Standard Fanfic Disclaimer that wouldn't last ten seconds in a court of law: these aren't my characters, nor my setting. The characters, except for Darby, were created by A. A. Milne, and are based on the Disney cartoon My Friends Tigger and Pooh. I borrow them only, and shall return them, properly fed, when I am done with them. No financial profit has been made from the writing of this story. It has not been printed in any fanzine; it is debuting as 'netfic. e-books-tree-dot-com , I'll thank you not to repost this story on your website, and I'll thank you to delete those of my stories which you have already reposted at your site without my permission.
The Mystery of Kanga's Missing Necklace
by Susan M. M.
a My Friends Tigger and Pooh story
It was a beautiful autumn day in the Hundred Acre Woods. It was just cool enough to wear a sweater, but not cold enough to need a heavy coat. The leaves had changed color: red and orange, yellow and brown. A perfect kite-flying wind was blowing the leaves off the trees.
Kanga was raking leaves. Roo was chasing the leaves as the wind blew them down and swirled them around. Running, jumping, dancing, he pursued the leaves joyfully.
"Roo, please!" Kanga protested. "You're going through the piles of leaves I've just raked."
"Sorry, Mama," Roo apologized.
A leaf fell on Kanga's shoulder. She brushed it off. Then she noticed something. "Oh, dear!"
"What is it, Mama?" asked Roo.
"My necklace is missing." Kanga looked down at the ground, but all she saw were the leaves Roo had scattered hither and yon.
"Your special necklace?"
Kanga nodded.
"Don't worry, Mama. I know what to do!" Roo ran off to the Super Siren and summoned the Super Sleuths.
Tigger, Pooh, Darby, and Buster heard the call. They hurried to the Changing Tree. Tigger bounced to the top of the Changing Tree. Pooh ran into the hollow nook at the bottom of the Changing Tree.
As they changed into their costumes, Darby announced, "It's time to slap my cap."
Once the three friends were transformed into the Super Sleuths, they recited the Super Sleuth Oath.
"Any time," Tigger promised.
"Any place," Pooh agreed.
"The Super Sleuths," Darby chimed in.
"Are on the case," they declared in unison.
Lifting her telescope to her eye, Darby peered at the Finder Flag. "The trouble is at Kanga and Roo's house. Let's go!"
"What's the matter, Kanga?" Darby asked.
"I lost my necklace," she explained.
"Her special necklace," Roo piped up. "She lost it when we were raking leaves."
"You mean it's somewhere under all these leaves?" Tigger looked at the leaves in dismay. "We'll never find it."
"Never say never," Darby retorted. "We're the Super Sleuths."
"Oh, yeah, we are," Tigger muttered. "Hmmm, how are we gonna find it, then?"
"Let's think," Darby suggested. The Super Sleuths concentrated. They rubbed their chins. They tapped their foreheads with their fingers.
"I know!" Tigger announced. "Let's get Lumpy to blow away the leaves."
"Oh, no, Tigger, dear." Kanga shook her head. "There are too many leaves for a little Heffalump to blow all by himself."
"Rabbit is a very clever inventor. Perhaps he could make a metal detector to help us find the necklace," Pooh suggested.
"I'm afraid that won't help. My necklace isn't made of silver or gold," Kanga explained.
"Maybe it would be easier if we just raked up all the leaves," Darby said.
"All of 'em?" Tigger asked. "There must be a gazillion leaves here."
Darby replied, "My granny always says many hands make light work."
Pooh asked, "Does that mean if we all pick up the leaves they won't weigh as much?
"No, Pooh, dear, it means if we all work together, the work is easier. It goes quickly, so it doesn't seem like much work," said Kanga.
They raked and they raked.
After many bags of leaves had been gathered and stuffed, Roo shouted, "I found it! I found it! Look, Mama, your special necklace."
The Super Sleuths gathered around to see the necklace. A cardboard heart hung from a red yarn chain. Written on the heart in red crayon were the words 'I love you, Mama'.
"That's what we were lookerating for? A cardboard necklace?" asked Tigger.
Kanga said, "My necklace isn't special because it's gold or diamonds. My necklace is special because Roo made it for me."
"Good finding, Roo," Darby congratulated him.
"And good cleaning," Pooh added, noticing the neat grassy yard and all the bags of leaves sitting in a row.
Tigger declared, "This mystery is history!"
"Thank you for helping us rake the leaves, and thank you for helping Roo find my necklace. Why don't we all go inside," Kanga invited, "and have hot apple cider and cookies?"
The End