A long time ago,
In a far-distant land
That was quite close to home,
That I don't really know
Exactly what happened,
'Cause it happened so slow.
And just gone to bed
When a lump in my pillow
Made a lump in my head.
Tried to put the lump right,
But the lump was still left
When I put out the light.
Then I opened the case,
And up from the eider down
Came an upside-down face.
When I started to speak,
And the most I could utter
Was "Eek!" and "Eek! Eek!"
That was shaped like a rock
That was colored all over
Like a bright-colored sock.
He said with a grin.
"I'm the Gargoyle of Argyle.
Please, won't you come in?"
-- A most appropriate name
For a multi-hued monster
To proudly proclaim.
He was also quite nice,
For he never repeated
What he once had said twice.
It's such a nice place
Inside of the outside
Of your striped pillow case."
But it's bound to be tough,"
I said with dismay,
"I'm not little enough."
Size can be changed,
Size doesn't matter,
It's all been arranged.
And your feet at the head
Of your perfectly normal,
Quite magical bed.
Say it twice or three times,
Saying just what I say,
Or recite your own rhymes.
Polka Dot Puck,
Houndstooth Hobgoblin,'
Cross your fingers for luck."
And before I could blink,
After hours had passed,
I started to shrink.
There was plenty of space
For the gargoyle and me
In my striped pillow case.
For he had other guests,
All taking vacations
From knights errant's crests.
And sphinxes galore,
Centaurs and satyrs,
Chimeras and more.
Dwarves and a troll,
Nymphs, imps, and mermaids
-- All exceedingly droll.
His fabulous friends
Were cloth-covered characters
In cottons and blends.
The time surely did fly,
And I hated to leave when
It came time to say bye.
But I must get to sleep,
I've got playschool tomorrow
And appointments to keep.
Herringbone Gnome,
Leopardskin Leprechaun,
I've got to go home!"
My parents might see
I was one-tenth the size
That I once used to be.
Said the Gargoyle again,
And the next thing I knew
I'd expanded times ten.
There wasn't a trace
Of the Gargoyle of Argyle
In my striped pillow case.
I could now validate
Was one of Dad's argyles
Missing its mate.
Believe it or not,
The Gargoyle of Argyle
Is more than a sock.
Who tugs at my hair?
It's the Gargoyle of Argyle,
I'm certain he's there.
Who knows what you might find?
For a lump in your pillow's
A sure gargoyle sign!