The Clockwork Mouse and the Bird
The Clockwork Mouse and the Bird
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In the toy – cupboard lived a clockwork mouse and a pecking-bird. The clockwork mouse was a dear little thing, and ran all over the floor when he was wound up. But the pecking-bird was a tiresome nuisance.
He was supposed to peck up crumbs from the floor, but instead of that he pecked the other toys! He thought it was very funny to do that.
He used to get the old red duck to wind him up and then off he would go, peck-peck-peck, nipping the teddy-bear, pecking the curly-haired doll and jabbing the railway train.
One day he pecked the clockwork mouse and nipped a big piece of fur from his back. It left a bare patch, and the mouse was cross.
'What do you think you're doing?' he cried angrily. 'Leave me alone! See what a nasty bald place you have given me! You are a great nuisance!'
The pecking-bird laughed, and nipped the little mouse again. Peck! Another bit of fur flew off, and the mouse squeaked in pain. Peck! This time the pecking-bird nipped at the mouse's key and it flew out of his side. The pecking-bird ran after the key, pecked at it, and swallowed it!
Now whatever do you think of that? Wasn't that a dreadful thing to do? The toys all stared at the pecking-bird in horror, because, as you can guess, it is a terrible thing to lose your key if you happen to be clockwork. It means you don't work anymore – you can't move, or walk, or run, or peck, or whatever it is you do when you are wound up.
'Where's my key?' squealed the clockwork mouse in excitement. 'Where is it? Give it back to me, you wicked pecking-bird!'
'I can't,' said the pecking-bird, pleased. 'It's inside me!'
The teddy-bear thumped the pecking-bird on his back, hoping to make him choke and cough up the key. But it only gave him hiccups, and the key stayed inside him.
The little mouse wept so many tears that his feet were wet with standing in the tear-puddle he made. The toys were very, very sorry for him, and very angry with the unkind pecking-bird. But they really didn't know what to do, because they were all half afraid of the pecking-bird.
Then the brown toy dog had a wonderful idea. He called the toys into a corner and whispered to them.
'Have you ever noticed,' he said, 'that the key of the pecking-bird always looked just the same as the key of the clockwork mouse? Suppose, just suppose, that the bird's key fits the mouse? Wouldn't that be grand? Then we could give the mouse the key and the pecking-bird wouldn't have one – except inside him, where it wouldn't be any use!'
'Ooh!' said all the toys, in delight. 'We'll wait till the pecking-bird is asleep and then we'll slip his key out of him and try it in the clockwork mouse!'
So when the pecking-bird stood fast asleep in a corner the teddy-bear crept up to him and carefully pulled out his key. Then he hurried up to the waiting clockwork mouse.
It fitted! Yes, it really did! Quickly the bear wound up the mouse and the little creature ran merrily over the nursery floor. The pecking-bird heard him and work up.
He stared in astonishment at the mouse. Then he called to his friend, the red duck. 'Duck, come and wind me up quickly! I'm going to peck that noisy mouse! How dare he get another key!'
The duck wadded up. She looked first this side of the pecking-bird and then the other.
'I don't see your key,' she said, puzzled.
'Don't be silly!' said the bird impatiently.
'Are you blind? Look closer and you'll see it sticking out.'
'Indeed, I see nothing but a hole where it went,' said the red duck.
Then the pecking-bird became anxious and looked himself – and to his great dismay he saw that his key was indeed gone.
'Where's my key?' he screamed.
'I've got it, I've got it!' squeaked the mouse in delight and ran right up to the pecking-bird to show him.
'You thief!' cried the pecking-bird, trying to peck. But of course he couldn't move his head at all.
He wasn't wound up.
'No more thief than you are!' answered the mouse. 'You took my key, and I've got yours.
Fair exchange is no robbery, you know! Ho, ho, what a joke! You've got my key inside you and you can't use it!'
'It serves you right!' said the teddy-bear. 'You were always unkind, pecking-bird, and now you can't be horrid any more. If you hadn't taken the mouse's key this would never have happened. You can just stand in your corner now and be forgotten.'
So there stands the pecking-bird in his corner, never moving. But they do say that every now and again the kind-hearted little clockwork mouse takes out his key and puts it into the pecking-bird. Then for a little time the bird comes to life again – but he is not allowed to keep the key for long! No – the toys don't trust him, and I don't blame them, do you?
