The House of Havoc

Charlie was enjoying his warm breakfast on an extremely cold January morning when suddenly, there was a knock at the door—no, more like a loud, persistent banging. Thud-thud-thud! The door shook with each impact, making Charlie uneasy. He hesitated for a moment but managed to gather enough courage to open the door.

Standing before him were a magician, a fairy, a ghost, and a kangaroo. Before Charlie could process what he was seeing, the magician spoke, "We received your invitation. Today, we are your guests."

Charlie, still feeling uneasy, replied, "No! I don’t even know you. I never sent any invitation. Who are you all?"

Before he could get an answer, the kangaroo shoved him aside, barged in, and declared, "Well, now we’ve been introduced! We are your guests, and guests should be welcomed, you foolish boy." He then plopped himself onto the sofa as if he owned the place.

Let me introduce us properly," he continued. "I am Sir Hopsalot McJumpington, from a royal lineage of kangaroos, blessed with the gift of jumping. Whoops!" He suddenly hit his head on the ceiling. "Looks like I got a little too excited again," he muttered, rubbing his head. Then, turning back to Charlie, he warned, "You will address me as Sir, or else… I will break… hmm… your nose? No, your ears? No, no… I’ll break something!" But before he could continue, he jumped again—only to crash into the ceiling fan.

Pointing at the ghost, he said, "This is Abracadabroski. He can turn invisible"—and right then, the ghost vanished—"create an aura of cold and fear, and most importantly, he can never be anyone’s friend. He knows everything that has ever happened in the past."

Then, introducing the fairy, he said, "This is Boogy Woogy, mistress of divine powers. She can fly and even see the future."

Finally, he gestured toward the magician, saying, "And this is Poofy McGoofy. He can bend time and space and is a master of mysterious arts. So, messing with him would be a terrible idea.

Charlie, still in shock, stammered, "I-I think you’ve come to the wrong address. Please leave. I never invited you."

But they ignored him. The magician asked, "Introduce yourself, boy."

Once again, Charlie insisted, "Please leave. You must be looking for a different house.

Abracadabroski laughed and said, "No need. I’ll introduce this foolish little boy myself. His name is Charlie Chuckle. He is a silly, small boy who gets scolded by his mother two or three times a week—and deservedly so! His hobbies include reading books, though he has never actually read a single one. He hasn’t done his homework in two days.

  He likes playing hopscotch, but his legs are skinnier than a pigeon’s, and he often gets dizzy while playing. He survives solely on Bournvita; without it, he would have been blown away by the wind long ago. But at least I can say—he’s not a burden on the planet.

And with that, the four burst into laughter.

So, foolish little boy, what will you serve us for dinner?" Sir Hopsalot raised an eyebrow.

My parents are out of town today, and they only left breakfast for me. Clearly, you were not invited," Charlie replied.

Without hesitation, the kangaroo jumped off the sofa and went to the fridge. With one swift motion, he opened it and devoured all the fruits inside. After finishing, he sneered, "Why do you have such terrible snacks in your house? Where’s the real food?

Meanwhile, the fairy started flying around and entered Charlie’s room. Charlie watched in amazement. "That’s incredible," he whispered.

Boogy Woogy soon returned, holding Charlie’s old school test papers. "Look at this! He scored only two in math and zero in science!" she announced.

All four stared at Charlie. Suddenly, the ghost reappeared and added, "I just found out something else about him, none of his teachers ever punish him. Why? Because no one wants to be blamed for his accidental murder! He’s so physically weak that everyone is afraid to even touch him.

The four burst into laughter again. Meanwhile, the kangaroo stole some of Charlie’s toys and stuffed them into his pouch.

 Charlie, still overwhelmed, pleaded once more, "Please, leave my house. You have the wrong address."

Poofy McGoofy ignored him and said, "I’m starving!" With a flick of his magic wand, a feast of delicious food appeared on the table.

Come, eat with us!" Boogy Woogy offered. "This food is much tastier than what your mother makes."

But Charlie refused. "No one can cook better than my mom!"

Poofy McGoofy frowned and waved his wand again. Instantly, all the food disappeared. He lay back on the sofa while the fairy flew through all the rooms, tossing clothes from the wardrobe and turning the house upside down.

Suddenly, the temperature dropped drastically. The whole house became freezing cold, and a thin layer of frost formed on the windows. Charlie quickly wrapped himself in a thick blanket, his breath turning into mist as he shivered. "Abracadabroski, please stop!" he pleaded.

The ghost smirked. "I hate the cold," Charlie continued. "I really don’t like this at all. Please remove this spell!

Boogy Woogy hovered above him, laughing. "You really are a fool. Whether you like the cold or not—what difference does it make? Do you think you can control nature to suit your preferences? Listen, foolish boy, the world doesn’t revolve around what you want. Nature gives you what it gives, you should accept it happily instead of whining."

Charlie quickly apologized, and within moments, the house returned to its normal temperature.

Suddenly, the sound of a car engine rumbled outside.

My parents are back!" Charlie gasped. "Please, all of you, leave! If they see you, I’ll get in so much trouble!

And just like that, the four vanished. But before disappearing, Poofy McGoofy smirked and said, "We’ll be back.

As soon as Charlie’s mother entered and saw the mess, she glared at him. "Charlie, who made this mess?" she demanded.

M...Mom, actually, um… some wild cats got into the house!" Charlie blurted. "I swear, they did all this!

Wild cats?" His mother folded her arms. "Tell me, why would they spare you? They wouldn’t even need much effort to tear you apart!

I-I locked myself in a room! That’s why I survived!

His mother sighed. "Listen, Charlie, I don’t care what happened. You have fifteen minutes to clean up this entire house. Every single thing should be back in its place.

With that, she collapsed onto the sofa, exhausted.

Fifteen minutes?! Can I get Selene’s help?" he asked hesitantly.

"You can take help from anyone—I just want the house spotless!"

Charlie turned to his younger sister, Selene. "Please, help me! I’m your brother. You have to help me!

No! I’m too tired. So don’t even think about it," Selene said firmly. "Also, you just wasted two minutes already. Get to work!"

Charlie stared at her in disbelief. Then, without another word, he bolted out the door—because, at that moment, running away seemed like the only logical option.

His mother’s voice echoed behind him, "Hey, Charlie! Get back here!