Patchwork Picnic (9781743583524) (2 page)

‘But … you're a toy!' said Lola, finally. ‘You're …'

‘I'm Buddy the Clown,' he said. ‘But hey, you know that. You named me!'

Lola nodded. And she shook her head. Then she did both at the same time.

She was smiling. Actually, she was grinning.

‘Seeing as you can talk, Buddy,' she said, ‘could you tell me where we are? This isn't my bedroom anymore, right?'

Buddy flung his arms out wide.

‘Right!' he said. ‘Lola, we are in the Kingdom – the most
wonderful
place ever! I'm so happy I could pop my popper.'

Lola grinned even wider.

Pop my popper?

‘Do you always talk like that?' she asked.

Buddy looked hurt. ‘What's wrong with how I speak?'

‘Nothing,' she laughed. ‘I
love
it. I've just never heard it before!'

Buddy was pleased. Then he tried to take a step – but fell over instead!

Lola gasped, and reached down to help poor Buddy.

He was chuckling, though.

‘Uh-oh. This might take a while,' Buddy said, standing up again. ‘I haven't stood on my own two feet for ages.'

He managed a few
wobbly
steps. Then he tumbled down again. His long legs and laces were all in a tangle!

Lola flopped down next to him. She couldn't stop staring at her favourite toy, who'd somehow come to life.

‘Oh Lola, you'll love it here,' said Buddy, grinning back at her.

He took Lola's hand. She helped him stand up on his wonky legs.

Then she got to her feet and looked about, her eyes wide with wonder.

There were beautiful fields all around them. They reminded Lola of the patchwork quilt in her bedroom.

The grass was soft under her feet. She could see odd-shaped trees on the other side of the hill. They looked like … they looked like
toy
trees!

‘Tell me all about the Kingdom,' she said, turning back to Buddy.

‘Shall we walk as we talk?' he said happily.

‘If you can,' Lola said, smiling.

‘Funny girl!' Buddy laughed. ‘I'll be fine in no time. Trust my toggle, I will!'

Then he fell over. And over!

Soon they were strolling and stumbling down the soft hillside, carrying the picnic basket between them.

‘The Kingdom is where toys come when they are not being played with by their children,' Buddy explained to Lola.

Lola couldn't believe it. She had
never
thought about what happened to her toys when she wasn't playing with them.

‘There are lots of different lands in the Kingdom,' said Buddy. He looked at his wrist, but he wasn't wearing a watch.

‘We don't have time for all that now, though,' he added.

‘What do you mean?' Lola asked.

Buddy smiled his big goofy clown grin. ‘I think we've arrived,' he said, ‘just in time for the picnic.'

‘The picnic?' repeated Lola.

‘Oh yes,' said Buddy cheerfully. ‘I have a feeling that today's the day!'

They walked through a patch of toy trees, and then Lola stopped. She couldn't believe her eyes. She could see
bears
.

But these weren't real bears. These were lots and lots of
teddy bears
.

There were other toys, too. Rag dolls and monkeys. Fluffy cats and soft rabbits. But mostly teddy bears. They were all sitting on picnic blankets.

Buddy led Lola to a spare blanket. They dropped their picnic basket and sat down.

Buddy was excited. ‘By my buttons, I was right! As soon as we climbed out of that picnic hamper, I knew. Today's the day!'

‘What day?' asked Lola.

‘Today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic!' he said.

Lola laughed. ‘They really do that? Amazing!'

Looking around, Lola noticed that she was the only girl among all the toys. She also noticed that none of the toys were eating yet.

Lola's tummy rumbled. What were they waiting for?

Suddenly, everything went silent.

‘What's going on?' she whispered.

But Buddy was looking over her shoulder. Lola turned and saw a line of very smart-looking bears coming through the crowd.

This day keeps getting stranger and stranger
, she thought.

Then she noticed that one of the bears looked familiar.

Very
familiar!

‘That's Felix!' cried Lola as the bears marched by. ‘That's
my
teddy!'

‘Felix is the son of the Great High Bear himself,' Buddy whispered importantly.

Lola was surprised. She had left Felix at her gran's house the last time she'd visited. She wondered if more of her toys were here in the Kingdom.

But what had Buddy said?

That toys only came to the Kingdom when children weren't playing with them?

The bears stopped in the middle of the field. Felix looked around at all the toys.

‘Friends!' he called, in a deep bear voice. ‘As you know, these are
troubled times
in the Kingdom.'

Felix sounded very serious. Then he said, ‘But I bring good news!'

With a flourish, Felix threw open the large picnic box he had been riding on.

Oh good
, thought Lola.
Perhaps it's time to eat.

‘I have just returned from Nevercalm!' Felix boomed.

All the toys gasped when they heard this.

Felix lifted up an odd-shaped, plastic wind-up soldier from the basket. ‘And we have captured this enemy toy!'

There was another gasp, and then the other toys all started whispering to each other.

Lola stared at the soldier in Felix's paw. It was nodding slowly and its arms moved up and down. It looked lost. She had seen this toy before. But
where
?

‘The Plastic Prince has been building an army with soldiers just like this one,' said Felix. ‘And he's planning to
attack
!'

Here?
Lola was shocked.
In the Kingdom of toys?
But everything seemed so soft and cuddly!

She wondered who the Plastic Prince was, and why he would want to attack.

Buddy seemed to know what Lola was thinking.

‘There is a battle going on between the Great High Bear and the Plastic Prince,' he whispered. ‘The Great High Bear rules most of the Kingdom. But there is one place, a
scary
place, called Nevercalm.'

Buddy shivered. ‘The Plastic Prince rules Nevercalm, and he wants to rule the Kingdom too!'

Lola bit her lip. That sounded serious indeed.

When the crowd became quiet, Felix spoke again.

‘Do not worry, friends,' he said, his voice growing louder. ‘Today I will show you that the Plastic Prince
cannot
build a strong army. We can prove it.

Watch how easily I can stop this soldier from working!'

In one quick move, Felix pulled the silver key out of the soldier's back. He held it high above his furry ears.

The toys all cheered like
crazy
.

‘And that's not all!' Felix yelled.

Lola was worried.
Very
worried. Was Felix going to hurt the toy soldier?