Baby Midge Mouse and his Bicycle

'THE OAK TREE MICE'

BABY MIDGE MOUSE AND HIS BYCICLE

On the edge of a pretty little village named Buryan, in a large, very
old oak tree, lived Mr and Mrs Barney Mouse with their three children,
Melony Mouse, Matthew Mouse and Baby Midge Mouse.

Because he was the youngest Midge Mouse was called 'Baby Midge Mouse'.
He had an older sister called Melony and an older brother called
Matthew.

They had four rooms, Matthew Mouse and Baby Mouse shared the bedroom
that was highest up in the tree and Melony Mouse and Mr and Mrs Mouse
had the two bedrooms below them. Baby Midge Mouse had
learned to count and there were thirty steps up to the top of the tree
and his bedroom. The mouse family loved their oak tree house because it
was very dry, warm and cosy, especially in the kitchen because it
always
smelt so good and there was always something nice cooking there.

Baby Midge had woken up early and he could hear his mummy calling his
brother and sister to get up and get washed and dressed before
breakfast. Melony Mouse and Matthew Mouse went to school, so the oak
tree house was very busy with the hustle and bustle of getting
breakfast over and all too soon Mr Weasel was beeping the horn of the
school bus just outside. Mrs Mouse kissed Melony Mouse and Matthew
Mouse goodbye and began to get prepared to take Baby Midge Mouse
through the wood to Mrs Squirrel's grocery store to get all their
shopping.

Suddenly there was a bang and Baby Midge Mouse was holding his
head.
"What have you done this time Baby Midge?" asked Mrs Mouse. "You were
not watching where you were going again and you have bumped into the
door!" Mrs Mouse kissed Baby Midge better ' what am I going
to do with you? asked Mrs Mouse 'because you do not watch where you are
going you are always bumping yourself, come along now we will get your
bicycle and set off'.

Baby Midge loved to go to Mrs Squirrel's shop because she was so kind
and she had a big bowl of sweets on the counter and she always gave
Baby Midge one if he was a good boy and behaved himself whilst his
mummy did the shopping. Also he had a small basket on the front of his
bicycle and Mrs Mouse let him help carry some of the shopping.

Mrs Mouse and Baby Midge walked through the wood, they looked at all
the beautiful wild flowers, bluebells, primroses, buttercups, and Mrs
Mouse let Baby Midge pick one buttercup so he could hold it under his
chin. If his chin looked yellow it meant he loved butter, and Baby
Midge did so love butter, especially on his mummy's freshly baked
scones.

They greeted many of their friends and neighbours, and Baby Midge
saw
his Uncle Barney Mouse who was the local postman.

They were soon on the way back home with the shopping. Baby Midge was
allowed to carry the six eggs, which were sitting safely underneath the
fresh bread in the basket of his bicycle.

Baby Midge was singing his favourite nursery rhyme and Mrs Mouse was
talking to Mrs Rabbit who was walking along with them.
All of a sudden there was such a bang followed by a cracking sound and
Baby Midge had fallen off his bicycle. Mrs Mouse quickly helped him get
up and luckily he was not badly hurt although he did have a
grazed
knee. He had ridden the bicycle into a tree stump and they could see
that
he had damaged the wheel. The eggs had fallen onto the ground and were
all broken.

"What is going on here?" they heard a deep voice ask. There was Mr
Badger, who had just popped his head out of his house in the ground.
alerted by all to commotion.
"Baby Midge was not watching where he was going again," said Mrs Mouse
"and now it looks as if his bicycle is badly broken"

"Oh my, yes it does look in a sorry state, said Mr Badger ' don't you
worry, I will see what I can do' "Mrs Badger is just making some fresh
lemonade and I know there are some nice chocolate cakes. You all come
along with me and I will see what can be done with the bicycle."

So Mrs Mouse, Mrs Rabbit and Baby Midge Mouse went down some steep
little steps, through a small round door and into Mr and Mrs Badger's
kitchen.
Sure enough Mrs Badger had some fresh lemonade and chocolate
buns.
She sat Baby Midge down with his drink and washed his poor knee and put
a nice big plaster on it. He was very sad because he so loved his
bicycle and he did not think Mr Badger would be able to mend it. He did
not think it could ever be mended again.
They seemed to have been sitting for such a long time and an awful lot
of banging was going on. At last Mr Badger appeared.
"Come along young man" called Mr Badger "I think we have sorted out
your bicycle" and there stood his precious bicycle, all mended and
apart from some small scratches it was looking as good as new.
"Oh thank you" said Baby Midge Mouse "you have mended one of my best
friends, I go everywhere on my bicycle" Baby Midge Mouse leapt onto his
bicycle, he could not wait to get on with their journey.
Mrs Mouse said goodbye and she and Baby Midge set off for home.
Mrs Rabbit had given them some fresh eggs as her friend Mrs Chicken had
given her far too many and there plenty to spare for her friends.
"Oh Baby Midge" she said "We are so lucky to have such good friends as
Mr and Mrs Badger, Mrs Rabbit and Mrs Chicken"
"Yes" answered Baby Midge " Mr Badger is so clever and I will really
try to watch where I am going from now on" and off he peddled as fast
as his legs would go, back to the Oak Tree House.