Thursday, September 17, 2009

chapter one page 3



W'Eric, Wher’a are you? Pendleberry was scurrying up from the nap-room. She was still a bit sleepy. Her puff-ball antennae were all coiled up around her, as though they’d been curled by hair-rollers. She kept running up the passage trying to uncurl them, but as much as she tried they kept knotting together, just like a tangled ball of coloured wool. Probably it felt to Pendleberry like it would to a 3 year old child trying to do up or undo his or her shoelaces. The thing was, Pendleberry, being only a very young Wygnet, was not yet used to her puff-ball. She hadn’t yet learned all the ins and outs of using the different sorts of antennae.

Botha! Botha! Botha! She kept saying, Botha Me! Uncle W’Eric, please help me. At which point, just behind the burrow entrance, she topped over and did a roly-poly out to land smack in front of Alex’s nose. Her antennae flew out in the breeze and laced round his body. He looked like a maypole with its ribbons all twisted in the wind.

Alex was mad. She was probably also a little mad, but being a Wygnet child she could only see the funny side.

Hee-hee! Look Uncle W’Eric, this ‘fings got a funny nose! She grabbed Alex’s nose and tweaked it.

Get off! He snatched himself away and tripped over the mass of ribbons, then rolled over the edge of the dyke and down the other side into the ditch, followed by the puff-ball and Pendleberry squeaking and squealing. She’d never been so far away from Wygnet-World. If she’d been a girl it would have been as though she’d gone from England to Africa.

Eventually, with Eric’s help, they sorted themselves out and all three sat outside the burrow. Alex was still scowling a bit, but he was beginning to wonder who these odd creatures really were. Just as he was about to ask, Pendle’s head appeared from the tunnel.

You woke me up Pendleberry. Why were you ‘squealing? U’cle Eric, Hector’s flashing ‘swange pictures in ‘wed and g’ween.

Who’s Hector? asked Alex, who didn’t miss much.



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