A bedtime story

Naoko and Noah are best friends. They've known each other since they could crawl. 7 years ago, Naoko's dad and Noah's mom met at a street festival in Sun Street. Both had their small children on their shoulders so they could see the music band on stage. Two men and three women with colourful clothes warbled into the microphone "lala schubiduuu". Noah bounced to the rhythm of the music on his mother's shoulders and Naoko shrieked with pleasure.

Since the street festival took place in an otherwise rather quiet area and all the other spectators were sitting quietly and well-behaved on their chairs, Naoko's dad and Noah's mum immediately found each other nice and smiled. It didn't bother them at all that other people were looking at them.

The best friends - Naoko and Noah

Since then Naoko and Noah have been playing together all the time. When they were younger they used to crawl around and roll around on the picnic blanket.

Today they prefer to play tricks. Once they scolded the doorbell of Herr Schubitz, he lives one floor below Noah's family. Mr. Schubitz always takes an hour nap at noon, because he works at the primary school as a German and art teacher and has to lie down in his bed after work. "Taking a beauty nap", as he calls it. But he probably just needs to rest from the noise in his class, the 3c. It's the wildest class in the whole school. Naoko and Noah definitely think that Herr Schubitz is much too beautiful to need beauty sleep. He has shoulder-length brown curls and wears self-knitted sweaters with patterns.

The prank on Wednesday afternoon

One Wednesday afternoon, Naoko rings his doorbell. Noah has hidden in the stairwell and watches from a safe distance from the second floor. Mr. Schubitz opens the door sleepily, his sleeping glasses hanging under his chin. "Yes, please?".

Naoko stands with his legs apart in front of the door and looks him firmly in the eyes. "I need to have a serious talk with you!" "Have we met before?". " If you only knew", says Naoko and looks at Mr. Schubitz's slippers.

Herr Schubitz frowned. He's not quite awake yet, but he's a little curious why the girl with the blue dungarees and the green sandals is standing there in front of him, looking at him as if she was about to announce something big and important.

"Congratulations - you won an elephant"!

Herr Schubitz looks irritated, but the girl continues to look at him so seriously and insistently that he cannot avert his gaze.

"Here Please" - she hands him a huge leash and a photo of a real elephant. "The elephant will be delivered tomorrow, please clear your bedroom and buy some bananas". Actually the leash is an old rope Naoko uses to play tug-of-war with her siblings, but Mr. Schubitz can't know that.

Noah sounds a "Töröööh" through the staircase. He giggles silently into himself. It looks too funny how the dishevelled Mr. Schubitz stands there completely clueless and doesn't know whether he is dreaming or awake.

Now Noah also comes stealthily out of his hiding place. He stands next to Naoko. "And are they happy?"

An elephant that likes blueberry ice cream!

Now Mr. Schubitz has finally understood that he has just been made fun of here and that he probably won't become father of an elephant. But Mr. Schubitz likes the game, which Naoko and Noah have thought up and is happy about the good conversation after his beauty sleep. Immediately an idea comes to him: "Children, unfortunately you are too late! My elephant hotel is already fully booked. But over a delicious ice cream, I would love to tell you all the great stories that the elephants tell me all day long. And your dear friend here? I'm sure he wants an ice cream too!"

Naoko and Noah are smiling at each other. An ice cream is the best they can imagine now! Noah shouts with joy: "Our elephant loves blueberry ice cream best!"

Mr. Schubitz grabs his red denim jacket and they set off together - Naoko, Noah, Mr. Schubitz and the elephant.

Published on 25.06.2020