Peepuls O The Hedge
by Caroline Mackie
Genre: Children
Swearwords: None.
Description: All these new peepuls! What to do? Welcome them and then go find a new hedge and start new peepulives there. Peepuls know how to treat refugees!
Swearwords: None.
Description: All these new peepuls! What to do? Welcome them and then go find a new hedge and start new peepulives there. Peepuls know how to treat refugees!
Chapter 1
It had all got very crowded in the hedgerow. New peepuls seemed to be arriving from afar, every sunny. What could be the reason? There had been fights breaking out in the marketplace next to the elderberry bush and the hill of leaves where the hedgehog slept was being royally trampled over by all sorts of strange peepuls. Peepultoon Pond (what you and me would call a puddle) was very low because of the amount of splashing going on, when yet another wee peepul was thrown into it against his will (fully clothed, I might add). What in Peepultoon was going on?
The Provost of Peepultoon wanted to call a public meeting. ‘I want to call a public meeting… about all this stramash!’ quoth he, and he did just that. The usual place in front of the Holly bush was jam-pack-fu, and there was shoving and poking and ‘pit doon that brolly there!’ from all corners until, up jumped the Provost onto a handy piece of pottery that had found its way under the hedge.
“Peepul o the hedge” he cried above the tumult. “Gies yer lugs a wee!”
Now, in Peepulish, this means, ‘Lend me your ears’, which in turn means, ‘listen to me!’ The folks from Peepultoon all speak like this so, in order not to continually have to translate for you, we’ll just put it all in English (mostly). Do pay attention, though, because there are sure to be wee Peepulish words that you use too. You might want to write them down, make a wee list?
Anyway…
“Gies yer lugs a wee!” cried Provost Flittyhoose. “Hey you, pey attenshin!” Peepuls are not the most polite of those that live in the hedgerow (witness the shoving and poking in the crowd), but then again they’re not as bad as spuggies, who are pretty rude, believe you me. In case you didn’t know, a spug is ‘house sparrow’, in Scots (and Peepulish).
All the peepuls jostled to hear what the Provost was saying and the very jostling was making everyone aware just how crowded things seemed to be these sunnies.
“As ye kin a see, it’s awfy crowded in Peepultoon the noo,” continued Provost Flittyhoose in his most important voice (used mainly for bossing peepuls about but that’s neither here nor there). “Is there onybuddy that kin explain tae me, yer very own Provost, jist whit the hedge is goin on here-aboots?”
A faint voice sounded from right at the back of the crowd. Gradually a path opened from the speaker to the broken pot Provost Flittyhoose was standing on, as the stranger elbowed his way through the peepuls. “Aye, ah kin tell ye aw aboot it, but ye’re no gonnae like it!” said the newcomer as he approached.
Chapter 2
“AN WHAE MIGHT YOU BE?” asked the Provost, still using the baby snail-shell he had by way of a megaphone. “Oh, sorry, a mean… whae’re you?”
“Tell um Binky! Aye, tell um aw wur trubbles!” came more cries from the back.
“Aye-Aye, a’m gonnae! Gies a chance!” said Binky (as was indeed his name).
“They cry me Binky Brownleaf “ (see?) “an a’m frae a hedge that’s at least four starries an three cloudies awa frae here,” commenced Binky. “A’m here wi lots o ither peepuls frae ma hedge, cried Peepulopolis…” saying this, he stifled a sob, then continued… “an… well, we hope we kin aw jist live here frae noo on acause… oor hedge is… weel, it’s gaaauuun!” At this, Binky sat down with a thump and roared his head off, crying like a baby.
“Gaun? But wh-whit the blazin branch kin ye mean ‘gone’?” blustered the Provost. All the other peepuls in the crowd (except for Binky’s friends) were looking from Binky to the Provost, to their partner, to the strangers in the crowd and back to poor Binky, who’d been handed a beautifully woven spider-web hanky by now. The peepuls were sometimes rude, but they weren’t unkind.
Binky blew his nose and continued.
“Jist whit ah’m sayin. Gaun! Therra big, hard, stane wa there noo, an aw oor lovely trees an bushes, an the hedge… gaun!” Here, he let out a heart-rending wail and he was promptly joined by his companions who had by now all come to the front of the crowd with their bundles of possessions in wee carties made of twigs and willow baskets and the likes.
“Wis need help, wis huvnae a hame tae go tae!”
“Help his… kin ye no?”
The cries were indeed pretty peepully pitiful.
“But tell his noo, whit happen, ma pair lad!” said the Provost (as did lots of other frightened peepuls). So poor Binky related their story, regularly interjected by cries and sobs from his home-hedge peepuls.
“It wis aboot 14 starries ago noo, when it a stertit,” told Binky. “We were grand, nae bother, when aw on a sudden, the peepuls frae the faur end, up bi the oaks, sterted croodin his aw up at this end, bi the rowans… saying there were big noisy hings that hid come and tore up their trees… “
At this, there was a roar from the crowd… “Tore up… the trees?! Naaawwwww!”
“Aye! But that wis the least o it aw! We’d been cooering’ thegither up oor eind an it jist goat mair an mair croodit acause the noisy hings wir comin closer ivery sunny! An diggin up… DIGGIN UP! (woaaah, waaaah! went the cry) the hale hedge as they come. Various faimilies were tellin aboot their walnuts being tossed aside like in a whirlywind, an aw their eiks en ens wi’ thum. They’d barely escaped wi their lives! So faur we’ve ainly lost auld Shoogly… he jist didnae run fast enough, pair auld Shoogly… but as they come closer an closer, we knew we aw hud tae jist up an move. Git ootae there! So we headed fur Peepultoon Hedge acause we thought mibbes we’d be safe here. It took us sae long tae reach you peepuls acause we’re cairryin aw we huv left on this world, but ah’m jist no sae sure noo that we did the right thing! Waaaaaah!!”
Poor Binky was really upset, as were his wee mates (well, they were the whole of Peepulopolis… except for old Shoogly… and they were of course devastated) but the peepuls of Peepultoon were even more worried since hearing about this disaster.
Chapter 3
“Calm doon noo, calm doon aw yous peepuls!” shouted the provost through his snailaphone.
“Well, it’s plain as the spots on a ladybird - at least, it is tae me…” he continued “that we need tae help wur ain peepuls, wherever they come frae. Shout ‘Aye’ if yous agree!”
And the roar went up ‘Aaaayyyye!!’ which was music to the ears of the peepuls of Peepulopolis, as you can imagine.
“When the noisies take it into their big fat heids tae rip up oor hedgerows, there’s nae a hedge o a lot that we, as peepuls, kin dae aboot it. But we shouldnae be aw that worrit aboot oor hedge I shouldnae think? It hus efter aw, been here fur nigh on fower hunnert eer!”
“Yeaaah!” and “Hooraaaay fur oor hedge!” and ‘We arra peepuls!!!” resounded around him, until one of Binky’s companions (old, bent, leaning on a daisy stem and with an acorn for a hat) then piped up, “But oor hedge was fower hunnert eer auld tae by the way. An a kin min when it wis jist a wee, newly plantit ane! So dinnae be quite sae sure eh?”
You see, the noisies had just plain demolished the beautiful old hedgerow, without a thought for all the little birds, animals, insects and peepuls living in them! Sure, the animals and birds and insects, could run off, and fly off, and scurry off but well… peepuls are just such… wee peepuls! And when you’ve lived like one of the peepuls in a wonderful old hedgerow for a long, long time, you get to thinking you’ll never have to live anywhere else. Until one day… bam! You’re lovely hedge is gone and the noisies have been and gone and built a big hard stone wall… lots of walls… and pipes and big wires and, oh just more walls… right where your hedge used to be! Basically, they’d gone and built houses where there had never been houses before. But peepuls know nothing about that sort of thing and don’t get a say either!
And now the peepuls in Peepultoon were having a bit of a moral dilemma because well… where were they going to fit all the peepuls from Peepulopolis!? And the peepuls that made the shoes for the peepuls in Peepultoon were at first thinking ‘ooh, lots o new fits needin shin’, but then they thought ‘aw, naw… mare cobblers in toon!’ And the baxsters thought the same, and thon Mrs. Pinkietaes that makes the cute wee dresses for all the wee peepuls at Peepultoon primary school, thought the same too. And to be honest, there weren’t many peepuls in Peepultoon that starry, who weren’t just a wee bitty worried about their livelihoods. It’s understandable really (if perhaps a wee bitty short-sighted).
But Provost Flittyhoose hadn’t been voted in for being brainless. On the contrary, he was a smart wee cookie. And he had a plan…
Chapter 4
Without further much of an ado, the Peepultoon peepuls opened their doors (and their hearts) to the peepuls from Peepulopolis. They couldn’t after all just leave them out under the leaf litter from the hedge. They meant it when they cried ‘We arra peepuls!’
That starry, there wasn’t one peepul sleeping outdoors. Now, this doesn’t happen everywhere. There are lots of places where folks have fled for their lives from dangerous situations and the places they get to are not nearly as hospitable. This amount of hospitality is a wonderful example of how it should be, and so it was, among peepuls. There’s no denying, it was a bit tight, but all were under cosy covers in Shell Street, Carrotty Row, Spuggy Lane and all the peepuls’ streets and lanes off the main drag and the marketplace next to the Elderberry bush. The hedgehog in his pile of leaves was left in peace again, although not without a good grumble from his direction, and the mud in Peepultoon Pond was already settling.
But Provost Flittyhoose knew all this peepully love couldn’t last. Things really were tight! So he had immediately started to put his plan into action. And his plan was this. A whole new hedge! To be populated by some adventurous peepuls. He was planning on calling it Peepulville… it sounded all posh to him so he knew the other peepuls would go for it, but deep in his heart he hoped they’d all love his plan so much they’d call it Flittyhooseville. There would be incentives to encourage lots of peepuls to sign up to move there and build it up from scratch. He wasn’t quite sure yet what those incentives would be but… there would be incentives!
Now, it’s all very well having ‘plans’ but you need support, peepuls at your back, folks ready to fund things, contribute… help, basically! So the first step was to get some nice posters put up all along the hedge, high and low, calling for those adventurous peepuls to come forward for ‘An exciting new venture’ and ‘Move to a NEW HEDGE’.
The fact that Provost Flittyhoose didn’t actually currently know where this fabulous new hedge was to be found, was but a minor matter. He had every faith that there was one out there, just waiting to be populated by new peepuls. The peepuls after all ‘made’ a hedge. They kept it tidy and growing nicely. Although of course the noisies did their bit, your best hedges are always those with a population of peepuls. All peepuls knew this. Basically, if you see a tidy hedgerow on your wanderings, you can just be sure there are tiny wee peepuls in there, peepulling about, doing what they do best. “Yer welkum!” they’d say.
Well! Those posters brought about a veritable stramash in the Peepultoon hedge! Flittyhoose had forgotten to mention the fact that there was actually no such place as yet, so it rather read like a paradise that you’d be silly not to want to go to, and there were ‘incentives’ to come and it all sounded just so lovely…
“An’ they pey ye tae go! At’s fur me!”
“No’ if a get there afore ye lad!”
Oh the excitement.
Chapter 5
Flittyhoose was a tad perturbed at this turn of events as he’d really only expected it to be mainly those from Peepulopolis that would apply, but then he figured it would all be for the good of the ‘cause’.
“The mair the merrier,” quoth he. “Better bi faur tae huv loads wantin tae go, than naeb’dy!” he consoled himself and those around him that were actually tasked with the work involved – like for instance taking down the names of all those peepuls applying.
It was perhaps a daft way of doing things but really, it worked out well and it meant that before a week was out, there was a long list of names ‘showing interest’ at least. This could only be helpful for putting his plans to those Peepultoonians and Peepulopolites who had the means to bring Flittyhoose’s plans to fruition. He’d soon be able to say, “Check it oot! ‘Er’s LOADS packin thir bags as we spik! Peepuls o aa ages an aa kinds o profeshins tae. There’s spiderweb spinners, cookies, baksters, baskit wevars, washywummins, cobblers and leaf-scaffies. Er’s ev’n a coupla artists in the mix there, an they eywis brighten Peepultoon up wi’ their fancyschmancy stachoos an paintins. It’s practipeepully a whole population for a new hedgerow, right there!”
Here, he pointed to the pile of leaves that each held the written application of the many peepuls all ready to head off at ‘the next starry to follow a sunshiny-peepulday’. No self-respecting peepuls go anywhere on a rainydrop-peepulday, or evening – too dangerous really, I’m sure you can imagine. Starries and cloudies are the only times to travel. (Basically, as long as it’s dark and dry.)
All the high-heid-yins among the Peepultoonians had to agree it was looking very positive, but Flittyhoose still had to convince them on where exactly they should head for. Peepulopolis was (had been!) northeast of Peepultoon so there would be no peepuls heading in that direction, but the rest of the compass was wide open. Flittyhoose had given it some thought already and suggested that going in the complete opposite direction of Peepulopolis seemed like a good idea… more or less a straight continuation of where they’d come from, (and as if they’d not only by good chance actually found Peepultoon on the way). Who knows, maybe they’d find another hedge full of peepuls?
So this was put to the vote among the high-heid-yins, who mostly voted AYE (and peepulocracy dictates that the majority wins), and then the suggestion was made to fluff the plan out a bit before telling all the applicants where it was they’d be heading and well, by the time all this had been discussed, agreed upon and written up and agreed some more… it was 21 starries later already!
Peepultoonians’ hospitality had begun to wane as time went by so by the time Flittyhoose finally had a decent plan ready to present to the peepuls, it was very, very welcome. Even more peepuls were ready and willing to head off into the unknown to find (and found) a new hedgerow full of peepuls, to be called Peepulville (Flittyhoose was disappointed but nobody suggested any other name for it).
Binky Brownleaf, fit and strong again and ready to lead his peepuls, was very much involved in the preparations to leave Peepultoon for the southwest. “Er’s boond tae be a decent hedgerow wi’in at least a few starries. The noisies used to be better at plantin thum an they’ll shurely no dig thum aw up tae build wa’s – whit wid be the point o that eh? So onywae, we’ll keep the faith an head aff at the next starrie efter the next sunshiny-peepulday. Ye’s up fur it peepuls?” he shouted across the crowd that had gathered around.
“Aaayyye!” went up the cry. “Mon ra peepuls!”
Now, if you think about it, it was really an enormous adventure they were all going on. After all, peepuls aren’t so big, and it had taken Binky and his peepuls four starries and three cloudies to get from Peepulopolis to Peepultoon already, and that was (more or less) knowing that it was there! It took your average Peepultoonian at least a full starry to get from one end of Peepultoon to the other, and that was using beetle-taxi! How would they fare? How would those left behind ever find out? Would they every find out?
Chapter 6
This was it! They were off! It was a lovely clear starry, it hadn’t rainydropped for ages already and everybody was in their wee carties pulled by beetles or pushing their own wee wheelbarrows, all loaded up with as much as they could take with them for starting up a new home, in a new hedge. The peepuls staying right where they were, were happy that those leaving were finally actually going!
The supplies trains were long ones and needed eight ants for every load but they were finally all walking well together (the train drivers were bossy little peepuls but nice to their ants) and everypeepul stood on higher branches at the southwestern edge of the Peepultoon hedge to wave them all off for as long as they possibly could. The fireflies helping light the way could be seen for a long time, and the younger Peepultoonians that were staying behind in Peepultoon were loath to leave their perches until they were quite out of sight.
The singing and cheering had died down after the last adventurer had passed the edge of Peepultoon hedge and gradually, as the light from the fireflies faded into the distance, all the wee peepuls turned away and headed back to their own walnut shells in the base of the hedgerow. There was a lot of wild dreams and scary nightmares amongst all the peepuls left behind that starry, but mostly… mostly… folks just sighed and wondered how their friends would fare.
It’s no easy thing to up sticks and move to a whole new part of the world. Some peepuls like it, and do it just for the fun of it, but there are lots of peepuls out there who are forced into it. Peepuls who would otherwise never move, because they’re perfectly happy where they are, but circumstances – like big noisies coming and virtually blowing away their homes – means they have to take steps to look after themselves and their families and just take off. Sometimes, you at least get to take your belongings with you. Other times, you have to leave everything you ever owned, and all you ever loved, behind you and just take off, and hope you’ll be safe in a new hedge with new peepuls.
For our adventurous peepuls looking out for a new hedge, it was a bit in-betweeny. Some had indeed had to quickly escape the noisies with not much more than they could carry in a hurry. But they’d had a few weeks to recoup themselves in Peepultoon and some of them had even chosen to stay there. Others of course wanted to move further on, and some Peepultoonians had joined the Peepulopolites and were all headed off together to ‘Peepulville’ (and never mind about Flittyhoose’s daft idea).
Those with not much to carry, helped those carrying perhaps a bit too much. Those who couldn’t at first afford to leave Peepultoon, were given help from the Peepultoon Toon Cooncil (the incentive), but only when strictly necessary. Some whole families took advantage of the chance to start anew and it was all very exciting now for the intrepid wee peepuls.
They were out on the road and indeed they’d been travelling for ages already and folks were getting tired. Now, as mentioned above, you have to remember how small the peepuls are and how far say… half a mile… would seem to you if you were so small you lived in a walnut shell (or maybe 2 or 3 if you knocked them through together). Pretty far I think? And the peepuls knew from earlier expeditions ‘abroad’ that the first hedgerow that might… just might... be suitable was at the very least, a mile and a half away. So work it out. It was going to take quite a few starries and cloudies to get there, not counting the rainydropdays that may or may not occur when no advance would be made and just shelter as best they could. They had to manage it before their travel supplies ran out entirely… although of course the odd berry or root or bit of green vegetable could be harvested on the road - they were nothing if not versatile, oor wee peepuls.
Binky Brownleaf, having been voted in as leader of the whole shebang (as I’m sure you had expected) was very strict in his rationing because nobody really knew how long it would take them all to reach their final destination – wherever that was. He was also good at making everyone rest at the right time, and hide well during the sunny. He rode up and down the whole trail (on a spare ant), encouraging slow-coaches and patting the ants now and then to cheer them up… theirs was indeed a hard job, pulling everything over the bumps and lumps along the way. Remember, furrows in fields are like hills and valleys to peepuls.
The whole group would start up as soon as the stars came out (even when they couldn’t see them for clouds) and they trudged on and on, starry after starry. If it had rained one starry, they’d hopefully manage to travel the next cloudy if the rain stayed off.
It was a hard slog, to be honest. There were the usual stubbed toes to be taken care of, the coughs and colds, the headaches and the tummy-aches… but most of the peepuls were fairly fit. Even then, it was quite hard for them all so at the start of the 9th starry when the lookout peepul came racing back on a beetle to say he’d seen the hedgerow ‘…only jist ower that next rise…’ Oh, well you can imagine the cheer that went up.
Binky heaved a huge sigh of relief. He’d brought his peepuls right to Peepultoon, but he’d known then that ‘it was this way’. Trying to find the new Peepulville, just hoping the stories of a hedgerow in this direction were true was… well frankly, it had been a gamble. But now here it was… right enough… Phew!
Chapter 7
Binky decided right there on the spot that they needed to camp where they were, until he and a couple of others had checked things out ahead. He left everyone to settle themselves for the starry (or rather, the following sunny), and he and his deputies cautiously headed up the rise to peer over. His biggest worry was that this new territory was already occupied, with no room for newcomers. He figured that not all peepuls would necessarily be as welcoming as those in Peepultoon had been. How they’d reacted, how they’d helped (and indeed how many had now joined him to found Peepulville) had been heart-warming, but there had been no guarantee of it when they left Peepulopolis and there certainly wasn’t one now.
By the time Binky’s party had topped the rise, the sun was coming up. It had been a heavy slog to get there and Binky really needed good news but he needn’t have worried because it was just the loveliest sight to behold. The sun’s early morning rays tinted the leaves of an enormous, miles-long hedge in the gully before them. The dew reflected gold and silver sparkles all along the row as the morning haar dispersed before their eyes. The ancient hedge disappeared into the distance, both left and right of where they stood looking down from the ridge.
Just seeing it all laid out before them, rich and healthy looking, with very obvious room for newcomers… well, Binky could hardly hold back the tears. The slope down was a wild flower meadow with lots of rabbits looking perfectly at ease out in the open. Trees on a hillock formed the roof of their warren with their roots, and the abundant food was obvious from the numerous baby bunnies jumping all around. The magnificent hedge bordered crop fields on the other side and led off into a deep, covered path. The presence of farmland nearby could only be good… the noisies were not likely to dig this hedge up any time soon. It was all good!
Binky and his mates did a wee jig and hugged one another in happiness before turning back towards where they’d left the others. They couldn’t wait to tell everyone they’d definitely and finally, found what was to become Peepulville so, travelling during the sunny was the least they could do.
As they hopped, skipped, jumped and ran whooping back to the others, a cold sea haar came down over them, soaking them in its drizzle but only barely dampening their spirits and helping to hide them from any predators. This meant they were also not far from the coast, and the wild seas of the tales they’d all been told when only just wee peepulkins – something else to cheer about.
There was a cheery welcome for them too as lookouts had spied them from afar and had arranged a nice cuppa nettle broth and dry clothes in front of a sheltered fire in time for their arrival. Everyone gathered round and the scouts each told bits of their wee story, culminating in Binky’s grand announcement that Peepulville was about to become a fact and they should all be ready to head off, first thing the next starry. They each took the time to write a wee leafletter ‘home’ and a small group of brave messengers (with a good sense of direction) headed back to Peepultoon to tell the good news, carrying all the leafletters with them. Those messengers would return with supplies plus any new folks wanting to join the new Peepulvillians and would indeed forever be revered for their boldness – boldly going back over the way that no peepul had ever gone before (until they just had) and back again! In fact, the next Peepul’s Sports Day, it was introduced as a peepulthon and the first to complete the race from Peepulville to Peepultoon and back in the fastest (ever faster!) time, would forever be considered heroes.
At the following starrise, everyone was ready to leave after a hurried ‘breakfast’ of cold porridge (no time to light fires). Carts were loaded up, packs shouldered and baby peepulkins strapped on, ready for the final march up over that rise and down into their new hedge. What a day it was to be!
Chapter 8
It didn’t take too long really before the first shout went up… ‘A kin see it, a kin see it!’ and pretty soon, the whole clan of New Peepulvillians were clamouring and nudging one another to get a good view. And what a view it was. Of course it was dark now, Peepuls only travel in the dark (or under cloud) remember, but the huge bank of hedge shone out in the light of the moon, full that night, as if right on cue to light up the promised land.
‘Peepuls! Stey calm noo,’ shouted Binky, because not a few were partying like it was Hogmanay already and leaping about with elderberry wine bottles half-emptied. ‘Noo we need tae jist heed on intae the hedge in an orderly manner, nice two-bi-twos if ye please. There are boond to be other inhabitants, and mony winnae be familiar wi peepuls and we dinnae want tae mak a bad furst impreshin.’
Such a sensible wee Binky it is! It’s always a good idea to make at least a good first impression because lots of folks (birds and insects too) find it hard to change their mind (or their opinion) once it’s made up. Of course, it’s then a good idea if you confirm that impression by not changing your manners too much. It’s not the idea to be fooling anyone, after all. Just to impress them with how nice you are, or can usually be. Everyone is different, but we all like to be liked and to feel safe, and that goes for Peepuls too, from whichever hedge they come..
So there was a general tidying up of walnuts and leafy jackets and unruly hair-dos before everyone set off, two by two… by two and a half when there were peepulkins involved. Binky had impressed upon them all that they were to be on their very best behaviour, and to report any difficulties to him ‘toot sweet’, and not to cause any fights with new neighbours, even if they were spuggies. The march down the slope to the hedge was not without incident but nothing serious occurred and the baby rabbits soon left them all be as they were obviously no threat. Plus, for a rabbit, they’re not great eating.
Everyone very soon found a spot they liked… for now at any rate. The deal was - settle somewhere comfortable, close to your neighbouring peepuls this starry, for perhaps a couple of sunnies even, and then everyone was free to move further afield and settle more permanently in their favourite corner of the hedge. If anypeepuls were confronted with objectors, they’d to report to Binky and things would be settled as amicably as possible.
It had been a long trek, out in the open, fair game for any passing predators (and for mini-sized peepuls there are a lot of them) so the peepuls’ first full sunny, waking up in their new hedge, all sheltered… oh it was such a relief, and a joy and a pleasure. Everyone was full of praise for Binky Brownleaf who had after all brought them all the way, safe and sound. There were one or two suggestions to name the hedge plain Brownleaf Hedge, but Binky himself said no, although he did mention he would be pleased enough if they voted for him to be the new Provost of Peepulville. This was duly accomplished in a unanimous vote that even the peepulkins took part in (first new law Binky suggested and also unanimously accepted). Provost Brownleaf immediately appointed his assistipeepuls and secrepeepuls and other peepully positions which caused not a minor disruption to the good atmosphere (‘I wanted that job’… ‘well you can’t peeply have it!’ etc.) but which was soon quelled with the announcement of a Peepuls’ Carnivally Sunny. You can’t quarrel when there’s fun of that ilk in the offing!
All in all, it was a wonderful start to the founding of Peepulville. All the creatures that already inhabited this hedge actually made them all more than welcome because well, they’re peepuls after all, and everyone knows ‘peepuls arra peepuls!’ There was the odd fight with a bee hive, and there was that family of field mice who kept moving their nest and leaving a total mess behind for some obliging yet grumbly peepuls to clear up. Not all spuggies easily tolerated the sudden surge in peepulkins clambering over their nests at various intervals but, yes, all in all, a truly wonderful start.
Everyone always attended Provost Brownleaf’s Peepuliaments where all the big decisions were made like, who got peepulhoosy building contracts and who was best at scaffytimes (the place must be kept tidy!), and who got to found the first peepulsprimary (well of course we all knew that was going to be Mr. Chalkyfingers the teacher from Peepulopolis but you have to follow form). So many peepuls, so many businesses and homes to be built and well, Provost Brownleaf (oor Binky) was kept busy, to say the least. Most peepuls, though, they just got on with their new lives and made new friends and new neighbours and opened a wee peepulshop for peepulclaes or peepulsweeties, or started up a peepulpub if they wanted to. The new peepulfooty soon started and eventually there was a peepulfooty league cup to strive for and various friendly rivalries soon developed. It was all go in Peepulville.
Chapter 9
The news about Peepulville had of course reached Peepultoon and, over time, the trip from one to the other and back again became a pretty standardised flight via Spugairways. Paid for in new nesting material (Peepully Class, under wing) or a week’s worth of worms (Econopeepuls Class, on their back). Now, collecting worms is a huge task for tiny wee peepuls so you’d think that would be Peepully Class, but the spuggies were lazy at collecting nesting materials and peepuls not so great at digging up worms, so, well, it being their airline, they chose. It actually meant that most peepuls travelled PC before long because collecting just what the spuggies wanted for nesting, was right up their street. Everypeepul happy.
Peepulville continued to expand with new arrivals from Peepultoon (and other late deciders from Peepulopolis) as well as literally ‘new arrivals’ being born as brand new Peepulvillians. Business with other hedgerow inhabitants took off (for instance, Spugairways, which sparked a whole new line in peepulluggage) and all in all, the tragedy of Peepulopolis was transformed into having been the inspiration for Peepulville. Provost Flittyhoose and Provost Brownleaf dined annually on the fact of it all, followed by a huge party in alternate hedges every year. The one regret was that there was never, and never could be, a return to Peepulopolis. The noisies had well and truly seen to that but a peepulplaque was placed at the northeastern end of Peepultoon to remember how they came there from Peepulopolis. Then another peepulplaque was placed at the southwestern end of Peepultoon to commemorate them all leaving to look for Peepulville. Then they placed a peepulplaque at the very first edge of the Peepulville hedge… peepuls like plaques!... and you can guess what that commemorated. This in turn sparked all the peepuls that were at all artistic to create fabulous skulpchers, commemorating this, that and the other peepuls’ ‘firsts’… if you keep a good eye out, you’re sure to spot one in a hedge near you. They’re small, mind you.
So, this has been an exciting tale of wee peepuls, driven from their happy, safe homes, taking only what they could carry, by big bossy noisies with no care for the peepuls’ safety whatsoever. We have read how, despite their fears and their longing only to be safe, the wee peepuls persevered and found a new home where (almost) everyone welcomed them. Those that welcomed them knew that there was no reason that they too wouldn’t one day be in just such a position… lost, destitute, no peepuls around to help… so they knew how best to help. With love, compassion and friendship. Sharing, helping and most of all, discouraging and helping to transform the ideas of those with other, unwelcoming ideas.
No peepuls out there wanted to move anywhere and all would have loved to return to their homes but they too became attached to their new world, new neighbours, new customs… for some a new language too. While never forgetting, they settled in, joined in, and contributed. Some more than others. Some more than they ever would have had they never moved from hedge to hedge.
The peepuls of Peepultoon, Peepulopolis and Peepulville are just fabulous examples of peepulity which every peepuls on Peepulplanet should at least try to emulate.
It had all got very crowded in the hedgerow. New peepuls seemed to be arriving from afar, every sunny. What could be the reason? There had been fights breaking out in the marketplace next to the elderberry bush and the hill of leaves where the hedgehog slept was being royally trampled over by all sorts of strange peepuls. Peepultoon Pond (what you and me would call a puddle) was very low because of the amount of splashing going on, when yet another wee peepul was thrown into it against his will (fully clothed, I might add). What in Peepultoon was going on?
The Provost of Peepultoon wanted to call a public meeting. ‘I want to call a public meeting… about all this stramash!’ quoth he, and he did just that. The usual place in front of the Holly bush was jam-pack-fu, and there was shoving and poking and ‘pit doon that brolly there!’ from all corners until, up jumped the Provost onto a handy piece of pottery that had found its way under the hedge.
“Peepul o the hedge” he cried above the tumult. “Gies yer lugs a wee!”
Now, in Peepulish, this means, ‘Lend me your ears’, which in turn means, ‘listen to me!’ The folks from Peepultoon all speak like this so, in order not to continually have to translate for you, we’ll just put it all in English (mostly). Do pay attention, though, because there are sure to be wee Peepulish words that you use too. You might want to write them down, make a wee list?
Anyway…
“Gies yer lugs a wee!” cried Provost Flittyhoose. “Hey you, pey attenshin!” Peepuls are not the most polite of those that live in the hedgerow (witness the shoving and poking in the crowd), but then again they’re not as bad as spuggies, who are pretty rude, believe you me. In case you didn’t know, a spug is ‘house sparrow’, in Scots (and Peepulish).
All the peepuls jostled to hear what the Provost was saying and the very jostling was making everyone aware just how crowded things seemed to be these sunnies.
“As ye kin a see, it’s awfy crowded in Peepultoon the noo,” continued Provost Flittyhoose in his most important voice (used mainly for bossing peepuls about but that’s neither here nor there). “Is there onybuddy that kin explain tae me, yer very own Provost, jist whit the hedge is goin on here-aboots?”
A faint voice sounded from right at the back of the crowd. Gradually a path opened from the speaker to the broken pot Provost Flittyhoose was standing on, as the stranger elbowed his way through the peepuls. “Aye, ah kin tell ye aw aboot it, but ye’re no gonnae like it!” said the newcomer as he approached.
Chapter 2
“AN WHAE MIGHT YOU BE?” asked the Provost, still using the baby snail-shell he had by way of a megaphone. “Oh, sorry, a mean… whae’re you?”
“Tell um Binky! Aye, tell um aw wur trubbles!” came more cries from the back.
“Aye-Aye, a’m gonnae! Gies a chance!” said Binky (as was indeed his name).
“They cry me Binky Brownleaf “ (see?) “an a’m frae a hedge that’s at least four starries an three cloudies awa frae here,” commenced Binky. “A’m here wi lots o ither peepuls frae ma hedge, cried Peepulopolis…” saying this, he stifled a sob, then continued… “an… well, we hope we kin aw jist live here frae noo on acause… oor hedge is… weel, it’s gaaauuun!” At this, Binky sat down with a thump and roared his head off, crying like a baby.
“Gaun? But wh-whit the blazin branch kin ye mean ‘gone’?” blustered the Provost. All the other peepuls in the crowd (except for Binky’s friends) were looking from Binky to the Provost, to their partner, to the strangers in the crowd and back to poor Binky, who’d been handed a beautifully woven spider-web hanky by now. The peepuls were sometimes rude, but they weren’t unkind.
Binky blew his nose and continued.
“Jist whit ah’m sayin. Gaun! Therra big, hard, stane wa there noo, an aw oor lovely trees an bushes, an the hedge… gaun!” Here, he let out a heart-rending wail and he was promptly joined by his companions who had by now all come to the front of the crowd with their bundles of possessions in wee carties made of twigs and willow baskets and the likes.
“Wis need help, wis huvnae a hame tae go tae!”
“Help his… kin ye no?”
The cries were indeed pretty peepully pitiful.
“But tell his noo, whit happen, ma pair lad!” said the Provost (as did lots of other frightened peepuls). So poor Binky related their story, regularly interjected by cries and sobs from his home-hedge peepuls.
“It wis aboot 14 starries ago noo, when it a stertit,” told Binky. “We were grand, nae bother, when aw on a sudden, the peepuls frae the faur end, up bi the oaks, sterted croodin his aw up at this end, bi the rowans… saying there were big noisy hings that hid come and tore up their trees… “
At this, there was a roar from the crowd… “Tore up… the trees?! Naaawwwww!”
“Aye! But that wis the least o it aw! We’d been cooering’ thegither up oor eind an it jist goat mair an mair croodit acause the noisy hings wir comin closer ivery sunny! An diggin up… DIGGIN UP! (woaaah, waaaah! went the cry) the hale hedge as they come. Various faimilies were tellin aboot their walnuts being tossed aside like in a whirlywind, an aw their eiks en ens wi’ thum. They’d barely escaped wi their lives! So faur we’ve ainly lost auld Shoogly… he jist didnae run fast enough, pair auld Shoogly… but as they come closer an closer, we knew we aw hud tae jist up an move. Git ootae there! So we headed fur Peepultoon Hedge acause we thought mibbes we’d be safe here. It took us sae long tae reach you peepuls acause we’re cairryin aw we huv left on this world, but ah’m jist no sae sure noo that we did the right thing! Waaaaaah!!”
Poor Binky was really upset, as were his wee mates (well, they were the whole of Peepulopolis… except for old Shoogly… and they were of course devastated) but the peepuls of Peepultoon were even more worried since hearing about this disaster.
Chapter 3
“Calm doon noo, calm doon aw yous peepuls!” shouted the provost through his snailaphone.
“Well, it’s plain as the spots on a ladybird - at least, it is tae me…” he continued “that we need tae help wur ain peepuls, wherever they come frae. Shout ‘Aye’ if yous agree!”
And the roar went up ‘Aaaayyyye!!’ which was music to the ears of the peepuls of Peepulopolis, as you can imagine.
“When the noisies take it into their big fat heids tae rip up oor hedgerows, there’s nae a hedge o a lot that we, as peepuls, kin dae aboot it. But we shouldnae be aw that worrit aboot oor hedge I shouldnae think? It hus efter aw, been here fur nigh on fower hunnert eer!”
“Yeaaah!” and “Hooraaaay fur oor hedge!” and ‘We arra peepuls!!!” resounded around him, until one of Binky’s companions (old, bent, leaning on a daisy stem and with an acorn for a hat) then piped up, “But oor hedge was fower hunnert eer auld tae by the way. An a kin min when it wis jist a wee, newly plantit ane! So dinnae be quite sae sure eh?”
You see, the noisies had just plain demolished the beautiful old hedgerow, without a thought for all the little birds, animals, insects and peepuls living in them! Sure, the animals and birds and insects, could run off, and fly off, and scurry off but well… peepuls are just such… wee peepuls! And when you’ve lived like one of the peepuls in a wonderful old hedgerow for a long, long time, you get to thinking you’ll never have to live anywhere else. Until one day… bam! You’re lovely hedge is gone and the noisies have been and gone and built a big hard stone wall… lots of walls… and pipes and big wires and, oh just more walls… right where your hedge used to be! Basically, they’d gone and built houses where there had never been houses before. But peepuls know nothing about that sort of thing and don’t get a say either!
And now the peepuls in Peepultoon were having a bit of a moral dilemma because well… where were they going to fit all the peepuls from Peepulopolis!? And the peepuls that made the shoes for the peepuls in Peepultoon were at first thinking ‘ooh, lots o new fits needin shin’, but then they thought ‘aw, naw… mare cobblers in toon!’ And the baxsters thought the same, and thon Mrs. Pinkietaes that makes the cute wee dresses for all the wee peepuls at Peepultoon primary school, thought the same too. And to be honest, there weren’t many peepuls in Peepultoon that starry, who weren’t just a wee bitty worried about their livelihoods. It’s understandable really (if perhaps a wee bitty short-sighted).
But Provost Flittyhoose hadn’t been voted in for being brainless. On the contrary, he was a smart wee cookie. And he had a plan…
Chapter 4
Without further much of an ado, the Peepultoon peepuls opened their doors (and their hearts) to the peepuls from Peepulopolis. They couldn’t after all just leave them out under the leaf litter from the hedge. They meant it when they cried ‘We arra peepuls!’
That starry, there wasn’t one peepul sleeping outdoors. Now, this doesn’t happen everywhere. There are lots of places where folks have fled for their lives from dangerous situations and the places they get to are not nearly as hospitable. This amount of hospitality is a wonderful example of how it should be, and so it was, among peepuls. There’s no denying, it was a bit tight, but all were under cosy covers in Shell Street, Carrotty Row, Spuggy Lane and all the peepuls’ streets and lanes off the main drag and the marketplace next to the Elderberry bush. The hedgehog in his pile of leaves was left in peace again, although not without a good grumble from his direction, and the mud in Peepultoon Pond was already settling.
But Provost Flittyhoose knew all this peepully love couldn’t last. Things really were tight! So he had immediately started to put his plan into action. And his plan was this. A whole new hedge! To be populated by some adventurous peepuls. He was planning on calling it Peepulville… it sounded all posh to him so he knew the other peepuls would go for it, but deep in his heart he hoped they’d all love his plan so much they’d call it Flittyhooseville. There would be incentives to encourage lots of peepuls to sign up to move there and build it up from scratch. He wasn’t quite sure yet what those incentives would be but… there would be incentives!
Now, it’s all very well having ‘plans’ but you need support, peepuls at your back, folks ready to fund things, contribute… help, basically! So the first step was to get some nice posters put up all along the hedge, high and low, calling for those adventurous peepuls to come forward for ‘An exciting new venture’ and ‘Move to a NEW HEDGE’.
The fact that Provost Flittyhoose didn’t actually currently know where this fabulous new hedge was to be found, was but a minor matter. He had every faith that there was one out there, just waiting to be populated by new peepuls. The peepuls after all ‘made’ a hedge. They kept it tidy and growing nicely. Although of course the noisies did their bit, your best hedges are always those with a population of peepuls. All peepuls knew this. Basically, if you see a tidy hedgerow on your wanderings, you can just be sure there are tiny wee peepuls in there, peepulling about, doing what they do best. “Yer welkum!” they’d say.
Well! Those posters brought about a veritable stramash in the Peepultoon hedge! Flittyhoose had forgotten to mention the fact that there was actually no such place as yet, so it rather read like a paradise that you’d be silly not to want to go to, and there were ‘incentives’ to come and it all sounded just so lovely…
“An’ they pey ye tae go! At’s fur me!”
“No’ if a get there afore ye lad!”
Oh the excitement.
Chapter 5
Flittyhoose was a tad perturbed at this turn of events as he’d really only expected it to be mainly those from Peepulopolis that would apply, but then he figured it would all be for the good of the ‘cause’.
“The mair the merrier,” quoth he. “Better bi faur tae huv loads wantin tae go, than naeb’dy!” he consoled himself and those around him that were actually tasked with the work involved – like for instance taking down the names of all those peepuls applying.
It was perhaps a daft way of doing things but really, it worked out well and it meant that before a week was out, there was a long list of names ‘showing interest’ at least. This could only be helpful for putting his plans to those Peepultoonians and Peepulopolites who had the means to bring Flittyhoose’s plans to fruition. He’d soon be able to say, “Check it oot! ‘Er’s LOADS packin thir bags as we spik! Peepuls o aa ages an aa kinds o profeshins tae. There’s spiderweb spinners, cookies, baksters, baskit wevars, washywummins, cobblers and leaf-scaffies. Er’s ev’n a coupla artists in the mix there, an they eywis brighten Peepultoon up wi’ their fancyschmancy stachoos an paintins. It’s practipeepully a whole population for a new hedgerow, right there!”
Here, he pointed to the pile of leaves that each held the written application of the many peepuls all ready to head off at ‘the next starry to follow a sunshiny-peepulday’. No self-respecting peepuls go anywhere on a rainydrop-peepulday, or evening – too dangerous really, I’m sure you can imagine. Starries and cloudies are the only times to travel. (Basically, as long as it’s dark and dry.)
All the high-heid-yins among the Peepultoonians had to agree it was looking very positive, but Flittyhoose still had to convince them on where exactly they should head for. Peepulopolis was (had been!) northeast of Peepultoon so there would be no peepuls heading in that direction, but the rest of the compass was wide open. Flittyhoose had given it some thought already and suggested that going in the complete opposite direction of Peepulopolis seemed like a good idea… more or less a straight continuation of where they’d come from, (and as if they’d not only by good chance actually found Peepultoon on the way). Who knows, maybe they’d find another hedge full of peepuls?
So this was put to the vote among the high-heid-yins, who mostly voted AYE (and peepulocracy dictates that the majority wins), and then the suggestion was made to fluff the plan out a bit before telling all the applicants where it was they’d be heading and well, by the time all this had been discussed, agreed upon and written up and agreed some more… it was 21 starries later already!
Peepultoonians’ hospitality had begun to wane as time went by so by the time Flittyhoose finally had a decent plan ready to present to the peepuls, it was very, very welcome. Even more peepuls were ready and willing to head off into the unknown to find (and found) a new hedgerow full of peepuls, to be called Peepulville (Flittyhoose was disappointed but nobody suggested any other name for it).
Binky Brownleaf, fit and strong again and ready to lead his peepuls, was very much involved in the preparations to leave Peepultoon for the southwest. “Er’s boond tae be a decent hedgerow wi’in at least a few starries. The noisies used to be better at plantin thum an they’ll shurely no dig thum aw up tae build wa’s – whit wid be the point o that eh? So onywae, we’ll keep the faith an head aff at the next starrie efter the next sunshiny-peepulday. Ye’s up fur it peepuls?” he shouted across the crowd that had gathered around.
“Aaayyye!” went up the cry. “Mon ra peepuls!”
Now, if you think about it, it was really an enormous adventure they were all going on. After all, peepuls aren’t so big, and it had taken Binky and his peepuls four starries and three cloudies to get from Peepulopolis to Peepultoon already, and that was (more or less) knowing that it was there! It took your average Peepultoonian at least a full starry to get from one end of Peepultoon to the other, and that was using beetle-taxi! How would they fare? How would those left behind ever find out? Would they every find out?
Chapter 6
This was it! They were off! It was a lovely clear starry, it hadn’t rainydropped for ages already and everybody was in their wee carties pulled by beetles or pushing their own wee wheelbarrows, all loaded up with as much as they could take with them for starting up a new home, in a new hedge. The peepuls staying right where they were, were happy that those leaving were finally actually going!
The supplies trains were long ones and needed eight ants for every load but they were finally all walking well together (the train drivers were bossy little peepuls but nice to their ants) and everypeepul stood on higher branches at the southwestern edge of the Peepultoon hedge to wave them all off for as long as they possibly could. The fireflies helping light the way could be seen for a long time, and the younger Peepultoonians that were staying behind in Peepultoon were loath to leave their perches until they were quite out of sight.
The singing and cheering had died down after the last adventurer had passed the edge of Peepultoon hedge and gradually, as the light from the fireflies faded into the distance, all the wee peepuls turned away and headed back to their own walnut shells in the base of the hedgerow. There was a lot of wild dreams and scary nightmares amongst all the peepuls left behind that starry, but mostly… mostly… folks just sighed and wondered how their friends would fare.
It’s no easy thing to up sticks and move to a whole new part of the world. Some peepuls like it, and do it just for the fun of it, but there are lots of peepuls out there who are forced into it. Peepuls who would otherwise never move, because they’re perfectly happy where they are, but circumstances – like big noisies coming and virtually blowing away their homes – means they have to take steps to look after themselves and their families and just take off. Sometimes, you at least get to take your belongings with you. Other times, you have to leave everything you ever owned, and all you ever loved, behind you and just take off, and hope you’ll be safe in a new hedge with new peepuls.
For our adventurous peepuls looking out for a new hedge, it was a bit in-betweeny. Some had indeed had to quickly escape the noisies with not much more than they could carry in a hurry. But they’d had a few weeks to recoup themselves in Peepultoon and some of them had even chosen to stay there. Others of course wanted to move further on, and some Peepultoonians had joined the Peepulopolites and were all headed off together to ‘Peepulville’ (and never mind about Flittyhoose’s daft idea).
Those with not much to carry, helped those carrying perhaps a bit too much. Those who couldn’t at first afford to leave Peepultoon, were given help from the Peepultoon Toon Cooncil (the incentive), but only when strictly necessary. Some whole families took advantage of the chance to start anew and it was all very exciting now for the intrepid wee peepuls.
They were out on the road and indeed they’d been travelling for ages already and folks were getting tired. Now, as mentioned above, you have to remember how small the peepuls are and how far say… half a mile… would seem to you if you were so small you lived in a walnut shell (or maybe 2 or 3 if you knocked them through together). Pretty far I think? And the peepuls knew from earlier expeditions ‘abroad’ that the first hedgerow that might… just might... be suitable was at the very least, a mile and a half away. So work it out. It was going to take quite a few starries and cloudies to get there, not counting the rainydropdays that may or may not occur when no advance would be made and just shelter as best they could. They had to manage it before their travel supplies ran out entirely… although of course the odd berry or root or bit of green vegetable could be harvested on the road - they were nothing if not versatile, oor wee peepuls.
Binky Brownleaf, having been voted in as leader of the whole shebang (as I’m sure you had expected) was very strict in his rationing because nobody really knew how long it would take them all to reach their final destination – wherever that was. He was also good at making everyone rest at the right time, and hide well during the sunny. He rode up and down the whole trail (on a spare ant), encouraging slow-coaches and patting the ants now and then to cheer them up… theirs was indeed a hard job, pulling everything over the bumps and lumps along the way. Remember, furrows in fields are like hills and valleys to peepuls.
The whole group would start up as soon as the stars came out (even when they couldn’t see them for clouds) and they trudged on and on, starry after starry. If it had rained one starry, they’d hopefully manage to travel the next cloudy if the rain stayed off.
It was a hard slog, to be honest. There were the usual stubbed toes to be taken care of, the coughs and colds, the headaches and the tummy-aches… but most of the peepuls were fairly fit. Even then, it was quite hard for them all so at the start of the 9th starry when the lookout peepul came racing back on a beetle to say he’d seen the hedgerow ‘…only jist ower that next rise…’ Oh, well you can imagine the cheer that went up.
Binky heaved a huge sigh of relief. He’d brought his peepuls right to Peepultoon, but he’d known then that ‘it was this way’. Trying to find the new Peepulville, just hoping the stories of a hedgerow in this direction were true was… well frankly, it had been a gamble. But now here it was… right enough… Phew!
Chapter 7
Binky decided right there on the spot that they needed to camp where they were, until he and a couple of others had checked things out ahead. He left everyone to settle themselves for the starry (or rather, the following sunny), and he and his deputies cautiously headed up the rise to peer over. His biggest worry was that this new territory was already occupied, with no room for newcomers. He figured that not all peepuls would necessarily be as welcoming as those in Peepultoon had been. How they’d reacted, how they’d helped (and indeed how many had now joined him to found Peepulville) had been heart-warming, but there had been no guarantee of it when they left Peepulopolis and there certainly wasn’t one now.
By the time Binky’s party had topped the rise, the sun was coming up. It had been a heavy slog to get there and Binky really needed good news but he needn’t have worried because it was just the loveliest sight to behold. The sun’s early morning rays tinted the leaves of an enormous, miles-long hedge in the gully before them. The dew reflected gold and silver sparkles all along the row as the morning haar dispersed before their eyes. The ancient hedge disappeared into the distance, both left and right of where they stood looking down from the ridge.
Just seeing it all laid out before them, rich and healthy looking, with very obvious room for newcomers… well, Binky could hardly hold back the tears. The slope down was a wild flower meadow with lots of rabbits looking perfectly at ease out in the open. Trees on a hillock formed the roof of their warren with their roots, and the abundant food was obvious from the numerous baby bunnies jumping all around. The magnificent hedge bordered crop fields on the other side and led off into a deep, covered path. The presence of farmland nearby could only be good… the noisies were not likely to dig this hedge up any time soon. It was all good!
Binky and his mates did a wee jig and hugged one another in happiness before turning back towards where they’d left the others. They couldn’t wait to tell everyone they’d definitely and finally, found what was to become Peepulville so, travelling during the sunny was the least they could do.
As they hopped, skipped, jumped and ran whooping back to the others, a cold sea haar came down over them, soaking them in its drizzle but only barely dampening their spirits and helping to hide them from any predators. This meant they were also not far from the coast, and the wild seas of the tales they’d all been told when only just wee peepulkins – something else to cheer about.
There was a cheery welcome for them too as lookouts had spied them from afar and had arranged a nice cuppa nettle broth and dry clothes in front of a sheltered fire in time for their arrival. Everyone gathered round and the scouts each told bits of their wee story, culminating in Binky’s grand announcement that Peepulville was about to become a fact and they should all be ready to head off, first thing the next starry. They each took the time to write a wee leafletter ‘home’ and a small group of brave messengers (with a good sense of direction) headed back to Peepultoon to tell the good news, carrying all the leafletters with them. Those messengers would return with supplies plus any new folks wanting to join the new Peepulvillians and would indeed forever be revered for their boldness – boldly going back over the way that no peepul had ever gone before (until they just had) and back again! In fact, the next Peepul’s Sports Day, it was introduced as a peepulthon and the first to complete the race from Peepulville to Peepultoon and back in the fastest (ever faster!) time, would forever be considered heroes.
At the following starrise, everyone was ready to leave after a hurried ‘breakfast’ of cold porridge (no time to light fires). Carts were loaded up, packs shouldered and baby peepulkins strapped on, ready for the final march up over that rise and down into their new hedge. What a day it was to be!
Chapter 8
It didn’t take too long really before the first shout went up… ‘A kin see it, a kin see it!’ and pretty soon, the whole clan of New Peepulvillians were clamouring and nudging one another to get a good view. And what a view it was. Of course it was dark now, Peepuls only travel in the dark (or under cloud) remember, but the huge bank of hedge shone out in the light of the moon, full that night, as if right on cue to light up the promised land.
‘Peepuls! Stey calm noo,’ shouted Binky, because not a few were partying like it was Hogmanay already and leaping about with elderberry wine bottles half-emptied. ‘Noo we need tae jist heed on intae the hedge in an orderly manner, nice two-bi-twos if ye please. There are boond to be other inhabitants, and mony winnae be familiar wi peepuls and we dinnae want tae mak a bad furst impreshin.’
Such a sensible wee Binky it is! It’s always a good idea to make at least a good first impression because lots of folks (birds and insects too) find it hard to change their mind (or their opinion) once it’s made up. Of course, it’s then a good idea if you confirm that impression by not changing your manners too much. It’s not the idea to be fooling anyone, after all. Just to impress them with how nice you are, or can usually be. Everyone is different, but we all like to be liked and to feel safe, and that goes for Peepuls too, from whichever hedge they come..
So there was a general tidying up of walnuts and leafy jackets and unruly hair-dos before everyone set off, two by two… by two and a half when there were peepulkins involved. Binky had impressed upon them all that they were to be on their very best behaviour, and to report any difficulties to him ‘toot sweet’, and not to cause any fights with new neighbours, even if they were spuggies. The march down the slope to the hedge was not without incident but nothing serious occurred and the baby rabbits soon left them all be as they were obviously no threat. Plus, for a rabbit, they’re not great eating.
Everyone very soon found a spot they liked… for now at any rate. The deal was - settle somewhere comfortable, close to your neighbouring peepuls this starry, for perhaps a couple of sunnies even, and then everyone was free to move further afield and settle more permanently in their favourite corner of the hedge. If anypeepuls were confronted with objectors, they’d to report to Binky and things would be settled as amicably as possible.
It had been a long trek, out in the open, fair game for any passing predators (and for mini-sized peepuls there are a lot of them) so the peepuls’ first full sunny, waking up in their new hedge, all sheltered… oh it was such a relief, and a joy and a pleasure. Everyone was full of praise for Binky Brownleaf who had after all brought them all the way, safe and sound. There were one or two suggestions to name the hedge plain Brownleaf Hedge, but Binky himself said no, although he did mention he would be pleased enough if they voted for him to be the new Provost of Peepulville. This was duly accomplished in a unanimous vote that even the peepulkins took part in (first new law Binky suggested and also unanimously accepted). Provost Brownleaf immediately appointed his assistipeepuls and secrepeepuls and other peepully positions which caused not a minor disruption to the good atmosphere (‘I wanted that job’… ‘well you can’t peeply have it!’ etc.) but which was soon quelled with the announcement of a Peepuls’ Carnivally Sunny. You can’t quarrel when there’s fun of that ilk in the offing!
All in all, it was a wonderful start to the founding of Peepulville. All the creatures that already inhabited this hedge actually made them all more than welcome because well, they’re peepuls after all, and everyone knows ‘peepuls arra peepuls!’ There was the odd fight with a bee hive, and there was that family of field mice who kept moving their nest and leaving a total mess behind for some obliging yet grumbly peepuls to clear up. Not all spuggies easily tolerated the sudden surge in peepulkins clambering over their nests at various intervals but, yes, all in all, a truly wonderful start.
Everyone always attended Provost Brownleaf’s Peepuliaments where all the big decisions were made like, who got peepulhoosy building contracts and who was best at scaffytimes (the place must be kept tidy!), and who got to found the first peepulsprimary (well of course we all knew that was going to be Mr. Chalkyfingers the teacher from Peepulopolis but you have to follow form). So many peepuls, so many businesses and homes to be built and well, Provost Brownleaf (oor Binky) was kept busy, to say the least. Most peepuls, though, they just got on with their new lives and made new friends and new neighbours and opened a wee peepulshop for peepulclaes or peepulsweeties, or started up a peepulpub if they wanted to. The new peepulfooty soon started and eventually there was a peepulfooty league cup to strive for and various friendly rivalries soon developed. It was all go in Peepulville.
Chapter 9
The news about Peepulville had of course reached Peepultoon and, over time, the trip from one to the other and back again became a pretty standardised flight via Spugairways. Paid for in new nesting material (Peepully Class, under wing) or a week’s worth of worms (Econopeepuls Class, on their back). Now, collecting worms is a huge task for tiny wee peepuls so you’d think that would be Peepully Class, but the spuggies were lazy at collecting nesting materials and peepuls not so great at digging up worms, so, well, it being their airline, they chose. It actually meant that most peepuls travelled PC before long because collecting just what the spuggies wanted for nesting, was right up their street. Everypeepul happy.
Peepulville continued to expand with new arrivals from Peepultoon (and other late deciders from Peepulopolis) as well as literally ‘new arrivals’ being born as brand new Peepulvillians. Business with other hedgerow inhabitants took off (for instance, Spugairways, which sparked a whole new line in peepulluggage) and all in all, the tragedy of Peepulopolis was transformed into having been the inspiration for Peepulville. Provost Flittyhoose and Provost Brownleaf dined annually on the fact of it all, followed by a huge party in alternate hedges every year. The one regret was that there was never, and never could be, a return to Peepulopolis. The noisies had well and truly seen to that but a peepulplaque was placed at the northeastern end of Peepultoon to remember how they came there from Peepulopolis. Then another peepulplaque was placed at the southwestern end of Peepultoon to commemorate them all leaving to look for Peepulville. Then they placed a peepulplaque at the very first edge of the Peepulville hedge… peepuls like plaques!... and you can guess what that commemorated. This in turn sparked all the peepuls that were at all artistic to create fabulous skulpchers, commemorating this, that and the other peepuls’ ‘firsts’… if you keep a good eye out, you’re sure to spot one in a hedge near you. They’re small, mind you.
So, this has been an exciting tale of wee peepuls, driven from their happy, safe homes, taking only what they could carry, by big bossy noisies with no care for the peepuls’ safety whatsoever. We have read how, despite their fears and their longing only to be safe, the wee peepuls persevered and found a new home where (almost) everyone welcomed them. Those that welcomed them knew that there was no reason that they too wouldn’t one day be in just such a position… lost, destitute, no peepuls around to help… so they knew how best to help. With love, compassion and friendship. Sharing, helping and most of all, discouraging and helping to transform the ideas of those with other, unwelcoming ideas.
No peepuls out there wanted to move anywhere and all would have loved to return to their homes but they too became attached to their new world, new neighbours, new customs… for some a new language too. While never forgetting, they settled in, joined in, and contributed. Some more than others. Some more than they ever would have had they never moved from hedge to hedge.
The peepuls of Peepultoon, Peepulopolis and Peepulville are just fabulous examples of peepulity which every peepuls on Peepulplanet should at least try to emulate.
About the Author
Edinburgh-born Caroline Mackie has lived in Holland for the last 40 years. A translator of Dutch into English, she writes stories when the mood takes her, mainly for children.