After being swept away by the sea, Crabby must find his way home
Teddy One Ear and the Maze
‘Mum, can we go on a picnic?’ asked Katie.
‘What was that dear?’ asked mum, she had been so busy reading her magazine that she hadn’t heard Katie’s question.
‘Teddy and I were wondering if we could go on a picnic.’
Katie had never been on a picnic before, in fact she didn’t even know what a picnic was until Teddy One Ear had told her all about the ones that he and his teddy bear friends used to have in the woods.
‘Certainly we can, but it’s too late today, so we will go tomorrow. Why don’t I ring Aunty Mary and see if she and Lucy want to come?’
‘Ooo, Yes please mum, that would be great,’ cried Katie and she began to dance around the room clapping her hands with joy. Aunty Mary was mums sister and Lucy her daughter was Katie’s cousin and her very bestest friend in the whole world along with Teddy. ‘And mum, ask Lucy to bring Belinda.’
Belinda bunny was Lucy’s favourite cuddly toy and even though she was a little on the quiet side, Teddy said he liked her very much.
The next morning after breakfast Katie helped mum to make the sandwiches for the picnic, while Teddy sat on a chair and watched. They made ham salad ones for mum and aunty Mary and cheese spread ones for Katie, and Lucy. After wrapping the sandwiches in some kitchen foil, Katie’s mum placed them in the picnic basket along with fairy cakes, hard-boiled eggs, a flask of tea for the mums and a bottle of juice for the children.
After placing the picnic basket in the boot of the car, they called around to pick up Lucy and Aunty Mary and then they drove to the park. It was a bright sunny day and they ate their picnic sitting on the grass near to the boating lake. The picnic was lovely and after they had eaten, they cleared up, put the rubbish in the litterbin and walked over to feed the ducks. There were lots of ducks, some were big, some were smaller and some were cute little baby ducklings. Mum and Aunty Mary threw pieces of bread to the larger ducks, but Katie and Lucy broke their bread into tiny pieces and threw them to the cute little baby ducklings.
When they had used up all the bread they walked around the lake to the play area and while Katie, Lucy, Belinda and Teddy played on the banana slide, seesaw and all the other things, mum and aunty Mary sat on a bench to watch.
After about an hour mum called, ‘Come on girls we’ll get an ice cream and then got to see the rabbits.’
‘Teddy says can we have just two more turns on the seesaw, mum,’ said Katie.
‘OK, but I thought you wanted to see the rabbits,’
‘We do, we do, but Belinda would like two more turns too and then we’ll come,’ said Lucy.
After the two turns, the girls, pleaded for one more go and then another, but when they asked for the third time, mum and aunty Mary both laughed and mum said, ‘Certainly, but if you want an ice cream you will have to come now or he will have none left.’
‘We’re coming,’ cried the girls.
When they reached the ice cream van aunty Mary said, ‘Tell the man what you want girls.’
‘I would like an ice cream cornet with raspberry sauce on, please,’ said Katie.
'Me too,’ cried Lucy.
‘And we’ll have an ice cream cornet with a chocolate flake, each,’ said Aunty Mary.
They began to eat their ice creams as they walked to where the rabbits were, which was at the other side of the park, and had finish them by the time they arrived.
To Katie and Lucy pets corner looked like someone had placed a giant birdcage on the ground. It was round and it was high and while the upper part was filled with beautiful bird, the bottom was filled with rabbits and guinea pigs. Lots and lots of them, of all shapes and sizes; there were black ones, white ones and ones that were black and white, and seven little brown and white baby bunnies that hopped around their brown and white mummy. Katie and Lucy loved the little bunnies and would have stayed watching them all night, but mum said it was time to go to the maze.
Katie and Lucy had never heard of a maze, ‘What is a maze?’ They asked.
‘Well,’ said mum. ‘It is like one of those puzzles in your puzzle book, you know the one’s where you have to find your way through to the other side. Only in a real maze you can’t see where you are going because the paths have high hedges on each side.’
‘But Mum if we can’t see where we are going won’t we get lost?’ asked Katie.
‘No, when Aunty Mary and I were girls, we used play in a maze just like this one and we never ever got lost. So shall we go in?’
Lucy smiled and nodded her head, Katie said ‘Yes,’ and they all went into the maze. With Aunty Mary leading the way they soon reached the middle of the maze. Now all they had to do was find their way to the other side and that was when things went wrong. They had been walking for ten minutes when Katie asked, ‘Mum, are we lost?’
‘No dear, why do you ask?’
‘Because Teddy says we passed this opening five minutes ago.’
‘Well, Teddy must be wrong, because we are not lost.’
‘Mum,’ Katie said ten minutes later, ‘Teddy says we’ve passed that opening again.’
‘Teddy must be mistaken; all the openings look the same.’
Ten minutes later mum begun to look worried, ‘I think Teddy is right, I think we are lost.’
‘It’s alright Mum Teddy says he’ll show us the way if you lift us onto your shoulders.’
Mum lifted Katie onto her shoulders and Katie held Teddy high in the air so he could see which way to go and by following his directions they soon reached the other side of the maze.
That night when Katie and Teddy were in bed, mum got busy on her sewing machine and the next morning Teddy had a new red jacket, with a badge on the pocket that said, “Guide”.
‘Mum, what does “Guide” mean?’ asked Katie.
‘It means someone who can show you the way, so that you don’t get lost,’ said mum.
The sun was shining as Peter the friendly elf stepped out of the door of his neat little white painted house at one end of the village of Trimble.
'Good morning Mrs. West,' he called to the stooped old lady as she passed by.
Widow West looked up and smiled, 'Good morning young Peter, it's really a nice day for my walk, isn't it?'
'It really is, Mrs. West,' Peter replied politely and watched as the old lady set out on her morning walk. Every morning, unless there was snow on the ground, Mrs. West took a walk around the village, before returning home for a nice cup of tea.
Turning Peter closed the door and waked along the path to Pod's house.
On reaching his friend's garden gate he called out, 'Hey Pod, how about coming for a game of football on the village green?'
'Let me get the ball and I'll be right out,' called back pod, a few moments later he came down the garden path holding the ball in his hands and they set off for the green.
They were no more than halfway there and had just turned into Hazelnut lane when they came across Mrs. West; she was on her hands and knees and seemed to be searching for something on the ground.
'Are you alright Mrs West? Can I help you up?' asked Peter
'No, I'm not, and yes, you can help me up.'
While peter helped the old lady to her feet, Pod picked up her glasses and handed them to her. After making sure that Mrs. West felt alright, Peter asked her what had happened.
'Well,' she said, 'I was walking down the lane when I heard this swoosh, something bumped into me and I was knocked to the ground.'
'Did you see what hit you?' asked Pod.
'No, my glasses went flying and all I could see was a dark shape speeding down the hill.'
'Would you like us to take you home?'
'That would be nice, thank you; I am a little shaken up.'
The boys took Mrs West home, made her a cup of tea and went down to the village green to play football. After their game they made their way home again and as they were walking back up Hazelnut Lane Pod said, 'I wonder what knocked over Mrs. West?'
'Or who? Replied Peter, 'but we will never know since she didn't see what or who did it.'
The next day they set off to have another game of football and were halfway down Hazelnut Lane, when they met Colly Berry the village cobbler who was standing there picking leaves and twigs form his hair. 'What happen to you Colly?' asked Pod.
'I was just standing in the lane admiring the view, when I heard this swoosh and I was bumped and sent flying into the hedge.'
'Did you see what hit you?' asked Pod.
'Or who?' asked Peter.
'No, I was bumped from behind and by the time I got out of the hedge there was nothing to be seen.'
Over the next two weeks twelve more elves were swoosh bumped, and no one saw a thing. It got so bad that Happy Hopper, the village mayor, who wasn't feeling happy at all, called for a meeting to be held on the village green. All the villagers came to the meeting and some claimed the swoosh bumper was a ghost, while others said it was a witch on a broomstick. But when Peter pointed out that there was no such thing as ghosts and that the only witch that lived nearby didn't have a broomstick, the villagers who could think nothing else to blame gave up went home.
'What are we going to do now?' asked Pod.
'We are going find out who or what is swoosh-bumping everyone.'
Early the next morning Peter and Pod made their way to Hazelnut Lane, hid in the bushes at either side and it wasn't long before they heard a noise. Peering through the bushes they saw a dark shape speeding down the lane towards them. As the shape reached them they heard swoosh as it passed and they clearly saw that it was Kronk on a three wheeled bike.
Kronk who lived in a dirty house at the other end of the village, was the most bad-tempered, miserly and selfish old gnome that anyone could ever meet and now, once again, they had caught him up too no good.
'Let's go and tell the Mayor that it's Kronk who is swoosh-bumping everyone.' said Pod.
'No, not yet, I've got an idea.'
That night as soon as it got dark, Peter and Pod sneaked into Kronk's Garden and did a little work on Kronk's tricycle, and then they went around the village asking everyone to meet them at Hazelnut Lane early the next morning.
By nine o'clock the next morning all the villagers had arrived and Peter and Pod got them to hide on the bushes at either side of the lane. Half an hour later, Kronk flew down the lane on his tricycle, and as he drew near to where they were hidden, his front wheel, that Peter had loosened, started to wobble, sending him crashing into the hedge. Groaning and moaning he picked himself up only to be chased down the lane by the angry villagers. They didn't manage to catch him because he ran home, locked himself in his house and did not dare to come out again for a very long time.
Not only had Kronk been taught a lesson, but the mayor had his tricycle taken away so that he could never swoosh-bump anyone ever again.
Barney the cat was fed up, he was sick of his bed in the washroom. Katie had got it for him when he was a tiny kitten and it had little flowers and bows around the sides.
Ugh, he thought, it is so babyish, and I am no longer a little cutesy kitten, I am a big strong cat, a great hunter of mice and I refuse to sleep in that baby bed anymore. I will go find my own bed, a bed fit for a grown up cat like me.
He walked down the path into the back garden and looked around. Now where would be a good place to sleep? He could climb into the garage through the little window at the back. But if someone shut the window he would either be trapped inside or locked out. No, he decided the garage was no good; he wanted to be able to come and go when he wanted.
The greenhouse look promising, there was a small pane of glass missing in the door so there would be on problem getting in and out. He jumped inside and a voice said, ‘Oy! What der yer think yer doing in here?’
It was Rodney and Barney had forgotten that he lived in the greenhouse. Rodney was a very big rat with yellow teeth and Barney knew he could never sleep in the same place as Rodney. Cats and Rats just do not get on together, so Barney jumped back through the hole where the glass was missing and went to look elsewhere.
He decided to go and see Harry Hedgehog. Harry lived under the hedge in the corner of the garden with his mum and dad and he was a very good friend. Maybe he could stay with Harry. When Barney reached the corner he called out, ‘Hello, are you there? Harry.’
For a moment nothing happened, then a pile of dry leaves in the corner began to move and first a small snout, followed by a pair of eyes appeared. ‘Hello, Barney, what are you doing at this end of the garden?’ asked Harry.
‘I’m looking for a new place to sleep and I wondered if I could stay in your house?’ asked Barney.
‘You’re welcome to stay with us, but we haven’t a house.’
‘Where do you sleep then?’
‘Under that pile of leaves.’
‘Oh dear,’ said Barney. ‘I’m sorry Harry, but I don’t think I would like to sleep under a pile of leaves.’
‘Why don’t you go and make a bed in the shed,’ said Harry. ‘You could get in through the hole in the back, like you did last time you ran away.’
‘I can’t, Katie’s dad has blocked the hole up.’
‘Why don’t you ask Rosalind Rabbit if you can stay with her?’ asked Harry.
‘Good idea, I’ll go and ask her now,’ said barney.
Slipping under the garden fence, Barney made his way to the hill where the rabbits lived and knocked on the door of burrow number twenty-two. In a moment or two Rosalind opened the door and said, ‘Hello Barney, what are you doing here?’
‘I’m fed up with my old bed,’ said Barney, ‘and I was wondering if I could stay with you.’
‘Sure you can Barney, there’s a spare bed in my brother’s room, come on in.’
Barney began to follow Rosalind into the burrow, but the farther they went the darker it got, until eventually it was so dark that Barney couldn’t see a thing and he said, ‘Can you switch on the lights, I can’t see anything.’
‘Oh you are silly Barney,’ said Rosalind, ‘rabbit burrows don’t have any lights.’
‘What, you live in the dark all the time.’
‘Yes, that’s because our burrow is deep under the ground.’
‘I’m sorry Rosalind,’ said Barney,’ but I couldn’t sleep down there in the dark.’
With that, Barney scrabbled backwards until he was outside in the daylight. Now where am I going to sleep? I’ve tried everywhere and I don’t like any of them. Then just as he was about to give up he remembered the Magpie nest in the old tree. The magpies had built it last year, but this year they had built a new one in a different tree. ‘Ah,’ said barney to no one in particular, ‘that’s just the place for me.’
Ducking back under the fence, he climbed right up to the top of the old tree and jumped into the nest, after scratching about with his paws he curled up was soon asleep. He slept right through the afternoon and awoke when he heard Katie calling him in for his tea. Quickly he climbed down and went in through the cat flap in the backdoor and ate his tea, it was his favourite, chunky tuna. After he had eaten he went through into the lounge and played with Katie and her sister Rosie until it was bedtime. Bedtime for them that is, there was no way that they were going to get him into that bed.
As soon as Katie and Rosie’s mum said, ‘It’s time for bed girls.’ Barney shot through the kitchen, into the washroom and out through the cat flap, into the garden. Quickly he climbed the tree, curled up in his new bed and it was so comfortable that very soon he was fast asleep. Sometime in the middle of the night the wind began to blow. At first it only blew softly and Barney slept on as he was rocked to and fro, but the wind grew stronger and Barney woke up as the branches began to thrash about. He dug his claws in and clung on as he was thrown every which way.
Suddenly the wind blew stronger still, there was a loud crack, as the branch complete with Barney in the nest, snapped from the tree and sailed across the garden to land with a thump on the lawn. Unhurt, but feeling very dizzy, Barney clambered from the nest, tottered to the backdoor and crawled through the cat flap. Inside he staggered over to his warm, safe, comfortable old bed with its flowers and bows, and was soon fast sleep.
It was Monday morning very early and Bethany and Teddy One Ear were wide-awake. Mum had promised to take them to the seaside on a train. They had never been on a train before and they were very excited.
‘Mum, Mum,’ called Bethany. ‘Teddy One Ear wants to know if it is time to get up yet?’
‘Tell Teddy it is only five o’clock and he has to go back to sleep.’
‘But Mum, he says he can’t, he’s too excited.’
‘Well just you tell him that if he doesn’t go back to sleep, there will be no trip to the seaside today.’
‘See I told you it was too early,’ Bethany said. ‘Let’s try and go back to sleep.’
Teddy One Ear didn’t say anything; he just lay on the pillow next to her and stared at the ceiling with his little button eyes.
‘It’s no good going in the huff, it’s not my fault you woke up so early,’ said Bethany. ‘You had better at least try to go to sleep, or else mum with get mad.’
Bethany pulled the covers right up to their chins and they both stared up at the ceiling they lay like that for ages and ages and still they couldn’t get back to sleep. ‘No, I can’t tell you what time it is Teddy, I haven’t got a watch.’
‘Tell you what, let’s play I spy. I’ll go first. I spy with my little eye something beginning with D.’
Teddy guessed Door, Duvet, and Dragon.
‘Dragon! Where is there a Dragon? asked Bethany. ‘Oh, clever Teddy, it’s on the front of my fairytale book, good guess but it’s not Dragon.’
Then Teddy guessed Drawer and Bethany said, ‘That’s right Teddy, it’s your go now.’
Teddy spied with his little eye something beginning with C. Bethany guessed Carpet, Cushions, and Curtains. Teddy shook his head. Bethany spent ages looking around and then said that she gave up.
‘I can’t see anything else beginning with C… Car, don’t be silly Teddy there is no car. Yes, I know there is one in the garage, but that doesn’t count, it has to be in the bedroom.’
‘No, it is not silly Teddy that is the rules of the game.’
‘What? You don’t want to play, you want to get up, Oh all right, I’ll ask.’
‘Mum, Teddy wants to know if it is time to get up yet.’ Bethany called.
‘It’s still very early, but you might as well, since it doesn’t look as if you are going back to sleep again,’ said mum.
‘Hooray!’ cried Bethany.
‘Get washed and ready before you come downstairs, there are clean clothes on your bedroom chair, and Bethany,’ said mum.
‘Yes Mum.’
‘Don’t forget to clean you teeth.’
‘OK, Mum.
After Bethany had washed and cleaned her teeth, she sat Teddy on the toilet seat, wagged her finger at him and said, ‘Now, while I go and get ready, I want you to get washed and make sure you wash behind your ears and clean your teeth.’
Bethany got dressed, brushed he hair and collected Teddy from the bathroom and together they went downstairs for breakfast.
‘When are we going to the seaside?’ asked Bethany.
‘A little later, eat your breakfast, I’ve poured you and Teddy One Ear a nice bowl of Coco Pops,’ said mum.’
‘But we are not hungry Mum, we are too excited,’ said Bethany.
‘I’ll tell you what, if you eat up all your breakfast, you can help me make some sandwiches and by then it will be time to go to the station and get the train to the seaside.’
Suddenly Bethany found that she was quite hungry and she ate up all her cereal, ‘I’ve finished can I help you make the sandwiches now?'
Mum smiled, ‘I’m not sure you can, Teddy One Ear hasn’t eaten any of his cereal.’
‘But Mum he can’t, he has a poorly tummy, and he will be sick everywhere if he eats his cereal.’
‘Oh, dear we can’t have that, tell him to sit there quietly, while you help me make the sandwiches.’
After telling Teddy to stay where he was Bethany jumped down from the chair and dragged it over to the bench, so that she could stand on it while she helped mum. They made some ham sandwiches and some marmalade sandwiches – Teddy One Ear loved marmalade sandwiches – and wrapped them in silvery foil to keep them fresh.
Mum packed the sandwiches in a bag together with a bottle of blackcurrant juice and flask of tea. The blackcurrant was for Bethany and Teddy and the tea was for mum.
Leaving the house they walked down to the railway station. Mum put some money in a machine and out came two tickets. Mum said Teddy didn’t need one, as he would be sitting on Bethany's knee. After collecting the tickets they walked out onto the platform to wait for the train. Bethany was so excited, this was such an adventure that she could hardly stand still and kept hopping from one foot to the other. ‘Mum, Teddy wants to know when the train will come.’
Mum laughed, ‘It will be here soon, tell Teddy to look that way and he’ll see the train coming shortly.’
Bethany held Teddy up so that he could see better and they waited. They didn’t have long to wait before the train came into view. It was a long way away and it looked very small, but as it came closer it seemed to grow bigger and by the time it pulled into the station it was every big and very, very, long indeed. The train came to a halt, the doors opened with a swish and lots of people got off. As soon as the people were off, mum took Bethany’s hand and helped her on board. Bethany ran straight to a seat by the window and sat Teddy on her knee so that he could look out.
Soon they left the town behind and travelled through the countryside passing green fields full of sheep and cows. Finally the train stopped at a station called Sandysea and mum said it was time to get off. Leaving the station they walked down a steep hill until they reached sea front.
‘Look Teddy, look at all that golden sand and all that water,’ said Bethany, as she held Teddy up so that he could see. Teddy didn’t say anything, but she could see from the way that his eyes sparkled that he liked it very much. Mum hired a deckchair; they found a nice clear patch of sand to put it up on and while mum sat in the sun Bethany and Teddy played in the sand. It was very sunny so mum and Bethany put on their sun cream. Bethany wanted to put some on Teddy. But mum said all the sand would stick to him and besides bears have thick fur so that the sun doesn’t burn them.
They played, rounders and cricket, and pass the ball, and then had their sandwiches. Mum gave Teddy a marmalade sandwich, but he was too excited to eat so Bethany ate it for him. Afterwards mum moved her deckchair further down the beach so that Bethany and Teddy could build sand castles with the damp sand. Later they all went for a paddle in the water which lovely and cool. Bethany carried Teddy so that he didn’t get wet but he wiggled about so much that she dropped him and he went splash into the water. Oh dear, Teddy wasn’t happy, he couldn’t swim, but Bethany rescued him and carried up to where they had left their things. After rubbing him down with one of the towels she laid him in the sun to dry.
When Teddy was dry Bethany picked him up and said, ‘Time to go home Teddy.’
Mum handed back the deckchair and they walked back up to the railway station. It was very tiring walking up hill after spending all day running around on the beach and just before she fell asleep on the train, Bethany mumbled, ‘Teddy One Ear says, thank you, and despite falling in the water, he has had a lovely day at the seaside.’
At the seaside, in a large rock pool that can only be reach when the tide is fully out, there live many small creatures. Beneath the surface, the pool is normally a cool and pleasant place to live. Today however all is not well, there is a thunderstorm raging and as the tide sweeps in, giant waves pour into the pool. The water swirls and spins and Crabby Crab, who has been caught out in the open is swept around and around. One minute he is upside down, the next the right way up and his claws are aching, with trying to grab onto anything to stop him bouncing off the rocks.
Suddenly he is thrown up to the surface, where he manages grab onto a lump of driftwood and is carried out of the pool and in towards the shore. He hangs on with both of his pincers as the piece of wood is hurled from one wave to the next. Up and down, back and forwards he goes and the nearer to the shore he gets the worse it becomes. As the water become shallow the waves break, throwing the wood forward and pounding it down onto the sandy bottom, only to pick it up and do it over and over again. All Crabby can do is to hang on tightly, until he is thrown ashore many hours later. The driftwood ends up in a great heap of seaweed on the shore and he was so tired by then that he crawled deep inside and fell asleep.
When Crabby woke up it was the middle of the night, the storm was over and the tide was on its way out again. Shakily he crawled out from under the seaweed and scuttled sideway down to the waters edge. He needed to get back to his home pool, but he wasn’t sure which way to go. He could feel soft sand beneath his legs but he needed to feel rocks. He stood still for moment unsure what to do and then scuttled off, following the waters edge to the left. On and on he travelled for a long, long time. Then just when he was about to give up and go the other way, the sand was gone and he could feel rock beneath his legs.
He had found the rocks, now all he had to do was to find the pool. He followed the tide as it went out and within minutes, splash! He had fallen into a pool. It was very dark at the bottom of the pool, but then the moon came out from behind a cloud and he took a look around. It wasn’t his pool so he scrabbled out and continued his search. All night he climbed into and out of pools and was chased by other bigger crabs for invading their territory. In the last one he’d even had to fight off a large, hungry, Moray eel that had been left behind by the tide.
He was wondering if he would ever get home, when he spotted a jumble of rocks ahead. If he climbed to the top of them, maybe he would be able to see where his own pool was. It was hard climbing the slippery rocks and it took him so long that it was daylight before he reached the top. He crouched down for a moment until he got his breath back and then scrabbled over to the edge and looked down. There were three more pools in front of him and while he had never seen his pool from above, he knew that it was the one right at the edge of the sea.
Climbing down the side of rocks, he set off sideways towards the pool and was only halfway there when a large seagull spotted him and came diving down to the attack. Quickly he scuttled into a crack in the nearest rock. There was only just enough room for him to squeeze inside and after the seagull had landed it poked its beak into the opening trying to peck him. He fought it off with his strong hard pincers and eventually the seagull gave a loud angry squawk and flew away. Crabby waited until he was sure it was gone and then ran across to his pool, slipped under the water and crawled into his cave in Crabby Rock. Once inside, he lay down, went to sleep, and dreamed of telling his friends about his long and dangerous journey.
