AN INTRODUCTION

Possessing a coat of silver grey fur, Gwoppy is similar in stature to a fairly large dormouse, but with a unique expanding ability enabling him to inflate up to four times his normal size.

He has lived in the old house at number 3 Oak Villas on the outskirts of Knaresgate for as long as can be remembered...

CHAPTER 1

First Meeting

The old house creaked softly as old houses often do. It was a warm September's evening and the curtains in Michael Ellis' bedroom were billowing inwards, tugged by a gentle breeze as it rushed in through the open window. All things considered it had been an exciting day for the Ellis family. Michael, his baby sister Helen, and his mother and father had journeyed up to Yorkshire from London with all their belongings and were now safely installed in their new home: a rambling detached Victorian house set on the outskirts of Knaresgate overlooking green fields and leafy woodland.

Michael had heard his parents come up to bed a couple of hours earlier, yet although he lay peacefully in his new surroundings, listening to the comforting groans and creaks of the old house, he had been unable to fall asleep. Pulling out his watch from under the pillow, he peered at the green luminous face. Nearly two o'clock in the morning. He couldn't ever remember being awake as late as this before, yet he didn't feel at all tired. "Mmm I wonder," he thought to himself as an idea began to occur to him, "Yes, I think I'll go downstairs and get myself a glass of water. Perhaps I'll then be able to get off to sleep."

Creeping along the dimly lit upstairs landing, Michael tiptoed past the open door of his parents' bedroom. Not wishing to wake them, or disturb his sister Helen, in the room opposite, he slipped on quietly down the stairs, carefully avoiding a couple of creaking steps as best he could.

Due to the failing light, he could barely make out his unfamiliar surroundings, but the darkness felt more comforting than threatening, and though he cracked his shins a number of times on empty packing cases strewn across the hall, he safely manoeuvred his way through all the obstacles, to eventually come to a halt just outside the kitchen.

Twisting the knob, Michael pushed open the heavy old door, and was suddenly confronted by an amazing sight which almost made him cry out with surprise. A short distance away, on the draining board next to the sink, crouched a small furry figure, apparently absorbed in turning off one of the water taps. Obviously unaware of his presence and with its back towards him, the creature's stocky outline was plainly visible as the light from a full moon flooded in through the open blinds of the kitchen window.

Blinking in disbelief and hardly daring to breathe, Michael stood rooted to the spot, fearing at any moment he'd discover it was all a dream and the strange furry figure would simply vanish. Indeed, unsure of what he should do next, he finally decided to adopt a tactic his father frequently used when seeking to attract someone's attention. So somewhat nervously he cleared his throat, "Ummm." Almost instantly the creature stopped fiddling with the tap, jerking round to face him, and before Michael could say anything more, it miraculously appeared to visibly shrink, ending up as little more than a blob on the draining board. Having achieved this remarkable feat, it then immediately scuttled for cover behind a large dinner plate which was standing in the draining rack nearby.

Heart pounding, Michael cautiously edged forward towards the sink, hardly able to believe what he'd just seen, yet knowing for sure he wasn't dreaming. "Is there anyone there?" he whispered hoarsely, not really imagining there would be any response.

But an equally unmistakable voice from somewhere suddenly halted him in his tracks, "Stop there," it commanded. Michael stopped dead, as much in astonishment as anything else. The voice went on, "If you come any closer, you'll be sorry."

Recovering quickly, Michael realised that the voice sounded more than a little nervous, so summoning up his courage he managed to blurt out, "Look, whoever you are, I don't mean you any harm. I've only come downstairs for a glass of water. I couldn't sleep and I was thirsty. I didn't mean to startle you."

There was a brief silence after this before the mysterious voice spoke again saying, "Who are you?"

"Who am I!" exclaimed Michael, somewhat taken aback by the question. "I... I... I'm Michael," he stammered, much to his own surprise as he rarely stammered at all. "I live here," he continued.

"Go on," said the voice, as Michael again hesitated wondering what he should say next.

"Well there's not much more to tell. My parents, my sister Helen and myself, w well," he said, stumbling again over his words, "We've moved into this house. We came up from London yesterday and this is our new home. My father's a doctor and he's to start work at the local hospital next week."

There was a further silence, then Michael detected a slight movement from behind the dinner plate and a strange little face suddenly popped out, peering round the side of the rim, looking him squarely in the eye. To his astonishment, a small figure proceeded to edge out into the centre of the draining board, fixing him all the while with a steady gaze as it did so. Then, incredibly, the shrinking process which Michael had witnessed just a few minutes earlier, amazingly appeared to work in reverse, as in a matter of seconds the creature doubled in size not once, but twice, until it stood before him much the same as he had first encountered it.

"OK," it said, "so you've come downstairs for a glass of water have you? You'd better get one then," and saying this it turned to the draining rack and using both hands picked up an empty glass which had been left on the side to dry. "Here you are," it said offering him the glass. "Can you turn the tap on yourself?"

"Of course I can," retorted Michael sharply, feeling a little annoyed at the mocking note in the creature's tone of voice. "Anyway," said Michael, accepting the glass and turning on the tap, "you haven't yet told me who you are."

"That's true," replied the creature. "All right then, my name's Gwoppy. Don't ask me how, or why, I came to be called such a name.

I don't know. But that is my name and that is what I'm known by to my friends."

Michael sensed that for some reason Gwoppy seemed a little unsure of his name. "Well," said Michael, "I think it's a perfectly sensible name."

"Do you really?" replied Gwoppy.

"Yes, of course," answered Michael firmly. "I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it, but tell me, how on earth do you do that trick with your size? I mean, how do you manage to be so small one minute..."

"And like I am now?" exclaimed Gwoppy, interrupting.

"Yes exactly," said Michael.

"Oh it's easy," laughed Gwoppy, and promptly demonstrated his amazing skill, seemingly shrinking and expanding at will like some fantastic inflatable toy.

For the next half hour or so, Michael stood happily entranced in the kitchen as Gwoppy talked about the house that was now his home. All of a sudden though, he began to feel very weary and tried without success to stifle a yawn that seemed intent on prizing his mouth open. Gwoppy, sensing what was happening, stopped relating his tale and said, "You're looking sleepy Michael. You must be very tired after such a long day. We can continue our conversation later. In the meantime I think you ought to get back to bed. Come on, I'll show you the way."

A few minutes later, with Michael safely back in bed again, Gwoppy helpfully tucked in the sheets that had come adrift at the bottom. "Thanks Gwoppy," said Michael, "I do feel very tired, but I still don't know if I'll be able to fall asleep."

"Of course you will," replied Gwoppy. "Tell you what! Would you like to hear an amusing poem? I have just the thing come to think of it. It's about a flying chocolate pudding."

"There's no such thing as a flying chocolate pudding," giggled Michael. "And what do you know about chocolate puddings anyway?"

"They're my favourite delicacy," retorted Gwoppy, pretending to be outraged. "Now just you lie quiet and let me think." Michael lay back in bed and relaxed. "OK... close your eyes," said Gwoppy, "because you've got to imagine this in your head. Eyes tightly shut? Right then, here goes.

`Over the roof tops flew a flying chocolate pudding,

Free as a bird in the sky...'

On and on went the poem about the escaped chocolate pudding, as it flew across the town, over factories and houses, and across fields and rivers and, as it flew on, Michael's eyelids seemed to get heavier and heavier.

`Now some sparrows down below saw the flying chocolate pudding as they looked with amazement to the sky, And very soon they caught and ate the flying chocolate pudding till not a crumb was left of it to fly, Chocolate pudding, BYE-BYE.'

Coming to the end of his poem, Gwoppy chuckled quietly to himself at his corny turn of phrase. Poetry was not really his strong point, but it had done the trick as far as Michael was concerned, and as his new found friend fell into a deep and restful sleep, no doubt dreaming of flying chocolate puddings and steaming jugs of creamy custard, Gwoppy slid gently off the bed and tiptoed quietly over towards the door.
 

To read more of Gwoppy's activities you could check out the book at your local bookstore ( ISBN 1-4137-0795-5 ) or you can buy on-line from www.amazon.co.uk it costs less than 10 pounds(GBP) and there are seven adventures.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1 FIRST MEETING

CHAPTER 2 GWOPPY GOES VISITING

CHAPTER 3 GWOPPY AND THE SLEDGE

CHAPTER 4 THE ROBOT AND THE RAT

CHAPTER 5 BORON THE LION

CHAPTER 6 THE WHOOPER SWAN

CHAPTER 7 BAKING DAY

CHAPTER 8 HOLIDAY ESCAPADES

 

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