The beep monsters

It was early morning and M and T were finishing breakfast.

M said, “Oh, it’s going to be a beautiful day, isn’t it?”

T replied, “I’m looking forward to school. Teacher said we are going to learn how to use a compass… And 

I hope they are also finally going to teach us how to ride a horse while standing on our heads!”

“Hmmm…” said M, looking doubtful.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Who is it?”

They opened the door to find their good friend Zaki. Panting, Zaki said, “Guys, something’s wrong.” Zaki was a kind soul and would always look out for his classmates. He continued, “Half the kids on Boris’s bus aren’t answering their doors. They’re all still asleep. And their families too.”

Immediately putting on their Fixer T-shirts, M and T knew this was a real concern. M and T loved sleep as much as anyone, but all the children also loved going to school, especially on Boris’s fun bus. The bus had colourful lights, kiddie music playing, and in the boot, he’d even installed a big pool of coloured balls which he let every kid dive into. Together M and T shouted, “Let’s go investigate!”

The three went house to house in Boris’s bus. No answer.

Boris even pointed the bus towards the houses and gave a polite horn from the curb.

Most of the time they were met with silence. But sometimes, curtains twitched, and a sleepy parent would shout, “Those Beep monsters kept us awake, all night. And their faces were in our windows. Please let us sleep!” Every doorstep was the same: grumpy, tired families, and no kids ready for school.

Beep monsters. This did not sound good. The Fixers knew they had to do some research. Boris took them to the old town library, a source of new and ancient knowledge. Through dusty pages they searched until an old entry in a nature book took Zaki’s eye. The page read:

“The Stilters. Tall forest creatures who make themselves even taller by walking on long wooden stilts. The Stilters have beautiful soft fur (mixed of a thousand colours) and are known for their friendly greetings. And unusual beep-like sounds. They are drawn to new noises.”

Something about the Stilters drew the Fixers in. They read more and more until it clicked.

M said, “The Stilters follow noises. They make beeps. They are tall and they are friendly.”

T asked, “Tall enough to reach second-floor windows?”

Later that night, the trio camped in Zaki’s upstairs room, armed with binoculars and walkie-talkies, scanning the streets. Just after dark they heard it: A smiling, monkey-like face rose to the window. It beamed in good energy, but for the inhabitants of the houses, this was not a good time. Each Stilter balanced on long, hand-carved wooden stilts, passed down through generations. Their stilts let them reach high forest fruit, an invention that gave the tribe its name and boundless energy. 

Slowly, as the children looked, they saw more and more appear up and down the street, peering in windows and cheerfully beeping at the townsfolk. Inside, people didn’t take it well. In fact, many got terrible frights. And with all the beeping, no one could sleep.

Zaki whispered, “That’s them. The Stilters. Look, they’re not monsters. They’re friendly. But they are noisy alright.”

He added, “Beep means hello in Stilter. And the traffic from the town, with all its car horns, must sound to them like the town was saying hi.”

As M listened to Zaki, a plan started to form in her mind, a Fixer plan that would help save the town and protect the Stilters.

The next evening the Fixers borrowed a loud-speaker from Boris’s bus. Standing at the edge of town, M called into it, “Beep-eep!” Distant beeps answered, sounds sweeping over the tops of the houses.

The dance had begun, and the Fixers hopped on bicycles and rode out of town. They hoped they were being followed. As they went toward the hills, they paused every so often to repeat the call, “Beep-eep!” The Stilters, believing they were being greeted, bellowed back happily. They loved to chat and make new friends, calling, “Beep-eep!” The Fixers pushed forward, looking over their shoulders only to make sure their new giant friends were still following their beeps.

And then something beautiful happened. As the Stilters beeped along the road and over the crescent of a hill, they spotted their forest in the distance. As one, the creatures recognised their home. They bounced, waved, and offered a grateful final “Beep-eep” before disappearing among the trees. They were back where they belonged, and their beeps rang out across the tree tops.

M, T, and Zaki made their way back to the town and called for a meeting. Zaki’s classmates came to thank him the most for figuring out they needed help. Without him going to M and T, the Stilters would still be beeping and people still wouldn’t be sleeping. 

Alongside the children, drivers of all kinds gathered in the square, crane-truck drivers, parents, delivery vans, Boris… Some were still tired from all the beeping, but they listened.

T explained, “It was the noise. Too many horns brought the Stilters here. We need to keep it down. Let’s keep beeps for emergencies only. If we do, we will be nicer to each other and the world.”

Everyone agreed to drive more gently, and in fact, each Saturday for a few weeks, they came together in a workshop led by the Fixers. The drivers practised calm hand waves and quick light flashes. And if they really, really, really had to, they were allowed to use short beep taps instead of long beeeeep blasts.

Boris was one of the volunteer instructors and even put up a big sticker on the back of his bus:

“Quiet Streets = Happy Sleep.”

And he was right. As the streets of SnoozyTown settled, car beeps faded, engines hushed, and tempers eased. Quiet streets led to quiet minds, and quiet dreams soon spread. Far in the hills, the Stilters settled in their forest, their gentle beeps fading like distant dreams.

M, T, and Zaki curled up in their beds, warm and calm. And SnoozyTown drifted once more into sleep.

The End.