KIDS BOOKS | THE QUESTING QUILL-O-MAN

There was once a young man
Well he was not quite twelve
He always kept behind his ear
A porcupine quill

Sometimes that quill was purple
Sometimes like the sun
He painted them with loving hands
Our curious Quilloman

The story goes that one night while he
Chased villains in his sleep
A kindly witch came floating down
And said “O Quilly listen to me”

“If you want to live nice and long
And have adventures far and near
You must carry a colourful quill
Tucked neatly behind your ear”

And so our quirky Quill-o-Man
Thought he must heed these words
And that is how he collected
One thousand quills I’ve heard

“O Quilloman, O Quilloman!”
Everyone who passed him cried
“Why do you carry all these quills
Who will you stab tonight?”

You see our oddball Quilloman
Had adventures in his mind
Where he roamed with his best friend
Sir Lancelot the knight

Together they fought battles
A lot of blood was spilled
The knight fought with his lance
And our hero with his quill

Then while on an adventure
One medieval Wednesday
Sir Lancelot lost his lance
While he was stabbing away

Quilloman was so shocked
He dropped his own quill too
Blade-less and point-less
There stood the warriors two

It is believed that was the day
That turned the tide for Quilloman
He stopped collecting piny quills
And had pockets full of sand

Our brave Quilly continued his
Madcap make-believe
Surfing in his sandy bedroom
In goggles and his briefs

Every few years, Quilloman hears
Of how he can improve
His ruddy health and his adventures
And finds hobbies anew

So next time you see someone who looks
Like they’re having too much fun
Surfing or flying or poking at things
You’ll know you’ve met Quill-o-Man.
Image: Generated via Recraft illustration software