Baggywrinkle

Today, I found Baggywrinkle. He was this: lost. Now he is this: not lost! That is because I found him.

This is what happened.

The Queen called me. She did it like this. Clap. Whistle. That means *Come To Us At Once, Bud Mushroom!* So I Went To Her At Once.

Then she said, *Bud Mushroom, Baggywrinkle is lost! Please be Useful, and fly to Aerwyna. Help her find him!*

I like to be Useful! So I nodded. Then I flew to Aerwyna. Aerwyna is not a fairy. She is this: a mermaid! Her top looks like a fairy, except she has no wings. But her bottom looks like this: a fish. I do not know why.

She was sitting on a rock that stuck out of the ocean. That is because her bottom is a fish. She cannot walk on land unless she takes off her scales. I landed on her tail. She saw me!

She said, *Oh Bud, I am glad you are here. I have lost Baggywrinkle, I fear!*

When Aerwyna talks, it is almost like a poem. She talks that way because she is a mermaid. She Just Can’t Help Herself.

Next she said, *Can you find my little bird friend? I hope he hasn’t met a tragic end!*

Then she shivered, and her tail flopped, and I fell off! But I am a fairy, and I can fly! So I flew to her face, and I nodded. I would help her find her little bird friend! Her bird friend is Baggywrinkle! Baggywrinkle is a puffin. A puffin is a bird. I do not know why.

She clapped her hands and smiled. That means she was happy.

She said, *When you have found him, come back to this stone. Then you can tell me where he has flown!* Then she dove back into the water.

Now, I needed to be Useful. I needed to know something. I needed to know how to find Baggywrinkle! But he could fly! He could be Any Place in Twinkle Dingle. Maybe he wasn’t even IN Twinkle Dingle! He could be Any Place Imaginable! I fly very slowly. It would take me a Very Long Time to go Every Place Imaginable!

But then I KNEW something! Two of my friends can fly very fast. They can *POP*! That means they can be in one place and then *POP* and end up in another place! Maybe they would help me find Baggywrinkle.

So I flew to their house. They live together. They are Flutterglow and Cloverflower. They are fairies. I do not know why. I went to their door. I did not go in the window. One time, I went in the window. They did not like it. They said, *Bud Mushroom, do not come in our window.* So this time I went in through the door.

They were in their kitchen. Flutterglow turned around.  She screamed! Then she said, *You scared me, Bud, sneaking in like that! Next time, knock on the door first!*

I nodded. Next time, I would knock on the door first.

Then Cloverflower said, *What do you need, Bud?*

I told them about Baggywrinkle. They looked at each other.

Flutterglow said, *First one to find him gets the last Cheezy Doodle.* Cloverflower giggled and nodded, and they both *POPPED* away!

I sat and waited for them to come back. And waited. And waited. My stomach made a noise. This is why: it was empty. I looked on their food shelf, and I found this: a Cheezy Doodle. I do not like to bite Cheezy Doodles. They are too crunchy. But they are Delicious to Lick! I licked and licked the Cheezy Doodle until it was just a Doodle. Then I put it back on the shelf. Then I waited somemore. Finally, they *POPPED* back!

Flutterglow said, *I was here first!*

Cloverflower said, *No, I was here first!*

Flutterglow made the noise she calls Exasperated.

Cloverflower said, *We can share the Cheezy Doodle, Flutterglow.*

Flutterglow said, *Fine. Bud, we will take you to Baggywrinkle, and then you can go back to Aerwyna.*

I nodded, and held out my hands. They each held one, and we all *POPPED* to a place I had never been before! It was on the top of a Very Tall Mountain. When I looked down, I could see the Valley where the Vile Menace lived! When I looked up, I saw the sky! But when I looked sideways, I saw this: Baggywrinkle. I also saw this: another puffin! AND I saw this: A NEST WITH AN EGG!

Flutterglow said, *This is why Baggywrinkle left, Bud. He’s helping with his egg. They have to Take Turns to Keep It Warm.*

Cloverflower nodded. *But he told me he can go back to Aerwyna when the puffling has hatched, and can be left alone for awhile.*

Baggywrinkle nodded. I laughed! It looked like he was dancing! The Mummy puffin nodded too, and it looked like she was dancing. The egg did not nod. I do not know why.

Then I held out my hands, and my friends *POPPED* me back to their house.

I left so I could go tell Aerwyna. But I heard Flutterglow say, *Cloverflower, why is the Cheezy Doodle all wet, and where has all the Cheez gone?* I laughed, because I knew why the Doodle was all wet and where the Cheez went!

I went to the Rock. I buzzed around until Aerwyna came back. Then I told her where Baggywrinkle was.

She clapped her hands and smiled. Then she said, *Thank you for finding my bird friend for me. Here, take this berry, it fell from a tree.*

She gave me a berry. It fell from a tree. This is how I know: it was smooshed. Also she told me. Smooshed berries are the best kind. They are easy to lick. I licked it all the way home. Then I gave the rest to my ants and slugs.

Goodbye from Bud Mushroom.

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