singing while they walked among
Lots of flowers, many trees,
Many birds and busy bees.

The Goat

Marius went up ahead.
Climbed up a ridge and then he said:
"I think I've found that little land.
"I see it here from where I stand."
And with these words the other two
Came running up to share his view.

From on top that little ridge
The kids could see a little bridge;
A draw bridge crossing a deep moat,
On top of which there stood a goat.
Behind the goat there was a wall,
Very wide and very tall,
In which there was a great big gate:
The entrance to a city state,
For behind the big, wide wall
There was a city; very small,
And a castle; very tall.

Frieda's voice was strong and firm.
"This is it!" She could confirm.
"Let's go down to that small town.
"Let's go there and ask around
"If anyone has heard of Bill.
"We'll keep on asking right until
"We find the man we're looking for."
Then before she could say more
Her brothers started to run down
To the gate of the small town.
And Frieda could but follow suit,
Follow them in close pursuit.

As the children neared the town,
They passed a sign in red and brown,
Being painted by some birds;
Painting eagerly these words:
"We Welcome You to Xanadu,
"Where the King Lives, You Know Who."
One bird waved with its small brush
Shouting "Hey kids! Why the rush?"
But the children did not stop to talk.
They just continued on their walk
Swiftly down the little ridge;
Down towards the little bridge.

"Stop!" Was what the goat did say
When the children came its way.
"Do you know the special clue
"That is the key to Xanadu?
"Without it you three may not cross
"This small bridge, where I'm the boss."

"But we have this silver ring
"That we all intend to bring
"To a little man named Bill.
"Please let us in for then we will
"Dart inside and find that man,
"And then, as quickly as we can
"We will give the ring to Bill.
"It won't take very long until
"We are back outside with you.
"Please let us in. Oh, please, please do."

"No! Without the password you
"Cannot enter Xanadu,
"So if you don't know what to say,
"Then none of you may come this way
"And enter into this small town.
"These rules were laid down by the crown."

"The crown? What do you mean by that?
"A crown is just a golden hat.
"A crown cannot lay down such rules.
"And surely only great big fools
"Go around and make pretend
"That such rules they must attend
"By following each little word.
"Surely this is quite absurd."
Said Philip who did not know that
A crown is more than just a hat.

"By the crown, I mean the king!
"Not that heavy golden thing
"That he wears on his wise head.
"You see, it was the king who said
"That only those who know his name,
"Know his splendid name of fame,
"Will be allowed to come into
"The city state of Xanadu."

Now all three children said: "The king!
"The king goes by the name of Bing!"
The goat replied that that was true:
"Bing is the king of Xanadu."
And stepped aside to let the three
Go through the gate so they could see
If they could find the man that they
Were looking for that summer day.

Bill

The children entered through the gate
Of the tiny city state
And came into an open space.
This was the city's market place.
And this was where the children saw
A hundred little men of straw.
Maybe even many more,
All looking very much the same.
Frieda asked one for his name.
"My name is Bill." Was his reply.
"Please excuse me, I must fly."

"Hang on a second, maybe two.
"We have something here for you.
"A very special little thing
"For isn't this your silver ring?"
Said Marius while letting Bill
Look at the ring. This made him still.

Bill put his hand deep in his pocket,
Pulled out a diamond studded locket
And opened it for all to see
A ring much like the one the three
Had brought with them to Xanadu.
"Someone lost their ring, that's true,
"But that someone wasn't me,
"That is very plain to see."
Said Bill and closed his little locket,
Put it back into his pocket,
Said good bye, then like a rocket,
Headed for his destination
Somewhere else within that nation.

"There must be someone else named Bill.
"If we keep asking then we will
"Find the Bill we're looking for."
Said Frieda, then she stepped before
All the hundred men or more
And asked: "If any one of you is Bill,
Then please step forward, if you will."

What happened next was a surprise
That made the children realize
That all the little men of straw,
All the hundred men they saw,
Were not only much the same,
They also shared a common name,
For every single man said "Hey!
"Bill, that's me!" and came their way.

"Stop! Wait a minute all of you.
"Do any of you have a clue
"As to who has lost this ring
"That we have come here to bring
"Back to the one who dropped it when
"He talked to us in our garden."

One Bill said in a tiny voice
That made a puny little noise,
"Without a ring, we get arrested,
"Put in a dungeon; rat infested,
"Never more to see the light.
"Such sad and most horrific plight
"Is what all little men of straw
"Can expect if they no more
"Have their ring. This is the law.
"Don't even ask why this is so,
"Because we simply do not know."

"But if we three find that man
"In his dungeon, then we can
"Return the silver ring to him
"And save him from this fate, so grim.
"So tell us please, where do we go?
"Do any of you out here know?"

Another little man came forth
Pointing to a house due north.
A big and dreary house of stone,
In a street all on its own.
"The master of the dungeon is
"A man you cannot easily miss,
"For he is full of hot, hot air.
"His office, it is over there.
"And in his office is the entrance
"To the place where every sentence
"Is executed to the letter.
"This is always 'for the better'.
"At least, this is what he has said.
"But honestly, we always dread
"The days when he comes looking for
"Company with men of straw,
"For he always knows a law
"To arrest one man or more.
"And the worst thing is that he
"Seems to do this with great glee."

Philip asked them why it was
That such a man could be the boss
Of all the laws of Xanadu,
For he seemed evil through and through.

"All our laws are complicated
"And though sometimes much belated,
"Their announcements have to be
"Made by the brightest mind that we
"Have among us in this land.
"That's why it has to be that man,
"For his mind is very strong.
"He has never once been wrong.
"There is no one who's smarter than
"That wise man in this small land.
"At least, that is what we have heard."
Was the answer by a third
Little man made out of straw;
"Only that man knows the law."

Frieda whispered to her brothers:
(This was not heard by the others)
"This explains the situation
"In this tiny little nation.
"But we have not come here to change,
"Readjust or rearrange
"Every complicated law
"That applies to men of straw,
"But rather to return this ring.
"That is all, that's everything,
"That we can do for them today.
"Now, let's get going on our way."

Then Marius announced with force,
These words that ended with applause:
"We will save that little man!
"We will save him, 'cause we can
"Bring his silver ring to him
"And save him from his fate, so grim."

The cheering men all stepped aside,
To let the children walk with pride.
Let the three march hand in hand,
As if marching with a band.

The three passed many little men
And every single one of them
Waved to them with cheers and cries.
Some even had tears in their eyes,
For they were clearly very glad
That the three kind children had
The courage to save little Bill
From his fate so grim and ill.

The Prison Guard

The large forsaken house of stone
In the street all on its own
Had an eerie kind of stillness
As if it had some sort of illness.
But the children did not falter.
Their determination did not alter.
They headed straight towards the door
Prepared to enter and explore
Whatever may be inside there.
The children seemed devoid of fear.
Though, looking closer, one could see
That Marius had a shaky knee,
Frieda had a twitching lip
And Philip had a dodgy hip.

"Lets knock on this silly iron door
"And find the man whose stupid law
"Has put our little Bill in jail.
"We've come so far; let us not fail!
"Go ahead and knock, will you!"
Said Marius to Philip who
Looked at Frieda in the hope
That she would knock. That she could cope
With the fear that they all felt:
Fear like ice that would not melt.
But she did not step up and knock;
Just stood and stared as if in shock.

"Well, it seems to me that I must do
"The knocking here for both of you."
Said Marius in a timid voice,
"I guess I do not have a choice."
Reluctantly he stepped up to
The jail-house door of Xanadu.
Marius reached out and knocked.
This caused the door that was unlocked
To open slowly, open wide,
And let the children look inside.

Behind the door, there was a room;
Large and cold and full of gloom.
It had the air of pending doom,
And a tiny table where
A small man with a burning stare
Was writing something in a book.
He stopped his work and took a look
At the three who peered inside.
"Don't be shy. You need not hide.
"Come inside and tell me what
"Message for me you have got."
Said the man in a deep voice
That made a strangely hollow noise.

The children were not very eager,
But seeing that the man was meagre;
Very small and very thin,
They thought it safe to go on in.
"We are looking for the man
"Who knows the laws of this small land."
Said the children loud and clear
So that he would not hear their fear.

"That is me, I am that man.
"I know the laws of this small land.
"I write them up in this big book.
"Come over here and take a look.
"This book is where I write the laws
"That come to me like a great force.
"For when the king thinks of a law
"That applies to men of straw,
"I hear his voice inside my head
"And write each word that he has said
"Into this book in black and red."

Frieda who could read and write,
Thought that she should be polite
And look inside the big black book;
But when she did, her head she shook.
"These laws seem very strange indeed.
"Is there actually a need
"For laws that say what one should think
"And laws that tell one what to drink,
"Or when to smile or laugh or sing?
"This book has laws for everything."

"Isn't that the beauty though?
"With this book you always know
"What to think and where to go.
"Whom to like and whom to hate
"And that you never should be late.
"And if you doubt the words that are
"Written in this book so far,
"We know that you must be mistaken,
"Misinformed or taken in,
"For every single word in here
"Came to me from him out there.
"And he is king of Xanadu.
"That's why these words must all be true."

"To doubt you would be impolite,
"So we'll assume that you are right.
"We do not want to fight the law.
"We're here to help a man of straw:
"The man who lost his silver ring.
"Maybe you could help us bring
"This ring to him, so that he
"Can be released to join the free."

The man looked in his book and said
While shaking his strange, little head
(That seemed a little bit inflated;
Slightly larger; elongated.)
"Quite honestly, I cannot see
"A law that lets me set him free.
"But if you'll give me that balloon
"It may well be that pretty soon,
"A law will come into my head.
"A law that lets you go ahead
"And save him in that way you said."

"If giving this balloon away
"Can help that man in any way,
"Then that is what I'll have to do.
"But first of all, I wish that you
"Would show us where the prison is,
"And then I'll gladly give you this."
Said Philip, thinking it was strange
That giving gifts could help arrange
Little laws that make a change
To what is honest, just and true
In the land of Xanadu.

The little man stood up and said,
(His head was big and hot and red)
"Come out with me into the yard.
"The yard where I'm the prison guard,
"And I will show the dungeon to
"Every single one of you.
"I'll let you get a special view."

"Have you noticed how that mister
"Has grown larger than our sister?"
Whispered Marius to his brother
Who wished that he was home with mother;
For indeed, the prison guard
Who ushered them into his yard
Was growing large and very scary.
This certainly was very eerie.

The guard who had a bouncy walk
Stopped in his prison yard to talk.
He stopped next to a smelly pit,
Deep and dark and badly lit.
"This is the dungeon where
"Many small men live in fear."
Said the guard with a big smile;
Evil, fierce and very vile.
"Be my guest and jump right in,
"For wouldn't it just be a sin
"Not to return that little ring
"That you have come so far to bring
"Back to the man you're looking for.
"Back to that little man of straw."

"But if we jump in, how do we
"Get back out; out in the free?"
Said Frieda who was very scared
By what she saw, and this was weird:
The prison guard just grew and grew
With every single breath he drew.

"I think this man's real intention
"Is to put us in detention.
"To throw us all into this pit.
"Let's run away from this big git!"
Said Marius and ran off fast,
But his escape was not to last,
For pretty soon the guard had caught
Marius whom he now brought
To the edge of the deep pit.
"Now, I'll throw you into it."
Said the guard with shameless glee.
"From me, one cannot ever flee."

"If we can't run, then we must fight."
Said Frieda, jumping up to bite
The prison guard on his left knee.
This made him stop to look and see
That Frieda bit him furiously,
Causing him, that big fat lout
To give off an anguished shout,
Dropping Marius, so that he
Could grab his very painful knee.

"I'll deal with you two pretty soon.
"Now, come here with that small balloon!"
The guard glared at poor Philip who
Thought it best to simply do
What the guard was saying to
Him through that mouth that grew and grew.

What happened next was strange but true;
For the prison guard of Xanadu
Was only full of hot, hot air
Like a large and hollow sphere,
So when he grabbed that small balloon,
When he took it, pretty soon
He drifted off in aimless flight,
For he was simply very light;
As light as he was impolite.

The feeling of relief was strong,
But the children did not rest for long.
They looked around and found a ladder.
"With this ladder, we can gather
"All the little men that sit
"As prisoners inside this pit.
"Let's put this ladder in that hole
"For now we've finally reached our goal."
Said Frieda with a shout of glee.
"We'll let each single man go free!"

They put the ladder in the hole
And pretty soon a happy soul;
A happy little man of straw
Came up and out; and then one more
Came after him, out in the light.
Then a third. His smile was bright.
Eventually there must have been
Sixteen, maybe seventeen
Little men, all very glad
That the three brave children had
The courage and good fortune to
Depose the prison guard of Xanadu.

The children asked the men they'd freed
To stop a moment and take heed,
For they had come a long, long way
To bring a ring to him that they
Had talked to earlier on that day.

"Which one of you has lost this ring?
"Step forward for we want to bring
"This ring back to the one of you
"Who asked the way to Xanadu;
"Who asked us which way he should go;
"Something only I did know."
Said Frieda with an air of pride
That she did not try to hide.

An extremely happy little Bill
Spoke up while all the rest were still.
"That's me! It's me you're looking for.
"I am that little man of straw
"I am the one who you three saw
"And talked to earlier on this day
"When I was lost and asked the way."

The little man stepped up and got
His ring and thanked the kids a lot
For bringing him that splendid thing
His special little silver ring,
And for being very brave;
Brave enough to come and save
All the little men of straw
Who were victims of the law.
And all the little men agreed
That the three were brave indeed.

The King

The children and the little men
Went through the gloomy house and then
Headed for the market place,
Longing for that open space.
But when they reached their destination
They noticed to their consternation
That something strange had happened to
The little men of Xanadu,
For they all lay flat upon the ground
Making a deep humming sound.

Then Philip pointed in dismay
At two men who came their way.
"Is that the prison guard I see
"Coming back for you and me?
"Please tell me if you don't agree.
"And is the other not the king?
"The king who likes to eat and sing."

Philip was, of course, quite right.
In front of them, in bright sunlight
Were both the king and the guard
Staring at them cold and hard.

The guard said, with a voice that shook.
"There they are! Just take a look.
"Your Majesty, I say to you,
"They broke the law of Xanadu
"And gave to me that small balloon
"That made me fly and pretty soon
"Drift in through the window of
"Your castle's tower high above
"The day to day affairs that are
"Taking place in this bazaar."

The king who was both tall and round
With a robe down to the ground
And a crown upon his head,
Raised his finger high and said:
"What a frightful thing to do.
"Is this story really true?
"Did you give that small balloon
"To this man this afternoon?
"For clearly it is not much fun
"To drift off, towards the sun.
"If it had not been for my
"Tower high up in the sky
"He could well have disappeared.
"Such fate one clearly should be spared.
"Did you really pull this trick?
"If you did, I think you're sick,
"For such an evil little game
"Should fill you children with much shame."

Now, Frieda thought that she should speak.
Her voice was timid, small and meek:
"Your Majesty, please listen to
"What we have to say to you.
"We did not play an evil game.
"We only tried our best to tame
"This man who now gives us the blame;
"The blame for his unpleasant flight.
"You see, he used both force and might
"To steal that small balloon from us.
"This is the truth I speak, and thus
"I do not think it fair that we
"Should be blamed for all that he
"Was subjected to; went through,
"When up into the air he flew."

His Majesty turned his round head.
Looked at the prison guard and said:
"To steal is very bad indeed.
"It is an evil deed of greed.
"So if you stole it, then of course,
"You should show them some remorse."

"But your Majesty, you know
"That I never need to show
"Any kind of fake regret,
"For the law does always let
"The prison guard of Xanadu
"Do the things he wants to do.
"This is something you have said.
"You put that law into my head;
"Put it in there loud and clear
"As if I heard it with my ear."

"That, of course, is far from true,
"For though I'm king of Xanadu,
"I cannot put words in your head.
"Those words are words I never said.
"The only words that one can hear
"Are those that enter through the ear.
"So don't come here to me and say
"That my words can come another way."

"Are you telling me that I
"Am telling you a great big lie?
"And what about the other laws
"That I thought were free of flaws?
"The laws that say where one should go
"And what one may or may not know;
"What one must or must not do
"In the land of Xanadu.
"And what about the law
"That says that little men of straw
"Should fall flat onto the ground
"Whenever I come into town?
"Are these laws for this small nation
"Just figments of my imagination?
"Are they entirely my own
"And not carved by you in stone?"

"I have only made one law
"Because there is no need for more.
"And this law, it goes like this.
"Remember this is all there is:
"'You must never hurt another
"Not your sister, not your brother,
"Not your father, not your mother,
"Nor any other; Not a single one.
"Except for this, you may go on
"And do whatever your good heart
"Finds exciting, fun or smart.'
"So, you men down on the ground
"Making that strange humming sound:
"Please get up and do what you
"Think is fair and fun to do."

The little men got off the ground.
They sang and danced and jumped around.
And the children were relieved
To hear that what they once believed
To be the laws of Xanadu
Were fantasies that were not true.
And finally the prison guard
Who had a prison in his yard
Realised that all his work
Was not inspired; only murk.
And once he realised this fact,
His body started to contract,
Becoming quickly very small,
No more than eighteen inches tall.
For this was what the children saw:
The guard became a man of straw,
And joined the other little men
In their happy dance and then
Disappeared into the crowd
Who's song and cheers were getting loud.

The children were left with the king
Who introduced himself as Bing.
"I am a king who likes to sing.
"I like to sit up in my tower
"And sing a song at every hour,
"But this incident has shown to me
"That as the king I have to be
"More involved and dedicated
"Or else my law may get inflated.
"So much so that I no more
"Recognize it as my law.
"And then, of course, interpretation
"Of the law for this small nation
"Requires skillful navigation.
"Requires that one knows the way
"So that one does not go astray."

"It seems to me that you may need
"A compass and a map to lead
"Those little people on their way
"Every night and every day."
Said Philip after introducing
His siblings and himself to Bing.

"It is true that such devices
"would help me avoid surprises,
"And there was a time when I
"Did not let a day go by
"Without consulting compass and
"Map to rule this little land.
"But I left my map behind
"With my compass in the mind
"Of a strangely empty shack
"That claimed to be an average Jack.
"And since that time, I never could
"Rule this land the way I should,
"So I retired into my
"Tower high up in the sky."

"Well, this is quite amazing but,
"We found this in that little hut."
Said Marius and Frieda who
Returned the map and compass to
His Majesty the king who said:
"By the crown upon my head,
"You found my map and compass too.
"I see them, so it must be true.
"You found my instruments of navigation.
"This is cause for celebration.
"Come with me, then we will enter
"The tower high above the center
"Of this state called Xanadu.
"You'll see I have a glorious view."

The three were very happy to
Go with the king of Xanadu
Into his splendid castle where
The children had to stop and stare
At all the wondrous things in there.
For in the castle there was gold
And lots of beauty to behold.
But every little thing they saw
Seemed to say: "There's even more!"
So when the king said, "Let's go higher,
"Let's go up towards the spire,"
The children kept on walking through
Rooms and halls with things to view.
And everything got more immense;
More beautiful, grand and intense.

Finally they got into
The tower where there was a view
Of the tiny little nation
As beautiful as inspiration.
"This is the nicest place on earth."
Said the kids with awe and mirth.

"No! That my children, is not true,
"For now I'll show that place to you."
Said the king with a great big smile
That in itself was worth their while.
"Come here with me, then we will go
"To the nicest place I know."

The children and the king stepped through
A golden door and came into
A place where there was a white light;
Intense and warm and very bright.
So bright they could not see a thing.
Only hear the voice of Bing:
"Now I will leave you here alone,
"For I have brought you children home."

The children's eyes adjusted to
The light and saw that it was true
That they were back inside their yard.
They looked around, but found it hard
To think that all that they had seen
Had vanished as if just a dream.

Then Philip said that he was glad
To be back home with Mum and Dad.
And the other two could only say
That they also felt that way,
So they went in to Mum and Dad
And told them what a day they'd had.