Buffy woke up very early and looked in the box under the bed.
It held miscellaneous clothes that Gordon had taken from thieves and scoundrels, or found in abandoned houses, or bought to use for masquerades and parties, or that police wore in the old days.
First she found a black, floppy hat, a pair of large sunglasses, a false moustache, a torn beggar’s jacket, and a doctor’s white coat. No, none of those would work.
Under a spy cape was a pair of giant ears and a large red mouse nose. Exactly what she needed.
She sat at the desk and wrote on a piece of paper: BUFY DRESSIS UP.
That’s right, Buffy dresses up. She was so pleased she could write. She kissed the piece of paper and patted the letters carefully. And then she stamped it. Kla-dunk!
Her plan was to go out into the forest looking strange, with big ears and a bright red nose. Some scoundrel might pop up. And the scoundrel would laugh and point at her and call her “Big-ears.” And then she would take off the ears and the false nose.
“A-HAA! In the name of the law!” she would say in a deep voice. “Come with me at once to the police station!”
That would surprise the scoundrel. He might even start to cry… But that couldn’t be helped because it’s forbidden to tease. The teaser would be exposed and would learn to be nice. Buffy thought it was a lot of fun being the police.
So she put on the ears and the nose. She looked at herself in the mirror. What a transformation. She giggled a little to herself, but stopped at once. You shouldn’t laugh at funny ears!
Just then the detective woke up.
He looked up and, through the open door, caught sight of a strange and comical creature visiting the police station.
Well, Buffy will take care of the funny visitor, he thought. She’s very good at talking to odd types.
Gordon turned over in bed. He was very tired. Soon he was snoring again.
It was foggy outside. The forest was gray and mysterious. The grass looked weird and ghostly. Buffy shivered because the damp seeped in everywhere. Her whole body was frozen—except for her nose, which was warmed beautifully by the false one on top.
She sat on a tree stump. She heard birds flying by in the fog—the flap of their wings and their hoarse cries. But she couldn’t see anything. It was eerie.
All at once Buffy felt scared. Why had she gone off on her own? The large and confident Detective Gordon could have come too. No, that wouldn’t work! Then the bully wouldn’t dare taunt…
Suddenly she heard a mysterious sound. It rustled around her. It clattered. Was it a bird? Was it a ghost?
Bomba, bomba, bomba, it went.
“Hello, is anyone there?”
No answer.
Now powerful steps could be heard coming closer. And a threatening, thrumming mumble:
Bomba, bomba, here we come!
Bomba, with our sticks we drum!
Argh, how terrible it was. Buffy wished she hadn’t come into this spooky forest.
“Mamma!” she squeaked.
BOMBA, BOMBA!
It was coming even closer. Help!
Buffy couldn’t help it. Fear had seized her. She began to suck her thumb. Slup, slup, slup was the sound of her sucking.
Bomba, on our forest walk
We would rather sing than talk
We’re the kindergarten babies
Bomba, bomba, BOMBA!
Out of the fog came a long line of small children in flowery tops. Baby mice, baby moles, baby squirrels. Each one had a backpack with juice and cakes in it. In their hands they each held a stick.
“Hello, hello, mouse!” The baby animals called and waved.
At the end came a mouse teacher holding a little baby toad by the hand. They stopped.
The baby toad wore a blue cap and was puffing. “We’re going to play with mud and slime on the hill,” he said expectantly. “Bye.”
Buffy kept still, with her thumb in her mouth, and watched them disappear into the fog.
How could she be so afraid of a mysterious bomba bomba when it was only the sound of small animals singing? And how could she have sucked her thumb! She was a police officer.
“Aha!” she heard. “Haha.”
A magpie landed right in front of Buffy. She rustled her wings. She clattered her beak.
Then she strutted around with her head to one side, squinting at Buffy.
“Isn’t this the new police officer out for a walk?” she sniggered. “Dressed up in ridiculous clothes. Hahaha.”
“I am out investigating,” said Buffy seriously.
“Hahaha. And so scared of children she has to suck her thumb. What sort of police do we have? I’ll have to remember this. Must tell the others…”
Then she flew away, laughing scornfully.
Buffy was ashamed. Oh, how stupid she felt. How embarrassing to make such a fool of herself! Now she had a tummy ache.
She wanted to go straight back to the police station. She wanted to go and hide under the bedcovers.
