Winnie the Pooh was ambling through
the Hundred Acre Wood one day when he stumbled upon a strange object.
"Oh my," said Pooh. "It's a box! I
wonder if it's someone's birthday present type of box. Perhaps Piglet will
know whose it is. "Bye the time Pooh reached Piglet's house, he noticed
he had a grumbling, fluttery feeling in his tummy that made him think of
honey.
So naturally when Piglet invited him
in for a bite to eat, Pooh said "yes, please," and sat down for a little
honey and milk. Then a little more honey and a little more milk. Soon he
was feeling full and happy. "Well, it was nice of you to have me in, Piglet,"
said Pooh. "I suppose I should be going now."
"Oh, don't forget your blue box," said
Piglet.
"My what? said Pooh.
"Your blue box, you brought it with
you when you came."
"Isn't it your blue box?" asked Pooh.
"No," said Piglet. "I don't think I
own any blue boxes."
"Then whose is it?" asked Pooh.
"I thought it was yours because you
brought it with you."
"Yes," said Pooh. "But I only brought
it with me because I didn't know whose it was. I just knew that it was
a box. But now that you mention it, it is blue, too, isn't it?"
"Oh, m-m-my!" cried Piglet suddenly.
" you don't suppose it belongs to a h-h-h-heffalump, do you?"
"I don't think so," said Pooh. "But
I don't think not, either."
"Oh, Pooh!" squealed Piglet. "What
if he followed you there? M-m-maybe there's a heffalump outside my door
right now, waiting to gobble us up! We must hide!"
So Pooh and Piglet hid under Piglet's
bed. After a while, there was a loud knocking at the door.
"H-h-he's here!" cried Piglet.
Again there was a loud knocking!
"Piglet?" said Pooh. "I just had a
thought. Don't heffalumps and other monsters like to hide under beds?"
"I think so," shivered Piglet.
"So, if this heffalump breaks through
your door, do you think the first place he might go is..."
"Right where we are!" squealed Piglet
as he raced out from under the bed. Piglet headed straight for the closet
while Pooh, who had become wedged under the bed, struggled to get free.
The knocking on the door became even louder.
"Oh, Pooh, hurry!" cried Piglet. Just
then the door flew open and in bounced...Tigger!
"Hello there, Pooh!" said Tigger. "I
knew you were here 'cause I heard ya talkin' through the door"
"Did you see any heffalumps out there?"
asked Piglet, who was poking his head around the closet door.
"Who spoke those words?" asked Tigger.
"I d-d-did," said Piglet. "Did you
see any heffalumps?"
"Heffalumps!" said Tigger.
"Did you check under the bed? That's
the first place I always look for heffalumps."
"Yes," sighed Pooh, who had finally
pulled himself out from under that very place. "We just had quite a long
look under there.""Then I guess there are no heffalumps around ta be found!"
said Tigger. "What made you think there were any?"
"I'm not sure," said Pooh.
"Piglet, do you remember why we were
hiding from a heffalump?"
"P-p-pooh found a box," stuttered Piglet.
"A box?" asked Tigger. "What's inside
this box?"
"I don't know," said Pooh. "I haven't
opened it."
"Allow me," said Tigger. "I happen
ta be pretty good at openin' boxes."
Pooh and Piglet stood back a bit as
Tigger raised the lid.
"Aha!" said Tigger. "It's a bouncin'-type
thing."
"A bouncing thing?" asked Pooh.
"Look for yourself," said Tigger. Sure
enough, in the box was a strange stick bouncing around inside a circle.
"Is it a heffalump's bouncing thing?"
asked Piglet.
"Hard ta say," said Tigger.
"Perhaps we should ask someone," said
Pooh.
"Good idea!" said Tigger as he bounced
right out of Piglet's house. Pooh and Piglet scrambled after him.
Soon the little trio arrived at Rabbit's
garden.
"Is it a heffalump's bouncing thing?"
asked Piglet.
"Hard ta say," said Tigger.
"Perhaps we should ask someone," said
Pooh.
"Good idea!" said Tigger as he bounced
right out of Piglet's house. Pooh and Piglet scrambled after him.
Soon the little trio arrived at Rabbit's
garden.
"Hello, Rabbit!" cried Tigger. "Look
what we found---"
"STOP!" cried Rabbit. "You're trampling
on my turnips!"
"Don't you wanta see our bouncin' thing?"
asked Tigger.
"Oh, all right," said Rabbit as he
carefully opened the box.
"And it just so happens that I know
what it is! It's something to be worn. See? It has straps.""But what exactly
is it, Rabbit?" asked Pooh.
"It's a--a--well, a---"
"It probably doesn't matter, anyway,"
came a voice from behind them.
"Eeyore!" cried Tigger. "Glad ta see
ya, buddy boy. We're tryin ta figger out what this bouncin' thing is."
"I've already told you- it doesn't
matter anyway," sighed Eeyore.
"Why?" asked Pooh
"Because it's ticking. We're all doomed."
"Oh, m-m-my cried Piglet.
"I know exactly what that is," said
Owl, who happened to be flying in to see his friend Rabbit. "I've seen
it listed in one of my books - it's under X or P, maybe C..."
"Hello, everyone!" came a little voice
from down the path. It was Roo with Kanga and Christopher Robin.
"Keep the little guy away, Kanga!!"
cried Tigger. "There's dangerous things over here."
"Oh my!" said Kanga. "What kind of
dangerous things?"
"A bouncy thing with a strap in a blue
box," said Pooh.
"You found it!"
"Found what?" asked Tigger.
"My watch! I've been looking everywhere
for it."
"What's a watch?" asked Pooh.
"It tells time," said Christopher Robin.
"Ah, yes. Just what I thought," said
Owl wisely. "Similar to a clock, I've heard."
"Can you hear it ticking?" Christopher
Robin continued.
"It ticks for every second that goes
by."
"I knew it," said Eeyore. "Counts away
to the end."
"The end of what?" asked Pooh.
"Don't know," said Eeyore. "Just to
the end."
"You strap it around your wrist," Christopher
Robin said.
"I knew it!" cried Rabbit. "Something
to wear!"
"And see the little hands?" asked Christopher
Robin.
"They move around in a circle to count
the hours and minutes. The fast one counts the seconds."
"The bouncin' thing!" cried Tigger.
"Hoo hoo!"
"Do heffalump wear watches?" asked
Piglet.
"I suppose they could," said Christopher
Robin.
"And what about the box?" asked Pooh
at last. "Does that do anything?"
"That's to keep it safe when I'm not
wearing it," said Christopher Robin.
"Ah," said Pooh feeling quite satisfied,
and Christopher Robin was feeling so grateful that he decided to
have a big party.
It was a wonderful party ,too.
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