Episode 485 (Story 26: The Slithery Dee)

Plot
A man named Mr. Gordon dies. He is buried in a coffin. The night he is buried, he returns. He refuses to leave when he is told. A fiddler who is in love with Mrs. Gordon comes and he knows a way to get rid of Mr. Gordon...

Cast

 * Mr. Gordon as (Aaron Kelly)
 * Mrs. Gordon as (Aaron Kelly's wife)
 * Mr. Shaskan as (The fiddler)

Information

 * Genres; Children's, Horror, Comedy
 * Rating: Children. There are funny scenes.
 * Type of story; Horror, Comedy

Story
Narrator: Mr. Gordon was dead. They bought him a coffin and had a funeral and buried him. But that night he got out of his coffin, and he came home. His family was sitting around the fire when he walked in. He sat down next to his widow named Mrs. Gordon.

Mr. Gordon: What's going on? You all act like somebody died. Who's dead?

Mrs. Gordon: You are.

Mr. Gordon: I don't feel dead. I feel fine.

Mrs. Gordon: You don't look fine. You look dead. You'd better get back to the grave where you belong.

Mr. Gordon: I'm not going back to the grave until I feel dead.

Narrator: Since Mr. Gordon wouldn't go back, his widow couldn't collect his life insurance. Without that, she couldn't pay for the coffin. And the undertaker said he would take it back. Mr. Gordon didn't care. He just sat by the fire rocking in a chair and warming his hands and feet. But his joints were dry and his back was stiff, and every time he moved, he creaked and cracked. One night the best fiddler in town named Mr. Shaskan came to court the widow. Since Mr. Gordon was dead, Mr. Shaskan wanted to marry her. The two of them sat on one side of the fire, and Mr. Gordon sat on the other side, creaking and cracking.

Mrs. Gordon: How long do we have to put up with this dead corpse?

Mr. Shaskan: Something must be done.

Mr. Gordon: This isn't very jolly. Let's dance!

Narrator: Mr. Shaskan got out his fiddle and began to play. Mr. Gordon stretched himself, shook himself, got up, took a step or two, and began to dance. With his old bones rattling, and his yellow teeth snapping, and his bald head wagging, and his arms flip flopping-around and around he went. With his long legs clicking, and his kneebones knocking, he skipped and pranced around the room. How that dead man danced! But pretty soon a bone worked loose and fell to the floor.

Mr. Shaskan: Look at that!

Mrs. Gordon: Play faster!

Narrator: Mr. Shaskan played faster. Crickety-crack, down and back, the dead man went hopping, and his dry bones kept dropping-this way, that way, the pieces just kept popping.

Mrs. Gordon: Play man, play!

Narrator: Mr. Shaskan fiddled, and dead Mr. Gordon danced. Then Mr. Gordon fell apart, collapsed into a pile of bones all except his bald headbone that grinned at the fiddler, cracked its teeth and kept dancing.

Mr. Shaskan: Look at that!

Mrs. Gordon: Play faster!

Mr. Gordon's headbone: Ho, ho! Ain't we having fun!

Narrator: The fiddler couldn't stand it.

Mr. Shaskan: Mrs. Gordon, I'm going home.

Narrator; He never came back. The family gathered up Mr. Gordon's bones and put them back in the coffin. They mixed them up so he couldn't fit them together. After that, Mr. Gordon stayed in his grave. But Mrs. Gordon never did get married again. Mr. Gordon had seen to that.

Recap
A man named Mr. Gordon dies. He is buried in a coffin. The night he is buried, he returns and sits by his wife named Mrs. Gordon at home. He wonders why they are all sad. Mrs. Gordon tells him that he has died and tells him to return to his grave. Mr. Gordon refuses to return until he feels dead. The best fiddler in town named Mr. Shaskan comes to the home to marry Mrs. Gordon since her husband is dead. Mrs. Gordon wonders how long they have to put up with this corpse. Mr. gordon gets bored and suggests that they dance. Mr. Shaskan plays his fiddle and Mr. Gordon gets up and dances around. He dances all around the room. Soon, a bone breaks loose from him. Mr. Shaskan and Mrs. Gordon notice this and Mrs. Gordon tells him to play faster. He plays faster and Mr. Gordron dances around. Soon, his bones fall apart and collapse into pieces except for his headbone. Mr. Shaskan can no longer stand it. He stops playing and leaves. He never returns. Mr. Gordon's bones are put back in the coffin and mixed up so he can't return. Mr. Gordon stays in his grave. Mrs. Gordon never marries again.