With heartfelt thanks to Gumnut-Logic, TsarinaTorment and Sineater, for reading this through and encouraging me that it is not too ridiculous to post...


Deep in the Hundred Acre Wood there was trouble brewing.

Winnie-The-Pooh – Pooh or Pooh Bear to his friends – yawned and stretched and smacked his lips. There was gurgling in his tummy, and he chuckled to himself.

'It seems it is time for me to get up,' he said aloud to himself. 'Time to satisfy the rumbly in my tumbly.'

He got out of bed and stretched again, humming to himself while he made his way to his little kitchen.

Pooh searched high and low, but every honey pot was empty. Not a lick of honey to be found. He sighed and sat down with a thump, crossing his arms and tapping his head with one paw.

'Think, think, think,' he said. But then he sighed and stood up. 'It's no good. I am a bear with little brain, and thinking on an empty stomach is impossible. I better go and find someone to help.'

So Pooh closed his door, looking up at the sign above it that said Sanders, and that gave him the beginnings of An Idea. He sang to himself as he walked through the forest towards Piglet's house.

Piglet would have honey. Piglet was his best friend, if one didn't include Christopher Robin. Well, maybe Christopher Robin will be there too…he always had good ideas! Pooh hurried up.

Winnie-the-Pooh looked up at the tree where Piglet lived. There was a sign here, too, stuck into the ground by the base of the tree. It read 'Trespassers W'. Piglet often said that it there because the tree belonged to his grandfather, Trespassers William.

'Oh, Piglet!' called Pooh. 'Anybody home?'

There was the pitter-patter of small feet, and the door opened and a small head popped out.

'O-O-Oh, it's you, P-P-Pooh.'

'Yes. It's me, Piglet.'

'Won't you ca-ca-come in?'

'Why, thank you, Piglet.'

Piglet held open the door and Pooh squeezed himself inside. He took the stool that Christopher Robin had especially made for him after he broke Piglet's chair that first time, and Piglet, like the excellent friend he was, put the kettle on.

'Mmm, tea,' thought Pooh, 'ideal to have with honey sandwiches.' As that thought completed itself, his stomach let out a huge grumble, and he patted it, slightly embarrassed at such a thing.

Piglet froze in the act of measuring out the tea. So that was why Pooh was up early today. Oh dear, there went his honey supply. Maybe, just maybe, Pooh wouldn't want some, he hoped, but Piglet was a kind-hearted soul and he put the teapot down and turned to his best friend.

'I-I-I was just about to have b-b-breakfast. Wou-Wou-Would you care t-t-to join me?'

'Why, that's very kind of you, Piglet! Don't mind if I do.'

'I've got haycorns. Would y-y-you care to try them?'

Pooh wrinkled his nose. He really didn't understand Piglet's fascination with the small brown nuts, they were not his cup of tea at all. He looked hopefully around the room.

'I don't suppose you have any honey, do you Piglet? I quite fancy a honey sandwich. Just the thing for these cold mornings.'

Piglet's shoulders dropped and he stifled a sigh.

'Of co-co-course I do, Pooh,' he said, getting the ingredients out of his cupboards while the kettle came to the boil and Pooh made himself very useful by humming his 'kettle boiling' song.

Soon the two were sitting down to steaming golden tea, a bowl of haycorns and a honey sandwich, and for some minutes no sound was made as they ate and drank their fill.

Or rather, while Piglet ate his fill. By the end of the sandwich Pooh's stomach growled again, letting them both know that one Piglet-sized honey sandwich was not going to be enough.

They were both saved from further embarrassment by a knocking at the door, and Christopher Robin's cheerful voice rang out.

'Piglet! It's Christopher Robin.'

'Ca-ca-coming!'

The two friends quickly made their way to the front door, opening it and stepping out to greet Christopher Robin. The boy smiled brightly at them.

'There you are, Pooh Bear. I've been looking for you.'

'Yes. Here I am. Good morning Christopher Robin.'

'Good morning, Chr-Chr-Christopher Robin.'

'What have you both been up to?'

'Piglet was kindly giving me breakfast.'

At the mention of breakfast Pooh's stomach let out a huge grumble, and the bear blushed. As did Piglet. Christopher Robin, however, laughed loudly, clutching his own stomach.

Eventually the laughter stopped, and the boy looked intently at the two animals before him. Judging from what he knew about Pooh Bear's appetite and from Piglet's contrite expression, he guessed that there was no more honey to be had. He certainly didn't have any, and Pooh would go through all his friends to find some.

'So, do we need to go on a honey hunt?'

Pooh's eyes lit up. A honey hunt was just the thing! He turned to Piglet, who shyly nodded, and he nodded back.

'Right! Let's go find some honey!'

The three set off at a march, Christopher Robin in the lead, Pooh and Piglet walking side-by-side behind him. They hadn't gone far when the boy stopped beside a large tree. He stared up into the sky, and both animals did the same, shielding their eyes from the sun.

There was a buzzing.

The oak was very tall, and all three could just make out what looked like a small swarm of bees moving in and out of the branches and leaves.

Bees. Bees meant honey.

Pooh licked his lips and his stomach agreed.

'Ho-Ho-How are we g-g-going to get the honey?'

'I will climb the tree.'

'You, Pooh?'

'Yes, I will. I am a bear and bears like honey.'

'I think you are a very brave bear, Pooh, to climb such a big tree.'

'Why, thank you, Christopher Robin.'

So Pooh began to climb while the others watched. He hummed as he climbed. He was almost to the right place when he put his weight on the branch he was standing on and there was a crack…

Pooh jumped back quickly, and that certainly saved him from quite a tumble – he knew how far down it was, he'd fallen out of this tree before – but the branch snapped and fell anyway.

It fell and fell and fell.

And hit Christopher Robin on the head, knocking him out cold.

Pooh looked down at Piglet.

Piglet looked up at Pooh.

With that branch gone there was no way for Pooh to climb higher. But there was also no way for him to get down without jumping…and he didn't think that was wise this time. The gorse bush that broken his fall last time was no longer here.

'Wh-Wh-What should I do, Pooh?'

'I don't know, Piglet.'

'Are you stuck, Pooh?'

'I am most definitely stuck, Piglet.'

'I n-n-need to call for help.'

'That's a very good idea, Piglet.'

Piglet sat beside Christopher Robin. He couldn't leave the boy, not like this, and with Pooh stuck in the tree everyone was relying on him.

He thought he was going to faint. But Piglet rallied and thought hard. Owl lived not far from here, and while he didn't want to leave his two friends in such dire predicaments, he also needed help.

Owl would know what to do.

Piglet picked up handfuls of haycorns and used them to make a trail so he could find the tree again and set off.

At Owl's house he obeyed the sign and knocked as loudly as he could. The bird peered down from his house.

'Whoo goes there?'

'It's me, Piglet!'

'Oh Piglet! How lovely to see you! Won't you come up?'

'I'm sorry Owl, but there is an emergency. Christopher Robin has been injured by a branch and Pooh is stuck up a tree.'

'My, my! That is an emergency!'

'Can you call someone for help with your radio?'

'Err..Of course!'

'I'll go back to the tree then; I don't think they should be left alone.'

'Quite right, Little Piglet. Leave it all with me.'

Piglet rushed back along his acorn trail, and Owl pondered Piglet's request. He'd never used the radio to call anyone before, although Christopher Robin had said it was possible.

Owl pushed buttons and twisted knobs and suddenly there was a noise.

'I say, whoever you are, there's been an accident. Christopher Robin is unconscious and Pooh Bear is stuck in a tree. Can you send help to The Hundred Acre Wood, please?'

He couldn't understand the reply, but he was satisfied that he had done his job and done it well.

Up on Five John stared at EOS. Surely he hadn't heard that right. He asked EOS to replay the message. Nope. He definitely heard that right.

'Err, Scott?'

'Yes, John?'

'We may have a situation.'

'May have?'

'EOS picked up this distress call.'

John played the message to Scott.

Scott paused, staring at John.

'Did I hear that right?'

'You did.'

'Are you 100% sure, Thunderbird Five?'

'100%.'

'Right. Do we have a location that we can actually get to?'

'I do.'

'Well, I guess then that Thunderbirds are go!'