Henry The Organiser

One quiet evening when everyone had gone to sleep and the moon shone through the little window in the lid of the little pipe organ the holes awoke and decided they'd like to go off and dance.

The bellows were most annoyed and tried to puff at the pipes to wake up Henry the Organiser, but the reservoir was fast asleep. It was a good job for the reservoir that it was asleep because he was petrified of holes. He got a hole once before and had to have a patch put on it.

The bellows were scared too. But the holes were quite frivolous, they didn't care a dot. They slithered out of the little gap in the partially opened lid and onto the highly French-polished table and there they danced in the moonlight making all sorts of symmetrical patterns on the tabletop. It looked as though there were twice as many as there really were.

One of the holes saw some clothes pegs, which had been mistakenly left on the table.
"What are they?" he said to his friends. They all scurried off quickly and they hid around the back of the organ. One of them whispered, "They're dangerous. They are square pegs and we are round holes".
"How are we going to get back?"
"What if they wake up".
One of them said, "I know a way through the organ front". He led the way and they all followed.
Top C began to squeak because he couldn't hold his breath and E Flat began to groan. Holes are no good to pipes. "Will I ever work again?" Top C asked, "Will I go flat?"
"There's nothing wrong with being flat" said E Flat, "I'd rather be E Flat than D Sharp."
"Well I don't want to be flat", said C. "There's no room for any more B's in this organ."
By now the holes had slithered past the pipes and all the pipes harmoniously sighed with relief.
The reservoir had woken up and was in a sheer state of panic. "It's all right for you," said the bellows, "at least you've got some relief."
The relief valve said "Don't you rely on it, I'm scared too. I hate the holes. They are so arrogant. They think they can do just what they like."
"Let's wake Henry", said the frame.
The holes heard this and they thought they had better get home quickly. When they got into the pressure box the holes were exhausted. Some of them began to cry. "I can't remember where I belong", they whispered, "What tune were we?"
The moon had shifted. It wasn't shining at quite the same angle. This caused a real problem. Some of them were forward and some of them were back. "I know I was not this far from the tracker bar", one said. "Yes you were" insisted another.
The paper was rather scared. It knew that if they all lined up it would be cut in half. Any way they eventually settled themselves down. The moon had moved right past the window and they fell fast asleep.
Next morning very early a cock-doodle-do woke all of the pipes and Henry the Organiser too. The pipes quickly straightened themselves up. They were always very proud and wanted to look their best for Henry. Henry was strict, but he was very fair. As he went on his rounds he congratulated the pipes for being so well ordered. "Well done", he said. Next he checked the shafts and gear wheels who had been quite oblivious to the nights antics. Then he went to the bellows and the reservoir "Oh dear, you do seem nervous", he said.
"It's the holes, it's the holes", cried the reservoir. Henry checked the reservoir completely.
"Don't worry," he said, "you haven't got any holes".
"I had one once before."
"Oh you're getting so paranoid; the patch has taken care of that. He's a very good patch."
"He's a nasty patch" wheezed the reservoir.
"I think that is very unkind," said Henry, "You know you'd rather have a patch than a hole."
Both the bellows and the reservoir had to agree they would definitely prefer a patch to a hole. Henry continued on his rounds. He checked the relief valve, "You look nicely seated." he said and off he went to the pressure box.
Inside he was appalled. "What a mess, look at you all!" he said. "This should be Colonel Bogey, but you are half way between a waltz and a quickstep. I'll give you two minutes to get yourselves in order and then I'll be back." He was a very kind Organiser and he knew that holes don't like to be seen moving on their own. Exactly two minutes later, because Henry was very punctual, he came back to check they were in order. "That's better," he said, "and don't let me catch you misaligned again."

Henry went off to check the bearings and the hinges and even the little catch on the back. Everything was spot on, in "A1" working order. So Henry went down to his usual place and stood against the frame.

(c) Tom Newsome Jan 2000
 

Click here if you would like to read about "Henry and the Mouse"

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