Story: Hey Diddle Diddle

There once was a little dog, more specifically a brown chihuahua, who had been born with the ability to wield magic. He was known to wander and as a result he never stayed in the same place for long. This was ideal since he had the tendency to cause mischief wherever he went. Of course today was no different. 

As the tiny dog was strolling along the roadside he came across a quiet farm. He noticed a cow speckled with black spots standing by the barn, and a brown tabby cat lounging on the farmhouse porch. Beside the cat was a worn-out fiddle, dish, and spoon. Instantly, an idea popped up in the chihuahua’s head and he headed for the grazing cow. She didn’t take much notice of him until he cleared his throat. Once her gaze was on him he spoke. 

“Hello there, I was just wondering-“ 

“No,” the cow interrupted. 

“I just had a question miss. Would you believe me if I told you that I have magic?” The dog asked. 

The cow rolled her eyes before responding. “No.” 

The chihuahua’s patience was starting to waver, but he continued on. “Well, what would you do if I could prove that I have magic?” 

The cow stopped chewing for a moment to consider this. “I’d jump over the moon.” 

“Deal!” smiled the little dog. He then turned to head for the snoring tabby on the porch. As he approached he began to recite a spell. “HEY! Diddle, diddle. The cat and the fiddle.” As the last word came out of his mouth the magical dog barked once and the cat woke up, grabbed the fiddle, and started to play. 

The cat was wide eyed and confused. “DUDE! What’d you do to me!?” 

“Just a little spell,” replied the dog. He then turned towards the dish and spoon before starting a new spell. “HEY! Diddle, diddle. The dish ran after the spoon.” Once again he barked at the end and the spoon flew from the bowl and started running towards the sunset. Then the dish became animated and raced after it like there was no tomorrow. 

The tabby cat audibly gasped and the dog heard a deep bellow from behind him. 

“You actually did it…” The cow trailed off. “Too bad I can’t actually jump over the moon.”

The little brown dog brightened up at this. “I can arrange that. I still have one more spell.”

He took a deep breath and recited, “HEY! Diddle, diddle. The cow jumped over the moon!”

And with that the cow began to glow and rise slowly off the ground. She climbed higher and higher and eventually she began to gain speed. In just a few seconds she was hurtling out of the atmosphere. The chihuahua watched as this happened and couldn’t help but burst out laughing. He blinked away tears as he saw the cow round the moon and come flying back to Earth. She then landed safely next to the dog. 

(the cow jumping over the moon, source)

“ARE YOU CRAZY?” she yelled. “YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME!” 

“But I didn’t, and you’re safe aren’t you?” the dog asked. 

“I guess that was kinda cool.” the cow sighed and looked over at the cat. “You should probably take the spell off of him.” 

The dog glanced over his shoulder and barked twice. As a result the cat dropped the fiddle and yawned before falling back asleep. The chihuahua magician then said goodbye to the cow and went on his way. 

To this day there’s still an antique dish and spoon running across the Earth. 

Author's note: I based this story on the "Hey Diddle Diddle" nursery rhyme. There weren't many details so I had to make up some things, such as the dog being magical and causing chaos. I tried to keep the elements form the nursery rhyme, such as the cow jumping over the moon and the cat playing the fiddle. I also based the dog character on my own chihuahua, Hunter!

Bibliography: Nursery Rhymes by Andrew Lang