By Sandra Stoner-Mitchell
Whiffy the Weasel walked down Hedgerow Lane,
then stopped...turned round...then went back again.
He was feeling quite nervous, what should he do?
Are they really my friends, he thought...Could this be true?
He took a deep breath, then turned round once more,
walked down the lane going straight to the door.
He timidly knocked, and the door opened wide,
Daddy Mouse smiled and said, "Come on inside.
They are all upstairs waiting; they said you'd be here."
Then added kindly, understanding his fear,
"Timmy and Tommy are so pleased you agreed,
to help find a den...you're just what they need!"
Feeling much happier than he felt before,
Whiffy went up to the boys' bedroom door.
With another deep breath, he knocked and went in,
and was oh so pleased when they all turned and grinned!
"Hello, Whiffy! Come and sit over here,
we are trying to think of a brilliant idea."
Timmy moved over and Whiffy sat down.
"We need an idea for our den," Tommy frowned.
"We want one that's near, not too far away,
big enough for us all to meet up in and play."
"We've thought and we've thought," Vicky said with sigh,
"But nothing sounds right...Would you like to try?"
Whiffy looked down as he tried hard to think,
then he suddenly clapped, making everyone blink!
"I'll show you a place, it's high and it's wide,
it's where I used to go when I needed to hide..."
Whiffy stopped speaking, his face turned quite green.
"Why did you hide?" they asked, "What do you mean?"
Poor Whiffy looked up; knowing what he would say
"I was frightened of you, when you came out to play.
I was on my own because no one liked me,
so I used to hide...where you couldn't see."
Cyril the Squirrel said, "It's sad...but it's true,
we didn't take time to get to know you."
Vicky said, "We're sorry!" Then taking his hand,
"We listened to others, and did not understand.
But now we are friends, you should never hide,
next time you see us, you must come outside."
"Now we're best friends!" declared Reggie the Rat,
with his big cheeky grin, "Well now, fancy that!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Whiffy the Weasel led them through the wood,
to a place where the biggest of all the trees stood.
The tree was so wide, and so very high,
it looked as though it was touching the sky!
While they were staring, Whiffy walked round the tree,
then just disappeared! Where could he be?
"Whiffy! Where are you?" They called out his name,
"What are you doing? Are you playing a game?"
Then suddenly they heard him, laughing away,
"I'm here! Can't you see me? Come in and play."
Then he was there, he'd stepped out of the tree!
"Wow!" shouted Reggie, "can we come and see?"
They all followed Whiffy, through a crack in the bark,
that opened inside, yet wasn't that dark.
"This is my hidey hole; it makes a good den.
It can be yours too...if I can come now and then."
The friends were amazed, "Are you sure you don't mind?"
And Millie just hugged him, "You really are kind!"
Their new den was perfect, they'd make it look good,
cleaning and sweeping as much as they could.
Millie said, "I'll bring a rug for the floor,
I have one at home I don't use any more."
Off they all went to get dusters and brooms,
to set about making the nicest of rooms.
It didn't take long, it was soon nice and clean,
leaving them with the best den they had seen.
After laying the rug down on the clean floor,
Millie said, "Now we want a sign for the door."
"What a good idea," said Tommy...and then,
"How about calling it - Our Posh New Den!"
| Author Notes | I would like to thank Corrinas creations for this wonderful illustration! |
By Sandra Stoner-Mitchell
HEDGEROW TALES
By Sandra Stoner Mitchell
Fire Drill at Hedgerow School
The school bus had stopped when the doors opened wide,
And the children jumped out then ran on inside.
Miss Freda the Frog was already there,
Inside the classroom just perched on her chair.
Once they were seated, she stood up and smiled,
Then called for attention from every child.
"Today we are going to learn something new,
If there's ever a fire, you must know what to do."
Timmy and Tommy nudged each other then,
"Miss Freda will teach us to be firemen!"
This sounded exciting; what a great game,
Throwing buckets of water onto the flames!
There were lots of murmuring, whispers, and grins,
Till Miss Freda told them "Here's how we'll begin!
It's very important; you must listen well,
To what you must do when you hear the fire bell."
Then pressing a button, a sound loud and shrill,
She startled them all into sitting quite still!
"That is the sound you will hear," she smiled,
"Then you will get up and walk single file,
Out to the playground...But please do not run!
Then once you are there, I can count everyone.
Is there anything that you don't understand?"
And Tommy Mouse quickly put up his small hand.
"When would we go to put the fire out?"
Miss Freda laughed, "There'll be firemen about!"
Then turned when she heard Reggie Rat say,
"Are we going to have a fire today?"
Miss Freda sat down, shaking her head,
Had any of them heard a word she had said?
"Now listen to me, I will try to explain
What I've just said...I will say once again.
We haven't a fire, and I hope never will
But just to be safe, we have fire drills.
So if the bell rings, you will know what to do.
When the firemen come they'll be so pleased with you!"
Miss Freda looked at her watch on her arm,
Then without being seen, she pressed the alarm.
"Now then, children, you know what to do;
Stand up and form a single file queue."
Just as they marched into the playground,
They heard a loud noise...a jangling sound!
They all turned around to look in the lane,
As into the playground, a fire engine came!
Timmy and Tommy Mouse just stood and stared,
They couldn't believe a fire engine was there!
Cyril the Squirrel yelled, "Can we have a ride?"
And Reggie the Rat said, "Is there room inside?"
Rodney the Rabbit, in his black fireman coat,
Turned to the youngsters and clearing his throat,
Said, "The reason we're here is to make you aware,
That fire is dangerous, and you should take care.
If you can tell me what you shouldn't do,
When there's a fire, I might just let you!"
"I know! I know!" they all frantically cried,
"We mustn't run as we hurry outside!"
"And we must leave our coats on their hooks,
We mustn't take anything...even our books!"
Rodney the Rabbit said, "Very well done!
Now let's play firemen...come on everyone!"
Rodney the Rabbit then showed them the bell,
The fire hoses and the ladders as well.
"Sometimes we need them to do other things,
We never know what till the fire bell rings!"
"I knew a mouse who was stuck up a tree,"
Said Vicky the Vole. "He couldn't get free!"
"And I knew a rabbit jammed tight in a hole.
He was in the wrong one!" said Millie the Mole.
"Those are a few things that we have to do,"
Said Rodney the Rabbit, "there's other things too!"
"It must be exciting!" said Reggie the Rat,
"When I'm all grown up, I'm going to do that!"
Miss Freda the Frog turned around now to say,
"I think we should thank them for coming today.
The firemen are busy with much more to do."
So at the top of their voices, they shouted, "Thank you!"
This day was the best one they'd ever known,
Then the school bus came to take them all home.
| Author Notes | Thanks to Deloralock on FanArt, for this lovely little school bus picture! |
By Sandra Stoner-Mitchell
Reggie the Rat was out mooching around
looking at things that were down on the ground.
He saw something shiny; he bent down to see,
it looked very pretty, but what could it be?
He took a huge sniff to see how it smelt
but it flew round his nose and his mouth like a belt!
He tried pulling it off, but it just seemed to be
Getting tighter and tighter - he couldn't break free!
Now, he couldn't speak, he couldn't cry out
He wanted to scream, he wanted to shout.
He started to cry, so frightened was he,
He thought, "I'll go home, my dad will help me!"
Now, Oswald the Owl had seen Reggie's plight,
and flew down beside him with the hope that he might
be able to help him, but it wasn't to be.
So they went to his home, and his Dad set him free.
Oswald then told them how Humans would bring
waste to the forest, like this milk bottle ring,
cigarette butts, and plastic, and drinking straws too,
without thought of the dangers to creatures like you.
By Sandra Stoner-Mitchell
Timmy and Tommy Mouse jumped out of bed
While pulling pyjama tops over their heads.
They had a quick wash, brushed their teeth, combed their hair,
Then dressed in a hurry and clambered downstairs.
Their breakfast was ready they quickly sat down,
And gulped down their porridge then saw Mummy frown!
As Daddy came in from the garden, he smiled.
"The wind is up nicely, your kites will go wild!
You'll have to hold on now as tight as you can;
I've already put your kites into the van."
When Mummy Mouse gave him their picnic and drinks,
The boys put their breakfast bowls into the sink.
They drove to the top of Hedgerow Village Hill,
And just sitting watching gave both boys a thrill.
They saw all their friends out there, flying their kites
Of all shapes and sizes with colours so bright.
Then Daddy Mouse called out, "Let's unload the van,
And get these kites flying as high as we can!"
On top of the hill the wind blew at a pace
they had a job trying to stay in one place.
The wind huffed and puffed at the kites as they flew
With all their bright colours of red, pink and blue,
Green mixed with orange, and purple with brown,
All different sizes, with tails hanging down.
With Timmy and Tommy, stood Reggie the Rat,
Whose kite was so big - and it looked like a cat!
"It's supposed to be Mitsie, the kitten." He grinned,
"Her tail wouldn't stick, so it had to be pinned!"
They thought it looked good as they watched it fly free!
"I'm sure she would laugh." And they had to agree.
Their kites began flying all over the place.
The wind spun them round; it was just like a race.
While Millie the Mole's kite climbed up in the sky,
She laughed and she squealed as she watched it fly high!
Poor Vicky the Vole couldn't hold hers for long,
The wind pulled her kite, it was awfully strong!
She struggled to hold on but then it broke free,
And Vicky just watched it fly into a tree.
"My Kite!" Vicky cried. "The wind blew it up there!"
She pointed her finger to show her friends where
Her lovely kite landed, "Oh! What can I do?"
A voice at her side said, "I'll get it for you!"
It was Cyril the Squirrel - he was so kind,
And he passed his kite over for Timmy to mind.
He raced up the tree and took hold of the kite,
When all of a sudden, the wind in its might
Snatched hold of the kite that was in Cyril's hand
And flew with him up and over the land.
The friends stood there watching, but what could they do?
Then Daddy Mouse shouted, "Come on, all of you,
We've got to get hold of the string hanging down,
And then we can pull him back down to the ground.
One of you put all the kites in the van;
The rest of you follow as fast as you can!"
Cyril was flying but holding on tight,
The view from up there was a wonderful sight!
Then Daddy Mouse caught the string and wound it round
His hand as he brought Cyril down to the ground!
When his friends rushed over he said, "That was fun!
It was the best thing that I've ever done!
Daddy Mouse smiled, but then told everyone
"He could have been hurt...then it wouldn't be fun!
If anyone's kite gets stuck up a tree,
You will just have to wait, or come and get me."
Everyone promised, and Cyril did too,
As now on the ground he felt tickity boo!
| Author Notes | Special thanks to Sunnyb for the superb picture of the flying kites! Colours and Pyjamas are UK spelling. Mitsie the kitten is a character from two stories in the previous book, Hedgerow Friends. I did try to keep the length a bit shorter, there are some longer! |
By Sandra Stoner-Mitchell
Timmy and Tommy Mouse stood by their door,
Today was the day they'd been waiting for.
Their cases were packed with lots of warm clothes,
Gloves for their hands and thick socks for their toes.
The coach had arrived; they were ready to go,
To a place far away that always had snow.
Mummy Mouse tried very hard not to cry,
As she and Daddy Mouse waved them good-bye.
"Have a good time and make sure you take care!"
She worried so much when she couldn't be there.
After their cases were up on the rack,
The boys went and sat with their friends at the back.
They reached the hotel after traveling all day,
Just stopping for lunch and a drink on the way.
Tired and hungry but they didn't care,
As soon as they saw there was snow everywhere!
Miss Freda the Frog called to them and said,
"We'll go and have dinner and then go to bed."
Next day they all stood outside in the snow,
All wondering where they were going to go.
Miss Freda had told them it was a surprise,
And smiled at them all with a gleam in her eyes!
She looked at their clothing and saw without doubt,
They all were dressed warmly to keep the chill out.
Off they all went for a very short ride,
Each sat by a window and looking outside.
All of a sudden they heard Timmy shout,
"Hey, look over there, it's the sea!" he cried out.
Everyone looked and as sure as could be,
The coach really was heading down to the sea.
When the coach stopped and they'd all tumbled out,
They all found they couldn't stop slipping about.
Miss Freda then opened the box in her hand,
"I've brought you all snow sticks they'll help you to stand."
Once they were steady, she said, "Follow me,
We have some nice friends who live here by the sea."
They turned round the corner and there by the shore,
Were creatures that none of them had seen before!
"These are called Penguins, they live on the ice."
Miss Freda then told them, "They're all very nice.
Let's go and meet them." She said with a smile,
"I'm sure they would all like to talk for a while."
Just as they started, the penguins turned round,
The friends all stopped talking, not making a sound.
Watching the penguins glide over the ice,
They made it look easy, such fun and so nice.
"How do you do that?!" asked Reggie the Rat,
"You walk on the ice! I wish I could do that."
The first Penguin chuckled, "What is your name?"
And Reggie then told her, and she did the same.
"I'm Penny Penguin, have you come to play?
We'll teach you to ice walk if you'd like to stay."
Cyril the Squirrel nudged Reggie the Rat,
Then said to Miss Freda, "Please, can we do that?"
Miss Freda the Frog smiled down at them all,
"Well, that's what we've come for, but try not to fall!"
Reggie then told Penny all his friend's names,
Then Cyril hollered, "We like to play games."
So Penny's two brothers, Perky and Pin,
Said "Right now, it's time, let the lessons begin!"
Perky the Penguin showed them how to glide,
With feet pointed outward, so they wouldn't slide.
"Gracefully does it, one foot at a time.
I'll stand in the front so you all can see mine!"
Millie fell over, then Reggie the Rat,
Then Timmy and Vicky as down they both sat.
Tommy laughed so much he fell over too,
While Cyril just giggled, "Well, tickity boo!
With Penguins all laughing and fooling around,
When Miss Freda looked, they were all on the ground.
The loud noise they made, brought more Penguins there
And soon it was like all the fun at the fair!
Slipping and sliding they just couldn't stand,
They started to hold onto each other's hand!
Once they were up, they were soon falling down,
Just like at the circus, they acted like clowns!
Miss Freda stood watching and shaking her head,
"I think you had better calm down." she said.
Then one of the Penguins had an idea,
And calling his friends, said, "Come over here!
If we are going to show them our slide,
We'd best get our sled and give them a ride."
So Pinky and Pin went off in a rush,
Turning fresh snow into wet soggy slush!
Once in the sled they were all whisked away,
To a large ice slide where they could all play.
The Penguins then took them up to the top,
But when they slid down, they just couldn't stop!
Laughing and squealing, they had so much fun,
As back to the top they all went, one by one!
Soon it was time when they all had to go,
The Penguins went off to their homes in the snow.
Timmy and Tommy Mouse waved them good bye,
While Millie the Mole let out a long sigh.
Vicky the Vole said, "We'll see them some more."
And everyone nodded and said,"That's for sure!"
| Author Notes | These are the continuing stories of the Hedgerow series. My little furry friends are humanoid critters, always helpful to others regardless of what species they are, Mice help kittens, and help a badger build a dam, they are a friendly little group, always there for each other. This is now the 29th story. |
By Sandra Stoner-Mitchell
Timmy and Tommy Mouse sat in their beds,
both had a soft pillow for resting their heads.
Eagerly waiting for Daddy to come
and read them a story—a Christmassy one.
Daddy Mouse came after just a short time,
and carried a book that was written in rhyme.
He pulled up a chair and sat down beside
his sons, who were now wearing grins a mile wide.
“On this special night I’ll tell you the one
about Christmas Eve and the birth of God’s son.”
The boys snuggled down and Daddy Mouse read...
The night baby Jesus was born in a shed.
"Long, long ago, in a town far away,
a cow in a stable stood on the fresh hay.
An angel was standing right by her side,
and passed on God’s message, which filled her with pride.
“Miss Cow told her friends, the mice and Miss Sheep,
to find a nice cot where a baby could sleep.”
“How could they make up a nice cosy bed?”
young Tommy Mouse asked his dad, and scratched his head.
“Just wait a minute, and then you will see,
how clever and helpful Miss Cow’s friends can be.
Miss Sheep offered wool, to spread over the ground,
but hoped that a much better bed could be found.
'Why not the manger?' a mouse turned and said.
'With hay and your wool, it will make a nice bed!'
Miss Cow was excited. ‘I'll clean the inside.’
‘And we’ll go and get the hay,’ all the mice cried!’
The mice scurried off to gather some hay;
Miss Sheep rubbed her coat till the wool came away.
Miss Cow cleaned the manger until it was bare,
then pulled up a hay bale, which made a great chair.
Soon all was ready; the manger looked nice,
With Miss Sheep’s wool blanket and hay from the mice.
Miss Cow stood back smiling, a shine lit her eye;
the babe in the manger would be warm and dry.
Then in the distance they heard a loud bray;
a donkey was coming, twas heading their way.
Miss Cow was excited, and so were her friends;
a good thing would happen before this night ends.
The donkey arrived and stood by the shed;
he carried a lady who needed a bed.
A man helped her down and then took her inside
while the donkey stood watching, puffed up with pride.
All of a sudden a light shone around,
just as the nice lady was laid on the ground.
Miss Cow, with her friends and the angels, stood by,
and suddenly they heard a new baby cry!
Miss Cow and Miss Sheep had tears in their eyes,
the mice were amazed at this sudden surprise!
And that’s how God’s son, baby Jesus, was born,
right there in a stable when Christmas Day dawned!
Timmy and Tommy Mouse both smiled with joy
"Mice helped baby Jesus when he was a boy!”
“And tonight is his Birthday.” Daddy Mouse smiled.
"And Santa is bringing a gift for each child."
"I did like the story," Tommy Mouse said,
as he snuggled down in his comfortable bed.
"Me too," whispered Timmy, who tried hard to keep
his tired eyes open … then both fell asleep.
| Author Notes | Timmy and Tommy Mouse are part of a group called the Hedgerow Capers Gang. Cute little creatures who like to go around helping other creatures, and having fun at the same time. I've written about 50 stories with them all in. All have been posted on here many years ago. This is a new one for Christmas. The old one is on here somewhere called, The Night Before Christmas Eve, with the whole gang in it. I hope you like this one. Thank you for reading. |
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| © Copyright 2015 Sandra Stoner-Mitchell All rights reserved. Sandra Stoner-Mitchell has granted FanStory.com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work. |
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