Badger the Mystical Mutt Read online

  “Badger,” he shouted “Top Dog’s gone!”

  “Gone?” said Badger

  “He’s not in his cardboard box. The Dog Catcher must have caught him”

  “Well, let’s see,” said Badger looking back to the slice of toast.

  He peered into the crispy, butter-drenched slice. Slowly something started to appear out of the burnt bit in the middle of the bread. It was a big black bin shape.

  “He’s hiding in the wheelie bin,” revealed Badger smugly.

  “Thanks Badger, you really are mystical,” said Hamish, turning on his heels to fetch his Big Folk.

  Hamish and his Big Folk approached the upturned sideways wheelie bin. Top Dog was breathing heavily. His eye was still swollen, one ear was still crusted, and his twisted paw still had Badger’s ’Chief tied around it.

  Hamish nuzzled up to him and noticed the scrawny, grey, matted cuddly toy. Before Top Dog had woken fully, Hamish saw that the toy was a unicorn. He snuggled even closer.

  His Big Folk tried to pull him away, but Hamish remained absolutely still and whined. The Big Folk bent down to stroke Top Dog and noticed the cuddly toy:

  “Hey, boy. We used to have a pup called Lucky who had a toy just like this.”

  Top Dog grunted wearily.

  Hamish’s Big Folk scratched behind Top Dog’s unbitten ear, and spotted an unusual marking.

  “He had a marking just like this behind his left ear too,” they said to each other. “Surely it can’t be Lucky? Not after all this time!”

  Top Dog’s tail wagged limply. Was he still dreaming? he wondered, because this was the unmistakable touch, smell and voice of the Big Folk he had lost so long ago.

  Hamish nudged his Big Folk in the back of their legs.

  “Whoa, Hamish. What is it?”

  The Big Folk looked at each other, at Hamish, then at Top Dog.

  “This is Lucky, isn’t it?”

  They smiled and nodded together.

  “Come on then. Time to come home, boy. Let’s get you cleaned up,” they said kindly to Top Dog.

  Hamish jumped up and down in excitement. As he’d just won Pet Idol, everyone was in the mood for good things to happen. He ran around his Big Folk until his lead tangled their legs together. Top Dog looked up at the Big Folk, then looked at Hamish, who winked, and said encouragingly:

  “Come on, follow me! We’ve got a big garden and loads of treats and toys.”

  Top Dog followed Hamish, feeling a mixture of relief and joy. Suddenly he turned from Hamish and his Big Folk and limped back to the wheelie bin. Seconds later, he emerged with his scrawny, grey, matted, cuddly unicorn in his jaws. Hamish wagged his tail and his Big Folk smiled. Then they headed home together.

  The next morning, at about half past elevenses, Badger s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d in his garden, feeling very pleased with himself. He had managed to fly another batch of next door’s well-buttered toast directly into his bowl without being spotted.

  As Badger the Mystical Mutt laid his head on the grass, ready for another busy day of spell practice, he thought: What a Badgical Magical job well done!

  Months later, Top Dog and Hamish sat silhouetted against the winter sky in the dim light of the new moon. Looking out from their kennel, where they liked to chat, Hamish told Top Dog all about his adventures with Badger: the secret sundial, the Wim-Wim for a wowser to wind the weather up on a wet day, Nippy Nimbus, Baby Unicorn and the Crystal Cave.

  Back in Badger’s garden, under the light of the same new moon, Badger was enjoying a midnight feast: a higgledy-piggledy tower of toast glistening with butter.

  All was well.

  Down the lane, Top Dog and Hamish looked up at the sky. Hamish turned to him and said: “Look at the stars. Aren’t they glittering and sparkly?”

  “Oh yes,” agreed Top Dog. “Maybe they’re badgical magical stars. I used to wish upon them all the time. I wished I could have a home as good as this one. You know, Hamish, before I became Top Dog, I was called Lucky, and now I’m starting to believe that I definitely am. Thank you.”

  ALSO PUBLISHED BY THE LUNICORN PRESS

  THE SECOND BOOK IN THE SERIES