The Hundred Acre Wood
Disclaimer & Warnings: See chapter 1
Timeline: Saturday, August 3rd, 1991, dawn
Chapter 38 – Bouncing and Pouncing
"Christopher Robin?"
"Yes, Roo?"
"What are we doing?"
"Watching the clouds Roo."
"Oh."
The two friends lay companionably head-to-head on their backs in the Merry Meadow. They were peacefully watching the fluffy white clouds in the shapes of kittens, puppies, and the occasional bunny, in the sky high above them. The clouds were lazily drifting by like flotsam and jetsam bobbing on unseen currents.
"Christopher Robin?"
"Yes, Roo?"
"Are they going to do something?"
"Not that I know of Roo."
"Oh."
All around the edge of the meadow, tall trees lifted their branches to hold up the sky like ribs of an upturned umbrella. Their leaves crafting a deep emerald green border, to edge the canvas of bright cerulean blue.
"Christopher Robin?"
"Yes, Roo?"
"Then why are we watching them?"
"Er… because they're there?"
"Oh."
Butterflies and flutterbees flitted to and fro, putting on an aerial acrobat show. Painting colourful loop-de-loops, spins, and dives in the crystal clear air.
"Christopher Robin?"
"Yes, Roo?"
"When you aren't here… what do the people look like in the other place?"
"Like a walrus, a horse, and a pig, Roo."
"Oh."
A patchwork quilt of bright red and orange poppies dotted the meadow, lifting their frilly faces to greet the rising sun. Translucent petals dancing in its warmth, like glowing embers. The colouring a perfect camouflage for the ladybugs, which, when disturbed, soared skyward to join the airborne exhibition.
"Christopher Robin?"
"Yes, Roo?"
"When you aren't here… where do you live?"
"Behind the green door Roo."
"Oh."
The chirping crickets leant their alto counterpoint to the steady bass clicking of the rhythmic beetles, supplying the duo with a soft serenade in the warm summer morning. The rhapsody, intermittently hushing as a shadow passes by, only to start up again with a bit of a calypso beat.
"Christopher Robin?"
"Yes, Roo?"
"When you aren't here… where do you sleep?"
"In the cupboard under the stairs Roo."
"Oh."
A small bubbling brook gurgled and gushed as it wound its way languidly through the meadow from hither to yon, passing all sorts of strange and amazing creatures on its long journey to the sea.
"Christopher Robin?"
"Yes, Roo?"
"What are we doing?"
"Still watching the clouds Roo."
"Oh."
Water skippers drew concentric circles behind them as they hopped and dipped, teasing the brook trout down below. Their water ballet disrupted only by the little eddies that unexpectedly rippled the surface.
"Christopher Robin?"
"Yes, Roo?"
"How long are we going to watch the clouds?"
"Until I'm done Roo."
"Oh."
In the muddy pools of the brook, croaking bullfrogs were keeping a watchful eye on their school of pollywogs napping securely in the murky depths, protecting them from marauding woozles and wizzles - or any other prowler that may happen by.
"Christopher Robin?"
"Yes, Roo?"
"Done with what?"
"Growing new bones Roo."
"Oh."
The buzzing bees buzzed busily as they harvested sweet clover nectar, carrying the saccharine syrup back to their hunny filled hives. While nearby, sentry bees flew lookout for the hungry Pooh bear, and his close and personal friends.
"Christopher Robin?"
"Yes, Roo?"
"Why are you growing new bones?"
"Mine was broken Roo."
"Oh."
Dragonflies zoomed overhead like guided missiles, scattering the aerial acrobats in their path. Then stopping abruptly in midair, they surveyed the targets on the ground below, only to change direction and instantly zip away in a zigzagy course.
"Christopher Robin?"
"Yes, Roo?"
"How did yours get broken?"
"I was being punished Roo."
"Oh."
A gentle breeze stirred the grass, spurred on by the occasional gust of air from a surreptitious source, sending the dandelions roaring as it scattered their seeds on its fickle thermals.
"Christopher Robin?"
"Yes, Roo?"
"Why were you being punished?"
"Because I'm bad Roo."
"Oh."
Meadow larks and bluebirds gossiped back and forth in the dialect of twitters and tweets, as they sat on their eggs in their lofty nests, watching with interest from their front row seats, as if it were their own private play unfolding in the meadow below.
"Christopher Robin?"
"Yes, Roo?"
"I don't think you're bad at all. I like you."
"I like you too Roo."
"Oh."
Marching two abreast in drill formation, the ants executed a rapid about face, while the red fox shooed her tumbling kits inside her cosy den.
"Roo?"
"Yes Christopher Robin?"
"I-I love you Roo."
"I love you too Christopher Robin."
"Oh."
Amid the fluffy brown and white cattails lining the banks of the little brook, a sole orange and black stalk waved proudly above the undulating meadow grasses. While the salamanders scurried for cover, the turtles steadfastly remained basking in the sun on the warm rocks, confident that they looked as much a part of the rock as the rocks themselves.
… (creep)…
… (sneak)…
… (peek)…
POUNCE!
"HALLO-O-O-O-O!"
Roo burst into squeals of giggles as Tigger burst out of the grass and tickled her unmercifully.
"Stop! Stop! … giggle… giggle… I give up! I give up!" the little kangaroo laughed gaily, rolling around in the sweet smelling grass trying to avoid the tickling paws.
"Hallo-o-o-o Roo! Hallo-o-o-o Christopher Robin!" Tigger sang out as he started bouncing in circles as fast as he could around the Merry Meadow.
"Hallo Tigger!" they sang back.
"What are you doing?" Tigger finally asked as he bounced to a stop and balanced on his springy tail.
"We're watching the clouds," Christopher Robin answered back, still lying on his back and staring up, up, up into the blue, blue sky.
"Can I help?"
"Sure! The more the merrier! Join us."
Tigger lay down on his back, head-to-head with the other two.
The fluffy little white clouds just hung in the crisp clean air.
"Well, this is fun."
Tigger squirmed and fidgeted. He changed position and put his toes where his head was and his head where his toes were. Then back again. He tried closing one eye, and then the other. He tried closing both eyes and then opening them both up really fast and wide.
Nope. Nothing changed.
"They aren't doing anything," Tigger said petulantly.
"We know," Roo replied.
"Then why are we watching them?"
"Because they're there."
"Oh."
"How long are we going to watch them?"
"Until Christopher Robin is done," Roo answered.
"Christopher Robin?"
"Yes, Tigger?"
"Can you be done yet?"
"I think so," Christopher Robin laughed, sitting up and grinning at his two friends. "At least I think I am, everything still feels a little strange… but a lot better. So maybe that's why it feels so strange, because I'm not used to it feeling better."
"What were you doing?" Tigger asked, cocking his head and peering at his friend curiously. Christopher Robin didn't look any different to him. Not strange at all. He looked just as a Christopher Robin should look.
"I was growing new bones, because some of mine were broken. But I don't think they are anymore. See!" Christopher Robin grinned happily and turned a somersault to prove it. "I think my ribs are okay now. It just feels very strange not to have any broken bones. Even my old breaks feel stronger than they did, and don't hurt anymore. My hand is better too, and it hurt the worst of all," he said wiggled all his fingers delightedly.
"That's very, very good!"
"Why is that Tigger?"
"Because…"
POUNCE!
Christopher Robin burst into a giggle fit as Tigger pounced on him and began to tickle with abandon.
"Because… Tiggers like to pounce and tickle! It's almost our favourite things, right after bouncing that is!"
"Stop… giggle… stop! No fair! … giggle giggle… two against one!" Christopher Robin laughed as Roo joined in the fun. "And everything… giggle… is your most favourite thing… giggle… right after bouncing!"
"Not so," Tigger said offended, stopping his attack. "Tigger has much better favourite things. Even more favourite than bouncing."
"I'm sorry Tigger! I didn't mean to offend. What are your favourite things?"
"YOU AND ROO!" Tigger said gleefully, pouncing once more on the duo and tickling them both until his tickler was sore.
The trio, still laughing and panting hard from all the play, collapsed in a heap on top of each other in the middle of the meadow.
"That was fun! But…" Christopher Robin's muffled voice came from the bottom of the pile.
"But what Christopher Robin?"
"But… did you mean it?"
"Mean what?" Tigger asked.
"Did you mean it when you said I was one of your favourite things?"
"Of course you are! Why?"
"It's just that in my whole life only one other person, besides Kanga that is, has ever told me that I was one of their favourite things, and then you did too. And only one other person, besides Kanga, has ever told me before that they loved me, and then Roo did too. So now, they both happened three times! But I wasn't sure if I could believe her… and I wasn't sure if I could trust her… but I do believe Kanga, and I do believe the both of you… and they say that good things always come in threes… so maybe I should believe her too."
"Her?" Roo asked, cuddling up to his side as she tried to hide her mile-wide jealous streak. "Who-who else told you that Christopher Robin? Hm? Who-who else told you that they loved you? Hm? Is she as cute as me?"
"She's my new friend… at least she said she wanted to be my friend. We had dinner in the garden last night… but then…" Christopher Robin stopped.
Thinking back on it now, he wasn't sure at all that Miss Tonks would still want to be a friend. She'd said all those nice things before she found out he was just a worthless slave. He hadn't wanted to tell her, but she'd just kept asking questions that he had to answer, until the whole horrible truth tumbled out. Right after that, she'd gotten hurt.
Master had hurt her because of him. He'd failed to protect her. Now that he thought about it more clearly, if Master hadn't already killed her, he was sure that she wouldn't want to be his friend, let alone come back a third time. Now that she knew the truth, he'd be alone again.
"You had dinner with her too?" Roo pouted.
"Yes! And it was really good too! She brought chips with ketchup, and a hamburger of my very own, and a chocolate shake," Christopher Robin said, shaking off his sadness at losing his only friend in the dark abyss so soon, and instead happily focusing on how his stomach was still feeling pleasantly full from the meal. Holding up a little cloth bag he added, "She's the one I got this bag from that had the bone growing medicine in it."
"You didn't take any of it, did you?" Tigger asked startled.
"Well… just a little of it…" Christopher Robin admitted quietly, while inside he was panicking big time.
'Oh no! Did I do something wrong? Shouldn't I have taken it? I thought maybe it was another of Piglet's 'depends'. Master hadn't actually ever said that I couldn't have medicine, just that Master wasn't going to waste any of his own on me, because I wasn't worth it. But this wasn't Master's medicine… it was Miss Tonks', and Miss Tonks told me it was for me. So it wasn't stealing… not really,' he thought defensively.
"Are you sure it was bone growing medicine?" Tigger asked doubtfully shaking his head at his naïve friend.
"Well… pretty sure…" Christopher Robin said, digging a toe into the dirt and drawing little circles.
"Did you read the label carefully?" Tigger lectured, knowing full well Christopher Robin hadn't.
"Er… noooooo…"
"You shouldn't eat or drink anything unless you know for sure what it is! And never, never, never take candy from strangers. Promise Tigger you won't do that anymore."
"I promise," he said half-heartedly. He really didn't understand why Tigger was making such a big fuss. He knew where the medicines he'd taken had come from – Miss Tonks. But he supposed he had to confess, she was a trifle strange.
"Tigger had a guest lecturer in his Defence against the Dark Arts class last year and he told us that. 'Constant Vigilance! Always know where your food and drink comes from.' Tigger thought that was Very Good Advice. So Tigger is starting to make his own candies. Tigger might even open up a shop someday to sell them! I'll call them Tigger's Tasty Tidbits!" Tigger smacked his lips at the sweet thought.
"I admit it Tigger… I wasn't sure at all…" Christopher Robin confessed reluctantly, embarrassed that he couldn't read.
"Then why did you do it?" Roo asked, concerned about her friend.
"She said she had something in her bag that'd fix my broken ribs, and I knew I couldn't do any more chores until they were better. And-and I've to do my chores. So I-I looked in the bag. I found several bottles that looked like the medicines Rabbit makes. Only I wasn't sure which one was the one that would fix my bones, so I tried several of them."
"One of them made steam come out of my ears, which was really funny, another one smelled really bad, and one smelled really good. That one was purple and tasted like fruit. But none of them fixed my ribs. Then I found a really large bottle that had a little picture of a skull and two bones on it, so I figured that must be the right one, and I drank it all."
"I was worried at first, because when I took the cap off a lot of steam came out. But she was right about everything else, so I just closed my eyes really tight and swallowed it fast. It burned my mouth going down and then it felt like I was just full of large splinters, and it hurt… a lot."
Roo's eyes got big and round with worry as she listened, but Tigger just shook his head at Christopher Robin's foolhardiness.
"Anyway, I came here to see if Rabbit knew what to do - since he's so good with things like that. But I couldn't find him, or Kanga, or Gopher anywhere. I looked all over the woods, and ended up here in the Merry Meadow hoping Rabbit's friends and relations would know where they'd gone, but they hadn't seen any of them either. But Poppy, the red ladybug, was here and she looked at the bottles and told me it was okay. She said that if I lay really flat and still for as long as I could, that I'd be alright. So Roo helped me watch the clouds while I did it. And now… and now it doesn't hurt anymore," he finished in an uncharacteristic rush of words and shrugged helplessly.
"Well Tigger thinks that you just got very lucky this time. Tigger doesn't think you should swallow anything else in that bag unless you know what it is first. Okay? Tigger loves you, and doesn't want anything bad to happen to you."
"Neither does Roo! I love you too!" Roo cried tearfully throwing her arms around his neck in a big hug. She shuddered to think about what could've happened to her friend. Even she knew better than to swallow something that had a skull and crossbones on its label!
"I'm sorry. I won't. I promise," Christopher Robin said ashamedly. "Poppy yelled at me too. She said the same thing. She also said that I probably shouldn't have drunk the entire bottle anyway, that it should've just been a swallow. She told me that more isn't always better, and you seldom need to drink the whole thing. You're both right - I was wrong. I just didn't think. I'll be more careful with anything else I find in the bag. Are we… are we still… friends?"
"Always! You can't ever have enough friends! Just promise me you'll never take candy from strangers! That is Very Important too!"
"I promise Tigger. I'll never take candy from strangers."
"Good! Because if you do… I'll have to do this!"
POUNCE!
Christopher Robin burst into another giggle fit as Tigger pounced once more, and renewed tickling him from head to toe. Roo joined in by bouncing in circles around them on her kangaroo tail, clapping and cheering Tigger on. The hunny bees, disturbed from their labours by the ruckus, and suspecting that Pooh might also be lurking nearby, sent a sentry over to check it out.
'… buzzz… buzzz… buzzz…' he warned them as he beat his tiny wings in protest at the noisy trio.
"Stop… giggle… stop!… giggle giggle… I promise! I promise!" Christopher Robin laughed and rolled over, breaking free of his assailant.
'… buzzzzzzzzz… buzzz… buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…' the little golden insect took off at high speed at his sudden movement.
Spying the flying projectile, Christopher Robin got up and started running across the Merry Meadow after it, towards the bridge that Gopher had rebuilt.
"Ha ha! I bet I can catch it before you can!" He called back gaily at his two friends who'd already taken up hot pursuit.
Running felt so good! He'd never got to run much except in The Hundred Acre Wood. Ma'am didn't allow him to run in the house, unless it was to run to his cupboard if someone came to the door. And Master didn't allow him to run outside the house, unless it was to run to a hidey hole so he wouldn't be seen. He tried to run away from cousin, but he could never run fast enough because he'd be tripped by his too big trainers. But here he could run. There was nothing to stop him, or tell him no. But even here, he could never run that fast because he couldn't always pretend away his hurts, even though he tried. However, now he felt so good, and with pretend shoes that fit, he felt as if he could run like the wind! Nothing could catch him! He bet he could even outrun Cousin!
Coming to the bridge, he finally scooped the little bee out of the air and stopped, leaning over the rail, out of breath, but extremely happy. He waited panting while Tigger and Roo caught up.
"Wow! You're fast Christopher Robin!" Tigger said admiringly as the pair bounced up to him. "You could be a tigger you are so quick! You can be on Tigger's team anytime!"
"Thanks Tigger. That was fun! Do you want to play poohsticks now?" Christopher Robin asked, beaming at the praise. He gently let his captive loose to receive a stern buzzing reprimand from the irritated insect as it flew back to the hive.
'buzzz… buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…'
"Okay, but we'll need some sticks! I'll get them!" Roo volunteered bouncing down to the river's edge. Coming back with something clutched in her paws she just looked at Christopher Robin accusatorily.
"Christopher Robin! I never thought I'd have to say this… but I'm ashamed of you!"
"Why Roo? What did I do?" Christopher Robin paled. He'd been so happy, now what was wrong? Why was Roo so mad at him? He didn't think he'd broken any rules. Master hadn't ever told him he couldn't run at all, just that he couldn't run away from Master to avoid punishment, and that was the only thing he'd done – run. Oh, that must've been it - slaves aren't supposed to have fun. That's only for good boys like Cousin, not property like him. It'd just felt so good, that he hadn't been able to stop himself. But how could Roo have found out the truth about him being a slave in the last few minutes? What gave him away?
"This!" said Roo holding out the bits of the Hogwarts letter he'd dropped in the water days before.
"Oh… that," he said flatly. He'd forgotten about it.
"Yes… THAT. Why did you rip it up? We were all so happy that you'd be coming to Hogwarts. Why did you do it?" Roo pleaded. "Why Christopher Robin - why?"
"I thought…"
"Yes? You thought?"
"Well… I talked to Owl. He said that nothings shouldn't try to be somethings… so I thought… well, I thought…" he was having a hard time coming up with what he thought would be a convincing argument for his friends, without revealing too much.
"It seems to me you either thought too much, or thought too little! Either way you didn't think the right amount or you wouldn't have done this," the annoyed little Roo admonished him. "What you need to do, is to think positive!"
"I'm sorry Roo…"
"You should be! I heard Kanga tell you to keep it. This isn't a very good way of doing that."
"I know…"
"Then that's okay! We can fix it!" Roo said brightening. She didn't like to see her friend so sad, and she'd yelled at him enough already. And he did look really sorry…
"How Roo?"
"First, we need to find all the bits and then we'll put them back together! We'll have a treasure hunt!"
"Tigger can help! Tigger loves to hunt for treasure! I'll bounce over to the other side of the stream and hunt there!"
"Okay Tigger! And I'll hunt on this side! And Christopher Robin you look from the bridge and see if you can spy any that we miss!"
The plan made, the three friends put it into action. Soon they were gathered again on the grassy bank, with many soggy bits of parchment laid out like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle.
"How do I put the letter back together if I can't read it?" Christopher Robin asked, noticing the humongous hole in Roo's ambitious plan.
"Don't think about it like the writing is words, but like it's a picture. See how these two pieces go together?" she asked, holding up two that the edges matched perfectly.
"I can do that!" he said optimistically.
"Of course you can Christopher Robin! Let's all see how many we can get to match! Tigger can you help us match pieces too?" Roo asked, looking over at the orange and black ball of fur that had his head stuck into the little cloth bag that Christopher Robin had left abandoned on the bank.
Pulling his head out and holding something up, Tigger said triumphantly, "Tigger can do better than that! Tigger found spellotape!"
The three friends pored over the puzzle intently. Christopher Robin and Roo set about matching edges, and Tigger set about taping, until all the bits were once again whole.
"We did it!" Roo said happily clapping her paws.
"We did it!" Christopher Robin echoed.
"Mrmph diddn mrit!" Tigger joined in. "Hephmmnp!"
Looking up at their friend, Roo and Christopher Robin burst into gales of laughter at seeing the Tigger wrapped in ribbons of tape.
"Hephmmnp! Hephmmnp!"
"Are you saying 'Help Help' Tigger?" Roo asked, wiping a stray tear from the corner of her eye that had squeezed out with all the laughing.
At a nod 'yes' from the very tip of Tigger's springy tail, which was the only thing about Tigger not tangled in tape, Christopher Robin tried to stop laughing long enough to help unwrap his friend.
"Silly ol' tiger!"
"But that just makes me all the more fun!" Tigger chortled as he bounce in circles, glad he could bounce free once more.
"Christopher Robin, now that the letter's back together, put in back in your pocket," Roo ordered him. "And this time, keep it."
"Okay Roo."
"You know you never did tell me why you tore it up to begin with. Why did you?"
"The Family says magic isn't real."
"But it is! It is!" his friends counter in unison.
"I know that now… well, kind of. But at the time, I didn't. And at the time… I-I thought if it was real… that it was… bad."
"But it isn't! It isn't!" his friends reacted.
"I know that now… well, kind of. But at the time, I didn't. And at the time… I-I didn't…"
"You didn't what Christopher Robin?" Tigger asked, scratching his head in puzzlement.
"I didn't want to go to Hogwarts," he finished softly.
"And now?" Roo asked timidly.
Christopher Robin thought long and hard on that one. Nearly all his friends from The Hundred Acre Woods would soon be leaving for Hogwarts. And next year after Roo left, he'd be all alone. He really wanted to be with his friends, wherever they were, even if it were Hogwarts. It had to be better than the dark abyss with The Family. He didn't like it there, at all. And he didn't know if he stayed, if he'd live through another one of Master's lessons.
But only wizards could go to Hogwarts. All of his friends had told him that. Kanga said that he must be a wizard since he got a letter, but he knew that couldn't be right. The letter couldn't have really been meant for him, it had to be a mistake. Besides,Master didn't allowed him to have anything, he was sure that included magic.
Moreover, he was still afraid of magic. The Family had told him for so long that it wasn't real, that it was hard to believe it could exist. And even though he'd seen the little snakes come alive, and the box disappear, he still doubted what he'd seen. He was also frightened of the two men that had come from Hogwarts to see Master. One of them was Dumbledore, and he knew without a doubt that Dumbledore hated him, and he didn't want to be anywhere that Dumbledore was.
Then there was the box! The box disappeared with that horrible paper inside - the one on which Master had made him write that horrible name. He was really frightened of that box. In his mind, the ornately carved box was linked to the horrible things that Master had done to him, and Master had done those horrible things because Dumbledore told him to do them. But the box had disappeared… and that's magic… so maybe the box was magic. But where had it gone?
The only magic place he'd ever heard of was Hogwarts. Only wizards can go to Hogwarts, and Dumbledore came from there, so Dumbledore must be magical too. Did the box go there? Did it go to Dumbledore when it disappeared? The box was definitely bad, and Dumbledore was definitely bad. If the box and Dumbledore were both bad, and they were both magic, and they were both at Hogwarts… didn't that mean magic also had to be bad? And Hogwarts bad too?
Very, very bad indeed!
It was all so confusing because last night he'd seen Miss Tonks' magic in the Garden. And it was different. It seemed happy, and he felt so… so… so… he wasn't sure exactly what the feeling was, he just knew that it soothed his soul, and he longed for it with all his heart. It was like the same feeling he had when he was in The Hundred Acre Wood with his friends but more tangible. Miss Tonks' magic had stirred something inside him that he'd never felt before. It was all so bewildering. If he just thought about Miss Tonks, and his friends in the Woods, then he'd have to say that magic was good.
Very, very good indeed!
Trying to reconcile the two vastly different opinions was difficult, but there were common threads. Master had hurt Miss Tonks, just as he'd hurt Mercury. Kanga said that the letter Mercury brought him was from Hogwarts. So Mercury must live at Hogwarts too. Then Miss Tonks talked a lot about Hogwarts. Maybe that's where they both were now. If he went to Hogwarts… maybe… maybe he could find Miss Tonks and Mercury and make sure they were all right. He was really worried about them. Maybe that would be okay, if he stayed at Hogwarts just long enough to find them - even if he wasn't a wizard.
Maybe… just maybe…
From Miss Tonks' description, it sounded as if Hogwarts was very far away - even more that a kilometre! And a kilometre sounded very long. Boy wondered if it would be as hard to get to Hogwarts, as it was to get to The Hundred Acre Wood. But now that he could run, maybe he could do it. He could try anyway. Besides, it was what The Family wanted. They wanted him to disappear as if he never existed. If he could just figure out how to do it, as the box did, and Mercury, and Miss Tonks.
Then maybe… just maybe…
Remembering Miss Tonks' description, it sounded as if there were lots of people at Hogwarts - possibly even more than what were in The Hundred Acre Wood. And it sounded as if it was really big, bigger than the Woods, maybe even bigger than Master's whole house, even with the upstairs! If there were that many people… maybe… just maybe, no one would notice one extra small boy. And if it were that big… maybe… just maybe he could hide well enough that Dumbledore wouldn't ever see him and send him back to Master.
But could he do it? Could he really find a way to disappear and go to Hogwarts with his friends? When he was feeling this good, even that seemed possible.
"Maybe…" he said finally aloud, looking up at them, his eyes shining with hope.
His two friends looked back relieved.
"Maybe, I do."