ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE
★ ★ ★ ★
DEE MULROONEY
The Discontented Little Peanut
The discontented little peanut woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
He felt a grumpy feeling in his belly.
The woman peanut also woke up on the wrong side of the bed, she didn’t give him a happy look.
The tiny peanuts came barging into the bedroom and jumped on the discontented little peanut’s head.
‘You said you’d wrestle with us,’ they declared.
The discontented little peanut groaned and turned over. The tiny peanuts bounced on his head really hard, ‘You promised!’
The discontented little peanut gathered his strength and wrestled with the tiny peanuts for ten minutes.
The grumpy feeling in his belly said, ‘I just want to sleep.’
The discontented little peanut tried to have his breakfast but the tiniest peanut started crying, there was no cream left for his porridge, then he started wailing because his spoon was too big.
The grumpy feeling inside his belly said a little louder, ‘I just want to eat my breakfast.’
The woman peanut handed the discontented little peanut a list and went off to work.
It was a long list.
The discontented little peanut tried to get the tiny peanuts out the door to school but their laces were knotted and they couldn’t put their shoes on, they thought it was too warm to wear coats, they needed to do a wee.
Then dog peanut did a poo on the carpet.
The grumpy feeling said a little louder, ‘I just want to get out the door.’
The discontented little peanut got the tiny peanuts into the peanut van, he sighed.
The tiny peanuts started to fight.
The tiniest peanut was holding a green lego brick, he said, ‘I had it first.’
His big brother said, ‘No you didn’t you little liar, I had it first!’
The tiniest peanut reached out of his car seat and pulled his brother’s hair really hard.
The discontented little peanut said, ‘Stop that carry on, both of you.’
They didn’t, then he shouted, ‘Stop!’
They didn’t, then he ROARED, ‘Stop or I’ll throw you you both out of this van.’
They still didn’t.
He stopped the van, the tiny peanuts started crying, ‘We’re sorry! Pleeease, we’re sorry!’
The grumpy feeling ROARED, ‘I JUST WANT TO GO TO WORK!’
Everyone felt sad and grumpy, even the grumpy feeling.
The discontented little peanut went to work in his peanut workshop.
At last he had some peace and quiet.
The grumpy feeling was still there, complaining that it felt very hungry.
The discontented little peanut tried to make things with his Peanut Tools but he didn’t have any good ideas. The grumpy feeling was too big now and taking up space in his ideas place.
He stayed all day in his workshop, but not one idea came.
When it was dark he stopped trying and headed home.
The grumpy feeling said, ‘I give up.’
He felt different when he got into his peanut van, like something was missing. Then he realised it was the grumpy feeling. He had left it in his workshop.
The discontented little peanut felt lighter in his belly.
The street lights looked sparkly and the sky seemed full of magic.
The place where the grumpy feeling had been all day started to fill up with ideas and warm feelings. He thought of the woman peanut, the tiny peanuts, even dog peanut, and his heart felt full and his mouth started smiling.
The discontented little peanut opened the front door to the peanut house and dog peanut was there, she was so happy to see him that she did a wee on his leg. He didn’t mind.
The woman peanut was coming through the hallway with the tiny peanuts clambering after her.
She beamed at the discontented little peanut and gave him a big hug, and a beer!
The tiny peanuts grabbed onto his legs and said, ‘Yay, you’re home!’
The feeling in his belly said, ‘I want to be just right here.’
The End
For more on the art of Dee Mulrooney and her artist residency at The Wild Word, click on button to go to the Artist-in-Residence page.
