The Beautiful Potato/What It Feels Like To Be A Ghost

The crew stumbles upon a troupe of Fish Scouts and helps them learn the skills to earn an important badge. Featuring two new stories: “The Beautiful Potato,” a story about a magical starch who has vowed to solve all their town’s problems, by Zeke, an 8 year old from Virginia, and “What it Feels Like to be a Ghost,” a story about an emo ghost who takes on the Big Apple, written by an 8 year old from California named Sofia. 

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Illustration by Camila Franklin

Listen to the episode, and scroll down for the original stories!

Original Stories

The Beautiful Potato

by Zeke, age 8, Virginia

Once upon a time in a town there was a giant beautiful potato. Everyone adored the potato. It was very magical and even beautiful. It would do things for the town when the town needed it. For example, one day the blacksmith, whose name was Gerald, ran out of space to keep the things he made. He went to the beautiful and magical potato and said, “I would like a bigger workspace.” That night, the potato, who was very strong, pushed the walls out and made the blacksmith’s house three times as big as it was before. Another time, the mason, Sophia, fell off a wall she was building. She broke her left leg. The potato sensed that Sophia was hurt and rolled all the way to where Sophia was. Sophia hopped over to the potato and rested on it. The next morning when she woke up, Sophia was healed!Most recently, Terry the librarian was concerned because all the books in the library hadn’t been returned. The potato was, at that moment, sitting in the town fountain. Terry went to the fountain to find the potato. He was pretty easy to find. The potato was 10 feet long and five feet wide. He was just chillin’ in the fountain. Terry explained his problem to the potato. The potato rolled around the town pulling a wagon harnessed around it and collecting the library books. The potato was psychic and psychically told the townspeople to come outside and return their books. Terry came along with the potato and told everyone he would let their fines slide that time. One day a giant carrot rolled into the town with some travelers. The potato was surprised to see another beautiful magical vegetable. (All giant vegetables are magical). The potato felt threatened because usually there was only one giant vegetable allowed in the town, and that was her. The potato was named Olivia. Olivia rolled up to the carrot and explained the town rule.“Did you know that if a second magical vegetable enters this town it will melt or be boiled and eaten by the townspeople?” The carrot was alarmed! “WHAT?!” the carrot exclaimed. “I know, it’s surprising,” Olivia said. The carrot just started. It was temporarily paralyzed in shock. While Olivia was looking at the carrot, who seemed terrified, she had a change of heart.“Maybe it would be nice to have a friend,” thought Olivia. Because even though the townspeople loved her, they were always asking her to do things. She always wanted to try new things, like archery, baking bread and making matzo ball soup and pasta, and painting, but she didn’t have anyone to do these things with. Olivia went to the town square and started to float. Magic energy flowed from the giant potato. In a few seconds Olivia came back to the carrot and said, “now you can enter” and the carrot moved into the town. THE END (for now at least)

What it Feels Like to be a Ghost

by Sofia, age 8, California

One foggy morning, Windy the ghost was floating around the Empire State Building. When she floated to the top floor, she saw people talking with each other. She felt she wanted friends so much. Windy wished she were a human with a lot of friends, but ghosts need to be alone.At night, Windy flew near the city houses to look at the sleeping children.¨What good sleep, but ghosts do not sleep,¨Windy said sadly. She always wanted to sleep in the warm blankets, but instead the ghosts just flew around the graveyard. Her mom, Scarcy, was a ghost who scared people. Her mom was mad at Windy for flying near the Empire State Building. Windy was not allowed anymore to fly to the city and dash into taxis. Ghosts did not like the annoying beep sound of the taxis at all but Windy was different. Windy was determined to flee to the city to see how babies turn into children and children turn into adults or find a genie and ask for the genie to turn her into a human. Windy was supposed to learn by her mom, but she dreamed of being human. All day long she sat in the graveyard thinking. The feeling of a ghost was miserable, Windy thought. 7 years later Windy still was a ghost and her dream had not come true yet, but she was still determined to become a human.”