Chapter 1 from the book
The Skrump - Colors and stripes
Gustav meets the Skrump
This story begins on a dark and cold winter’s night…
many years ago, when a man and a woman decided to make a child. The man and the woman lived in a small, two-floored house that stood on a twisted, suburban street in the outskirts of town. At the exact moment when the man and the woman went to bed to make their child, a shooting star appeared in the sky…
And the Skrump landed on Earth …
After that, a long time went by, where everything was calm and peaceful in the small, two-floored house on the suburban street…
The woman’s tummy grew and the man went to work. It became spring…
and summer …
and it became autumn …
and November and the child was born…
and he was called Gustav. The woman was now called Mum and the man called Dad and then they were a little family.
When Gustav was six months old he had the first visit from the Skrump. It came wheeling through the door on one wheel. Gustav was lying on his tummy in his cot and saw it come. Mum was having a nap and Dad was at work. Gustav was alone in his room.
The Skrump is a being from outer space. By a terrible accident, it had been hurled away from it’s planet and could not find it’s way back again. It is a big, red and purple blob that can be all sorts of shapes and sizes.
said the Skrump and took the cigar from it’s mouth, whilst blowing a pretty, purple smoke ring.
The Skrump put the cigar on the bed of a toy truck and looked at Gustav.
Right then, footsteps could be heard outside the door…
said the Skrump and with a SVUP!!! it became invisible.
Startled, Gustav stood up in his cot and stared at the place where the Skrump had been standing. The only thing left was a stump of cigar that lay, still smoking on the bed of the toy truck.
The door opened and Gustav’s mum came in. -Oh my god, little Gustav, she shouted in astonishment.
– Are you smoking in bed!?! You should be ashamed of yourself!!! And then Gustav was smacked. …
That is how Gustav’s first meeting with the Skrump ended, and that may explain why Gustav later became a bit nervous every time the Skrump showed up. When Gustav was four years old, he had gotten to know the Skrump. It was always nearby and it helped him with all sorts of things. They did many weird things together. But always on their own. As soon as anyone came, the Skrump disappeared.
Gustav nodded without understanding. He never said anything about the Skrump, for he quickly learned that it wasn’t a very good idea. Gustav’s dad worked as a chemical engineer at a fireworks factory.
He mixed weird potions together that turned into small bangs…
Gustav often went with his dad to the factory to see how it all worked. That is how he became interested in chemistry and to his dad’s great joy, it appeared that he had unusual talents. Already at age four Gustav could perform very complicated chemical experiments.
– The boy must be a genius!!! the dad shouted enthusiastically. – If he carries on like this he will become a professor at the age of 12!!! – Oh my God, Birger! the mum said. – How lucky we are! She was sitting in the kitchen, playing the cello…
it was, after all, her greatest pleasure. The Skrump was also satisfied. It made itself invisible and tip-toed into Gustav’s room and followed the chemical experiments with great interest.
The dad gave Gustav a lot of jars and flasks with strange powders and liquids in them. Gustav mixed the things together and produced the most amazing colours…
It didn’t know much about chemistry, but it could see, that if Gustav continued at this pace, he would be able to change the world to stripes and colours in a very few years. – Chemistry is more than colours, the dad said and showed him how to mix two potions together so they went…
and a little smoke cloud came out of the test tube. Gustav thought this was very funny. So he began to mix things together in a new way…
and then they had to change the wallpaper in Gustav’s room. It looked peculiarly black and singed. – My son, the dad said, – you are a genius, but it is probably best that you do your chemical experiments in the kitchen.
There now followed a period in Gustav’s life where they often had to change the wallpaper in the kitchen. And since he was always performing his experiments whilst his mother was cooking, they often ate some pretty unusual meals…
The Skrump was furious. It stayed up in the attic between all the old furniture and held it’s hands over it’s ears. It sat in an old worn-out armchair and tried to avoid hearing Gustav’s chemical experiments…
and in the sitting room the dad was pacing backwards and forwards excitedly. – I have a son who is a genius! he shouted happily. – He is only four years old and he can make huge explosions. Imagine what he will be able to do when he is grown up!! I must do everything I can to help him!!!
The mum paced nervously between the sitting room and the kitchen and didn’t quite know what to do…
other than keep her cello as far away from it all as possible. Up in the attic the Skrump finally made a decision. With a…
it moved itself to the kitchen. Gustav stood on a chair next to the high kitchen table and was preparing a new experiment.
-Hello Skrump! He said happily
the Skrump nervously shushed and glared toward the sitting room, where the mum and dad were talking excitedly with each other. The Skrump can move so fast that you can’t follow it with your eyes. It did that now.
At the speed of lightning, it changed the labels on the various powders and potions, that Gustav was using. It happened so quickly that Gustav didn’t notice.
and this Gustav did without knowing it. Carefully he mixed the different powders and potions together…
it went. There was no explosion. Almost soundlessly, the colours spread across the kitchen and painted it striped in purple and red.
the Skrump sighed in fascination, but at that exact moment the dad came into the kitchen.
and the Skrump was gone.
the dad shouted in a bitter tone. – What on earth is this mess. – I don’t know, Gustav miserably replied. – All of a sudden I can’t make a bang… -Then try again, the dad said, – but remember that it isn’t just a toy! Gustav tried again, but no matter what he did, it came out as pretty, striped patterns on the walls, tables and floors
the dad shouted and pulled his hair. – My son is no genius. He is just a colour mad idiot!!! – But it is the Skrump who is doing it, Gustav explained. -What?!
Are you making fun of your dad!!! the dad shouted and then he smacked Gustav…
And that is how Gustav’s chemistry experiments ended. He gave up on becoming a professor of chemistry.
