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Hughie Goes Gardening

Once upon a time in the Kingdom of Stark there lived a pussy cat named Hughie. Now, Hughie lived in a room in the castle especially built for him by the King and Queen. It even had a private door that only Hughie could enter with a key. Hughie had a great life living at the castle. All he did most of the day was sleep in his own bed. He would get brushed twice a day and all the food he wanted to eat. When he wasn’t sleeping he would be out in the woods, next to the castle, chasing the birds and the mice. What more could he ask for?

One day, while he was lying on his bed, having just woken up from his fifth nap of the morning, Hughie decided that he should do something for the King and Queen. The question was what? This was a tough problem. He would have to sleep on it. So after a big yawn and a stretch, Hughie went back to sleep. That afternoon he was walking through the woods thinking about the problem when it finally came to him. He knew all about the woods, how else could he catch the birds and mice, and the King and the Queen liked to garden. Why not help them in the garden? What a great idea, thought Hughie.

At that very moment the Queen was putting on her Wellington boots to go out to plant some flowers. Hughie thought, here is my first opportunity to help. He raced out his special door just in time to meet the Queen. The Queen was happy to see Hughie and to have the company.

They walked along the path until they came to the flower garden. The queen took out her tools and dug a hole in the soft soil. Just as the Queen was ready to put the new plant in the hole, Hughie jumped into the hole and sat down to see if it was the right size for the plant. Once that was done, he then proceeded to check out the soil that the Queen would use to put around the plant. Hughie did this by rolling in it, and then he tasted the water from the hose to make sure that it also was just right. He continued to do this for the next several plants. After a while, he decided that the Queen had enough instructions and now knew how to plant the flowers, besides it was time for a nap. He walked over to the nearest tree and in the shade feel fast asleep. When the Queen had finished the planting, Hughie woke up and walked back to the castle with the Queen.

Hughie was exhausted from his hard day of teaching the Queen how to plant flowers. What he needed is a little food and some more sleep. So off he went back to his room and his cozy bed.

The next day Hughie was ready to help the King. The King was very proud of the castle lawn. Every day he would walk around the lawn admiring it. If he came across a weed he would pull it out. Hughie thought that the King might need his help in determining the difference between a weed and the grass. So when the King bent down to pull a suspected weed, Hughie would lie down on the lawn in front of the King to protect the grass. This continued for a while with Hughie lying down in front of the King every time the King tried to pull a weed. Hughie thought to himself, "This is hard work trying to teach the King the difference between a weed and the grass". Finally, Hughie decided that the King had enough instructions and besides he was over due for his nap. So off he went to find a quiet place in the shade under a bush.

Hughie did not confine his help to the Queen planting flowers or the King picking weeds. When the Royal Gardeners were trimming the hedges, Hughie was there to make sure that the hedge was cut straight. If the Queen went out in the garden to pick flowers for the dinner table, there was Hughie ready to help select the prettiest ones.

One day, Hughie was in the garden tool shed checking to see if all the tools were in their proper place, when someone locked the door. As hard as he could try he could not get out. Later that day when the King and Queen were sitting down to lunch, the King said to the Queen, "Have you seen Hughie?" "No I haven’t and that is very strange," said the Queen. "He is usually in his bed by now, sleeping". As the day wore on they became concerned. All the King's horses and all the King's men could not find Hughie.

As a last resort the King decided to consult the Great Wizard. The Wizard questioned the King about Hughie’s actions over the last several days. Then he went to the Royal library to read up on the habits of pussy cats. Finally after thinking about the problem he told the King that pussy cats like dark places where they could hide and watch what people were doing. The King said, "The only place like that is the garden tool shed".

The King raced back to the Queen and they both went to check the tool shed. As they got closer they could hear a MEOOOOOW coming from the shed. No sooner had they opened the door, than out ran Hughie, right between the King's legs. He ran straight to his room where he immediately had a snack and was fast asleep by the time the King and Queen returned to the castle.

When Hughie woke up the next morning, he decided that he would give up trying to teach the King and Queen how to garden and besides, all this work was tiring and taking him away from his main occupation of chasing the birds and mice. So he went to the King and Queen and told them he was sure that they now knew how to garden and that he had more important things to do like sleeping and chasing the birds and mice.

Once more peace came to the land of Stark.