Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Lyla-Mae stopped in mid-nose rub and looked over her poised hands.

 “Volbert?” she squeaked.

The mole – Volbert – cupped Lyla-Mae’s hands in his, and performed a rather awkward bow.  “Um, it is very nice to meet you, madam” said Volbert.

“Please, call me Lyla, and thankyou for welcoming me into your home,” Lyla replied, hoping she sounded sincere.

“Lyla!  What a beautiful name!  I know a unicorn called ‘Lyla’, haven’t seen her for a while unfortunately.”  Volbert exclaimed.

“Really?  My mommy named me after a unicorn!” Lyla said excitedly, smiling broadly.

“Oh what a marvellous coincidence! I wonder if it is the same unicorn . . . unicorns are very shy creatures, especially around huma- oh my! Oh dear!” exclaimed Volbert, releasing Lyla’s hands as he headed over to the fire.  “I have hardly welcomed you into my home at all!  I am so very sorry, I – um – I don’t usually have guests”

Lyla was about to say that it was quite alright, but she would not be heard over the noise Volbert was making.  He placed a battered steel kettle on a grille over the fire-place with a fair amount of difficulty.

“Please Lyla, make yourself comfortable,” the badger said in a pleasant and warm voice.  “I am Morris, and you, m’dear, must be cold.  Please, sit by the fire.”  With that, he gestured with a grey paw towards the spot between Teddy Radson and Lyla.

So the badger could talk as well? Lyla was beginning to wonder whether this was actually all a dream, and that she was sleeping . . . or that she did crash into that big rock after all.

“Oh how rude of me!” exclaimed Volbert; he gave off the impression that he was always surprised. “Um, that powder – sorry about that – . . . ummm, where was I?  Oh yes!  Um, animals always talk to each other, but for some reason humans can’t hear what we say.  I managed to make a powder which I suspected could make humans hear animals talking.  I’m surprised it worked so well first time,“ he continued, with a hint of pride in his voice.

“Sooooo, I can talk to animals?” Lyla asked quizzically, her voice rising at the end of the sentence.

“Of course!” laughed the ginger squirrel, clapping his hands together excitedly. “My name is Flake!  And that over there is Millie.”  He pointed at the fox, and in quick jerky flash he was stood next to Millie

“Hmph! S’pose you can have a blanket . . . if you are cold,” Millie said sulkily, carrying the pink and blue spotted blanket Lyla had been pulling at originally towards her.

“Thank you very much. I was a bit chilly, Millie” Lyla said, smiling fondly.

“Hmmm, ‘chilly Millie’, it rhymes,” Morris mused aloud.

Millie gave a sidewards glance at Morris, and then turned back to Lyla.  “He always does that.”  And with that, the two of them laughed and sat by the fire, as Volbert brought a lovely steaming cup of tea in a blue and white striped cup.

And so they sat together, the odd little group consisting of a fox, a badger, a squirrel, one very puzzled little girl, one huge talking mole and, and Esther the hippo and Teddy Radson.  Between them they endured an awkward silence, which was only exaggerated by the loud slurping of their steaming cups of tea, until eventually Lyla asked “soooooo . . .  what’s with all the junk?”