Mr Badger and the Big Surprise (5 page)
Poor Sylvia, her cake was all but destroyed. But Mr Badger knew how important it was for the birthday girl to make a wish, so he sent Miss Pims to the kitchen to collect a spare, not-so-grand cake and thereby saved Sylvia's special day.
After she'd made her wish, Sylvia was led away by Miss Pims to be cleaned up.
The party had been a great success â well, certainly one to remember.
Sylvia's guests had all had a wonderful time. And so in fact had Sylvia, for she had managed to stay the centre of attention most of the time.
Sylvia was looking forward to her eighth birthday party already (and so were her guests). However, her grandparents weren't quite so keen.
I
t was late by the time Mr Badger had personally farewelled Sir Cecil and Lady Celia Smothers-Carruthers and little Sylvia. Not forgetting her 205 friends and their parents.
Sylvia's presents had been loaded into a Boubles Grand Hotel delivery van and were already on their way to Sylvia's home.
In the ballroom, Mr Badger swung into action. There was a big mess to be tidied up, not that there was much food or drink left. In fact, looking around, Mr Badger realised there was none.
Every last glass of pink lemonade had been drunk. And every one of those delicious 410 watercress sandwiches, 820 party pies, 512 butterfly cakes, seven sponge cakes, eight tubs of assorted ice-cream, five tubs of mousse, huge bowls of strawberry jelly with raspberries and cream, and layered sponge fingers had been eaten by Sylvia, her hungry little friends and their parents.
There was certainly not one pineapple tartlet to be seen. Sylvia had hidden these away amongst her pile of presents right at the beginning of the party.
What's more, every last piece of birthday cake had been eaten. All gone without a trace.
Mr Badger and Miss Pims organised the
clean-up as usual.
The tables were cleared, the beautiful Boubles cutlery and china plates washed, dried and stacked away for the next party or special event. The pretty pink tablecloths, now covered with cake and watercress sandwich crumbs and jelly splodges, had been gathered up and sent down to the hotel laundry.
The balloons had long since disappeared, and all the coloured streamers had been taken down from the ceiling.
Miss Pims had gone, and the ballroom was all quiet and clean, as if the party had never happened.
Even the members of the Boubles Grand Hotel Orchestra were now home, no doubt enjoying a well-earned sleep.
In fact, absolutely nothing remained of Sylvia Smothers-Carruthers' seventh birthday party.
âNever mind,' sighed Mr Badger.
It was time for him to go home, too.
B
ut tonight was not just any night, and today had not been just any day.
For today was Mr Badger's birthday.
And now as he gazed about the ballroom, Mr Badger remembered how, long ago, he had spent his own seventh birthday at the Boubles Grand Hotel.
On that day, for a special treat, young Mr Badger had been taken to one of the Boubles Grand Hotel kitchens to watch his grandfather the chef decorate a beautiful big birthday cake, which he had baked especially for his beloved grandsonâ¦Mr Badger.
A little later, however, there had been a disaster in the dining room. At a birthday party for another little boy turning seven on that same day, the birthday boy's cake had been knocked off the table and onto the floor.
Mr Badger's father had replaced the ruined cake with his little son's special one. Yes, the very one created by his grandfather. Terrible but true â but Mr Badger's father had had no choice.
This was a memory that had stayed with Mr Badger, ever since he was very small.
On his way home, as Mr Badger walked quietly past a shop window, he noticed the reflection of a tear. It was running down his cheek.
Mr Badger hadn't mentioned to anyone that it was his birthday. He was far too proud and professional and grown-up for that.
