The Tales of Tiptoes Lightly (3 page)

“I wonder where Pine Cone and Pepper Pot went in such
a hurry?” said Tiptoes. “They must have been in a great rush if they left their
pancakes uneaten.”

There was no reply from Jeremy Mouse. He had curled up
in a corner and fallen fast asleep. He was having his after-breakfast snooze.

“Fish sticks,” said Tiptoes. “I’ll have to find them
myself,” and flew out the window.

Tiptoes flew high. She liked to fly high —though once
a swallow had tried to eat her, thinking she was a mosquito. She bonked the
swallow on the nose, and said: “I’m no fly, I’m a fairy! Go away, Mister
Swallow!” and he had flown away, rubbing his nose and looking surprised.

“I never had no problem from no bug before,” he
muttered to himself.

Tiptoes flew up and up until the forest and river were
way down below.

“I wonder where Pine Cone and Pepper Pot are?” she
thought, looking for their red caps amongst the green trees and fields.
Suddenly she saw Ompliant the Elephant sitting on a tree stump. His trunk stuck
straight out in front of him and Pine Cone and Pepper Pot were pulling on it
with all their might.

“What are you doing?” cried Tiptoes. “You might pull
his trunk off!”

“Oh! Oh!” sobbed Ompliant. “I have an apple stuck in
my twunk. I was eading apples from the apple twee, an’ I weached up velly high
for a delicious one, an’ it fell into my twunk an’ won’t come out, an’ Pine
Bone and Pedder Tot are twying to pull it out.”

Sure enough there was an apple stuck in Ompliant’s
trunk— a big, round juicy apple—but it was stuck fast!

“What shall we do? What shall we do?” cried Pine Cone
and Pepper Pot together.

“Shake the pepper out of your beard, Pepper Pot,” said
Tiptoes.

Pepper Pot was called Pepper Pot not only because he
had a hot temper, but also because he loved pepper. He shook so much of it onto
his food, and he shook the pepper pot so hard, that the pepper also flew into
his beard. (If you ever hug Pepper Pot you sneeze straight away!)  So Pepper
Pot shook his beard in Ompliant’s face.

“Ah ...” said Ompliant.

“Ah! ... AH!” said Ompliant again.

“AH! AH! AH! CHOOOOOOO!” sneezed Ompliant, as loud as
only an elephant can sneeze.

The apple flew out of his trunk like a rocket. But
Pine Cone and Pepper Pot did not think they should duck down—until too late.
Quicker than a wink, off went Pine Cone’s hat, and off went Pepper Pot’s hat
too! Carried by the apple, their hats sailed over the trees in a flash of red.

“Oi! Oi!” shouted Pine Cone and Pepper Pot. “Our
hats!”

“O, thank you so much,” said Ompliant the Elephant.
“I’m going home to rest after such a big sneeze,” and he lumbered into the
forest.

“Our poor hats!” cried the gnomes. “What shall we do?”

“Let’s find them,” said Tiptoes, and off they went.

The hats were not to be found. Pine Cone and Pepper
Pot looked under roots and rocks. Tiptoes searched all the tree tops, but the
hats were GONE.

“This is a disaster,” said Pine Cone.

“A big disaster,” echoed Pepper Pot, and they sat down
and chewed the ends of their beards. Gnome’s beards are precious; they are
grown over hundreds of years, and are never chewed unless upset. Pine Cone and
Pepper Pot were very upset.

“What are you looking for?” asked Cricket, who saw
that they were searching for something.

“Our hats,” said the gnomes.

“Chirp, chirp,” said Cricket. “I saw them sailing
through the air that-a-way,” pointing towards Spider’s house.

So they went to Spider’s house.

“What are you looking for?” asked Spider.

“Our hats,” said Pine Cone and Pepper Pot.

“Spin, spin,” said Spider.  “I saw them flying through
the air that-a-way,” pointing towards Snail’s house.

So they went to Snail’s house—but Snail’s house was
not to be found. It had moved.

“I’m going home,” grumped Pepper Pot. “I’ve had enough
looking for one day,” and he stomped away. Pine Cone and Tiptoes followed
behind.

“There you are!” cried Jeremy Mouse when they arrived
home. “Look what I found,” and he held up the two red hats.

“Where did you find them?” cried the gnomes. “We’ve
been looking everywhere.”

“They flew in the window along with a juicy apple,”
explained Jeremy Mouse. “I ate the apple.”

“By our beards,” exclaimed Pine Cone and Pepper Pot,
looking at their hats carefully to see if they were damaged, “they’re all in
one piece!” and they put them on.

The gnomes were frying fresh pancakes, but Jeremy
Mouse was full. His tummy felt like a balloon. He sat down in the tall grass
close to the Pine Tree and listened to the birds.

“Caw!” said Crow as he flew overhead. “Rat-a-tat-tat,”
went Woodpecker deep in the woods. “Chick-a-dee, chick-a-dee,” called the
Chickadee family to each other. “Chirp, chirp,” chirped Cricket from the top of
a plume of grass. He wasn’t a bird, but he sang anyway.

Jeremy Mouse also heard a small voice crying, “Help!
Help!” He looked around, but saw nothing.

“Help! Help!” cried the voice again.

Jeremy Mouse spotted a worm just outside of its hole.
He was lying very still, and was stretched out as straight as straight can be.

“Help! Help!” cried Worm again, without moving.

“What’s wrong?” asked Jeremy Mouse. “Why are you so
still? And why are you so straight as straight can be?”

“I’ve lost my Squirm,” sniffed Worm. “He ran away.”

“You’ve lost your Squirm!” said Jeremy Mouse, looking
puzzled. “I didn’t know worms had squirms. What are they?”

“Don’t you know?” said Worm. “Every Worm has a
Squirm—that’s how we crawl around. That’s how we wiggle if you pick us up. My
Squirm has run away and I can’t move.”

“I’ll get Tiptoes,” said Jeremy Mouse. “She’ll know
what to do,” and he scurried away quickly.

“How did you loose your Squirm, dear Worm?” asked
Tiptoes when she arrived. She liked worms and knew that every worm has a
squirm.

“Oh, Tiptoes,” said Worm. “I wiggled out of my hole
early this morning, and Robin Redbreast, the Mighty Wormeater, flew low
overhead. My Squirm got such a fright he ran away, and now I can’t move.”

Jeremy Mouse and Tiptoes searched all around for
Squirm, but couldn’t find him.

“Where would he hide?” Tiptoes asked Worm. “We can’t
find him.”

“Look in my house,” said Worm. “It’s safe down there.”

Tiptoes looked into the House of Worm, and sure
enough, there was Worm’s Squirm. He was wiggling and shaking, and looking
scared.

“Come up, little Squirm,” called Tiptoes. “It’s safe
now.” But Squirm stayed down below. He was afraid.

Tiptoes made herself small and flew into the House of
Worm.