The Tales of Tiptoes Lightly (12 page)

Jeremy Mouse woke up. He was sore all over. He sat up
and saw three fairies sitting on the edge of the shoe box. One was Tiptoes, but
he had never met the other two. They looked almost the same, like twins, and he
wasn’t sure if he could tell them apart.

“I’m Pins,” said one. “And I’m Needles,” said the
other. “We’re house fairies.”

“I feel like pins and needles all over,” groaned
Jeremy Mouse. “What happened?”

“Tiger the Tabby Cat caught you,” said Tiptoes, “but
Tom Nutcracker made him let go. June Berry put you in a shoe box, and you’ve
slept a whole day,” and she gave him a huge hug.

“You don’t have any broken bones,” said Pins and
Needles together. “We’ve checked.”

“I’m hungry,” said Jeremy Mouse. “I could eat a bag of
barley.”

“We’ll tell the children that you’re awake,” said
Tiptoes. “But you’ll have to wait a while, they’re milking the cows.”

Jeremy Mouse was not happy. First, Chips the Woodpecker
had made a big racket; then Tiger the Tabby Cat caught him, and now, worst of
all, he was so hungry he could eat a bag of barley and had to wait for the cows
to be milked. So he did what any sensible mouse would do. He turned about three
times, curled his tail round his head, and went back to sleep.

Pine Cone and Pepper Pot were combing their beards.
Their beards were so long that Pine Cone had to comb Pepper Pot’s beard, and
Pepper Pot had to comb Pine Cone’s beard. Combing Pepper Pot’s beard made Pine
Cone sneeze.

“Why don’t you—achoo!—use less pepper on your
food?—achoo!” he said. “Or at least shake the pepper pot—achoo!—more
carefully—achoo!”

“Well, I don’t have sticky honey in my beard like you
do,” replied Pepper Pot.

Pine Cone loves honey. He puts so much on his
sandwiches that it drips out and falls onto his beard. In summertime, bees are
always buzzing around Pine Cone’s head.

“Yes, but you don’t—achoo!—have to sneeze like I do,”
retorted Pine Cone.

“But I have to wash your beard twice as much as you
wash mine,” countered Pepper Pot.

Pine Cone and Pepper Pot were the best of friends, but
when it came to beards they were very different. Back and forth they quarreled
all morning, and they were just tucking their beards into their belts when a
shadow fell over their house. A long, gray, squirmy trunk come in the window,
and said: “Hoo, Hoo. Anyone home?”

It was Ompliant the Elephant come to pay a visit. The
gnomes ran outside.

“Ompliant!” they cried, and hugged one of his legs.
They liked Ompliant; he was so gentle.

Ompliant flapped his big ears. “I hear voices in the
forest,” he said seriously.

“You do?” replied the gnomes.

“And what do these voices tell me?” asked Ompliant.

“Don’t know,” said the gnomes.

“They tell me things are happening.”

“Is that so?” the gnomes replied. They knew that
Ompliant wanted to tell them something important, and that he had to tell it in
his own way. If they asked too many questions he got confused and forgot what
he wanted to say.

“They tell me things are happening at Farmer John’s,”
continued Ompliant.

“You don’t say!” said Pepper Pot.

“They tell me Tiger the Tabby Cat has been very bad.”

“Tiger the Tabby Cat!” chorused the gnomes. “What has
he done!”

“They tell me he tried to eat Jeremy Mouse!” said
Ompliant in his most serious voice.

“Jeremy Mouse!” exclaimed Pine Cone and Pepper Pot,
alarmed.

“But he’s okay,” said Ompliant.  “Tom Nutcracker saved
him.”

“Thank goodness,” replied the gnomes, relieved.

“Pins and Needles and Tiptoes are looking after him,
but he woke up hungry.”

“He’s always hungry,” said Pepper Pot.

“Let’s visit him,” said Ompliant.  “Do you want to
ride on my back?”

“Yes, please,” cried the gnomes.

Ompliant stretched out his trunk, picked them up and
put them on his back.

“Off we go,” he called.  “Watch out for branches,
Pepper Pot. Remember what happened last time.”

“I think you should watch out for branches this time,”
said Pepper Pot.

“Looking out is your job,” replied Ompliant. “I
walk—you look.”

“That’s not fair,” said Pepper Pot.  “You’re the
driver—I’m the passenger. I sit—you look!”

Pine Cone closed his ears and watched out for
branches. He knew that no matter who won the argument it was always Pepper Pot
who ended up on the ground.

Pins and Needles were chatting to Jeremy Mouse.

“Now that you’re better, Tom Nutcracker and June Berry
will let you go,” said Pins.

“I wish they’d hurry up,” grumbled Jeremy Mouse. “I’m
tired of this shoe box.”

“They had to go to town. At least you’re alive and
safe,” said Needles. “Tiger the Tabby Cat is locked in the living room.”

“And they brought you cheese and crackers,” chimed in
Pins.

“I like cheese and crackers,” said Jeremy Mouse.
“They’re yummy.”

“Look!” exclaimed Needles. “There’s an elephant
outside the window!”

“It’s Ompliant,” cried Jeremy Mouse, “and Pine Cone
and Pepper Pot are with him!”

Ompliant was so big he could look into the second
floor of Farmer John’s house. He waved his trunk and flapped his ears.

“Open the window with your trunk,” called Pins as loud
as she could. “It’s not locked.”

Ompliant opened the window. “Hoo, Hoo,” he said, “are
you okay Jeremy Mouse?”

“I’m fine,” said Jeremy Mouse, “but I want to go
home.”

Ompliant reached over with his trunk, picked him up,
and put him on his back. Pine Cone gave Jeremy Mouse a huge  hug. Then Pepper
Pot gave him a bigger hug.

“Achoo!” sneezed Jeremy Mouse.

“Close the window,” called Pins and Needles.

Ompliant closed the window, and they all waved goodbye
as he lumbered away.

Tiptoes sat inside a Morning Glory. A gentle breeze
swayed the flower back and forth and she felt as if she was rocking in a sea of
blue. “This must be the color of heaven,” she thought. She loved being surrounded
by such a beautiful blue.

A bee flew by. He was big and extra chubby, and looked
like he shouldn’t be flying at all.

“Buzz, buzz,” he said. “Who are you?”