Mr Badger and the Big Surprise Read online

  Mr

  Badger

  and the

  Big Surprise

  Leigh HOBBS

  First published in 2010

  Copyright © Leigh Hobbs 2010

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or ten per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act.

  Allen & Unwin

  83 Alexander Street

  Crows Nest NSW 2065 Australia

  Phone: (61 2) 8425 0100

  Fax: (61 2) 9906 2218

  Email: [email protected]

  Web: www.allenandunwin.com

  Cataloguing-in-Publication details are available from the

  National Library of Australia www.librariesaustralia.nla.gov.au

  ISBN 978 1 74237 417 8

  Cover and text design by Sandra Nobes

  Set in 15 pt Cochin by Sandra Nobes

  Author photograph by Peter Gray

  This book was printed in July 2010 at McPherson’s Printing Group,

  76 Nelson St, Maryborough, Victoria 3465, Australia.

  www.mcphersonsprinting.com.au

  1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

  For Jack Hobbs

  Contents

  1 Behind the Hedge

  2 The Walk to Work

  3 A Busy Day for Mr Badger

  4 The Guests Arrive

  5 The Big Entrance

  6 Mr Badger Saves the Day

  7 The Birthday Girl’s Big Moment

  8 Goodnight, Mr Badger

  9 Mr Badger’s Secret

  10 Bravo, Mr Badger

  Mr Badger’s house in Mayfair.

  CHAPTER 1

  Behind the Hedge

  Mr Badger lives in Mayfair. However, if you ever find yourself in this part of central London, I wouldn’t bother searching for Mr Badger’s house. People have walked past it every day for years without even noticing it.

  So I shall describe it for you.

  Mr Badger’s house is quite small and has a thatched roof.

  The front door is light blue with a small window and pink-and-cream spotted curtains. On either side of the door are bigger windows which, at night when the inside lights are on, could give the impression that this house has eyes.

  Not that you can see them, because Mr Badger’s house sits behind a thick hedge that hides it from the busy street.

  In the morning, it is usually still dark when Mr Badger leaves for work.

  He takes care to lift the latch of the faded picket gate very quietly, so as not to wake anyone up.

  In the evening, it is almost always dark when he arrives home again with a copy of the afternoon paper tucked under his arm.

  CHAPTER 2

  The Walk to Work

  One morning, not so very long ago, Mr Badger set off for work even earlier than usual.

  Every day was a busy day for Mr Badger but this particular day promised to be busier than most, for it was a rather special day, in more ways than one.

  On his way to work, Mr Badger liked looking at all his favourite places – the interesting old houses, pretty arcades, art galleries and tea shops that could be found in this part of London. He sometimes paused to glance inside the elegantly lit entrance foyers of smart flats and hotels, where just about everyone was still sleeping.

  Not everyone was asleep, though. Other early risers were already at work. Mrs Mopptop, for instance, was busy arranging fresh flowers inside the entrance to Lady Camilla Feather’s very grand home when Mr Badger passed by. As usual, they gave each other a friendly wave.

  As he neared the Empire Tea Shop, Mr Badger looked left and right then crossed the street. He strode up some big stone steps covered with crimson carpet. Large brass doors at the top made a lovely swishing sound as they were pushed open.

  ‘Good morning, Mr Badger!’ said Harry the doorman.

  ‘Good morning to you, Harry,’ said Mr Badger.

  As always, Mr Badger looked absolutely splendid in his pale-blue waistcoat, butter-yellow bow-tie, bright-red tail coat, black pinstriped trousers and very shiny shoes.

  He strolled along the corridor beneath the chandeliers towards his office, his paws in their white gloves tucked behind his back.

  CHAPTER 3

  A Busy Day for Mr Badger

  Mr Badger is the Special Events Manager at the Boubles Grand Hotel (pronounced Boublay). He is in charge of parties, weddings, balls – well, anything really that one might call a special occasion.

  Mr Badger has worked there for years. So did his father, and Grandfather Badger before him.

  On this particular day, Mr Badger had a very important party to organise. It was a birthday party with hundreds of guests, mountains of food, a little orchestra, party games and a giant birthday cake.

  Miss Pims.

  Fortunately he didn’t have to do all the work himself. Mr Badger had a wonderful helper – a personal assistant called Miss Pims. They had worked together for quite a long time.

  Mr Badger and Miss Pims worked well as a team.

  ‘How are we this morning, Miss Pims?’ said Mr Badger.

  ‘Raring to go, Mr Badger,’ replied Miss Pims. ‘We certainly have a big day ahead of us.’

  ‘And don’t I know it,’ said Mr Badger, giving his glasses a careful wipe.

  Sylvia Smothers-Carruthers was the birthday girl, and she was turning seven.

  Her grandparents, Sir Cecil and Lady Celia Smothers-Carruthers, were the owners of the Boubles Grand Hotel. They were hosting the party, and they wanted everything to be perfect for their sweet little Sylvia.

  Sir Cecil and Lady Celia Smothers-Carruthers weren’t just grandparents, they were grand grandparents.

  Sir Cecil and Lady Celia Smothers-Carruthers were rather old and their hearing wasn’t nearly as good as it had been. Nor was their eyesight. That might explain why they often didn’t notice when their dear little Sylvia was not as nicely behaved as they would have liked.

  Sylvia was very fussy. She wanted her seventh birthday to be a party that she and her friends would never forget. Sylvia had no idea that her wish was about to come true.

  Mr Badger and Miss Pims had carefully calculated what would be required for the party: 410 watercress sandwiches, 820 party pies, 512 butterfly cakes with pink-and-yellow icing, five large tubs of chocolate mousse, two tubs of vanilla ice-cream and six large tubs of strawberry sorbet, seven assorted sponge cakes – not counting the giant birthday cake and the layered sponge fingers – plus fourteen huge bowls of strawberry jelly with raspberries and cream, and of course the three dozen pineapple tartlets, which were Sylvia’s personal favourites.

  Sylvia Smothers-Carruthers’ closest 205 friends had been invited to the party.

  Mr Badger knew from past experience what big appetites little children often have.

  Even though Sylvia already had everything money could buy, the invitation had said in great big letters: ‘DO NOT FORGET TO BRING A PRESENT!’ It also said: ‘Do not dress up too much.’

  There was a not-so-secret reason for this, which was that Sylvia was planning to wear her best party frock and didn’t want anyone else to look better than she did.

  This was one of the many reasons why Sylvia was known by quite a few of her 205 friends – no, in fact all of he
r friends – as Sylvia Smartypants.

  CHAPTER 4

  The Guests Arrive

  Mr Badger had worked late for weeks and weeks – planning, checking and re-checking all the party details to ensure that Sylvia’s special day would run smoothly, without any nasty incidents.

  Now, everything was ready in the Boubles Grand Hotel Ballroom.

  The tables were laid and the gleam of silver knives, forks and spoons on the pale-pink tablecloths, together with all the beautiful plates on which was written ‘BOUBLES GRAND HOTEL’, made a truly wonderful spectacle.

  The Boubles Grand Hotel Orchestra had practised ‘Happy Birthday’ twenty-five or maybe even twenty-six times.

  Pretty pink, blue and yellow balloons hovered in the air, and coloured streamers dangled from the ornate ceiling.

  ‘I must say, it looks splendid, doesn’t it!’ whispered Mr Badger to Miss Pims.

  ‘Stunning,’ replied Miss Pims with a little nod and a big grin.

  Mr Badger watched as the guests arrived. They came up the stairs and through the swishing doors at the grand entrance.

  Sylvia’s guests gazed in amazement at the high ceilings held up by pink-and-green marble columns.

  And everyone stopped to look at Algernon, the ancient-looking ape standing in a glass case in the foyer. Algernon had lived to a ripe old age. He had been a close friend of Sir Cecil Smothers-Carruthers, whose family had founded the Boubles Grand Hotel a long time ago. But that’s another story.

  It was beginning to look like the children had ignored one of Sylvia’s important instructions. The girls were all in their finest party frocks, and the boys, too, had gone to a lot of trouble with their appearance.

  Of course this was completely understandable. After all, the party was in the Boubles Grand Hotel Ballroom.

  Every guest was carrying a gift. Some gifts were so large that only a small pair of legs could be seen staggering towards the table set up especially for Sylvia’s birthday presents.

  Soon 205 little guests and nearly as many parents stood excitedly on either side of a long red carpet, ready to welcome in the birthday girl. All eyes were facing the big double doors at the front of the ballroom, through which, very soon, Sylvia Smothers-Carruthers would be making her great big entrance.

  CHAPTER 5

  The Big Entrance

  Part of Mr Badger’s job was to make announcements at special occasions, and Sylvia’s birthday party was definitely one of those.

  He rang a little bell, cleared his throat and waited for silence.

  ‘Ladies, gentlemen and birthday guests all. On behalf of Sir Cecil and Lady Celia Smothers-Carruthers and the Boubles Grand Hotel, I wish to welcome you to the celebration of Sylvia Smothers-Carruthers’ seventh birthday.’

  Mr Badger liked to welcome the hotel guests.

  Mr Badger was good at this sort of thing. He’d learnt a lot about making announcements from his father. Actually, his father had taught him almost everything he knew about the Boubles Grand Hotel and how it worked.

  With a swish and a flourish, in came Sylvia Smothers-Carruthers, escorted by her loving grandparents.

  Sylvia made quite an entrance. She was wearing a very frilly pink dress with lots of bows and feathers.

  Sylvia thought she was special, very special.

  It was obvious by the way she walked that Sylvia thought of herself as a little princess.

  Suddenly there was a crash and a loud bang. All eyes turned to the back of the ballroom. Someone, no doubt momentarily dazzled by the blinding sparkles in Sylvia’s costume, had tripped and knocked over the table laden with Sylvia’s birthday presents.

  Sylvia was furious.

  Of course it was an accident and of course they hadn’t meant it, but that made no difference to Sylvia Smothers-Carruthers.

  As far as she was concerned, her big birthday entrance was ruined.

  Sylvia shrieked and stamped and threw herself on the shiny parquet floor.

  She looked a little – in fact, she looked a lot – like a badly behaved tangle of bright-pink fairy floss.

  Without any fuss, Mr Badger calmly motioned to Miss Pims, and in no time at all everything was back in its place and Sylvia’s presents were once more carefully arranged on the table ready for her to open.

  The party was about to begin.

  CHAPTER 6

  Mr Badger

  Saves the Day

  With a click of his paws, Mr Badger signalled for the orchestra to start playing. Soon the noise of Sylvia’s tantrum was completely drowned out by music, laughter and merry chatter.

  All these happy sounds prompted Mr Badger to look around the room, past the guests, until his eyes caught a reflection – his own – in one of the many ornate mirrors.

  Many years ago he had gazed into that very same mirror, but the reflection back then had been of a much younger, smaller Mr Badger, standing in front of his father.

  Bending down, his father had gently straightened little Mr Badger’s bow-tie and helped him to put on his own pair of crisp, white gloves.

  Then they had stepped back to check their matching uniforms before trotting off to help serve afternoon tea in the Grand Ballroom.

  You see, Mr Badger’s father had been Head Waiter at the Boubles Grand Hotel. Sometimes on weekends, and often at holiday time, he would take his boy to work with him. Young Mr Badger had adored spending time with his father.

  No wonder Mr Badger loved his job. Every part of the hotel was full of happy memories.

  Mr Badger was jolted back to the present by a dreadful commotion.

  Sylvia Smothers-Carruthers had leapt up onto the gift table and was ripping open her presents.

  Not just with her hands. She was using her teeth as well.

  ‘Good heavens, my dear,’ said Lady Celia Smothers-Carruthers. She leant over and gently suggested to Sylvia that it might be nice to read the cards with their thoughtful birthday wishes first.

  Sylvia let out a loud sigh and, curling her lip, proceeded to pretend to read all of the cards at once – most of them upside down or sideways.

  It must be said that Sylvia didn’t look very impressed with her gifts. Rudely, she failed to even try to hide her disappointment.

  Mr Badger was eager for the party to proceed as planned – there was a very full program of games and activities to come. So he quickly removed the mess of paper and ribbons and helped Sylvia down from the table into the arms of her grandparents.

  Luckily the orchestra was ready to strike up the first notes for a lively game of musical chairs.

  Sadly, this wasn’t a great success, for every time the orchestra stopped and there was a mad scramble for the chairs, Sylvia missed out on a seat.

  Many a guest was wrestled to the floor when Sylvia insisted that a seat be hers. Unfortunately Sylvia’s behaviour got worse rather than better as her party progressed. In the end, Mr Badger followed Sylvia around the ballroom with a spare chair.

  CHAPTER 7

  The Birthday Girl’s

  Big Moment

  Now the most thrilling moment of Sylvia’s party had arrived.

  Mr Badger clicked his paws once more. The lights dimmed and, after a loud clang from the cymbals and a blast from two trumpets, Miss Pims wheeled in Sylvia’s splendid big birthday cake, candles ablaze. It was an extravaganza.

  Sylvia had insisted there be a hundred candles on her cake. Not that she was turning a hundred years old, of course – as everyone knew, she was in fact turning seven. But Sylvia had wanted a hundred candles on her cake so that it would look spectacular.

  It certainly did. As well as the candles, there were four layers and nine different types of icing.

  In the near dark, ringed with feathers and sparkles, Sylvia’s face glowed from the light of the candles as the guests sang ‘Happy Birthday’.

  Now it was time for Sylvia to blow out the candles and make a wish. The room was absolutely quiet as she climbed onto a cushion on top of a chair, took a deep breath, and
…and… and…sneezed!

  There was a whoosh of air and a flash of light as a hundred candles went out – all at once. The Boubles Grand Hotel Ballroom was plunged into darkness.

  When the lights came back on, Sylvia’s guests gasped. The birthday girl’s face was covered with black soot from the candles and fairy dust from her fancy frock. Worse still, many of the feathers on Sylvia’s dress had been blown off, and those that hadn’t were sticking out in all directions.

  Sylvia looked a fright.

  Poor Sylvia, her cake was all but destroyed. But Mr Badger knew how important it was for the birthday girl to make a wish, so he sent Miss Pims to the kitchen to collect a spare, not-so-grand cake and thereby saved Sylvia’s special day.

  After she’d made her wish, Sylvia was led away by Miss Pims to be cleaned up.

  The party had been a great success – well, certainly one to remember.

  Sylvia’s guests had all had a wonderful time. And so in fact had Sylvia, for she had managed to stay the centre of attention most of the time.

  Sylvia was looking forward to her eighth birthday party already (and so were her guests). However, her grandparents weren’t quite so keen.

  CHAPTER 8

  Goodnight,

  Mr Badger

  It was late by the time Mr Badger had personally farewelled Sir Cecil and Lady Celia Smothers-Carruthers and little Sylvia. Not forgetting her 205 friends and their parents.