Dokkaebi

Hello there. I bet you did not see me. I was hiding behind a big clay pot. I love to play hide-and-seek. Peek-a-boo. My name is Dokkaebi. I am a playful spirit. But I was not always a spirit. A long, long time ago, I was just an old broom. Yes, a broom for sweeping. Someone left me behind and forgot all about me. But old things can have magic inside. Poof. The magic woke me up. Now I am a Dokkaebi. I love to play games and surprise my friends. This is my story.

One night, I saw a kind old man. He was sitting all alone. The old man looked very, very sad. Oh no. His garden tool was broken. It was his favorite hoe. He could not fix it. I wanted to help him. I waited until the big moon was in the sky. Shhh. Everyone was asleep. I went into his garden on my tiptoes. I had my magic club with me. It is a special club for making happy surprises. I tapped the broken hoe. Tap, tap, tap. I whispered a silly magic word. The hoe started to wiggle. It started to jiggle. Wiggle, jiggle, wiggle, jiggle. Poof. It was all better. It was strong and new. I also left a surprise for him. It was a shiny new shovel. What a fun secret.

The next morning, the sun came up. The old man went to his garden. He saw his fixed hoe. He saw the shiny new shovel. He was so happy. Hooray. He told all his friends about the nice spirit. That is what Dokkaebi love to do. We play fun games and give happy surprises to kind people. People in a place called Korea tell stories about me. They draw pictures of my funny face. Our story is a happy secret. It tells us that old things can be magic. It tells us that being kind helps you find new friends. Even a secret friend like me.