A Party for Pooh

It is a beautiful day in the Hundred Acre Wood. The sun is warm. The streams are trickling and tinkling. The birds are singing their songs, trying them out, listening, and trying again. And on this lovely day, Christopher Robin has an idea.

He calls for Owl.

"Owl," says Christopher Robin, "I am going to give a party! It is a special party, because of what Pooh did when he saved Piglet from the flood. Will you go and tell everyone? It is tomorrow."

So Owl flies off to tell them all. And the first one he tells is Pooh.

"Pooh," says Owl, "Christopher Robin is giving a party."

"Oh!" says Pooh.

And then he says, "Will there be those little cake things with pink sugar on top?"

Owl does not want to talk about little cakes with pink sugar on top. So he tells Pooh exactly what Christopher Robin said, and flies away to find Eeyore.

Now Pooh stands there thinking. A party for him! How wonderful! But then he starts to feel a little bit worried. What if nobody remembers why the party is happening? What if nobody remembers what he did? And in his head, a worried little Hum begins to sing itself.

Three cheers for Pooh! For who? For Pooh! Why, what did he do? I thought you knew. He saved his friend from a wetting! Three cheers for Bear! For where? For Bear! He couldn't swim, but he rescued him! He rescued who? Oh, listen, do! I am talking of Pooh. Of who? Of Pooh! I'm sorry, I keep forgetting. Well, Pooh was a Bear of Enormous Brain. Just say it again! Of enormous brain. Of enormous what? Well, he ate a lot, and I don't know if he could swim or not, but he managed to float on a sort of boat. On a sort of what? Well, a sort of pot. So now let's give him three hearty cheers! So now let's give him three hearty whiches? And hope he'll be with us for years and years, and grow in health and wisdom and riches! Three cheers for Pooh! For who? For Pooh! Three cheers for Bear! For where? For Bear! Three cheers for the wonderful Winnie-the-Pooh! Just tell me, somebody, WHAT DID HE DO?

And all the while that Pooh was busying himself with his worried Hum, Owl was flying on his important errand. At last he came to Eeyore's gloomy corner of the Wood.

"Eeyore," says Owl, "Christopher Robin is giving a party. There is an invitation for you."

"What is that?" says Eeyore. "Something to eat?"

"No, no! It means you are asked to come. Tomorrow."

"Are you sure?" says Eeyore. "You must mean Piglet."

"No!" says Owl. "Christopher Robin said, all of them. Tell all of them."

"All of them except Eeyore?" says Eeyore.

"ALL of them," says Owl.

"Hm," says Eeyore. "A mistake, I am sure. But I shall come. Only do not blame me if it rains."

But it does not rain. The next day is perfectly lovely.

Christopher Robin sets up a long table made of pieces of wood, and everyone sits around it. Christopher Robin sits at one end. Pooh sits at the other end. In between are Owl, Eeyore, Piglet, Rabbit, Kanga, and little Roo.

And all of Rabbit's Friends and Relations sit in the grass nearby, hoping someone might talk to them or maybe drop a little food.

It is Roo's very first party, and he is very excited. He bounces in his seat.

"Hello, Pooh!" he squeaks.

"Hello, Roo!" says Pooh.

Bounce, bounce, bounce.

"Hello, Piglet!" squeaks Roo.

Piglet gives a little jump and waves a paw. He is too busy eating to talk.

"Hello, Eeyore!" says Roo.

"It will rain soon," says Eeyore. "You wait and see."

Roo looks up at the sky. It does not rain. Not one drop.

"Hello, Owl!" says Roo.

"Hello, my little fellow," says Owl in a kind voice.

"Drink your milk first, dear," says Kanga, "and talk after."

So Roo tries to drink his milk AND talk at the very same time, and... gurgle, splutter, cough! He has to be patted on the back and dried off for quite a long time.

When everyone has eaten almost enough, Christopher Robin bangs on the table with his spoon. Bang, bang, bang! Everyone goes quiet, except for Roo, who is finishing a loud round of hiccups.

Hup! Hup! Hup!

"This party," says Christopher Robin, "is because of what someone did. We all know who it was. And I have a present for him. Here it is!"

He looks around. "Wait. Where is it?"

While Christopher Robin is looking, Eeyore stands up and clears his throat.

"Friends," says Eeyore, "it is a great pleasure to see you all at my party. What I did was nothing. Any of you would have done the same. But it happened to be me. And it was not for any reward that I did what I did, but because I feel that we should all—"

"Hup!" says Roo by accident.

"Roo, dear!" says Kanga.

"Was that me?" asks Roo, surprised.

"What is Eeyore talking about?" Piglet whispers to Pooh.

"I do not know," says Pooh sadly. "I thought this was my party."

"I thought so too," says Piglet.

"AS I WAS SAYING," says Eeyore very loudly, "I feel that—"

"Here it is!" cries Christopher Robin. "Pass it down to silly old Pooh. It is for Pooh!"

"Carefully now!" says Rabbit. "In an orderly fashion."

"For Pooh?" says Eeyore.

"Of course!" says Christopher Robin. "The best bear in all the world."

"I might have known," says Eeyore quietly. "After all, one cannot complain. I have my friends."

But nobody is listening to Eeyore, because everyone is saying, "Open it, Pooh!" and "What is it, Pooh?" and "I know what it is!" and "No, you don't!"

Pooh opens it very carefully, without cutting the string, because you never know when a bit of string might be useful. Rustle, rustle, rustle. And then...

Oh!

It is a special pencil case. Inside there are pencils marked B for Bear, and pencils marked HB for Helping Bear, and pencils marked BB for Brave Bear. There is a little sharpener. There is a rubber for rubbing out mistakes. There is a ruler with inches on it. And there are blue pencils and red pencils and green pencils.

And all of these wonderful things fit into little pockets inside the case, and the whole thing closes with a click! And they are all for Pooh.

"Oh!" says Pooh.

"Oh, Pooh!" says everybody else. Except Eeyore.

"Thank you," says Pooh softly.

And it was a very grand party, which lasted until the sun began to think about going to bed.

When it was all over and everyone had said goodbye and thank you, Pooh and Piglet walk home together. The sky is golden. The evening is warm and still. For a long time they do not say anything. Their feet go pat, pat, pat along the path.

Then Piglet speaks. "When you wake up in the morning, Pooh, what is the first thing you say to yourself?"

"What is for breakfast?" says Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"

"I say, I wonder what exciting thing is going to happen today!" says Piglet.

Pooh thinks about this.

"It is the same thing," he says.

And together they walk on, through the golden evening, all the way home.