Blinky, Nutkins and Friends - The Journey to Santa's Village... Chapter One!
- Trisha J Kelly
- Nov 27, 2018
- 6 min read
ONE
“Quick! Hurry, hurry, Nutkins. It’s bone- chillingly chilly today,” called Slippery, the sly old fox. Then he was gone.
“Don’t you be bothering me now. Do you hear me?” Nutkins called. Looking all around, the secretive squirrel sighed. Where was that fox? He wasn’t here, there, or anywhere at all.
Nutkins sat straight and nibbled the acorns he was collecting, yummy, yum, yum. Shovelling them into his mouth, he gobbled them very fast, then he burped. Burrrrrrp.
Slippery crawled away, phew! “What horrible nut breath,” he muttered. Of course, he was there all the time, hiding. The fox was waiting for Nutkins to drop the acorns, so he could steal them and whisk them away.
Nutkins picked his teeth with his claws, removing the last pieces of nut. Then he arranged his bright red fur on top of his head. He pulled it all upwards like the bristles of a broom. The blustery wind immediately whipped through the Fabled Forest, flattening his fur down again. “Oh bother. Well, never mind. Blinky, where are you?” he called. Scarpering up the nearest tree, Nutkins began his search.
He could be anywhere of course. Not that Blinky was hiding from Nutkins, no he would never do that, would he? The wise old owl fluffed his feathers, nestled his head into his warm snuggly fur and retreated further inside the hole in the tree trunk. Ignoring the calls from his excitable friend, Blinky sighed gently, and fell back to sleep. Just another hour or so, that’s all he needed, after all, he had been on night duty, circling the Fabled Forest.
Nutkins jumped from tree to tree, sailing through the air like a trapeze artist.
“Wheeeee, look at me everyone. Aren’t I the most fantastic squirrel you ever did see!” His fluffy tail whizzed in large circles as he leapt and flew from branch to branch. Suddenly, the blustery wind blew him clean off the branch. He tumbled to the leafy ground.
“Ha-ha! laughed the rabbits. “Serves you right, big show-off!” mocked the rabbit leader. Mister Muncher carried on eating his large carrot. Whizzing though the side of it, his mighty teeth were rapidly chomping away.
Nutkins got to his feet, pulling the crunchy leaves out of his fur. “At least I can fly through the trees,” Nutkins huffed. “Besides, I know a secret,” he lied.
“You do? What secret is that, then?” Muncher came closer to the squirrel. The other rabbits gathered around, too. Everyone loved a secret.
“Come on then, Nutkins, spit it out, there’s a good squirrel.” Muncher stopped munching, his big ears on full alert. After a moment, he began thumping his large foot on the ground impatiently. The other rabbits gasped. Mister Muncher was becoming agitated. He would soon be rather cross and grumpy and that wouldn’t do. It meant he would spit pieces of carrot all over the place.
Tip-toeing slowly through the leaves, sauntered the hedgehog. Prickles was very prickly indeed. Slowly and deliberately, she waddled through the circle. The rabbits jumped to the side, even Muncher took a few steps back.
“Nutkins has a very good secret, he told me so himself. It is so secret he mustn’t tell anyone else before Blinky. He must know all about it first.” Prickles sat right where she was. Nobody was brave enough to go anywhere near her.
“Yes, thank you, Prickles. Well, I must be off. Blinky is waiting for me.” Nutkins rubbed his knees, checked everything was in good working order, and then raced back up the tree. Where was that Blinky?
“Trust Prickles to know all about the gossip before us. Hmph!” groaned one feisty small rabbit, tossing her long ears away from her face before stomping off. Thumpity, thumpity, thump, she banged.
“You don’t say! A secret. Well, whadda ya know?” The sly fox snuck away though the undergrowth, the ferns hiding him from the others. He, too, could climb trees. He was certain he would locate Blinky before Nutkins. Off he went, deeper into the forest. Where else would a tired old owl go for a peaceful nap?
Nutkins skidded to a halt. Breathless and weary, the worried squirrel chewed his nails. What was he going to do? He never had a secret, for there was nothing interesting to know. Nothing much ever happened here. Nothing ever happened in the nearby human houses either. Climbing slowly to the very top of the tallest tree, Nutkins looked in all directions. He was looking for inspiration.
Treetops upon treetops were all he could see immediately around him. Stretching up to his full height, thankful that the wind had dropped, Nutkins screwed his eyes tightly to see as far as he could see. He hung onto the branch with his sharp claws. The winter sun shone brightly.
A few trees still had their leaves. The shades of burnt oranges, fiery reds and bright yellows went on for miles and miles. Some trees were bare, winter was fast approaching. In the far distance, Nutkins saw swirling smoke rising from the chimney tops. The humans had log fires burning all day long inside their cabins. Beyond that, early morning mists smothered the fields. The sun was rising, the moon had gone to bed.
Nutkins wondered what there was beyond all of that. And then, he saw them. He had an idea so wonderful he shrieked. “Eureka!” Losing his balance, he very nearly toppled off the tall tree for the second time that morning. Grabbing onto the trunk and scuttling downwards, the squirrel hurried to find his friend. His very oldest, dear, friend! Blinky. Blinky would know all about it, he must do, for he knew everything about everything, and then some more.
Two hours later, Blinky blinked open one eye, then the other. He stretched and yawned and ruffled his feathers, shaking them all about. With a wiggle and a shuffle of each leg, the wise owl was now wide awake.
“Blinky! Blinky! Where are you?” Poor Nutkins had been searching aimlessly for almost three hours now.
Blinky stepped out of the hidey hole and with a stretch of his wings he took off. “T’wit t’woo, t’wit t’woo,” he hooted. The howling wind was now a soft breeze. Gliding gracefully, the tawny owl surveyed his kingdom. No-one else had a view like this. He knew that Nutkins would have heard his call and would make his way to their ‘meeting’ tree. Something sounded urgent today, but his friend must wait.
Blinky flew higher and higher above the trees and circled the forest, before flying away. The owl circled the human’s houses, meadows and fields beyond. The exercise stimulated his very clever brain. Swooping and turning he finally headed back to meet Nutkins, fluttering and gliding gracefully in the sky.
“And what time do you call this?” Nutkins demanded to know. He poked himself on the wrist. Right where his imaginary watch would have sat, if he had one.
Blinky landed gracefully and precisely. He hopped onto the knotty landing circle. “Good morning, Nutkins, what a lovely day. I’m sorry if I kept you waiting. I must say, you look delightful. New hair-do?”
“Well, since you ask, I did have a brisk tree- trunk rub and brush-up. Now pay attention, I have a secret!” Leaning in towards his friend, Nutkins whispered. “I know where it is!”
“Do you now?” Blinky raised his eyebrows, one higher than the other. “Then you better tell me all about it, so that I know where it is too!”
The faint rustling in the undergrowth told Blinky that they weren’t alone. Two beady eyes were watching their every move. Slippery was being foxy as usual. He could earn good money for a secret or two.
As usual, Blinky was one step ahead. “You don’t say,” he hooted very loudly indeed. “And you found it next to the babbling brook? I think we should go there immediately. We must make haste before the others find this treasure!”
Sure enough, Slippery sped off, Blinky and Nutkins watched the ferns and plants moving as he ran away.
“Now then, Nutkins, what is your real secret?” Blinky asked.
“I know where Santa lives,” Nutkins declared proudly.
“Oh, really? Prey tell this wise old owl precisely where you obtained such information.” Blinky was surprised, to say the least.
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I wish you many happy hours of reading.
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