King Rosegarland had given Budkin Gnome and Little Hexie two Rands each for collecting the most money for Flowerland's Gnome Hospital. Now they sat thinking what to do with their money.
"You know, Budkin, I must be the richest witch I know," said Hexie.
"Yes," said Budkin, "but I wish I could think of what to do with all that money."
"It's terribly difficult," sighed Hexie, rocking to and fro in her rocking chair.
"Hexie," Budkin said excitedly, "Let's go for a seaside holiday!"
"Oh my goodness," laughed Hexie. I haven't been to the seaside for simply ages. Oh yes, let's take the train tomorrow."
Budkin laughed for joy. "Then I'd better go and do my packing."
"And I," said Hexie, "shall have to pack my other hat and coat and my eeny weeny kini."
"Don't you mean bikini, Hexie?"
"Yes, that's it, bikini," Hexie replied, fluttering her eyelashes.
"So you swim in a bikini?"
"Of course. That's what it's made for stupid, swimming," said Hexie.
"I know it's a sort of bathing costume, but isn't it very small?" Budkin asked.
Hexie shook her head so vigorously that her hat almost fell off. "Oh no. My Grandmother Levinia Witch gave me mine. It used to belong to her. It's a very nice one."
"Oh," said Budkin. "Well, Hexie, I'd better be on my way. See you at the station tomorrow. The train leaves at eight. Don't be late."
"I'm not one of those witches who always come late," Hexie said crossly. "At eight o'clock I'll jump on my broom and fly to the station."
"You must be there by eight!" sighed Budkin.
"All right. At a quarter to eight I'll jump on my broom and fly to the station."
The next morning the two caught their train to the seaside. When they got there they left their bags at their boarding house and went to the beach at once. Hexie sat down on the sand at pulled her long pointed hat over her eyes.
"Why are you sticking your head into your hat, Hexie? Isn't it too hot?"
"To keep the sun off my face, Budkin. Grandmother Levinia always said a young girl's face should not be fried in the sun."
Hexie and Budkin enjoyed looking at all the people on the beach. To one side there was a platform with a lot of people sitting around it. On the stage a man was making all kinds of jokes. Suddenly he blew a bugle loudly and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, I have an important announcement."
"What does that mean, Budkin?" Hexie asked shyly.
"It means that he wants to say something and we have to listen, Hexie."
The man continued. "We're going to choose a Beach Queen today!" he said, as everyone clapped their hands.
"What is a beach queen, Budkin?" Hexie asked.
"Shh, Hexie. He hasn't finished yet."
"We're going to select the prettiest girl on the beach. She'll be given a prize of twenty Rands."
"Just you listen to that, Budkin," Hexie said. "If I win the twenty Rands we'll be able to spend a few days longer at the seaside."
"All the ladies who wish to take part, please come to the stage," said the man.
"I'll just put on my bikini and then I'll go up," said Hexie.
This gave Budkin quite a fright. "H....Hexie, you're not going to take part in the competition, are you?"
"What's that?" asked Hexie.
"Well, if a lot of people get together and they choose the best-looking one that's a competition," Budkin explained.
"Oh," said Hexie. "Yes, I'm going to tell them to make me beach queen. I'm just going to put on my bikini. Wait here, Budkin." Hexie went to the changing rooms.
"The competition is about to begin," said the man on the stage. Budkin hoped Hexie would be late, for he knew she would be very hurt if she did not win.
Suddenly Budkin heard someone calling: "Yoohoo, Budkin!" He looked around. Then he saw Hexie walking towards him. Or rather, he thought it was Hexie. He looked again and, yes, indeed, it was Hexie. She was wearing the funniest bathing costume he'd ever seen. It had long sleeves, the trousers came down below the knees and the whole outfit was covered in broad black and red stripes. On her head Hexie wore a black bathing cap which sat on her head like a hot water bottle.
Budkin found it all so funny that he felt like rolling around on the sand, but Hexie called again: "Yoohoo, Budkin, here I am! How do you like my grandma's bikini?"
Everyone on the stage looked around. Then they all started laughing. Even the man on the stage couldn't help laughing.
Hexie came to a sudden stop. Budkin saw how shy she was. She put her finger in her mouth and pulled the big bathing cap over her eyes. This made everyone laugh twice as hard!
Poor Little Hexie didn't know what to do and Budkin could see she was going to cry. He stood up, but suddenly a woman shouted: "Help! Thief! A thief has stolen my watch!"
Budkin saw the thief running towards Hexie with the watch in his hand. Budkin's little legs were too short to run fast. He shouted: "Hexie, the thief is coming your way! Stop him!"
Hexie was still standing with her finger in her mouth and her cap pulled over her eyes. Suddenly she put out one thin leg. The thief stumbled over it and fell head over heels in the sand.
"She stopped him! She stopped him!" the people shouted.
A policeman was quickly on the scene and he gave the woman back her watch.
"Oh, thank you so much, Miss," she told Hexie. "If you hadn't stopped him, the thief would have got away with my watch."
Hexie no longer had her finger in her mouth nor her hat over her eyes. "Oh, Budkin, did you hear that? She called me Miss," said Hexie laughing.
"What's your name?" the woman asked.
"My name is Miss Levinia Little Hexie. That's right, isn't it Budkin?" Hexie whispered.
"Oh well, more or less."
"I think we should make Miss Levinia Little Hexie the Beach Queen," the woman said.
"Hear! Hear!" shouted everybody.
"Yes, come to the stage, Miss," said the man.
"Come along, Budkin," said Hexie and grabbed hold of Budkin's hand.
When Hexie and Budkin climbed on to the stage, everyone clapped their hands. The man said: "We are making you the Beach Queen and you win our prize of twenty Rands." There was more cheering and clapping.
When the man had given Hexie the twenty rands, she bowed to the audience. Afterwards, Hexie and Budkin swam for a while and then they went to the boarding house where they were staying.
That evening after supper Hexie said: "Budkin, why do you think the people laughed at me when I came out in my bikini?"
"Oh well, Hexie, I suppose it was.... because you looked so cute."
"Oh well, you know, I thought I looked pretty cute myself," said Hexie.
Story Time � 1984-1989 by Rubicon Press CC