Glenda the Wendle Chapter 5 part 1

Chapter 5.

 

Glenda the Wendle Gets Cold Feet.

    Like many of the creatures of Feggy Wood, Wendles pass the winter months fast asleep. Glenda and Glen had spent the autumn eating as much as they could until they were both as fat as they thought they needed to be. They had filled the larder with roots, dried mushrooms and dried berries in case they woke up in the middle of the winter and needed a snack.

    “See you in spring,” said Glenda.

    “See you in spring,” replied Glen.

     They made a nice bed out of leaves and dried grass, cuddled up and fell asleep.

    Glenda did not know for how long she had been asleep when something woke her up. She uncovered one ear and listened. Glen just grunted and stayed asleep. Glenda lay awake for a few minutes listening, but the only sound that she could hear was Glen breathing.

    Carefully Glenda pushed away the grass and leaves which covered them and went to the larder and helped herself to a handful of dried berries. She thought that a little food might help her go back to sleep.

    As she chewed she looked round her den. Everything seemed to be in order. “I wonder what woke me?” she said to herself, very quietly.  As if in answer to her, she heard a noise. It came from outside. She went to the door and listened carefully. The noise was someone giggling, just outside.

    Glenda was puzzled. She did not think anyone ever went outside in winter. As far as she knew all the woodland creatures either went away to warm places or, like her, slept away the cold months.

    Carefully Glenda opened the door and looked out. To her utter astonishment, Feggy Wood had completely changed. Instead of the lovely browns and greens that had been there when she closed the door, everywhere was now white. She opened the door wider. Some of the white stuff fell into the den. Gingerly she picked it up. It was cold and made her hands tingle.

 

 

 

Feggy Wood in the snow.

    The stuff which fell into the den made a puddle on the floor, so Glenda got a brush and quietly pushed the white stuff and the water outside. Glen turned over, but did not wake.

    She heard another giggle, further away this time. She looked out, but could not see who was finding things so funny.

    Glenda's curiosity got the better of her. She stepped out into the white stuff. “I am just going outside and may be some time,” she said to the sleeping Glen.

    Glen muttered something, but did not wake up.

    Glenda closed the door behind her and stepped out into Feggy Wood. The white stuff covered her feet. It made her feet tingle with cold. She walked a little way into the wood. It felt very strange. Usually with her brown and green mottled fur, she was very hard to see, but now against the whiteness she stood out. Glenda felt very odd. The white stuff was everywhere, even on the branches of the trees. The strangest thing of all was the silence. Glenda was used to hearing all the creatures in the wood moving about.

    She turned round to go back inside, but once more she heard that annoying giggle. It was further away again. She looked down at the white stuff round her feet. She could see where she had walked. Her feet left very clear footprints.

    However, hers were not the only ones to be seen. Heading off into the wood was another set. Glenda looked at them closely. She did not recognise the shape of them at all. She began to follow them.

    Suddenly a patch of white stuff moved and spoke. “Good morning,” it said.

 

 

The Long Eared Runner.

    Glenda stepped back in astonishment, and then looked closely at where the voice came from. It was not snow, rather it was a long eared runner, but instead of its usual brown colour it was white except for a black nose and black tips to its ears.

    “Good morning,” said Glenda. “I did not see you. When did you go white?”

    “Good way to hide,” said the long eared runner. “All of my family turn white like this when winter begins.”

    He looked up at Glenda's dark fur. “You ought to try it, if you are going to go wandering about in the snow.”

    “Snow?” puzzled Glenda.

    The runner pointed at the white stuff on the ground. “This is snow,” he said.

    “Thank-you,” said Glenda. “I have never seen it before.”

    The long eared runner sat up. “There is something coming.  I'm off. If it is a sneezle, then please don't tell it which way I went.”

    In the distance Glenda heard the giggle again. “Who is doing that giggling?” she asked.

    The runner put his head on one side and listened. “Oh that's only him, you do not want to meet him. But I really must run.” said the runner.

    “I will shut my eyes so I do not see you go,” said Glenda. “Then I do not have to tell a lie. I will count to ten.”

    She shut her eyes and counted slowly to ten. When she opened her eyes, the white long eared runner was nowhere to be seen.

    “Pity,” thought Glenda. “There are a lot of questions I wanted to ask him.”

    She heard the giggle again in the far distance.

    She started to follow the footprints. Another patch of snow spoke. “Good morning,” it said.

    “Good morning,” said Glenda and looked carefully at the snow. It moved and Glenda could see it was a sneezle. Once again it was not the usual brown colour which Glenda remembered it being in summer. Now it was all white except for the end of its tail, it nose and its eyes.

 

 

The Sneezle.

    “Don't usually see you out in winter,” said the sneezle.

    “No,” said Glenda. “Something woke me up. Tell me does everyone who stays awake in winter turn white?”

    The sneezle shook its head. “Only sneezles and the long eared runners do it, bushy tailed rufus stays brown,” said the sneezle. “I am sure I smelled a long eared runner. Have you seen one of them?”

    Glenda could not tell a lie. “Yes,” she said. “I was talking to one a few minutes ago.”

    Glenda heard the giggling again in the distance.

    “Do you know who is giggling?” she asked.

    The sneezle pricked up its ears. “Oh yes, it's him. You don't want to meet him. Now I really must go and find that runner, I have not had breakfast yet.” With that he ran away.

    Glenda shouted after him. “Is the giggler dangerous?”

    “Oh no,” shouted back the sneezle. “He is just very, very silly.”

    Glenda felt a little better that the person doing the giggling was not dangerous. She carried on following the footprints. They stopped at the foot of a tree. Glenda stood and scratched her head. Suddenly, there was a giggle from the other side of the tree and a huge lump of snow fell off the branch above Glenda's head. She was smothered in snow.

    A strange creature, about half Glenda's height danced out from behind the tree. It could hardly speak for laughing. “That's better,” it gurgled. “Now you are as white as the rest of us winter folks.”

 

 

Stanley the Schneewhomper.

    Glenda spluttered and tried to brush the snow out of her eyes and mouth. She threw handfuls of snow at the dancing creature.

    “Oh, it's a snowball fight you want is it?” it said and began to scoop up handfuls of snow and throw them at Glenda. It was laughing so much that its aim was poor.

    By the time Glenda had cleared her eyes and mouth and shook a lot of the snow from her fur, the creature was no longer throwing snowballs. It was now lying in the snow, laughing and waving its long arms and legs about.

    It stood up and pointed to the shape it had made in the snow. “You try it,” it ordered and pushed Glenda over.

    She lay on her back in the snow and did as the creature had done. Then she stood up and looked at the shape she had made. It looked like a flutterby.

 

                                                The shape in the snow.

    “That was fun,” said the creature. “What shall we do next?”