Mirror Dreams
Animal Madness
Across the top of the gates some letters spelt out Toad Hole. The gates were padlocked shut and ivy crept across them, they looked unused. What is the point in these big gates? There is no wall or fence, Jodie thought. She walked over to one edge of the gates and went around so that she was on the other side, looking through the gates to the little bridge. The stone path carried on past the gates so Jodie, having nowhere else to go, followed it. All the walking seemed to have used up some energy and Jodie was now her normal size. The path ended at a house of what Jodie called ‘normal proportions’. It was two storeys and had large front windows and a big wooden door. A smell of decomposition was emitting from the building and Jodie realised that the whole house was made from a compost heap. She decided to enter anyway and knocked loudly on the door.
It swung open silently and a bored looking badger intoned,
“Welcome to Toad Hole. State your name and business.”
“I'm Jodie, and I guess my business is looking for Sundance,” she replied nervously. The badger beckoned her into the house and shut the door.
“Follow,” he said in a monotone. He led her down the damp passageway to a large hall with a throne at the centre. As she drew closer, Jodie saw that it was just a normal chair painted yellow with some cardboard decorations to make it look more like a throne. A large, human sized toad sat upon it with a cardboard crown on his head. A timid looking mole and water rat stood to the side. The toad was a purple colour with beautiful amber eyes. It looked up with interest as they approached.
“A visitor,” he exclaimed delightedly, “who is it, what do they want. I haven’t seen a new face for years.”
“This is Jodie, she is looking for a sun dance,” said the bored badger.
“A sun dance. Oh that sounds fun. I want one too. Oh do let me have a sun dance.”
“I’m not looking for a sun dance, I'm looking for Sundance,” Jodie tried to correct them.
“Yes...quite,” the toad said sounding confused. Then he brightened, “Show me the sun dance. I wish to learn it to make the sun shine so the flies come swarming and we can feast like we have never feasted.”
The badger, rat and mole looked sick at this thought. Jodie could see there was no way to set the toad straight until it had learnt the sun dance. She thought back to some dances her mother did sometimes and decided she could improvise something suitable.
“Okay, I’ll teach you the sun dance.”
The toad smiled at this,
“Mole, fetch the cushion for my crown. I am going to learn the sun dance, and you are not.”
So Jodie and the toad stood and danced in the middle of the hall with the badger, rat and mole watching. She started off with making some sunrays with her arms, and then waved them from side to side as she jumped up and down. The toad delighted in jumping higher than her. She added in some random phrases to shout as the dance got more complex. They danced on for about half and hour until Jodie decided it had ended. They did a final bow to the sun god and then stopped.
“And how long will it take for it to shine?” asked toad.
“Oh it depends, the sun god may be watching a better dance somewhere else,” Jodie lied.
“A better dance? Then we shall have a drink and do this better dance,” declared toad, “Fetch some wine, rat.”
The water rat brought out a casket of wine and some cups. He poured a cup for Jodie then handed the casket to toad who guzzled it down, licking the inside of the casket with his long flickering tongue. Jodie tried a sip of the wine, it was delicious and she drained the whole cup. She regretted it immediately as her head began to spin and the floor suddenly rose up to meet her. It can’t have gone to my head already, she thought. She saw the giant toad even bigger than before and realised that she had once more shrank to the size of a mouse.
“Where has that girl gone?” asked toad, scanning the room. He spotted her on the floor and his tongue darted out to taste the air.
“I’ve never tried girl and you’re just the right size,” he proclaimed. All the jolliness seemed to have vanished from him as he advanced towards her like a predator stalking his prey. Jodie remembered the Tweedles talking about a toad getting her. Just then a few rays of light spread their way tentatively into the hall. The toad was immediately his jolly self again,
“The sun dance. It worked! Marvellous.”
Jodie took her chance while she could and started running towards the exit but was halted as she bumped into a black velvety thing. The thing bent down and gently picked her up with a small paw; it was the mole, Jodie realised. The mole placed her in its pocket. It was warm and dark and Jodie felt safe and happy.
It swung open silently and a bored looking badger intoned,
“Welcome to Toad Hole. State your name and business.”
“I'm Jodie, and I guess my business is looking for Sundance,” she replied nervously. The badger beckoned her into the house and shut the door.
“Follow,” he said in a monotone. He led her down the damp passageway to a large hall with a throne at the centre. As she drew closer, Jodie saw that it was just a normal chair painted yellow with some cardboard decorations to make it look more like a throne. A large, human sized toad sat upon it with a cardboard crown on his head. A timid looking mole and water rat stood to the side. The toad was a purple colour with beautiful amber eyes. It looked up with interest as they approached.
“A visitor,” he exclaimed delightedly, “who is it, what do they want. I haven’t seen a new face for years.”
“This is Jodie, she is looking for a sun dance,” said the bored badger.
“A sun dance. Oh that sounds fun. I want one too. Oh do let me have a sun dance.”
“I’m not looking for a sun dance, I'm looking for Sundance,” Jodie tried to correct them.
“Yes...quite,” the toad said sounding confused. Then he brightened, “Show me the sun dance. I wish to learn it to make the sun shine so the flies come swarming and we can feast like we have never feasted.”
The badger, rat and mole looked sick at this thought. Jodie could see there was no way to set the toad straight until it had learnt the sun dance. She thought back to some dances her mother did sometimes and decided she could improvise something suitable.
“Okay, I’ll teach you the sun dance.”
The toad smiled at this,
“Mole, fetch the cushion for my crown. I am going to learn the sun dance, and you are not.”
So Jodie and the toad stood and danced in the middle of the hall with the badger, rat and mole watching. She started off with making some sunrays with her arms, and then waved them from side to side as she jumped up and down. The toad delighted in jumping higher than her. She added in some random phrases to shout as the dance got more complex. They danced on for about half and hour until Jodie decided it had ended. They did a final bow to the sun god and then stopped.
“And how long will it take for it to shine?” asked toad.
“Oh it depends, the sun god may be watching a better dance somewhere else,” Jodie lied.
“A better dance? Then we shall have a drink and do this better dance,” declared toad, “Fetch some wine, rat.”
The water rat brought out a casket of wine and some cups. He poured a cup for Jodie then handed the casket to toad who guzzled it down, licking the inside of the casket with his long flickering tongue. Jodie tried a sip of the wine, it was delicious and she drained the whole cup. She regretted it immediately as her head began to spin and the floor suddenly rose up to meet her. It can’t have gone to my head already, she thought. She saw the giant toad even bigger than before and realised that she had once more shrank to the size of a mouse.
“Where has that girl gone?” asked toad, scanning the room. He spotted her on the floor and his tongue darted out to taste the air.
“I’ve never tried girl and you’re just the right size,” he proclaimed. All the jolliness seemed to have vanished from him as he advanced towards her like a predator stalking his prey. Jodie remembered the Tweedles talking about a toad getting her. Just then a few rays of light spread their way tentatively into the hall. The toad was immediately his jolly self again,
“The sun dance. It worked! Marvellous.”
Jodie took her chance while she could and started running towards the exit but was halted as she bumped into a black velvety thing. The thing bent down and gently picked her up with a small paw; it was the mole, Jodie realised. The mole placed her in its pocket. It was warm and dark and Jodie felt safe and happy.