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Post by Palustris on Jan 22, 2024 16:51:10 GMT 1
The ffitch and Ramouse. The ffitch. The ffitch is a door stop. His job is to stop the door from hitting the wall if it is opened too quickly. He also stops the door handle from marking the wall. He got his name from the noise he makes when the door hits him. He does not mind being hit by the door, as he is asleep during the day. Ramouse. Ramouse is a child's right-hand glove. He is shaped like a mouse. Once upon a time, he had a sister. Lamouse. She was lost a long time ago. He hangs on the door just above The ffitch's head. He wakes up when the ffitch comes to life when all the people in the house have gone to sleep. During the day, the door opens out into the hall, but at night it opens to somewhere completely different every night. Ramouse can open the door easily. He and The ffitch go through into the other places where they have fantastic adventures. Ramouse firmly believes that one day he will find his sister in one of these different places. The ffitch's door. Once all the people in the house were well asleep, Ramous unhooked himself from the door and dropped down beside his friend. The ffitch stirred, stood up, stretched, and yawned. “I wonder where the door leads to tonight,” he said. "Perhaps tonight is the night we will find my sister,” said Ramouse, hopefully. "Perhaps," said The ffitch with a smile. Ramouse said that every time they went through the door,. "Well, what are we waiting for?” said Ramouse. He pulled open the door. "Slow down,” warned The ffitch. “You never know what might be on the other side of the door. It could be a glove-eating monster.” "Don't be silly,” said Ramouse. “There is no such thing. Is there?” "I hope not,” said The ffitch. The door was open. Ramouse climbed up on to The ffitch's shoulder, taking a deep breath. “Let's go.” The ffitch walked through the door. At first, it was too bright to see clearly, so he stopped and waited until his eye got used to the light. During the day, the door opened out into a hallway with other doors and a set of stairs, but now it was a plain grassy field. A very sad voice from behind them said, "Hello." The ffitch quickly spun around. Ramouse fell off and landed with a thud on the grass. "Sorry," said the person who had spoken. “I did not mean to startle you.” He sounded as if he was actually crying. "Hello," said The ffitch. Ramouse was winded, so he said nothing while he caught his breath. Stood in front of The ffitch was a figure. It was a little shorter than The ffitch. It was wearing a duffle coat with the hood pulled up over its head. Tears were running down its face. The sad creature. "Oh dear,” said the ffitch. “You don't look very happy.” The creature shook its head. “I am lost. I cannot find my humans.” For a moment, The ffitch did not quite know what to say. “My name is The ffitch and this is Ramouse. Perhaps we may be able to help you.” "I hope so,” said the figure. “My name is Ooopiggy." "That's an odd name,” said Ramouse rather rudely. Ooopiggy nodded. “It is what my human said when she first saw me. And I need to find her again. She is going to be very unhappy.” "I think I know where we need to go," said The ffitch. “Not far away is Lost Toyland.” "There is a signpost over there,” said Ramouse. The signpost. They came to a gate, which was closed. Outside the gate was a guard. “Sorry,” he said, barring their way. “You are not toys, so you cannot enter Lost Toyland. Only lost toys are allowed in here.” "I know Ramouse and I are not toys,” said The ffitch, “But Ooopiggy is a toy!” The guard shook his head. “No, sorry, but he is not a toy. He is a door stop, like you.” The guard. "But,” protested The ffitch. “He has never been used as a door stop. He has been someone's toy.” "He may well have been treated like a toy, “said the guard. “But that only makes him a companion, not a toy. You may have heard someone say, 'Don't play with that, it is not a toy.'" The guard sniffed. “It happens all the time.” "That seems very unfair,” said Ramouse. “Can't you just open the gate this once and let him in?” "Sorry," said the guard. He opened the gate a little and called through the gap. “P.C. Plod, have you got a moment?” P.C.Plod. "Now then, now then! What's all this about?” said a stern-looking policeman. The guard explained that Ooopiggy wanted to come in, but he was not a toy. "Strict rules here,” said P.C. Plod. Only lost toys are allowed in. This is where people come to look for toys that they have lost. The toys in here know where they got lost, so they wait until they hear the magic words. 'So, that is where you have got to!' or 'We have looked all over the place for you!' Then they disappear. Some toys never hear those words. They just stay there forever. I have been lost for so long that my humans will have forgotten about me, but I stop here because I was lost, not thrown away." The guard nodded, “I was lost down the back of a chair so long ago that my humans have probably got rid of the chair by now. It is sad, but there is nothing we can do about it.” Ooopiggy began to cry even harder. "Humans do not come looking in Lost Toyland for misplaced door stops. There might be a Lost door stop land somewhere,” went on the policeman, “But I do not know where it might be.” Ramouse pricked up his ears. “Is there a lost gloves land?” he asked. P.C. Plod looked down at Ramouse and sniffed. “I have no idea. The only other place that I know is Thrown Away Toyland. That is not far away. They let anyone in there as long as they have been thrown away or broken.” Sadly, the ffitch and Ramouse led Ooopiggy away. When they had walked a little distance, The ffitch stopped. “We have to find a way to get Ooopiggy into Lost Toyland," he said. “I think I have an idea. “First of all, we have to go to Thrown Away and Broken Toyland.” Just as the policeman had said, a little further along the path, they came to a gate with had a sign that read. 'Thrown away and broken Toyland.' There was no guard or policeman. Ramouse pushed the gate open. They went in. The Thrown away Toyland gate. "We have to find something that will make Ooopiggy look like a toy,” said The ffitch. He looked around. Over to one side, he found a pair of toy cymbals. He picked them up. "Hmmmm,“ he said. “I remember seeing a toy once that played these when it was wound up. If we can find a key, perhaps we can make Ooopiggy look like a wind-up toy.” Ramouse and Ooopiggy rummaged through the piles of bits of broken toys. "Aha, said.” Ramouse. “Is this what we need? He picked up the kind of key that is usually found on wind-up toys. The ffitch nodded. “Well done. Now, Ooopiggy, you must hold the cymbals and pretend to play them when I wind you up.” He stuck the key through a buttonhole in Ooopggy's duffle coat. Ooopiggy pretended to be a toy. They made their way back to Lost Toyland. The guard was still there. He laughed when he saw them. “Sorry,” he said. “But Ooopiggy is still not a toy, so I cannot let you in.” Ooopiggy began to cry again. "Is there nothing you can do?” asked The ffitch. The guard looked around. He winked. “There is a back entrance to Lost Toyland,” he said. “No one on guard there." "Thank you,” said The ffitch. The guard frowned. “If you get caught in there, you did not hear about the back gate from me, understand?” All three of them nodded. The back door to Lost Toyland. It did not take long for them to find the back gate, and as the guard had said, there was no one there to stop them from going in. Almost straight away, a hand came out of the sky and a voice said, “We have looked all over the place for you!” Ooopiggy disappeared. Strangely, the cymbals and the key fell to the ground, and they disappeared. Before he was completely gone, Ooopiggy had just enough time to shout "Thank you.” The ffitch and Ramouse quickly left Lost Toyland before anyone could see them. The ffitch yawned. “I think it is getting time to go home,” he said. "Perhaps we will find my sister next time,” said Ramouse. "Perhaps,” said The ffitch as he settled down behind his door.
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Post by Butternut on Jan 23, 2024 2:01:32 GMT 1
Do you really need to ask? Of course we do
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Post by hilberry on Jan 23, 2024 16:26:22 GMT 1
So far, so good! just a little niggle.... why has The ffitch got a capital T but not a capital F? Also, my child-mind would like to have their return to home journey described. It seems to be a missing.
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Post by Palustris on Jan 23, 2024 17:00:51 GMT 1
His name is "The ffitch." Not sure how to describe their journey home. They walked through their door and that's all there is.
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Post by Palustris on Jan 23, 2024 18:41:09 GMT 1
Chapter Two. Tubby the Teddy. Ramouse climbed down from where he hung on the door. He tapped The ffitch on the foot to wake him up. “I would like to go looking for Lost Gloves Land,” he said. The ffitch yawned and stretched. “Why not?” he said. Ramouse pulled open the door and they went through. They found themselves standing outside the Thrown Away and Broken Toyland door. The door into Thrown away Toy land. Ramouse sniffed and sounded disappointed. “This is not lost glove land.” “No,” agreed The ffitch, “But now that we are here, we may as well explore it. He pushed open the gate and they went in. Sitting inside the gate was a very sad-looking teddy bear. A sad teddy bear. “Hello,” said The ffitch and Ramouse together. “Hello,” sniffed the bear. “I am the ffitch and this is Ramouse,” said the ffitch. “My name is Tubby,” said the bear. “This is thrown away Toyland,” said Ramouse, “But you don’t look broken.” “Try pressing my tummy,” said Tubby. The ffitch did as Tubby had asked. Nothing happened. “I should growl when you do that,” said Tubby, sadly. “They threw me away because my growl does not work any more.” "That is a great shame,” said The ffitch. “Can it be mended?” “I don’t know,” said Tubby. As they stood talking, another toy joined them. “Hello,” it said. “I am Olly, the Owl. I may be able to help.” Olly the Owl. “That would be kind,” said The ffitch. Olly went on. “There is a toy mender who lives just outside thrown away toyland. He could probably fix Tubby’s growl. Tubby sat up straight and looked interested. “But there is a problem,” went on Olly. “Thrown away and broken toys cannot leave here.” “What do you mean?” asked The ffitch. Tubby slumped down again. “I can show you,” said Olly. He led The ffitch and Ramouse to where a pair of cymblas and a key lay on the ground. “These are the things you took out last time you were here. As you can see, they have come back again.” “But if Tubby’s growl was mended, he would no longer be a broken toy, so perhaps he would be able to leave,” said Ramouse. Olly shook his head. “Sorry, but no. Tubby was thrown away, and thrown away toys have to stop here, even if they are not actually broken.” Tubby began to cry. “Wait a moment,” said The ffitch. “We took the cymbals and the key out of here when Ooopiggy was pretending to be a toy and they only came back when he let go of them.” Olly nodded. “That is because you, Ooopiggy and Ramouse are not toys. You could leave anytime that you wanted to.” “But I am a toy,” wailed Tubby. “And I do so want my growl back.” “Will the toy mender come in here to mend Tubby?” asked Ramouse. “We could go and fetch him.” “No,” said Olly. “For some reason the toy mender will not come into Thrown away toy land. If a toy can be mended, we usually push it out of the gate. Then the toy mender gets hold of it and keeps hold while he mends it. He can only mend toys which he can do with one hand. Then, when he lets go, the toy comes back in here. We tried to push Tubby out like that, but he is too heavy and the toy mender could not keep hold of him.” He sighed. “That is how I was mended.” “Let’s see if we can take something that we can carry out of the gate," said The ffitch. He picked up the key and went out through the gate. The key stopped in his hand. He put it down on the floor and straight away the key slowly went back through the gate. The ffitch nodded thoughtfully. “As long as one of us keeps hold of the thing, then it stops outside. Now all we need to do is to find a way of moving Tubby.” “I have a friend in here,” said Olly. “He has been here a very long time. He may be able to think of something.” He walked away and returned a few seconds later with a strange-looking figure. It had only one ear, one eye and one hand. Mr. Potato Head. “This is Mr. Potato Head,” said Olly. They explained the problem to Mr. Potato Head. “We need something with wheels,” he said thoughtfully. “There is an old roller skate just over there. If we can get Tubby on to it, you could push him over to the toy mender.” “We could keep hold of him while he is mended,” said the ffitch.” It was easy to push the roller skate next to Tubby and with a lot of grunting and heaving, the four of them managed to get the teddy bear sat on the skate. Tubby on the skate. It was easy to push Tubby across to where the toy mender was sitting. He had a box of tools and needles and threads. The ffitch explained that Tubby’s growl did not work. “Not a problem,” said the toy mender. “I can fix that. You keep hold of him and the skate while I work.” He reached for a pair of scissors. The toy mender. Tubby looked frightened. “Don’t worry," said the toy mender with a wide grin. “It won’t hurt me.” He gently cut open Tubby’s stomach. The ffitch and Ramouse watched, fascinated, as the toy mender reached in and took out Tubby’s growl. The toy mender held it up to the light. “No problem,” he said. He turned around so that The ffitch, Ramouse and Tubby could not see what he was doing. After a few minutes, he turned back. “Mended,” he said, and he squeezed the growler. It made a noise just like a bear’s growl. “It works!" shouted Tubby. “Put it back, put it back, please.” It took only a minute for the toy mender to put the growler back in Tubby’s stomach and to sew up the cut. “See, I said it would not hurt me,” he grinned. “Thank-you, thank-you,” said Tubby pressing his middle. He growled. The ffitch and Ramouse let go of the skate and Tubby and watched as they slowly moved back through the gate into Thrown away and broken toy land. The ffitch and Ramouse followed Tubby in and helped him down from the skate. “It is a pity that he has not gone into Lost Toy Land now that he is no longer broken," said Ramouse. Olly shook his head. “He was thrown away, so it does not matter if he has been mended, he still has to stop here.” “Maybe not,” said Mr. Potato Head. “There is a part of thrown away toy land called Second Chance. Sometimes, very lucky toys find a new owner from there. I can show you the way.” He led them to a low hill in the middle of thrown away toy land. “If you sit on top of the hill and you are very lucky, someone who wants a toy might come and take you,” he said to Tubby. "Thank you,” said Tubby. He did not have to wait very long. A voice said, “Ooh,look! This is just what I wanted.” A hand came down and picked up Tubby. The last thing they heard was his growl. A hand picked up Tubby. “All’s well that ends well,” said Olly. “If you are mended," asked a puzzled The ffitch. "Why don’t you try to get rescued?” Olly shuddered. “No, thank-you. I am a money box. People put money in me, but have you seen how they get it out again?” The ffitch shook his head. “They twist off my head, turn me upside down and shake me.” Olly shuddered. ”No thank-you. I am not going back to that.” Ramouse yawned. “Time we were going,” said The ffitch. "Perhaps we will find my sister next time,” said Ramouse. "Perhaps,” said The ffitch as he settled down behind his door.
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Post by Palustris on Jan 24, 2024 9:20:55 GMT 1
I need to add that Tubby cannot walk or move his arms as they are fixed. The only thing he could do was growl and when that stopped working he was thrown away. Otherwise he could have walked to the Toy mender holding Ramouse.
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Post by Palustris on Jan 24, 2024 12:34:01 GMT 1
And added that they left Tubby sat on the skate so that they could push him to Second Chance.
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Post by Palustris on Jan 25, 2024 12:21:59 GMT 1
Chapter 3 Syd the Snake. Ramouse climbed down from where he hung on the door. He tapped The ffitch on the foot to wake him up. “I would like to go looking for Lost Gloves Land,” he said. The ffitch yawned and stretched. “Why not?” he said. Ramouse pulled open the door and they went through. They found themselves in a hall with five doors. All the doors looked the same and all of them were closed. Five similar doors. “I wonder if Lost Glove Land is behind one of them,” said Ramouse. “Perhaps,” said The ffitch. However, before they could walk across to the doors, a snake crawled into view. A snake crawled into view. “Oh," said The ffitch. I know who that is. That is Syd. He does not usually leave his door, though.” They walked across to the snake. “Hello,” said The ffitch. “It is not like you to be away from your door.” “No,” said Syd. “And I am not very happy about it either." "Oh, dear,” said Ramouse. ”What is the matter?” I had better start at the beginning,” said Syd. “As you know, my job is to lie along the bottom of my door and keep the draughts out. I have sticky bits on my side that keep me stuck to my door. So, when someone opens the door, I move with it, and when they close the door, I slide across the carpet with the door.” “Very handy,” said The ffitch. “Yes,” agreed Syd. “My human does the same thing every night. She has a bag shaped like a cat. In this bag she keeps her pyjamas. The cat pyjamas bag. "She makes herself a hot drink and changes into her pyjamas. She puts the empty bag on her chair, picks up her drink and goes off to bed. She usually carefully closes the door behind her.” “Nothing odd about that,” agreed Lamouse. Syd sighed. “Once my human is fast asleep, the pyjama bag comes to life and the trouble begins.” “Trouble?” asked The ffitch. “It wants to play, but the only thing in the room it can play with is me,” said Syd. “It jumps on me. It bites my neck. It pulls me away from my door. It lies on me and kicks. Then it stops.” “At least it stops,” said Lamouse. “It stops," said Syd. “For a short time, then it starts all over again. It goes on like that until morning, when it changes back into a pyjama bag and I can get back to my proper place on the bottom of the door.” “But why are you out in the hall now?” asked The ffitch. “My human did not close the door. When the pyjama bag cat woke up, it managed to open the door. Then, when it was attacking me, it decided to drag me out through the door. While it was rolling around and biting my neck, somehow the door got shut. Now I cannot find my way home.” “I thought that you were like me and always know which door was yours,” said a puzzled The ffitch. “I ought to,” said Syd sadly. “But I have never seen my door from this side before, so I don’t know which one of those five doors it is.” “Have you tried opening a door?” asked Lamouse. “All the doors are shut and I cannot open them. No hands, you see," said Syd. “And what about the pyjamas bag cat?” asked The ffitch. “Where is it now?” “One of the doors was open when it dragged me in here and it shot through it. The door closed behind it.” “So, we have to find your door and find the cat as well,” said The ffitch. “You don’t need to find the cat for me,” said Syd. “If it is not there when my human wakes up, then she will just think that she has lost it. And good riddance too.” “I can open most doors,” said Lamouse. “If I can reach the handle.” He climbed up onto The ffitch’s shoulder. Even standing on the tips of his fingers, he could not reach the handle of the first door. “I am longer than The ffitch,” said Syd. “If you stand on my head and I get as high up the door as I can, you should be able to reach the handle.” Lamouse stood on Syd’s head. The door opened. Lamouse jumped down in horror. Syd slithered away as quickly as he could. Inside the door was not, as they had hoped, a room in someone’s house. The door had opened to show a volcano. Inside the door was a volcano. Fortunately, the door slammed shut. “That was scary," said Syd. “I hope the next door is better,” said Ramouse. He climbed back onto Syd’s head and opened the door. Once again, they both stepped back in fright. Inside the door was not, as they had hoped, a room in someone’s house. The door had opened to show a polar bear, which growled at them. There was a fierce polar bear. “This is silly," said The ffitch. “Scary as this is, we have to try again.” Lamouse opened the third door. This time, they found themselves looking into someone’s kitchen. A small dog bounded up to the door and barked at them. It did not try to get through the door. However, before they could shut the door again, another animal leapt over the top of the dog and out into the hall. A scared looking cat. Lamouse quickly shut the door so that no other animals could jump out at them. “Thank-you, thank-you,” gasped the animal. “Pyjamas bag cat,” hissed Syd. “Oh, Syd. I am so glad to see you,” said the cat. “It was horrible in there with that puppy. He jumped on me, grabbed me by the neck and shook me until I thought all my fur would fall off. Then he threw me across the room. When I tried to run, he pounced on me again and shook me even harder.” “Well,” said Syd. “Now you know what it is like for me. That is exactly how you treat me.” The cat sat down with a thud. “So I do. I am so very, very sorry. I did not think about how badly I was treating you. I promise I will never, ever touch you again.” “Slow down a bit,” said Syd. “It was not all bad. I did like it when you got tired and lay down to sleep with your head on me.” “That was nice,” agreed the cat. “The trouble is that there is nothing to do in that room and I get bored. I know you like just lying along the door, but I want to play.” “I do like lying by the door,” agreed Syd. “But I am sure we can think of something we can do together. Something we can both enjoy.” “Yes, please,” said the cat. The ffitch gave a yawn. “It is getting time to go back to where we belong," he said. “The last door is mine. So the next door must be yours.” “Are you sure?” asked Syd. “Only I don’t think I could take another nasty surprise.” “Oh, yes,” smiled The ffitch. “I always know which is my door.” Between them, they opened the fourth door. Syd and the cat went in. The ffitch gave an even bigger yawn. “We had better hurry,” he said. "Perhaps we will find my sister next time,” said Ramouse. "Perhaps,” said The ffitch as he settled down behind his door.
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Post by Palustris on Jan 26, 2024 16:44:57 GMT 1
Next chapter is taking a long time to write.
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Post by hilberry on Jan 26, 2024 18:26:25 GMT 1
It'll be worth waiting for! Don't stress yourself, Pal! XXX
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Post by Palustris on Jan 26, 2024 21:33:35 GMT 1
Chapter 4. The Shadows. Ramouse climbed down from where he hung on the door. He tapped The ffitch on the foot to wake him up. “I would like to go looking for Lost Gloves Land,” he said. The ffitch yawned and stretched. “Why not?” he said. Ramouse pulled open the door. “Oh,” he said. “It is pitch dark in there.” The door opened into a dark room. The only light in the place came through the open door. “How very odd,” said The ffitch. “Are you sure? I don’t ever remember ever finding a dark place before. “See for yourself," said Ramouse. He moved out of the way. The ffitch looked through the open door. The ffitch stood in the doorway. “I am not sure we should go exploring in there,” said Ramouse. “You never know what might be hiding in the dark. However, before they could close the door, a voice spoke from the shadows. "Please leave the door open. It is the first light we have seen for a very long time.” A strange figure moved into the patch of light. The shadowy figure. It was not easy to see who or what it was. “Hello,” said The ffitch. “Hello,” said the figure. “My name is Perran. This is my sister, Darcia. We are the shadow people.” “This is Ramouse,” said The ffitch. “Hello,” said Ramouse. “Do you live here, in the dark?” Perran sighed. “Yes, but it was not always dark. Once upon a time there was a light and we would like it back.” The ffitch was puzzled. “But if you are the shadow people, why do you need light? Darcia stepped into the patch of light. Darcia stepped into the light. “There has to be light for there to be shadows,” she explained. “And without the light, we are just invisible. It is so nice to be able to see Perran again. “What happened to the light?” asked Ramouse. Perran looked down at his feet and sighed. “It was really my fault. We were playing a game with some pieces of wood that we found. I waved mine over my head and hit something. Then the light went out. I don’t know what I hit, but it dangled from the ceiling, if that helps.” “Was there the sound of breaking glass when you hit that something?” asked The ffitch. “There was,” said Darcia. “And if we walk under where the light used to come from, you can feel the glass under your feet. We have had to keep away from the middle of the room because of it.” “It sounds like you hit a light bulb,” said Ramouse. “Have you got a spare one?” “What’s a light bulb?” asked Perran. “It is a glass bubble that hangs from the ceiling and gives you your light,” said The ffitch. “There used to be some glass bubble things in a cupboard," said Darcia. “But it would be hard to find the cupboard in the dark. And, anyway, we don't know what to do with them.” “We need light to search,” said Ramouse. “Pity we cannot let the sun in.” Both the shadow children squealed. “No, no, no.” The shouted. “The sun would kill us. We must never go out in the sunlight. It is too bright for us.” “No sunlight then,” agreed The ffitch. “But I have an idea. My humans use a light that they can carry around. It is called a torch. I think there is one where we live.” Ramouse shouted excitedly. "Yes, and I know exactly where it is, and I can use it too.” He rushed away and could be heard muttering to himself as he rummaged around in the room. The ffitch turned to the shadow children. “Have you always lived in here?” he asked. “A long time ago, there were two human children who played in here. They were in here for a long time, but then one day they left. But when they went, they left their shadows behind. That is us," said Perran. “Now humans do not come in here very often,” said Darcia. “When they did, they used to press something on the wall by the door and the light came on. We used to hide behind the cupboard while they were in here. Then, when they left they used to press the thing on the wall again and the light went out.” “We piled up some boxes where they used to press the wall and when it is night-time outside, we make the light come on. We make the light go away when it is daytime outside," said Perran. “How do you know when it is day or night?” asked The ffitch. I cannot see any windows.” Darcia pointed to the wall behind her. “There is a tiny window near the ceiling, and we used it to work out when it is day and night.” Ramouse came back into the room. The ffitch almost laughed. The torch was nearly as big as Ramouse. Ramouse brought a torch. He shone it around the room. Dangling from the ceiling as a lamp shade. The bulb in it was broken. Underneath it on the floor was some broken glass. “We will have to clean that up," said The ffitch. By the light of the torch, he found a brush and a dustpan in one corner of the room. There was a dustpan, a brush and a waste bin. Carefully, he swept up the broken glass and put it in a waste bin. “Now we need to find a new bulb," he said. “There might be one in our cupboard,” said Perran. He rushed across and opened the door. On one of the shelves was a light bulb. There was a bulb in the cupboard. The ffitch picked it up. “This is what we need. First, we need to turn the light off.” “I can do that!" shouted Darcia. “It’s my turn,” grumbled Perran. “All right then,” said Darcia. “You climb the boxes and make the wall click.” Next to the open door was a pile of boxes. Perran climbed up to the top. Perran climbed up to the light switch. He pressed it. It clicked. “Now we have to put the new bulb in the lamp shade," said The ffitch. Even though he was standing on The ffitch’s head, Ramouse could not reach the broken bulb. “We will have to drag the boxes across,” he said. They dragged the boxes to the middle of the room. The ffitch climbed up and Ramouse stood on his head. Ramouse could just reach the lamp. Ramouse screwed in a new bulb. The boxes were pushed back to the light switch. This time, it was Darcia who climbed up. The light came on. The shadow children clapped their hands and shouted with joy. The ffitch yawned. “I think it is time we were going home,” he said. "Perhaps we will find my sister next time,” said Ramouse. "Perhaps,” said The ffitch as he settled down behind his door.
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Post by Palustris on Jan 27, 2024 12:37:00 GMT 1
For the moment I cannot think of another scenario for the next chapter.
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Post by Palustris on Jan 28, 2024 17:53:43 GMT 1
Chapter 5. The Forest. Ramouse climbed down from where he hung on the door. He tapped The ffitch on the foot to wake him up. “I would like to go looking for Lost Gloves Land,” he said. The ffitch yawned and stretched. “Why not?” he said. Ramouse pulled open the door. “Oh, he said, it looks like a forest in there this time.” The door opened to show a forest. The ffitch stood up and stretched. He looked through the open door. “So it does,” he said. “I wonder what we will find in there.” “Lost Glove Land?” suggested Ramouse, hopefully. “We shall see,” smiled The ffitch. “Lead the way.” They went through the door and found themselves in a wood. The trees stretched away in the distance, as far as they could see. “There does not seem to be a path, so we had better be very careful,” said The ffitch. “We could very easily get lost. There was no path through the trees. However, before they could look for a path, they heard the sound of somebody sobbing loudly. “Whoever that is sounds very unhappy,” said The ffitch. “It seems to be coming from the other side of the tree,” said Ramouse. On the other side of the tree, they found a figure sitting on a large toadstool. There was someone sitting on a toadstool. “Hello,” said The ffitch. “Can we help you?” The figure on the toadstool sat up quickly. “You made me jump,” he said. “I did not hear you coming.” “Sorry,” said Ramouse. “My name is Ramouse and this is my friend, The ffitch. We are very good at helping people.” The figure climbed down from the toadstool. “My name is Finn. I do hope you can help. I am in terrible trouble.” He wiped his eyes. “I have lost something somewhere in the Forest and if I don’t find it, they will do something terrible to me," he said. Finn the Pixie stood by the trees. “What have you lost?” asked The ffitch. “It was a bag of fairy dust. The Queen asked me to take it through the forest. I was to give it to the King.” “Why did she ask you to take it? She could have sent one of her fairies with it." Ramouse asked. Finn shook his head. “The Queen and King of the Fairies do not talk to each other. She lives on the south side of the forest. He lives in the north. They never meet. She has lots of girl fairies and he has lots of boy fairies. If they ever meet, even by chance, in the forest, they try to kill each other.” “That sounds a bit unpleasant,” said The ffitch. Finn nodded. “They fight with magic and it is terrible when it happens. All the creatures in the forest hide.” “So, why was the Queen sending this dust to the King?” asked Ramouse. “And what does it do?” “Only the Queen can make fairy dust,” said Finn. “The king has to have it to stay alive. So, once a year, the Queen sends him a bag of it. Since her fairies cannot go to the king, it is one of us pixies who has to take it. This year, it was my turn. And I lost it.” He burst into tears again. “I don’t understand," said The ffitch. “If the Queen hates the King so much, why does she not just let him die?” “Oh, no, no, no," said Finn. “If the King died, then so would the Queen. They hate each other, but they need each other. And if I don’t find the dust, then I will have killed them and all the other fairies too.” “We will help you look,” said Ramouse. “What does this bag look like?” “I can show you,” said Finn. He waved his hands and said some strange sounding words. On the ground in front of him, a bag appeared. The bag of fairy dust. “Can you remember which way you walked to get here?” asked The ffitch. Finn nodded. “Then lead the way,” said Ramouse. “Three pairs of eyes are better than one.” They followed Finn. As there was no path, he seemed to dodge from tree to tree. There was no sign of the bag when they reached the far edge of the forest. “This is where I was given the bag,” said Finn. “So I must have had it here. I remember tucking it into my belt before I left. “Did you stop anywhere?” asked Ramouse. “I remember now," said Finn. “My mother gave me some sandwiches to eat on the way. I sat down to eat them. There was a nice tree stump to use as a table.” Finn’s picnic. “We did not pass any stumps like that on the way here,” said The ffitch. “Are you sure you led us the right way?” Finn looked down at his feet. “No, I am not a wood elf. I don’t go into the forest very often. I could have got it wrong.” “In that case,” said Ramouse, “We had better try again, and you need to think a lot harder.” Finn led the way and they went back through the forest. It did not take them long to find the stump where Finn had stopped to eat. “Now, said The ffitch. “What did you do here?” “I sat down and opened my picnic," said Finn. Then he gave a gasp. “I remember now. The bag of fairy dust got in my way, so I put it on the tree stump next to me.” Finn put the fairy dust on the stump. They looked carefully around the tree, but there was no sign of the bag. Finn burst into tears. “Someone must have taken it. And it is so dangerous.” “Why is it dangerous?” asked Ramouse. “What does it do beside keeping the fairy king alive?" “It changes things,” sniffed Finn. “If you sprinkled some on you, it would change you. You might become alive all the time instead of when your humans are asleep. But it could also change you to never come alive.” The ffitch had been wandering around the tree, looking closely at the ground. “There are some foot prints here,” he said. “And not Finn’s.” Finn stopped crying and came to look. “Those belong to a faun.” “Are fauns nice or nasty?” asked Ramouse. “Both,” said Finn. It depends on the mood they are in.” “Well,” said The ffitch. “The tracks lead through the forest towards where we first met you, so we'd better follow them. If we are lucky, the faun may have picked up the bag.” The trail of footprints wandered in and out of the trees. They followed it, keeping a sharp eye out for the bag of fairy dust. It led them to the toadstool, where they had first met Finn. Standing next to the toadstool was a creature that was half goat and half woman. She was carrying the bag of fairy dust. The faun had the fairy dust. “My fairy dust!" shouted Finn. “You left it on my tree,” said the faun. “That was very naughty of you. Fairy dust is not supposed to be just left lying around for anyone to pick up.” “I know,” said Finn. “And I am very sorry.” The faun gave him the bag. “Take better care of it this time,” she said, and ran off into the forest. “I can give it to the fairy king now,” said Finn. “Thank you for your help.” The ffitch gave a yawn. “Time we were going home,” he said. "Perhaps we will find my sister next time,” said Ramouse. "Perhaps,” said The ffitch as he settled down behind his door.
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Post by Palustris on Jan 28, 2024 17:54:22 GMT 1
Not sure I like this piece.
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Post by peonymad on Jan 28, 2024 18:13:46 GMT 1
I dare say it will come Pal, you cant force inspiration.
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Post by peonymad on Jan 28, 2024 21:44:09 GMT 1
I know that doesn't make sense! I wrote it ages ago but hadn't finished when interrupted, for a chat with eldest son, then went straight to the kitchen to cook. Came back to the page and was about to delete it having read the new chapter. just seemed to post it's self. I think the end needs some work, perhaps the faun guides Ramouse and The ffich to their door.
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Post by Palustris on Jan 28, 2024 22:00:29 GMT 1
I suppose that all the chapters have finished a bit abruptly. In some ways that is deliberate, The ffitch and Ramouse automatically go home when it is time.
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Post by Palustris on Jan 29, 2024 9:20:43 GMT 1
I am going to have to alter the last chapter quite considerably as there is a huge hole in the plot. I will have to make the faun far more capricious, otherwise The ffitch and Ramouse have no function in the story. Deep thunking in the night! peonymad. Hard work turns inspiration into perspiration.
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Post by Palustris on Jan 29, 2024 10:47:31 GMT 1
Altered the story. The ffitch finds a flute when they first enter the forest. It belongs to the faun. This is the alternate ending. “My fairy dust!" shouted Finn. “You left it on my tree,” said the faun. “That was very naughty of you. Fairy dust is not supposed to be just left lying around for anyone to pick up.” “I know,” said Finn. “And I am very sorry. Please may I have it back?” The faun chuckled. “Oh, no,” she said. “I found it so now it belongs to me.” “But I have to give it to the King of the Fairies,” said Finn. The faun waved the bag at him. “Mine now,” she said. The ffitch stepped forward. “Perhaps we can swap the bag for something,” he said. “I think we have something that belongs to you. Have you lost something?” The faun frowned. “Yes, “ she said sadly. “I lost my flute. The other fauns won’t let me play with them until I find it. I was going to see if I could make another one with this fairy dust.Faun flutes are magic.” The ffitch held out the flute. “Is this the one you lost?” he asked. The faun gave a squeal of joy. “Yes, yes, yes. Give it to me.” The ffitch stepped back. “Only if you give Finn the bag of fairy dust.” The faun gave him the bag. “Take better care of it this time,” she said. The ffitch held out the flute. The faun snatched it and ran off into the forest. “I can give this to the fairy king now,” said Finn. “Thank you for your help.” “I would like to see the fairy king, “ said Ramouse. Finn shook his head. “I don’t think you would like that,” he said. “No-one ever sees the king.” Ramouse was puzzled. “So, how do you give him the dust?” “One of his followers will come and get it,” said Finn. !I had better hurry or I will not get back home before night. Thank you for helping me.” The ffitch gave a yawn. “Time we were going home,” he said. “I can see my door over there.” "Perhaps we will find my sister next time,” said Ramouse. "Perhaps,” said The ffitch as he settled down behind his door.
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Post by peonymad on Jan 29, 2024 11:41:39 GMT 1
Inspiration is invariably followed by perspiration, especially when the inspiration is for something new.
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Post by Palustris on Jan 29, 2024 12:13:16 GMT 1
Now I need a scenario for the next Chapter. A Disused Lighthouse has been suggested, but I cannot think of a creature they could help, to go with it. Castle full of toy soldiers is another suggestion.
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Post by Palustris on Jan 30, 2024 13:41:06 GMT 1
Getting absolutely nowhere with this at the moment. Inspiration has turned to constipation!
Garden? Help the gnomes do what?
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Post by Palustris on Jan 31, 2024 18:28:42 GMT 1
Chapter 6. The Garden. Ramouse climbed down from where he hung on the door. He tapped The ffitch on the foot to wake him up. “I would like to go looking for Lost Gloves Land,” he said. The ffitch yawned and stretched. “Why not?” he said. Ramouse pulled open the door. “Oh," he said, it looks like a garden in there this time.” The door opened up into a garden. “So it does,” agreed The ffitch. “Let’s go and wander around.” They walked along the path for a little while. “It looks as if no one has done any gardening in here for a long time,” said The fftich. “There are lots of weeds and the grass needs cutting.” The garden. There was a rusty old garden roller lying across the path. Ramouse tried to push it, but it was too heavy for him. “Shame,” he said. “It looks as if it was a nice place at one time.” “It was,” said a voice. The ffitch and Ramouse whirled around. On the path behind them was a figure. “Hello,” said The ffitch. “Hello,” said the figure. “I am Gnathan the Gnome. Gnathan the gnome. “This is my friend, Ramouse and I am The ffitch.” said The ffitch, “I hope you don’t mind us coming into your garden.” “Not in the least,” said Gnathan. “It has been such a long time since we have had any visitors. Once upon a time, humans used to look after the garden, but no one has bothered for a long time.” “That is sad,” said Ramouse. “Yes and no,” said Gnathan. “The place is now full of all sorts of wild life. There are mice, hedgehogs, frogs, toads and lots of birds.” “And gnomes?” said The ffitch with a grin. Gnathan nodded. “There used to be five of us, but now there are only four, myself, Gnick, Gnorman and Gnorton. Gneil was the other.” “What happened to him?” asked The ffitch. “He never was one for moving much,” said Gnathan. “He liked to sit by the gate and watch the world. Over the years, he got more and more covered in moss and lichen and small weeds. Once the humans stopped gardening, no one cleaned him. One day, we realised that he had crumbled away without our noticing. All that was left was a mound of moss and stuff.” Ramouse looked closely at Gnathan. “If you don’t mind me saying so, you look as if you have a lot of moss growing on you.” Gnathan sighed. “True. I wish there was some way I could brush it off.” “Perhaps we can help,” said The ffitch. "Yes, please,” said another voice. Two more gnomes joined them. “This is Gnick,” said Gnathan. “And Gnorton.” Gnick the gnome. Gnick sat on the grass. “We really do need some help," he said. “I have just come from the pond and Gnorman is in the water. He was trying to wash off the pigeon mess and he fell in. Now he cannot get out. He is stuck in the mud.” “Of course we will help,” said The ffitch. “Lead the way.” They followed Gnick along the path until they came to a small pond. Half submerged in the water was another gnome. “I am stuck,” he said. Gnorman was in the water. “Don’t come in, the mud is very sticky.” “We need a rope or something to pull him out,” said Ramouse. “Do you know where we might find some?” “There might be some in the old garden shed. We have not looked in there for a long time as it is shut and we cannot reach the handle," said Gnick. I am very good at opening doors,” said Ramouse. The gnomes led them to an old shed. Ramouse stood on Gnathan’s shoulders. Ramouse stood on Gnathan. The hinges on the door were old and rusty. It took all of them pulling to open the door. “I think we will have to leave it open now,” said The ffitch. The ffitch went in. He was followed by Gnathan and Gnorton. The shed was full of cobwebs and dust. On a shelf just inside was a coil of rope. The ffitch picked it up and sneezed as the dust flew off it. “I hope this is strong enough,” he said. The coil of rope. The ffitch backed out of the shed, but Gnathan and Gnorton carried on rummaging around. “Aha!” Gnorton shouted. “This is just what we need.” Then he sneezed too. He came out of the shed, waving his find. Both gnomes were covered from head to foot in dusty cobwebs. Gnathan was covered in cobwebs. Gnorton wiped the cobwebs from his nose and carefully put a spider back in the shed. “Now perhaps we can do something about the moss on us," he said. “A brush is exactly what we needed.” Gnorton waved a brush. “Let’s rescue Gnorman first, or he might sink even further into the mud,” said The ffitch. He threw the end of the rope to Gnorman, who managed to fasten it around his waist. It took all of them pulling on the rope to get him out. He was covered in mud from the waist down. “Thank you, thank you," he said. “I was beginning to get worried.” "Hopefully, now that we have a brush, we won’t need to go in the pond again,” said Gnorton. “I won’t be going in the pond ever again, no matter what,” muttered Gnorman. They set too, and they brushed and brushed until all the gnomes were clean. “Ramouse laughed. “It looks like some of the other ornaments in the garden want to be cleaned as well.” When they turned around on the path,there was a frog, a squirrel, a tortoise and three ducks. A queue of animals. “I guess nobody wants to end up like Gneil,” said Ramouse. The stone animals were brushed clean. The ffitch yawned. “It is time we were going,” he said. “I hope you can manage to keep the moss and stuff off from now on. I am not sure that we will be able to come back and help you again. “Now we have the brush,” said Gnathan. "We should be able to stay clean. Thank you for your help. The ffitch and Ramouse walked back up the garden path. They could see The ffitch’s door. "Perhaps we will find my sister next time,” said Ramouse. "Perhaps,” said The ffitch as he settled down behind his door.
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Post by Palustris on Feb 4, 2024 15:16:03 GMT 1
Chapter 7. Not a shop. Ramouse climbed down from where he hung on the door. He tapped The ffitch on the foot to wake him up. “I would like to go looking for Lost Gloves Land,” he said. The ffitch yawned and stretched. “Why not?” he said. Ramouse pulled open the door. “Oh," he said “It looks like a shop in there this time.” The door opened into a shop. “And a very dusty one too,” said The ffitch. “It is,” said a voice. “But it is not a shop.” The ffitch and Ramouse turned around. Behind them was a large mouse. “Hello,” said The ffitch. “I am The ffitch and this is Ramouse." “Hello," said the mouse. “My name is Umbrella and this is the Lost Property Office.” He waved a paw at the counter. “Everything you see there has been lost by someone at some point,” he said. The floor may have been very dusty, but the things behind the counter all looked to be clean and well cared for. The counter. Ramouse frowned. “Why lost, lost?” He asked. Umbrella brushed his whiskers. “I will try to explain,” he said. “A long time ago, this was part of a railway station. When someone found something that had been lost, they brought it in here to the Lost Property Office. There was a man here with a uniform and a hat with ‘Lost Property’ on it. He would take the item and put a label on it and put it away safely. Then, if someone came and said that they had lost something, he would find it for them, and they would give him some money. He would then give them the item. He was a very nice man, from what I have been told. He used to feed the mice who lived in here and he kept the station cat outside.” The Lost Property man’s hat. Umbrella sighed. “That was a long time ago. Anyway, one day, the trains stopped coming. The man came and locked the door and that was the last time we mice ever saw him.” “That’s a shame," said The ffitch. “But why is this called the lost Lost Property Office?” “A few months after the man locked the door, some other men came. They took everything away, even the railway lines. They nailed boards across the door and windows. They never looked inside to see what was here. Since then, no humans have set foot inside, so the Lost Property Office is now lost,” said Umbrella. “So why is the floor so dirty and the stuff behind the counter so clean?” Ramouse wanted to know. “Well,” said Umbrella. "Sometime later, she came. She said that it was wrong for all the lost property to be left to get dirty. She ordered all the mice to choose a kind of property and then when that was done, the mouse was to look after that property. I chose umbrellas and that is how I got my name.” While he had been speaking, the room had filled up with other mice. Lots of other mice. “So all these mice are named after the lost property they look after?” asked The ffitch. “Most of them,” said Umbrella. “There’s Walking sticks.” One of the mice waved a paw. “That’s me,” it squeaked. “Then there is Hats.” Another mouse waved. “Next to him is Scarves.” A third mouse bowed. “We had to have one called Spectacles." “Me, me, me!” shouted a fourth mouse. “And last. But not least, Odds and ends.” finished Umbrella. The smallest mouse nodded. “But there isn’t one called Floor," pointed out Ramouse. “True,” said Umbrella. “She never chose one of us to keep the floor clean, so it has never been done.” “Just who was this ‘She’ you keep going on about?” The ffitch wanted to know. “She was a glove," said Umbrella. “In fact, she looked exactly the same as Ramouse, except that her thumb was on the other side.” The glove they called She. Ramouse gave a squeak. “I used to have a sister. She looked exactly like me, except that her thumb was on the other side.” He looked wildly around the room. “Where is she? I can’t see her.” “She left after she had given us jobs to do. She said that she had to go find someone and as there was no lost gloves section here, she would have to go and find one.,” said Umbrella. Ramouse sat down on the dusty floor with a bump. “She has gone,” he said. “She must have gone to look for me.” “At least we now know that she is looking for you,” said The ffitch. Ramouse stood up. "True," he said, looking down. “This floor is really dusty,” he said. “There really ought to be a Floor mouse. Is there a mouse without a job?” A mouse at the back of the room jumped up and down and waved its paw. “Me, me, me!” it shouted. “I’ll do it.” “Good,” said Ramouse. “You are now officially called Floor.” The mouse called Floor. The ffitch gave a yawn. “Well,” he said. “It is time we were going. I can see my door over there.” As they walked towards The ffitch’s door, the mouse called Floor came rushing up, carrying a dustpan and a brush. Floor mouse had a dust pan and brush. "Perhaps we will find my sister next time,” said Ramouse. “Now that we know she is looking for Lost Glove Land.” "Perhaps,” said The ffitch as he settled down behind his door.
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Post by Palustris on Feb 4, 2024 18:29:43 GMT 1
So, do I let him find his sister or do I leave it hanging for future stories?
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Post by Nooj on Feb 4, 2024 20:00:40 GMT 1
Let him find her - I like happy endings!
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Post by Palustris on Feb 5, 2024 11:35:39 GMT 1
So, in that case, I need a scenario where they can find The Lost Glove Land or Lamouse. Suggestions welcome. And I do use the ones given before, but not necessarily in the same way.
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Post by Butternut on Feb 5, 2024 16:54:20 GMT 1
Perhaps Lost Glove Land doesn't exist, but Lost Hand Puppets Land does if they can both find their way there as it would appear that Lamouse isn't in Lost Glove Land as she is already looking for Ramouse. Could also have 'Lost but not forgotten land'
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Post by Palustris on Feb 5, 2024 17:37:57 GMT 1
That has given me an idea. Ta!
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Post by Palustris on Feb 6, 2024 17:56:00 GMT 1
Chapter 8. Lost or Not Lost? Ramouse climbed down from where he hung on the door. He tapped The ffitch on the foot to wake him up. “I would like to go looking for my sister,” he said. “Now that we know she is looking for me, we ought to go somewhere where she can find me.” The ffitch stretched and stood up. “I wish it was that easy," he said. “But as you know, it is the door that chooses where we go when it is open. There is no way that we can make it open where we want it to. We could go through it now and find nothing like Lost Glove Land.” “I know,” said Ramouse sadly. "But we have to try. I have been looking for her for such a long time.” He pulled open the door. “It looks like there is another door this time,” he said. There was another door. “So there is,” said The ffitch. “Let’s open it and see where it takes us.” They opened the second door. They stepped through into a strange swirling vortex of mist and light. There did not seem to be any ground beneath their feet, yet they did not fall. “I don’t remember ever visiting anywhere like this before,” said The ffitch.” “Nor me,” agreed Ramouse. “It is very,very odd.” Before they could explore any further, a figure floated up to them. "Hello," it said. "Welcome! I am the Keeper of Lost Things.” The Keeper of Lost Things. The Keeper stopped speaking and appeared to be puzzled. “You are not lost things,” it said. “I am The ffitch and this is Ramouse. We are definitely not lost. I always know how to get back to my door.” said The ffitch. The Keeper nodded. "I know you both, you have been here before. You visited Lost Toyland. I saw you there.” “We did,” said Ramouse. He looked around. “Are we near it again? I cannot see it.” “You are in a different part of Lost and Found,” said the Keeper. “What is this place?” asked The ffitch. “Everything that gets lost in your world comes here. Not the actual thing itself, but the essence of it. I keep them safe until they are found, or sadly, until the solid part disappears with age,” explained the Keeper. Ramouse asked,” Everything?” “Almost everything," smiled the Keeper. “You would be astonished at the things that humans manage to lose. I have places full of lost objects. Coins of all kinds get dropped and come here. Umbrellas, walking sticks, spectacles, wallets, hats, scarves, jewellery, shoes, watches, keys and many more all end up here.” The Keeper laughed and went on, “There is a huge collection of odd socks. This is where the ones that disappear in the washing machine go.” “So everything that gets lost could come here?” asked Ramouse. “Not everything,” said The Keeper. “Children who get lost do not. Neither animals nor lost causes or even lost words end up here.” “Gloves?” asked Ramouse. “Is this where I would find Lost Glove Land?” The Keeper shook its head and said, “Gloves, yes, but there is no such place as Lost Glove Land. Why do you ask?” “I have a sister,Lamouse; she was lost. The mice in the lost, Lost Property Office said that she had gone to look for me in Lost Glove Land," said Ramouse sadly. “But if there is no such place, I do not know where to find her.” “I thought I had seen you before,” said the Keeper. “Apart from when you were in Lost Toyland, there was someone here looking for a lost glove. Does she look like you?” “Yes, yes!" shouted Ramouse excitedly. “She is the same as me, except that her thumb is on the other side. Is she here in Lost and Found?” The Keeper shook its head. “Like you, she was not lost, so she could not stay. She asked me if I had seen you and when I told her that you were not here, she went away.” “Not lost?” asked The ffitch. “But she was in the lost, Lost Property Office. I, that is, we, thought only lost things went there.” The Keeper nodded. “Yes, but only lost things ended up there and as the Lost Property Office itself was lost, it came here too. But if she had been lost, she would not have been able to leave until someone claimed her.” "So, where is she now?” wailed Ramouse. “There is someone who may be able to help,” said The Keeper. “Sometimes when people lose something, they search for it without finding it.” “Which is what Ramouse has been doing for a long time,” said The ffitch. The Keeper nodded. “You need to ask The Finder. She knows where to find anything.” “Even things that are not actually lost?” asked Ramouse. “Even things that are not actually lost,” said the Keeper. “Her desk is somewhere in here.” ”Where?” asked Ramouse rather rudely. “That is the problem,” said The Keeper. “She is never in the same spot twice and Lost and Found is a huge place.” Ramouse began to cry. Ramouse was in tears. “How do we find her?” asked The ffitch. “You don’t,” said The Keeper. “She is the Finder, she will find you. Now go back through the door. Turn around three times and come back in.” The ffitch and Ramouse did as they were told. They came back in to Lost and Found. This time, instead of the Keeper, they were met by a lady sitting at a desk. The desk was covered in piles of papers. The Finder sat at a desk. Ramouse climbed up on to the desk. ”Please,” he asked. “Do you know where my sister is?” The Finder smiled. “”What does your sister look like?” she asked. “She looks exactly like me except the other way around. I am a right-hand glove and she is a left-hand glove.” Ramouse told her. The Finder nodded and shuffled some of the papers on her desk. She picked one up and spent a few moments reading what it said. “Please!” begged Ramouse. “Ah,” said the Finder. “Here it is. She has gone back to where she feels most at home.” The Finder gave a sigh. “She certainly has been wandering about looking for you. It has been a lot of work keeping track of her.” “But where does she feel most at home?” asked The ffitch. “Go back to your door,” said the Finder. “Your door usually opens on to the hall, does it not?” The ffitch nodded. “There are other doors where you live,” said the Finder. The fftch nodded. "Then I suggest that you look behind the door that opens into the kitchen,” she said. “Now I really must go, there is a man looking for his false teeth so that he can eat his lunch.” With that, the desk and the Finder vanished. “I know exactly where my door is,” said The ffitch. He gave a yawn. "And it is getting time to go home.” They went back through The ffitch’s door. However, instead of settling down to sleep, they found the door to the kitchen. Excitedly, Ramouse pushed it open. The doorstop. The door banged into a doorstop, just like The ffitch except this one looked like a cat. “Whoomph!” it said. “Oh, hello The ffitch. I have not seen you for ages. And who is your friend? He looks just like the one that hangs on the back of my door. She comes with me when we go wandering.” Ramouse looked up and gave a squeal of joy. There, hanging on the back of the door, was Lamouse. She climbed down and the two hugged each other. They were together at last. “So after looking everywhere for you,” said Ramouse. “I find you were in the next room. That is the last place I would have looked for you.”
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