Bramble's Extra Blanket

Bramble the bear had a star-shaped pillow and one extra blanket, and a problem. He had no one to share them with.

"Surely," he thought, looking out the window, "somebody, somewhere, is cold."

He put on his striped pyjamas — though they were, of course, already on — and tucked the extra blanket under his arm and walked out into the forest.

The first creature he met was a squirrel. "Excuse me," said Bramble, "would you like an extra blanket?"

The squirrel was sitting on top of a pile of acorns. She was, by her own enthusiastic account, very warm indeed. "Acorns hold heat," she explained. "But thank you."

The second creature was an old owl. "Excuse me," said Bramble, "would you like an extra blanket?"

The owl was wearing a knitted scarf. (You've probably heard of Pip.) "Already sorted, dear," she said kindly. "But thank you."

The third creature was a fox. The fox lived in a hole under a beech tree, and the hole was lined with two layers of pine needles, three layers of moss, and a great deal of fox fur. "I'm afraid," said the fox, "I am too warm even now. But thank you."

Bramble walked on. The blanket was beginning to feel heavy.

At the very edge of the forest, where the trees thinned out and the snow began, he found a small mouse sitting on a stump. The mouse was wrapped in nothing at all. The mouse was — there was no way around it — extremely cold.

"Excuse me," said Bramble, "would you like an extra blanket?"

The mouse looked at the blanket. The mouse looked at Bramble. The mouse looked at the blanket again.

"Yes please," she said.

Bramble tucked the blanket around her, twice. The mouse smiled. Bramble smiled back. They walked home together — Bramble carrying the mouse, the mouse wrapped in the blanket, both of them perfectly warm.

And after that night, Bramble always carried two extra blankets. Just in case.