The Introduction of Augie the Otter to the Land of the Flowered Bed
The Land of the Flowered Bed was in a tizzy.
That morning, they had all received gilded invitations from Hairy in small golden envelopes that had read:
Attention, attention!
Hairy, Mayor of the Land of the Flowered Bed,
Requests your presence in the Spa
On Wednesday afternoon
at 3:30.
Refreshments will be served.
At 2:30 p.m., many inhabitants of the Land of the Flowered Bed had wondered into the spa to see if they might learn anything early. Pumble, who had been in charge of baking the refreshments, was not pleased.
“Move, Cookies!” Pumble snapped to the grey owl, bumping him with his wide yellow and black behind. “I’ve got to put this refreshment table down.”
“The last thing you need is more refreshments,” Cookies sniffed, crossing his wings and glaring at Pumble. “After everything you ate during Christmas and New Year’s, I can’t believe you would eat again.”
Pumble rolled his eyes. “I’m always ready to eat again,” he informed Cookies. “Even when I’m eating, I’m thinking about eating again.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Cookies snapped. “One shouldn’t obsess over food so much. It’s unhealthy. All the baking and cooking and dreaming of food–why, you could expand your mind! If there was one there to expand!”
“I seem to recall you and a mini-you in my kitchen snarfing Christmas cookies for weeks!” Pumble fired back. “And I didn’t see a copy of Tolstoy while you were gobbling cookies down your gullet!”
“Why you bulbous pea-brained bee”– Cookies snarled.
“You closet-cookie-loving-uppity snob!” Pumble roared.
“What are the refreshments, dear?” Ladybug interjected hurriedly.
“Jam tea cakes and shortbread with vanilla pudding,” Pumble replied, still glaring at cookies. “With fruit punch and grape juice.”
“It sounds delicious,” Ladybug cooed, threading her arm through his.
“It sounds ridiculous,” Cookies mumbled.
The ducks splashed impatiently in the bathtub. They were tired of the bickering.
“What is going on?” the first duck huffed.
“We demand to know what’s happening!” the second duck demanded.
“I am quite curious,” the third duck murmured, fluttering her long eyelashes.
“No one told me anything,” Sandie the Stingray grumbled.
“Nor me,” sighed a Flying Pig.
The seals shrugged and shook their tails. No one had told them anything either.
“I wish I knew,” Miss Moose McKinley murmured, nibbling on a piece of shortbread she had swiped from the table. “It sounds so fascinating! No tips, no clues, nothing!”
“It’s probably something mundane and droll,” Cookies groused. “I had so much to do today, too.”
“What did you have to do?” Pumble snorted. “Preen in the mirror? Tell yourself how brilliant you are?”
“At least I don’t spend the day stuffing my face!” Cookies snapped.
“Gentlemen, gentlemen!” Hairy cried, interrupting them. “I’m glad you’re all here early. Allow me to introduce the newest member of the Land of the Flowered Bed, our reason for gathering today: Augie the Otter!”
The seals clapped their tails and the ducks in the spa quacked in greeting.
“Augie?” Cookies questioned, still perturbed at Pumble. “That’s an interesting name. How did you come about that?”
The otter smiled. “My real name is Augustus, which as a baby seemed too bold, so they called me Augie, even now that I’m old!”
Pumble scratched his head. “Are you speaking in rhyme?”
“A poet I am, much to my mother’s dismay,” Augie replied. “For rather than work, I just float about and dream all day!”
Cookies rolled his eyes. Hairy beamed. “Isn’t he lovely?” he whispered to Cookies.
“Peachy,” Cookies replied dryly. “Just what we need. A rhyming otter.”
The ducks in the spa took an immediate liking to Augie.
“Would you like to swim with us?” the first duck inquired.
“Would you like to have some shortbread and tea cakes?” the second duck questioned.
“I’m afraid it’s a bit crowded, but we’d love to have you,” the third duck replied shyly.
“To swim would be a treat,” Augie declared, leaping in the bathtub. “And I would dearly love to eat!”
“That’s my kind of otter,” Pumble laughed, handing Augie some shortbread and punch. Augie swam on his back, nibbling and sipping away.
“Over the dusty trails,
And long roads,
I crossed many rivers,
When I left home.
But it seems my journey,
is finally at an end,
For here I am with you,
My dear friends.”
The other animals burst into applause.
“Isn’t that sweet?” Hairy cried.
“He’s so sensitive,” Sandie whispered to Miss Moose McKinley. “I wonder if he’s single?”
“I’m going to hurl,” Cookies groaned, smacking his wing to his head. He hurried out of the Spa, gagging. The other animals drew in closer.
“So tell us some stories of where you came from,” Hairy said. “We’re quite curious as to how you got here.”
Augie took another bite of his cookie. “The tales are long,” he warned. “You might be here until the early morn.”
“That’s fine,” Pumble dismissed. “I can make some pizza and breadsticks.” The seals squeaked and hopped up and down in excitement. “Yes, I’ll get you some salmon calzones,” Pumble sighed.
“Then gather around, and I shall begin, the story of where I came from, and the wind that blew me in,” Augie drawled, popping the last bit of cookie in his mouth.
And as Cookies glared on, the animals grew closer. For Augie had a story to tell, and they were more than happy to listen.
Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! We have a week of whimsical fun coming up–more stories, recipes and ostriches, oh my!
January 9th, 2010 at 4:27 am
Seriously, we would have SO much fun together!
January 9th, 2010 at 4:33 am
Cute post! Very creative.
Stopping by from SITS! Happy SITS Saturday Sharefest!
January 9th, 2010 at 4:47 am
How sweet is this? Snuggled up near you at SITS this a.m. I’m lovin’ all your cute critters!
January 9th, 2010 at 5:15 am
This is so stinkin’ cute!
January 9th, 2010 at 7:58 am
Cookies does not look happy in the last shot!
January 9th, 2010 at 7:59 am
Augie is so cute! A great addition.
January 9th, 2010 at 9:18 am
I’m so pleased to meet Augie! I’m sure that he will fit in with all the other “friends” just fine!
Oh, I just love it when a new addition comes along!
Have a Happy Saturday!
January 9th, 2010 at 10:25 am
What a fun group of friends! Nothing like the addition of a rhyming otter!
January 9th, 2010 at 10:46 am
Very nice to meet Augie. I love making new friends:)
January 9th, 2010 at 12:10 pm
Cookies and Pumble are a piece of work. You handle their snappy patter beautifully!
January 9th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
They are all so cute! The seals are my favorite!
January 9th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
How cute!!
January 9th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
I love this…Augie is so much fun!
January 9th, 2010 at 2:20 pm
If you can’t continue to enjoy your stuff when you grow up, what fun is that? My two younger daughters both took their favorite stuffed animals to the college, and said animals make every trip home, too. This is a cute idea, turning your little friends into a story!
January 9th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
Lovely story, I do hope cookies cheers up or is he an Eeyore type character? hugs Jane x
January 9th, 2010 at 4:30 pm
I love Augie already!
January 9th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
absolute adorability
January 9th, 2010 at 7:08 pm
Augie is adorable! I adore him!
January 9th, 2010 at 7:18 pm
Thank you for always making me smile with your stuffy illustrated stories!
January 9th, 2010 at 7:57 pm
Oh, I want to hear Augie’s story myself!!
January 9th, 2010 at 7:59 pm
~ingrid
January 10th, 2010 at 7:36 am
Poor cookies needs to eat some more cookies and sweeten up a bit!
January 10th, 2010 at 9:13 am
Delightful, simply delightful. Such sweetness oozes the food obsession in me!!!
January 10th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
Oh, so cute. And your blog is adorable. I’ve had a very nice visit and will visit again soon!
January 10th, 2010 at 10:27 pm
How cute!!! Welcome to The Pond, Augie.
January 10th, 2010 at 11:14 pm
Well that was gloriously surreal. Enjoyed immensely.
January 11th, 2010 at 3:18 pm
Rhyming otters are my favorite kind
January 13th, 2010 at 7:30 am
MIranda I love this latest addition to the Tales of the Flowered Bed, and I adore Auge. A rhyming otter, how otterly wonderful!!! xxoo
January 13th, 2010 at 8:55 am
Augie’s rhyming speech is beyond adorable. So much so that I might try and make one of my friends speak only in rhyme from now on. I would do it myself, but sadly, I am not that talented.
January 14th, 2010 at 7:12 am
Yes Welcome Augie!
April 20th, 2010 at 1:31 pm
Long time lurker, thought I would say hello! I really dont post much but thanks for the good times I have here. Love this place..
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