free ebooks The Boy Who Drew Laughter
Jack and the Laughing Pencil
Jack was an eight-year-old boy who loved to draw. He drew everywhere — on his sketchbook, on scrap paper, even on the cardboard boxes that arrived at his house. His drawings weren’t perfect, but they were full of silly ideas — a cat wearing roller skates, a sandwich that could sing, a chicken driving a
school bus. One rainy afternoon, Jack sat by the window, feeling bored. His crayons had worn down to tiny stubs, and his only pencil was dull. Just then, his grandma called from the attic: “Jack! I found something you might like!” Jack ran upstairs. His grandma handed him a small wooden box, carved with tiny stars and moons. Inside lay
a bright yellow pencil, with a shiny red eraser and a little smiley face drawn on its side. “This was your grandpa’s pencil,” Grandma said. “He always said it made him laugh while he worked.” Jack grinned. “Can I use it?” “Of course,” Grandma replied. “But remember — this pencil might surprise you.” Jack sharpened it and began to draw.
He sketched a goofy-looking dog with big floppy ears… and suddenly, the dog woofed, wagging its tail right on the page. Jack gasped. The dog jumped out of the paper and landed on his bed, still wagging. It barked again — but instead of a normal bark, it made a silly “Boing! Boing!” noise, like a cartoon spring. Jack burst
out laughing. “You’re real!” The pencil giggled. Yes — giggled. Jack stared at it. “Did you just… laugh?” The pencil chuckled again. “Of course I did! I’m the Laughing Pencil. Whatever you draw becomes real — but only if it’s funny!” Jack’s eyes lit up. “So if I draw something boring, it won’t work?” The pencil shook a little in
his hand, like it was nodding. “Exactly! Funny only. That’s my rule.” Jack got to work. First, he drew a giraffe wearing sunglasses and a disco outfit. Poof! The giraffe appeared in his room, doing the moonwalk. Next, he drew a peanut butter sandwich with little legs. It appeared and started tap dancing on his desk. Jack was having the
best afternoon ever. Every time he laughed at his own drawings, the pencil laughed with him. The next day at school, Jack decided to test the pencil in art class. While other kids drew trees and houses, Jack sketched a pirate ship… but instead of a pirate captain, he put a penguin in charge. The penguin appeared on his desk
with a tiny sword and shouted, “Waddle-ho!” The whole class laughed so hard that even the teacher couldn’t stop smiling. Soon, Jack was the most popular kid in class. Everyone wanted him to draw something funny for them. But Jack noticed something important — the pencil’s magic worked best when he found it funny, not just when other people did.
One afternoon, Jack’s friend Mia came to his house looking sad. Her kitten, Whiskers, was at the vet and she was worried. Jack thought hard. He wanted to cheer her up. So he drew a giant kitten — ten times bigger than normal — but wearing a princess crown and riding a skateboard. The giant kitten appeared, rolled across the
room, and meowed in a squeaky voice. Mia burst out laughing. “See?” Jack said. “Funny things make the world feel better.” The pencil whispered in Jack’s hand, “That’s my real magic — spreading joy.” Jack used the Laughing Pencil for weeks — not for pranks or showing off, but to make people smile when they needed it most. When the
rainy days came, he drew umbrellas with silly faces that danced above people’s heads. When his teacher was stressed, he drew a coffee cup that told knock-knock jokes. When his little brother cried over a broken toy, Jack drew a dinosaur that sang lullabies until he fell asleep. One sunny morning, Jack noticed the smiley face on the pencil glowing
softly. The pencil spoke in a gentle voice: “Jack, it’s time for me to rest now. I’ve laughed more than ever with you.” Jack frowned. “Will you… go away?” “I’ll be in your drawings,” said the pencil. “You don’t need magic to make people happy. You already know how.” The pencil gave one last cheerful giggle, then turned into an
ordinary pencil. But Jack didn’t mind. Because now, whenever he drew, he added his own laughter — and somehow, it felt like the Laughing Pencil was still with him.
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