In Which They Meet an Old Bat

"Three jelly babies and a half-eaten Wotsit." Gorden moaned.

"Hah!" said David, "I've not even got the Wotsit".

"What now?" Gorden said, blinking off into the distance.

Out of the woods, from behind the two dejected lads flew and old, toothless bat.

"Hello boys" She cooed, batting her batty eyelids.

"Hello Nora" chorused the two.

"I was wondering, " she said, "If either of you had seen the Seer who passed through here earlier today? He was an unkempt hedgehog-person?

Anyway, " She rambled, "He left his staff behind after breakfast and I'm trying to find someone to take it to him." From behind her left wing she pulled out a sparkling and rod-straight steel-shod twig, just big enough to make do as a quarter-staff for a Hedgehog. Or a rabbit..

"I think we know where he went..." Gorden said. "I can take him the staff!"

His eyes shone with avarice at the gleaming staff.

"Good boy" Said the bat, handing it to him.

He took it in one hand and THUNK it fell out of his hand and hit the floor - it was rather heavier than it looked.

"Make sure he gets it soon!" shouted the bat as she flew off into the forest.

Gorden bent down and tried to lift the staff up. He needed both hands and his full strength to lift it.

"Um, Gord," said David, "We *don't* know where the hedge-piglet went do we? Do we?"

"Nah," Said Gorden, shouldering the staff. "But we *might* run into him, and, who knows, we might give him the staff back."

Gorden strode off as purposefully as he could whilst weighed down by the staff...

David pootled after him.