Prank

The inmates of a mental institution turn out to have a strange (?) sense of humour

Last Sunday was an exceptionally exquisite day. The sun was up, the sky was blue, it was beautiful and so was I. I’d just taken a bath, see, was clean shaven and smelled like a million dollars. Anyway, I was walking down the street, minding my own business, humming “Dear Prudence” and smiling at everyone I met. I was in high spirits. Don’t know why. Could be because I’d just taken my medication.

As I turned the corner, I heard singing. The sound seemed to be coming from the mental institution of the town. A huge building with 467 beds, 20 padded rooms, wonderful doctors and caring orderlies. The garden is our.. I mean their pride and joy. It is tended by us.. them, the inmates. Anyway, a friend of mine told me all this, if you were wondering.

At first, I couldn’t make out the words of the song. Then as I approached, it became clear that our jolly bunch were singing

“FOR HE’S A JOLLY GOOD FEEELLOW…..”.  

Probably a birthday party, I thought. As I approached the fence surrounding the hospital’s garden, it became clear that the words were a little different from the ones I was used to hearing. They were clearly yelling:

“FOR HE’S A JOLLY GOOD SIIIXTEEN, FOR HE’S A JOLLY GOOD SIIIXTEEN…”

Well, what was I expecting? Why were they locked up after all? Or maybe they were celebrating the birthday of someone who’d just turned sixteen. Go figure. Suffice it to say that my curiosity was such that I wanted to take a peek, but the fence was too high. I inspected it and found a little gap in the planks. I put my eye to the opening to look when some idiot poked me in the eye with a stick and they all went:

“FOR HE’S A JOLLY GOOD SEEEVENTEEN, FOR HE’S A JOLLY GOOD SEEEVENTEEN…”   

Reviews

[barleygirl]

This one flows well & leaves the reader curious all along. I love the misleading descriptions that suggest the narrator is really on a different side of the fence . . . or has been inside there. My favorite funny is the last sentence of the first paragraph . . . once again, a periphery funny overshadows the twist at the end. I hate to spoil your fun, but I think I've seen or heard this twist before somewhere else. But it's still very enjoyable & lighthearted in your style we've all grown to love.

[Woody]

hey there. thanks a lot for your always lovely reviews. I'm pleased as Punch that you like my craziness. and no you didn't spoil my fun.
now, I've said this before but I need to say it again. sometimes I think up the whole thing from top to bottom. and sometimes, I use the punchline of an old joke as a springboard and truly enjoy weaving a c**k and bull story. yes the story often overshadows the punchline.
in this day and age of the Internet, I'd never get away with stealing a joke and pretending it's mine. all you have to do is google it. plagiarists must be having a terrible time.
now you know my secret :)

[Will Neill]

Woody, look! I just sat down with my mid morning cup of coffee and decided to read your latest story. I will have to go to the emergency room! now because I laughed so much I spilled it all over my lap. I think I burned my vitals....
Brilliant.
Will

[Woody]

hahaha I really don't know whether to laugh or fel sorry for you, Will. I'd hate to be sued by your wife. you know, a woman scorned and all that.
thanks a million, Will. as always your amusement at my stories always make my day. now, please run along to the emergency and get that old thing fixed. no sex for the forceable future, I guess :)

[Bright Ocean Star]

Woody, you are a gifted funny man, my friend. This one was good :)

[Woody]

thank you so much, Dear. glad you like it :)

[Hope]

Hahaha ! This one again is just another of your humorous works ! I loved it ..like I always do..see I'm not really a professional or anything and neither is English my native language..I just know that I like your way of writing and it's something I've read in some great works ! Keep it up!

[Woody]

thanks Hope. Glad you enjoyed it. I can assure you that I'm not coopying any writer but having read a lot, I can't help but get unconsciously influenced by one writer or other.

[Hope]

I never said that you copied :) I meant that your writing style is just like some famous works I've read ..hence it has the capability to be famous ! :)

[Woody]

gotcha! thanks heaps.

[Hope]

hahaha :D welcome !

[Lotus Twilight]

Loved reading it... I simply human-slided down the bed laughing!!

[Woody]

thanks a lot Padmasandhya. I'm absolutely thrilled that you liked it.

[Chloe]

Ah, yes. Engluva the brilliant strikes again with her witty twists. I seriously have been endeavoring to emulate your style in my latest writing. However, I have two questions:
________________________________________________________________________________________________
You said some things in the first paragraph that implied the narrator was inside of a mental institution. A lot of your pieces are told from the viewpoint of a character with no background, so now I'm wondering if you've imagined an OC that you build off of whenever you write something. If so, that's a brilliant method and I applaud you.
________________________________________________________________________________________________
I tend to do this thing many find quite annoying where I find hidden meaning in places where there is none, so correct me if I'm wrong. Are you trying to communicate the fact that people tend to over-complicate their expectations based on stereotypes?
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Brilliant piece and kudos to you!

[Marie]

Toook me a few seconds to get this, but it's funny.

I don't understand how you can write so well in English. It isn't just that your grammer is correct, but that you know so much, use your words so well.

[Woody]

Many thanks Marie. The only explanation I can give is this: my love for the English language is boundless. Can't tell you why. The second reason is probably because I've been reading non stop for eons. Books are the air I breathe. My friends often joke about me having been English in a previous life.

[Woody]

Mrie, I was wondering if the readers caught on the meaning of the title of the previous story "Richard". I mean was it obvious, d'you think? You understand I could not use the diminutive :)

[Marie]

I didn't catch on to it, and I'm usually good about things like that.