Every year, on the longest and warmest day of the summer, is the Horsmarlonerpool Fete.
It’s held in the meadows, next to Bluebell Wood, and there are rides and rollercoasters, games and food, and animals to make friends with. In fact, many of the animals from the local area use the fete to learn how to make friends with the humans.
But the most exciting thing about the fete, more exciting than the rollercoasters, more exciting than the candy floss, is the treasure hunt.
This year, Mayor Dubbin stood on the stage, and rang his bell.
“Hear ye! Hear ye! The treasure hunt begins at three!”
The rules were that one child and one adult would make a team, and then you were given a clue, and had to go off in search of more clues in order to find the treasure.
Vaila always made a team with mummy, and this year they were determined that they were going to find the treasure first. At three o’Clock, all the teams gathered by the main tent, and Mayor Dubbin rang his bell again as loud as he could.
“Hear ye! Hear ye! The first clue doth come from me.”
Everyone listened very carefully.
“Go to a place, where machines sleep.”
Mummy looked at Vaila. ‘Where machines sleep?’ That didn’t make sense.
But Vaila knew the answer. “Mummy, think. We’re in the countryside. What machines work in the countryside? Tractors and combine harvesters. And where do they sleep at night? In a barn!”
Mummy thought that Vaila might be right, and then spotted an old barn right at the other end of the meadows. They ran towards it whilst everybody else was still trying to figure out the clue.
Inside the barn it was dark and a bit damp. They saw the shadow of a mouse run along a wall. But a big red tractor stood silently, and by the front wheel was - an envelope! The second clue!
Mummy opened it and Vaila read it out. “Find me where the grass grows into the sky.”
Mummy frowned. ‘Find me where the grass grows into the sky’? Well, that didn’t make sense either. But Vaila got it!
“Where is grass piled high up into the sky, Mummy?” she said. “A hay stack of course!”
They ran out of the barn and there beside it was a huge haystack, taller than a big house.
They climbed to the top and found… another envelope!!
This time Mummy opened it and read: “Where tree’s a crowd?”
“Where tree’s a crowd…” said Vaila. “Where trees are a crowd! A crowd of trees! A wood! BLUEBELL WOOD!”
Vaila was very good at working out clues.
Bluebell Wood was called Bluebell Wood because every spring the ground was completely blue - every single tiny bit covered in flowering bluebells.
But today the wood felt gloomy, and a bit dark, and a little bit scary.
Mummy and Vaila ventured in bravely. They heard a wooing sound, but it was just the wind high up in the treetops.
Then, they heard a rustling sound by their feet. But it was just Anthony the squirrel burying his winter food.
And then they heard a crying sound. As if… someone was upset.
“Oh, it’s just the wind playing tricks,” said Mummy. But there it was again. It was DEFINITELY somebody crying. Someone must need help!
Vaila led the way, following the crying, until they came to a clearing in the middle of the wood. And there, sat sorrowfully on a log, was a wolf.
Mummy was wary of wolves, but Vaila wasn’t.
“What’s the matter?” asked Vaila.
The wolf didn’t even look up. “It’s my birthday,” he said. “And I don’t have anyone to have a party with.”
“What’s your name?” said Mummy, suddenly feeling very sorry for the wolf, and not scared at all.
“Wally,” said Wally. “Wally Wolf. Everyone thinks wolves are scary and mean so they don’t want to be friends, but I’m not scary and mean. I just wanted to have a birthday party.”
It was a sad, sad sight. But Vaila had an idea. “Come on, Mummy, quickly!”
She took Mummy’s hand, ran out of the wood, leaving Wally behind, and back to the meadows where the fete was in full swing.
Mayor Dubbin was about to announce the winner of the best cake competition when Vaila climbed onto the stage and took the microphone.
“Everybody listen!” she said. “I need you all to help. There’s an emergency!”
Three minutes later, everyone from the fete was walking behind Vaila into Bluebell wood. And with them, they brought the winning cake! A huge, chocolate and strawberry creation, covered with marshmallows.
Vaila led them to the clearing where she and mummy had found Wally, but - it was empty. Wally had gone.
“Wait here, everyone!” announced Vaila, and then she and mummy ran off into the woods to find him.
“Wally!” “Waaaaally!”
“Wally!” “Waaaaally!”
Soon, they came across a cave in the rocks. It was a wolf’s lair. Bravely, they ventured in, and there was Wally - sobbing.
“Why have you come back?” he asked.
Vaila and Mummy looked around his lair. All that was on the wall was a calendar with today’s date circled in red pen. He’d obviously been really looking forward to his birthday.
“I have a surprise for you, Wally,” said Vaila.
“A surprise?”
“Follow me.”
Reluctantly, Wally plodded through the wood after Vaila and Mummy, but when they reached the clearing someone was in for a shock.
Vaila was! Because in the time that she had been away finding Wally, everybody else had put up tents, and rides, and candyfloss stalls. They had also, very quickly, made a huge banner that read: ‘Happy Birthday Wally’.
Well Vaila was impressed. She was pretty good at getting things done, but this was amazing.
She stood aside and let Wally, who was plodding up behind, see for himself.
His eyes widened. “Oh, you’re having a party. I’m sorry. Do you want me to pick up all the litter afterwards?”
“It’s YOUR party, Wally!” said Vaila. And then the whole crowd of five hundred people shouted “Happy Birthday, Wally!”
Well, not only was it the best birthday party Wally had ever had, it was also the first birthday party that Wally had ever had.
“And here is your cake,” said Vaila.
“Rake? Oh, I - I don’t need a rake,” said Wally.
“A cake, not a rake! A birthday cake!”
Wally stared at her.
“What’s a cake?”
Everyone fell silent. They realised at this moment that not only had this poor wolf never had a birthday party, but he'd never even tasted cake.
And this was the best cake in the whole fete, it was the winning cake, and the mayor himself cut a big slice for Wally to try first.
Well, Wally couldn’t believe what he was tasting. He couldn’t believe that there were so many people here. He couldn’t believe that finally, he had friends.
And from that year forth, the Horsmarlonerpool fete wasn’t held in the meadows. It was held in the clearing in the middle of Bluebell wood. And that meant that every year, Wally Wolf had the greatest birthday party of them all… with all the cake that he could eat.
