12 The swamp

CHAPTER TWELVE The swamp Ted was giddy with excitement. The Grimwood Players would be meeting soon for a final dress rehearsal before the Big Show later that night. 'You're going to come and watch me, aren't you, sis?' he said, bouncing up and down in the den. Nancy drained the last of her coffee. 'Yeah,' she grunted. 'Got nothing better to do, have I?' He ran over to her and flung his arms around her middle. 'Wish me luck, Nance!' 'Break a paw, kid,' she said and gently ruffled the fur between his ears. After Ted had gone for rehearsals, Nancy went to her side of the den and removed the blanket she had thrown over the mysterious paw prints. She hadn't told Ted about her discovery. She ripped out a blank sheet of paper from his notebook and found half a crayon. She traced the paw prints onto the paper. Then she ripped Princess Buttons' tail from the wall and stuffed it into her jacket pocket. It

suddenly felt risky leaving it just hanging on the wall, and something in Nancy's gut was telling her that trouble was around the corner… No, it's not trouble, actually, it's just me, your friend and neighbour Eric B. Dynamite. Back at the rehearsal, Willow was talking to Ted about

the special dance they were to perform at the very end of the Big Show. 'You'll be fine,' she assured him. 'Just do everything I do but backwards.' ,They were practising their dance moves at the side of the stage, while various backstage crew hurried about with spotlights and microphones. Ingrid's assistant, Tamara, was wearing sunglasses and shaking uncontrollably. There had been an awful lot for her to organize. Some rabbits had permanently vanished during the magic act. Emo Omar said he was 'too emotional' to recite any of his poetry. The badgers, meanwhile, were practising their singing, which was so terrible that even the nearby flowers started crying. 'It's going to be a disaster!' wailed Tamara. 'You two kids better not let me down.'

Willow gave a salute. 'I promise we will be fabulous,' she said. 'Ted and I have been practising every day.' Tamara waddled away, muttering to herself. Ted suddenly looked terrified. 'Willow… what if I'm rubbish?' he said. But Willow just shrugged. 'Let's have fun dancing around and don't worry about anything else. Something crazy always happens. Last year someone set fire to a squirrel. Is your sister coming?' 'Oh yes, she said she would,' beamed Ted. 'Really?' said Willow. 'I thought this kind of thing would be too cheerful for someone as miserable as her.' Ted frowned. 'She just misses her mates and the Big City, I think,' he said. 'Maybe if… maybe if some people were a bit nicer to her, she wouldn't be so grumpy.' 'By "some people" do you mean me?' asked Willow. 'Yes.' Ted grinned. 'Please could you try? I think you and Nancy actually have a lot in common.' Willow frowned and stomped off for a coffee break, which proved Ted's point entirely.

When Nancy arrived at Titus's caravan, she found him wrapped in a tatty red dressing gown, rolling about on the floor. 'What are you doing?' she asked. 'Oh! Hello there. Just ironing my mayoral robe!' said Titus, slowly getting up and dusting himself down. Nancy took the sheet of paper out of her pocket. 'Who do these paw prints belong to?' she asked. Titus trotted over to take a closer look. 'Hmm… they don't ring any bells. Where are they from?' 'I found them in the den. Painted onto a lump of stone.' 'Well, they belong to a pair of foxes, I'd say,' he said. 'You've been in Grimwood forever. You must know whose they are!' said Nancy. Titus shrugged. 'There are many creatures in Grimwood who I know, and many that I don't. And there are some who I may have simply forgotten all about.' Nancy growled and shoved the paper back in her pocket. 'Who do you want those paw prints to belong to, young Nancy?' asked Titus gently.

Nancy looked at the floor. 'I can't remember them,' she said slowly. 'Who?' 'My parents. I can't remember them.' Titus and Nancy sat in silence for some time. 'Well. That's a diffcult thing for young shoulders to carry,' said Titus eventually. 'But you carry it very well, Nancy. I don't know who your parents were or where they are now. But I know they taught you well. They would be very proud of how you look after your brother.' Nancy wrapped her tail around herself and sighed. 'I don't know why, but I've just got this feeling,' she said. 'It feels like they're near me. I didn't have this feeling in the Big City, but I've got it here.' Titus smiled. 'Young Ted has certainly made himself at home, hasn't he? Does he miss the Big City too?' 'I dunno. Not really.' 'Did he have many friends there?' asked Titus.