L2.+Children's+Story

__**Bimbo and Zimbo and the 7 tricks**__
Once upon a time in a village in old, strict Germany there were two brothers named Bimbo and Zimbo. All they thought about all day was to play tricks on people and instead of going to school, Bimbo and Zimbo were busy stealing apples and peaches from the neighbour’s garden.

__First Trick: The Widow Erma__ Bimbo and Zimbo saw that the poor little Widow Erma had been lonely and desperate for a long time and all she had left were her four old chickens. The boys had a terrible idea and the sleeping, poor little widow did not know what would happen to her beloved animals. Bimbo and Zimbo tied several crusts of bread together with a thread and layed the dangerous trap with laughter in the chicken yard of the poor little widow Erma. The hungry chickens snapped for the food, but quickly realized that the bread was caught up in their little throats. Bimbo and Zimbo were enjoying their view as the chickens fatally entangled. The boys ran away when the poor little widow Erma stepped out of her house. “What a shame!” she cried as she saw the lifeless animals. Bimbo and Zimbo did not care and already planned their next trick on her.

__Second Trick: The Widow Erma II__ The poor little widow Erma did not know but to cook and eat her chickens, because nobody would waste a meal like that in old, strict Germany. Bimbo and Zimbo had climbed up the widow’s roof, attracted by the smell of the cooked chickens. The poor little widow stepped out of her house in search for some wood, and the boys knew that it was their only chance to get the food. Bimbo and Zimbo to a long fishing pole and pushed in down the chimney to the stove where the chickens were broiling. The terrible brothers pulled up the chickens quickly, but the widow Erma’s dog saw the crime and barked as loud as he could. The widow rushed inside, but the food was gone. “Oh you are a loon!” she shouted and hit the dog on his behind. Bimbo and Zimbo were breaking out in laughter as the dog howled, and they started to move on for their next little joke.

__ Third Trick: The Tailor __ It did not take too long, and Bimbo and Zimbo came along the house of the well-respected tailor Neumann. Zimbo saw that a fast stream was flowing right in front of the tailor’s house and the only way to step to his door was to cross over a little wooden bridge. Bimbo understood what Zimbo had in mind and grabbed a saw to cut out a huge gap into the bridge. “This will be hilarious!” said Bimbo. The terrible brothers started to make animal sounds, so they could get the tailor’s attention. Curious of what is happening outside, tailor Neumann stepped out of his house onto the bridge looking for what had made that sound. Suddenly the bridge broke loudly underneath his feet and the tailor fell into the cold water. Bimbo and Zimbo were pleased to see the tailor screaming for help as the little stream swept him away. Luckily, the tailor was able to grab the legs of two geese that pulled the frightened tailor out of the water.

__Fourth Trick: The Teacher__ However, Bimbo and Zimbo still did not have enough. They reminded themselves that their grumpy teacher Holler was busy at church and it was easy to get into his house by jumping over the fence. Bimbo and Zimbo rushed to the teachers house and found the big pipe that he likes to smoke. To his surprise the boys filled it with dangerous gunpowder. When the teacher came back from church, he lit his big pipe. ‘Kaboom!’ The pipe exploded loudly and knocked out teacher Holler. Bimbo and Zimbo jumped of joy to see their teacher’s head without hair: the pipe burned everything down!

__Fifth Trick: The Uncle__ On their way to the next house, Bimbo and Zimbo passed a big field full of may bugs. Bimbo reached into his pocket and took out a big bag while Zimbo had taken a handful of bugs. Both quickly started to fill up the bag with may bugs. At the end of the road stood their Uncle Peter’s house, and Bimbo and Zimbo already knew what they were going to do with the bugs. They climbed up the stairs and put all the bugs underneath the cover of Uncle Peter’s bed. Just after Peter had fallen asleep, the bugs started walking all over his face. Uncle Peter woke up terrified and started to scream as he saw the hundreds of little insects in his bed. He ran out of his bed seeking help from his wife. Bimbo and Zimbo just enjoyed the view and were happy not being caught.

__Sixth Trick: The Baker__ As soon as they had left their Uncle’s house their stomachs began to make loud noises and the two brothers knew that they had to find something to eat. Bimbo and Zimbo found a little bakery which seemed to be closed and empty. Driven by their appetite, both entered the bakery in search of some warm pretzels. Unfortunately Zimbo slipped on a banana pulling Bimbo with him and both fell into a vat full of dough. The same time the baker returned to the bakery and found the two thiefs. The baker had heard of what had happened in the village and realized that the brothers had caused all that trouble. He quickly grabbed Bimbo and Zimbo and threw the terrible two into his oven and baked them into a big piece of bread. __Final Trick: The End__ Never before had anybody seen such a huge piece of bread, and the baker had a big celebration for the whole village. People from everywhere came to take a look at the bread which was shaped like two boys. The baker gave everybody a piece, but 4 people were honored with a bigger one. “One piece with love to widow Erma, one for tailor Neumann, one for teacher Holler, and one for Uncle Peter!” said the baker proudly. “The best and last trick of the whole day is that Bimbo and Zimbo cannot laugh about themselves! Not anymore. But we Germans like to say: ‘We who laugh last, laugh the best!’ Everything bad that you do to someone else comes back to you again!” At the end of the day everyone was happy and nobody was ever again played a trick on.