Hundred Acre Janathon - Part One.

It was winter in the Hundred Acre Wood, and most of the inhabitants were spending their time huddled up in their houses, keeping warm. Sometimes they would pop out, to collect some wood, or for another jar of honey, or some thistles, or maybe even to say hello to a neighbour. But generally they all stayed at home...

...All except Tigger.

Tigger was, as usual, a bouncing ball of energy. Someone had told him, just before the New Year, about a creature that he might see if he was out of his house in January, called a Janathoner. Tigger was intrigued, he'd never heard of these Janathoners. Heffalumps and Woozles, yes: They were often heard of in the Hundred Acre Wood. But Janathoners? Never. And what a funny name!

Tigger had bounced around the woods many times this January, trying to find one of the elusive Janathoners. He hadn't seen a single thing! He'd been told that Janathoners were only visible for the first month of the year, and he knew it was getting close to the end of the month, so he was searching every day, but had only seen the odd shuffly-looking tracks that he knew must have been a Janathoners. He was very upset, so he decided to go and see his old friend Pooh, to see if he knew what to do.

Pooh was sitting in his favourite chair, with his head in a jar of honey. When Tigger knocked, he reluctantly put the jar down and shuffled to the front door. Pooh was tired, and not in a very good mood, and he opened the door slowly, just a crack, to see what the matter was...

...Pooh was knocked flat on his back by the door as his excitable friend bounded through.

"Pooh!" burbled Tigger "You have to help me find a Janathoner! They're out in the woods every day but only for a few more days and I haven't seen one yet and it'll be even more exciting than tracking a Woozle and we haven't got much time what do you think?". Pooh held his breath, counted to ten, then gently pushed his friend off him.

"What's a Janathoner, Tigger? And sit down and have a cup of tea" he muttered as he sat back on his chair.
"They run! They run every day, but only for a month. I don't know why. But we have to find one!"

Pooh considered this, but being a bear of very little brain, he didn't quite know what to do. He thought a while, and hummed a little Janathoner-thinking hum while he was doing it. Soon Tigger began bouncing in his chair, and Pooh got very distracted from his hum. Although he was a bear of very little brain, he knew they needed more information on these Janathoners, so he thought that they should ask the wisest person they knew. "We must go and see Owl. He will know what to do." And so they went.

Owl was at home, and he greeted the friends with bleary eyes. He had been trying out hibernating, after reading about it in a book, but he kept being woken up by loud thumpy noises and bright lights during the night, which he put down to being a new herd of Heffalumps passing through the Hundred Acre Wood. Every night he woke up, listened until they had gone, then went back to sleep. When Tigger and Pooh had explained their quest, he looked at them a moment, thinking, then wisely said "You need an internet. I've heard about these Janathoners too, and I heard that, when they're not running, they spend a lot of time in internets, wearing clogs. Maybe if you get an internet and some clogs, you might be able to lure one in."

Pooh and Tigger listened and decided this was very wise, so they left Owl's house with a rising sense of happiness. Pooh hummed a small, internet finding hum. Tigger bounced happily, singing along with Pooh's hum, before stopping suddenly in his tracks. "Pooh? What's an internet?"
Pooh thought quickly. "It's like a fishing net, Tigger. Maybe if we can't find an internet, a fishing net would do."
"I know where there's a fishing net, Pooh! Down by the pond!"
Pooh thought about this and decided it was a good idea. It saved a lot of time trying to find an internet, and the less time he spent on this, the sooner he could get back to his honey. "And Rabbit was making some clogs, we could borrow them, just for a day."

Tigger bounced even higher, he would soon see a Janathoner! Tiggers bounce more and more when they're excited, and Tigger was VERY excited now. He couldn't wait!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Oh, oh, oh, oh brilliant just brilliant please write these stories right til the end of January - I was just transported back to my childhood. Ooh am hugging myself in excitement and glee!
Geoff said…
Superb! I didn't know you'd read the Pooh Bear stories. Very entertaining, son. Don't know where you got that gift from!
Unknown said…
That is BRILLIANT! I have come to your blog via Abradypus... is there a part two... I'm going looking for a part two now... please let there be a part two! :-)

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