Mia’s wings glimmered and shone as she flew through the bright sunlight.
“I can’t forget,” she muttered to herself. “Mom wants me to bring her some … ooh! What’s that?”
Bright green leaves were hanging down from an oak tree nearby. They had huge holes in them, as if something had been eating them.
“Maybe a giant caterpillar ate those leaves!” Mia gasped. Her whiskers were twitching like mad. “Maybe it was Clarissa!”
She swooped down to take a closer look.
The leaves did look just like Clarissa had been chomping them with her greedy munching jaws.
Mia landed on the tree branch and skipped along it. Maybe she would find a real-life Clarissa up here! She searched everywhere, peering under the leaves, but she couldn’t see a giant caterpillar.
I’m just like Archie the Ant! Mia thought with a smile. I’m hunting for Clarissa!
Mia leaped off the branch and flitted between the trees. She had to get home to the burrow right away to tell Grandma the next part of her story. But … wait a minute!
The little Moss Mouse came to a halt. Her mom had asked her to get something. What was it? She thought and thought, but she couldn’t remember. Her head was too full of thoughts about Clarissa and Archie.
“Think, Mia, think!” she squeaked.
I need you to bring me some b …
It was no good. Next, she tried saying it out loud: “I need you to bring me some b…” But, try as she might, she couldn’t remember what it was.
“It’s something beginning with B,” Mia said, scratching her furry head.
The little Moss Mouse looked at the trees and plants that were growing all around her. Then she started to smile. “There must be lots of things in Misty Wood that begin with B,” she said to herself. “If I keep looking for them, I’m bound to remember what it was that Mom wanted.”
She swirled her wings and whizzed off. Before long, she saw a fluffy brown fairy animal with floppy ears and beautiful golden wings hopping along the ground.
“A Bud Bunny!” Mia cried. “That begins with a B!”
She watched the bunny leaping over ferns. Why would her mom want a Bud Bunny? It looked much too bouncy for the inside of Mia’s burrow. And there weren’t any buds there for it to open into flowers, which was the Bud Bunnies’ special job.
“It can’t be a Bud Bunny,” Mia said, shaking her head.
Then she saw a big beech tree with wide branches stretching out like huge arms.
“Oooh—I know!” Mia cried, clapping her little paws together. “A beechwood back scratcher! Mom always has an itchy back.”
But then Mia remembered that her dad had made her mom a beautiful back scratcher from a piece of beechwood only the other day.
“I don’t think Mom would want another back scratcher,” Mia said. “After all, she’s only got one back!”
She flew on through the woods until she saw some water glinting in the sunlight.
“A babbling brook!” Mia squeaked. “Mom would love one of those!”
She glided down and landed softly on the bank of the brook. The water was fresh and clear and made a cheerful gurgling noise as it rushed along.
Mia scampered across the bank. She sat down and leaned over to catch some of the water in her paws.
“Zzzz!”
Mia jumped and nearly tumbled into the brook. Something was buzzing around her head!
“Beeeeee careful,” a buzzy voice said to her. “You don’t want to fall in.” Then it stopped buzzing and landed on the bank in front of Mia. It was a fat, stripy bumblebee!
“Whatever are you doing?” the bee asked.
“I’m trying to catch the water,” Mia told him. “My mom wants me to bring her a babbling brook.”
“Well, that’zzz very strange,” said the bumblebee. “Thizzz brook flowzzz on for milezzz and milezzz. It’zzz much too big to carry home.”
Mia sighed. “Maybe I’ve got it wrong. All I know for sure is that she wants me to get her something beginning with B.”
The bumblebee frowned. “Your mom muzzzt have meant zzzomething elzzze,” he buzzed.
Mia looked at him, and her whiskers started to tremble with excitement. “I know! Maybe Mom asked me to bring her a bumblebee!”
“Oh, I don’t think so,” the bee buzzed, backing away from Mia.
“We’ve got a lovely burrow,” Mia said. “You’d really like it.”
“But I need to be outzide, making lotzz of lovely honey from flower nectar,” he replied with a frown.
“Oh yes.” Mia’s whiskers began to droop. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you. It’s probably not a bumblebee Mom wants after all. I just wish I could remember what it was.”
She sat down on the grass and sniffed. She was feeling very fed up indeed. Her mom would be angry if she didn’t remember!
The bumblebee rubbed his face with his front legs. “Don’t be sad,” he said. “What’z your name?”
Mia looked up at him. “Mia,” she said quietly.
“I’m Buzby,” he said. “Buzby the bumblebee. Look, Mia, there are loadzz of thingzz in Misty Wood beginning with B. I could help you look for them.”
“Oh, thank you, Buzby!” Mia fluttered into the air.
“And just in case it iz a bumblebee she’z after,” Buzby went on, “I’ll come back with you to your burrow when we’ve finished looking. But only for a vizit. How about that?”
“That’s so kind of you, Buzby,” Mia said. She flapped her tiny wings happily. “Let’s go!”