TEDDY MAC, AND THE AWFULLY BIG ADVENTURE

Teddy Mac put his paws over his eyes. Surely, Grandad couldn’t have gone to work without him, could he? “Don’t worry,” said Mai Won Too, “ I expect he just forgot to pick you up this morning.”
There was a scratching noise coming from the floor beneath the bookshelf. A mole with a hard yellow hat was hauling himself up the stairs. “Phew!” said Humphrey, “Come on Teddy Mac, you’ll have to hurry if you want to get to work in time for the first train”

Teddy Mac didn’t need to be asked twice. He slid down the ladder at the end of the bookcase. Bumping his way down the stairs, he followed Humphrey as they climbed out through the cat flap, jumping one after the other down into a fresh mole hill. Minutes later they were travelling towards Wildway Down. Teddy Mac pumped one handle on the pump trolley while Humphrey kept swinging from side to side on the other. At last they arrived close to the Water Wheel under Deep Water Lake. “No marbles stuck here this time!” said Teddy Mac. “No - it isn’t the MARBLES that are stuck this time,” said Humphrey. It’s the Bunny Brothers! They’ve been playing in the marble tunnels and now they’re stuck in the weighing scales. 

Do you think you can help me get them out!” Teddy Mac’s eyes grew large as he trailed after Humphrey. Leaving the pump trolley, they climbed down some tiny stone steps beside the wheel. “Where are we going?” he asked. They could hear clunking sounds in the tunnels below. At last , after climbing down and round the twisty stairs, they arrived in a marble lined cave. In the middle of the cave was a huge pair of weighing scales. “What are those scales doing here?” asked Teddy Mac. “They are used for weighing marbles,” said Humphrey. Normally, if there are the same number of marbles in both bowls - then everything above ground stays on track. “How do you mean?” asked Teddy Mac. 

“Look,” said Humphrey “ if both sides of the scales weigh the same, then that means the scales are BALANCED. “Is that good?” asked Teddy Mac. Humphrey threw his paws up in the air. “Of course!” he said. “That’s how everything works here Everything must be balanced or else the trains will be late, or accidents will happen and the weather can turn really nasty.” Teddy Mac noticed that the bowl on one side of the scales was hanging lower than the other. Marbles were beginning to drop out over the rim. As he stared, he saw a pair of bunny ears peeping out over the top. “Oh no!” he said “don’t tell me the Bunny Brothers are still there!” “Yes,” said Humphrey, “AND they’ve been throwing the marbles out as well. Will you help me get them out?” Teddy Mac nodded . Climbing carefully in between the two bowls of the scales, he poked his head into the lower bowl. 

The Bunny Brothers weren‘t having fun anymore. Their paws shook as Teddy Mac‘s head peered into the bowl. “This will have to stop,” said Teddy Mac. “You’re making the trains late. But you can help make it better by putting the marbles back in the bowl again..” The Bunny Brothers looked at each other and then jumped out of the bowl. They were quite happy to help throw the missing marbles back into the half empty bowl and it didn‘t take too long before the scales were perfectly balanced again. “Thank you!” said Humphrey. “By the way Teddy Mac, ”Grandad was looking for you this morning. He thought he might have forgotten you.” “Oh, he only FORGOT me!” said Teddy Mac “ Oh good. I’ll trot along to the Engine Shed.” After dropping off the Bunny Brothers in Wildway, Teddy Mac worked the pump trolley back to the Engine Shed. He had only just popped into Otter’s cab when he heard Grandad’s voice. “Goodness me I’ve been looking for that bear everywhere!” he said. Teddy Mac smiled. He’d helped Humphrey, kept the Bunny Brothers out of trouble and found Grandad. What an Awfully Big Adventure for one day! 

Margaret Edmonds © 2011