Page 17 - Sophie's Christmas With Teddy & Mouse

Teddy scrambled over the thick stump, looking carefully to make sure Mouse was as comfortable as possible, so he didn’t shake him too much.
He walked to the bush full of deep red shiny berries, he was not allowed to eat them himself because ‘you never know if they are poisonous.’ But a mouse likes to eat berries, so he picked a few, the thickest and juiciest from the bush. Carefully he took out the box, lifted Mouse out and held him in his soft bear paw. Mouse shivered, was it because he was afraid?
Teddy dangled the berries in front of his soft muzzle and Mouse lifted his little nose with its long whiskers, sniffed a little and threw himself ravenously onto the berries.
Teddy blinked twice and the thick juicy berries were all gone. He had to laugh, "Ha ha ha, Mouse your mouth is completely red from the shiny berries." Mouse was a little embarrassed and washed his mouse muzzle, because mice are clean animals, as you know.
Teddy's stomach started to growl. ‘Lucky I made a stack of fresh sandwiches this morning,’ he thought. He took one out, the honey dripped down his chin but with only a few licks he had eaten his meal in one go too.
He loved the taste of sweet honey and when he put his nose in the jar he smelled the wild owers from the eld where the bee family lived. They buzzed all day from ower to ower and were the hardest working creatures he knew.
Now their bellies were full of delicious lunch, Teddy put Mouse in his box, nice and warm under the woolen cloth, where his big mouse ears poked out.
Mouse's eyes slowly closed, he was sleepy after the meal and snoozed softly.
They continued together, looking for Mouse’s family and walked along the stream which led them further, deeper into the big forest.
They heard a strange noise, "Tríng! Tríng! Tríííng!"
Teddy and Mouse stood as if frozen, hiding behind a wide tree and together they listened with pricked up ears.
"Tríínnggg!" They heard it again, where did that strange noise come from? Then Teddy saw it, far away. A HUMAN CHILD, coming their way.
A human child with peaked hair in a red dress with embroidered owers.