Willy Wilcox, Blue Peter,
and the Crumplehorn
- a Polperro Legend
This fun and magical poem for kids, by British children's writer Paul Perro, makes an excellent bedtime story.
The tale combines two Cornish legends. The first is the story of Willy Wilcox, a smuggler who, trying to escape from the authorities, hid in a cave in Polperro and got trapped by the tide. The second is the legend of the blue pixies who live in mines and caves and play tricks on people (as featured in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets).
The Crumplehorn and the Blue Peter are two outstanding pubs in the beautiful town of Polperro, Cornwall, England!
Willy Wilcox
- a poem by Paul Perro
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Willy Wilcox lived in the town of Polperro,
He loved nothing more than the taste of marshmallow.
He was out for a walk on the beach one day
When he saw some naughty boys coming his way.
"They'll steal my marshmallows" he sighed,
And he quickly decided to run and hide.
He headed for a cave, running really fast,
And hid there really quiet, till the boys had passed.
But while he was in there the tide came in,
And Willy found he could not get out again.
Trapped in the cave, he began to look around,
And a little wooden door was what he found.
Behind the door was a long corridor.
Having nothing else to do he decided to explore.
He found another cave which was dreary and dull,
And sat in the corner was a strange animal.
Its body was furry, a bit like a bear,
But on its head it had curly hair.
It was not like the animals you see on the telly,
It was six feet tall with a big wobbly belly.
Its clothes were too small, as if they had shrunk,
And its nose was the size of an elephant's trunk.
A very strange creature, quite unique,
And to Willy's surprise, it began to speak.
"Once upon a time I was a girl called Dawn
Before I became a Crumplehorn.
One day I saw a cave uncovered by the tide
And out of curiosity, I went inside.
I found a blue pixie living there.
He looked so strange I had to stare.
'You're a nosy girl' he said to me
'I'll give you a neb as big as a tree!'
He waved his magic wand and gave a shout
'Poof' - I became a Crumplehorn with a giant snout.
Now I hide here in this cave and shiver
Because I'm afraid of the size of my sniffer."
"That's a terrible tale" said Willy, "I'm sorry.
I will try to help you though, please don't worry.
Let's find this pixie and ask him politely
To make you look a little less unsightly."
They followed the corridor to who knows where
And found Peter the pixie standing there.
He glared at them both with an evil sneer,
"This is my cave, get out of here."
"Now, now," said Willy Wilcox "Don't be all glum,
I only want to be your chum.
Here, Mr Pixie, have a yummy sweet."
And handed him a marshmallow to eat.
Peter thought this an evil joke
(Marshmallows are poisonus to pixie folk).
"Since you both refuse to go,
I'll turn you into marshmallow."
He pointed his wand and gave a scream,
And out came a magic beam.
The beam missed Willy Wilcox very narrowly.
It struck the wall which turned marshmallowy.
Peter was cross, so he tried it once more,
But Willy jumped and the beam hit the floor.
Furious Peter clutched his wand, which broke,
And he disappeared with a puff of smoke.
When things calmed down, the Crumplehorn said,
"Did he explode or has he fled?
Whichever it was, he has gone away.
I'm stuck with this nose until my dying day."
"There, there," said Willy Wilcox, "Don't get upset.
We'll find a way to turn you back yet.
Perhaps we can find a pixie who's good,
There's bound to be one in this neighbourhood!"
"In the meantime," he said, "don't be sad.
It's nice in here now, things aren't so bad.
We can eat our fill of marshmallows,
And anyway, I like your nose."
The cave echoed to the sound of their laughter,
Do you think they lived happily ever after?"
