Glenda the Wendle Chapter 7 part 2

The Wendling went on until very late, so it was mid-morning the next day when Glenda woke up. She had a good breakfast.

“There must be a way to persuade Gladys and her people to come out of the Dark Trees,” she said to Glen.

“Why? They might like living there,” he replied.

“Walter told me they are Wendles, like us and Gladys said they only live there because they are frightened of wullufs.” She shared everything Walter had told her at the Wendling.

“So, there are no wullufs in Feggy Wood,” said Glen.

“We know that,” said Glenda, “but the Green Wendles in the Dark Trees do not. They still believe wullufs are waiting to chase them if they come out.”

“Then we’ll just have to go and tell them,” said Glen. “Surely they’ll believe us.”

Glenda shook her head. “They’ve lived there for so long that simply telling them may not be enough. And there’s another problem.”

“Oh?” asked Glen.

“You know how Wendle children are frightened by stories of the Grockywoller?”

“Yes, of course,” said Glen. “My grandmother was always threatening me with one. Why?”

“The Green Wendles call themselves Grockywollers,” said Glenda. Then, seeing Glen take a step back, she added quickly, “But they don’t look anything like the creature our grandmothers spoke about. They look just like us, really.”

“Then they cannot be Grockywollers,said Glen.

“Even worse,” Glenda continued, “their grandmothers frighten their children with stories of Wendles, so they think we are monsters.”

“That is a problem,” Glen agreed. “But the one you met—Gladys—knows we aren’t monsters. Perhaps she can persuade the rest of them.”

“She did say she wasn’t going to tell anyone that she’d met a Wendle, so if the Green Wendles don’t know that we are Wendles, it might be all right,” said Glenda.

“And if we don’t tell anyone here that they call themselves Grockywollers, it should be all right,” added Glen.

“But we still have to persuade them it’s safe to come out,” said Glenda.

“Well,” Glen said thoughtfully, “The wullufs were chased out of Feggy Wood by everyone making a lot of noise. Perhaps if we got the Green Wendles to make a lot of noise, they would feel safe.”

“Of course!” said Glenda happily. “We can make a drum out of a hollow log.”

“And I know how to make a whistle from a piece of elder,” said Glen.

“We should see if we can persuade Gladys to come for tea. If her people see she hasn’t been chased by a wulluf, perhaps they’ll come out as well,” said Glenda. Then, struck by another bright idea, she added, “We could have another Ball and see if we can get the Green Wendles to come, just like all my Wendle friends did last time. There was plenty of noise then.”

“We can hold it at the next full moon,” agreed Glen. “Then Feggy Wood will be light enough for them to see there are no wullufs about.”

They spent the rest of the morning making drums and whistles. After lunch, they set off carrying them through Feggy Wood to the Dark Trees.

“I think you should keep out of sight until I explain to Gladys who you are,” said Glenda when they reached the log. “She might be worried if there are two of us.”

Glen hid.

A long-tailed tittle-tattle bird sat down next to Glenda on the log. “Hello,” it said.

 

The telltale bird sat next to Glenda.

“Hello to you,” said Glenda. “Do you know Gladys the Grockywoller?”

“I know everyone in the Dark Trees,” boasted the bird.

“Could you go and tell her that Glenda is waiting on the log?”

The tittle-tattle bird flew away into the Dark Trees.

Half an hour later, Gladys emerged and sat down next to Glenda.

“Hello,” she said.

“Hello,” said Glenda. “I came to ask if you would like to come to my house for tea.”

“I wish I could," said d Gladys, “but I’m scared we might meet a wulluf.”

“Wullufs are terrified of loud noises,” said Glenda. “We’ve brought you a drum and a whistle. You can make a tremendous racket as you walk along, and that would frighten away any wulluf. We can also ask everyone we meet if they’ve seen one.”

“We?” asked Gladys.

“I hope you don’t mind, but I brought my boyfriend, Glen, with me,” said Glenda. “May he come and say hello?”

Gladys nodded, and Glen stepped out of hiding. “Hello, Gladys,” he said.

“Hello, Glen,” said Gladys. “Er... I hope you don’t mind, but I brought my boyfriend, Gary, with me. May he come and say hello?”

Glenda nodded, and Gary emerged from the Dark Trees. He looked exactly like Gladys.

“Hello,” he said.

“Hello,” said Glenda and Glen. “You’re both welcome to come for tea.”

Glen gave Gary a whistle, and Gladys a drum, and banging and blowing, they wended their way through Feggy Wood.

As they walked, one of those warm spring  showers began. Very soon, all four of them were good and wet. Wendles do not wear clothes, so they did not mind getting soaked.

Glenda turned to look at Gladys and Gary. “Oh my,” she said. “You’ve changed.”

Indeed, the rain had washed them clean.

Instead of being the colour of the Dark Trees, Gladys and Gary were now green, grey, and brown—just like the tall grass in the meadow during summer.

Gladys smoothed down her wet fur. “This is how we really look,” she said. “The bark from the Dark Trees rubs off on us when we go past them.”

“Look,” said Glenda. “There’s a patch of grass over there, where there are no trees. I think you could hide in the grass the same way we hide in the trees. Try it.”

Gladys walked over to the grass. “Close your eyes,” she ordered.

They did, and when they opened them, Gladys had disappeared