The source..

It sounded like the biggest rainstorm ever...Miss Moussie never saw a waterfall in her entire moussies life so you can imagine how she felt.. her little heart pounded very very fast..
Miss Moussie followed a bend in the river...and THERE it was...

From high up..between some rocks..the water came plunging down...
-O my goodness..twittered Miss Moussie...what a wonderful sight...and what noise..it almost sounds like thunder....For a minute she was quit overwhelmed by the beauty of this phenomenon..and she almost forgot to breathe....
-I made it ..she twittered with a big happy sigh..I made it...THIS is the source of the Drumble..Phew..I have to sit down for a while....and enjoy this spectacular view..

Miss Moussie sat herself down in the grass of the riverbank....the sun was shining bright...Life was good....And above Miss Moussies head circled a little bird...watching her..then flying away following the Drumble ,gently down the stream....

The Dutchess and Company were now very close in finding Miss Moussie..in a few minutes they are about to reach the river bend...I know it ..and now you know it...but they don;t know it, yet.!....In fact they are very sure the search is leading nowhere...and that our moussie is lost for ever...

There they are..walking in silence...with a heavy heart...
-The Dutchess looked up...seeing nothing but blue skies....sunlight through the treetops...and a beautiful white bird...how lovely..
-There...a little white bird...croaked Gustave..I've never seen such a birdie...anyone...?
Gustave was only asking this to distracted our little Hilltop Company from being so gloomy..
The little white bird swooped down..and flew up again..
-O would you look at that...said Elvira surprised..
Again and again the white bird swooped down...and again and again...it flew up again..
-Its a sign...said C..I see it..its a sign..
-Follow that bird...yelled Horatio...I'm sure its a sign or my name isn't Horatio..there's more between heaven....
-Yes yes...we know that..croaked Gustave...don't dilly dally..This birdie is trying to tell us something..
As fast as there feet were willing to run our company ran following the bird...THERE..a bend in the river....and -O MY GOSH,said the Dutchess- a waterfall....and....-Hallelujah..croaked Gustave.....they found Miss Moussie.....

Well dear reader and friend..you can imagine how happy our little friends were to see our moussie sitting there..safe and sound...
To celebrate the wonderful moment they asked Mr C to take a picture...and so he did..It took some time..but it became one of his HAPPIEST pictures ever made..!!!

What I would like to ad ( as a writer) at the end of this story is this....When you find an old photograph...and you can't recall where it was made...what year..what date..or even what occasion..never mind...Just ask yourself this...are the people on this picture smiling..do they look happy......When everything else is history...what will remain is the expression in their eyes and on their faces...they will share that moment with you for ever and ever..and you will know if they found the source what makes life worth living..love ..!
-“If I could tell you what it meant, there would be no point in finding it...Remember the message in the bottle...we all have to find this source for ourselfs...to understand....

So..when somebody finds this photograph which Mr C made today...in, lets say one hundred years...I'll doubt anyone will remember where or why it was taken...but they will see a merry group of friends ,happy to have found each other,and happy to be in each other's company..and that's all what counts..(lovely detail in the photograph a little white bird flying over their heads.....)


(you can click the picture for a better view)

Here we will end the storytelling..Miss Moussie has some explaining to do,she had to make a promise to Gustave that she will never again go wandering in the wilderness.... and the Dutchess is in a hurry because she is going on a trip ..!

Feel free to visit the Hilltop ...Sir Hog is the gate keeper this time..and I am sure he will let you in....

Proceed...

Abruptly the Dutchess and company stopped in there tracks....causing a multiple pile up of mole,frog,Dutchess,squirrel and hedgehog...

Poor Mr C...he walked in front of the row...and now the whole gang tumbled atop of him....

-HUMPH...humpfed Mr C..
-Help...Don't squish me..croaked Gustave..-
-So sorry ..said the Dutchess whilst standing up..are you oke Gustave darling...
-Whoops...uttered Elvira...sliding from the Dutchess behind taking with her Sir Hog who tried to grab a ribbon of the Dutchess's dress in an attempted to break his fall..
And for a moment he dangled there....until his arms couldn't hold him anymore and he had to let himself drop..bouncing like a little ball in the grass of the river bank...

-WWhy did we stop...stuttered C...this is no time for a picnic..
-You are so right croaked Gustave..there is no time to loose...who knows where Miss Moussie could be...
-She could be drifting in that little boat out in the open sea by now..said Elvira jumping up and down nervously..
-Nnobody said anything about a bboat stuttered C....!

The Dutchess just stood there...she didn't listen to what her Hilltop friends were saying..she was thinking about her dear Miss Moussie...What if she would never see her again..
There was this photograph they had found a couple of ours ago ...a picture of Miss Moussie....to cute for words...Miss Moussie as a baby,sitting in the the Daisy Meadow..
And then there was this teapot....



-Dutchess...dearest....croaked Gustave ....dearest........A penny for your thoughts ..
-There is this teapot..I have to show Miss Moussie this teapot...whispered the Dutchess to herself..
-She fell on her head...now we have it....Miss Moussie gone and the Dutchess coocoo..said Sir Hog while he dusted himself of and straitened his back..
-Horatio...old chap..that's not a way to speak about our Dutchess croaked Gustave...you take that back I say...and he posted himself in front of Sir Hog's nose...

-Its all right Gustave said the Dutchess..everybody calm down...I was just thinking about my grandmothers teapot..I found it on the attic and it would be so lovely to have tea with Miss Moussie..she would LOVE this teapot...
-And so you will dearest..croaked Gustave...and so you will...Enough of this dilly dally...this is serious business...Come on..Proceed...we are on a quest...The quest to find Miss Moussie..

Up stream..not even so far away from where our company was hiking....Miss Moussie heard a strange sound....
-Water...she squeaked...a LOT of water...O how wonderful..I believe I'm approaching a waterfall...I'm almost there...I've almost reached the source of the Drumble...And above her head a little bird started to sing a tune...

Company ....halt..

Gustave followed Mr C ...he couldn't stop asking questions...

-C..where did you see these daisies to be precise...?
-Told you my friend...in the Drumble...floating..down the stream...
-C..did you see any sign of life from Miss Moussie...
-Told you my friend...Daisies...floating in the Drumble..down the stream...
-C....but you didn't see Miss MOussie float...now did you...

Our dear Dutchess followed Gustave..and she couldn't stop asking questions..

-Gustave darling....what did C just say....did he go boating...
-No dearest....he said floating....down the stream..
-Boating down the stream...but I thought we were going upwards....
-We are....the daisies went the other way....
-Gustave darling tell C I am sure we have to go follow the Drumble...and we don't need a boat..

Sweet Elvira followed the Dutchess....she was so nervous she couldn't stop asking questions..

-Dutchess ....please...what's this with a boat...it didn't float.!?...O my goodness..
-No Elvira...the daisies did...down the stream....but I'm sure Miss Moussie went the other way...
-Miss Moussie floating in a boat...far away...O my goodness..

Sir Hog did his best to keep up with Elvira..but to know what was happening he couldn't stop asking questions..

-Elvira...wait for me ..wait for me..what did you just say....Miss Moussie went away in a boat....what ever for...?
-Keep up friend Horatio....Miss Moussie is floating in a boat far away down the stream...
-But ...but... we are going upwards....why...what...EVERYBODY STOP....and Sir Hog shouted in a very loud and firm tone of voice...COMPANY ....HALT..!!!!!



We better do as he says...and stop...here...

Follow.....

For a while Mr C just stood there....watching the daisies drift by....

-Now....Let's put one and one together..he whispered...
One...there are daisies in the Drumble
Two...they cant have jumped in by themselves...!
Three...so..someone must have throwed them in..but why..?
Four...o dear..maybe someone fell in together with the Daisies....
FFFive....and now C began to stutter...this always happens when he is nervous..or when he discovers something..FFFive..WHO loves daisies so much that he or she would dive into the Drumble.....O NO......Miss Moussie..THAT'S WHY my mind mysteriously wandered of to our dear moussie a few minutes ago......O DDDDear....MMmiss Mmoussie ffell in the DDrumble..

As fast as his little feet could dig...Mr C Mole raced through his under ground labyrinth..made a few u turns, took some wrong exit's in his hurry and confusion...but at last he reached the Hilltop Hall....stammering out of breath.....HHelp HHelp....anybody...ccome quickly....Wwe lllost Miss Moussie....

And where was our dear Miss Moussie when Mr C rang the alarm bell at the Hilltop...
Skipping merely down a path that followed the riverbank of the Drumble....singing a happy tune...
-I'M OF TO FOLLOW THE DRUMBLE FOLLOWING THE DRUMBLE AM I....lalalalalalalaaa.......lalalalalalalalaaaaaaaaaaaaa.....
Miss Moussie was ever so curious what she was about to find at the source of the Drumble...and this had put her in a very jolly mood...
Whilst skipping and twittering Miss Moussie startled a little birdie....it flew of flapping his wings fiercely....a little feather came floating down on the wind....
-Don't be frightened dear birdie..squeaked Miss Moussie..I'm just a wanderer in the wilderness...I will do you no harm..and she picked up the feather that the little winged creature had lost in his flight..It was white and fluffy...with a silver lining..
-Aah, so lovely...said Miss Moussie to herself..I will keep it as a souvenir...



The little bird from high up a tree top saw Miss Moussie open her spy kit box and carefully put his lost feather away....
Miss MOussie then followed her trail.....and surprisingly the bird started to follow Miss Moussie..

At the Hilltop....everybody was in a state of panic....Mr C had gathered all the hilltop creatures....and with he himself on the lead they were going on a search for Miss Moussie..

Gustave in great courage (as always)followed Mr C....The Dutchess,very worried,followed Gustave..Elvira nervously followed the Dutchess....Mr H Hog, very brave, followed Elvira....he would go to the end of the world for Miss Moussie...and then there's US....following this parade....

Better keep up now...don't lose track of the one walking before you...keep following...until we reach the source...

Daisies in the Drumble...

You could see...and hear...the flash Mr C created with his little black box from afar....

-Goodness ..twittered Miss Moussie..what was that..and she stopped and paused for a while...could this be fireworks...?
The leaves on the trees above her little moussie head were rustling quietly...like they were saying..its OK..carry on..there's nothing strange under the sun today..we will be on the lookout ...

-The Dutchess and Gustave looked up from there picture book...The Dutchess lifted one eyebrow..like she always does when there is something what puzzles her...
-Maybe its the soup we left on the stove...said Gustave worried..and now it has exploded..
-No no..dear Gustave...answered the Dutchess and she smiled reassuring...lets continue..the soups fine..

-WOW...uttered Mr C...my ears are ringing...what a noise...this cant be good..better check this black box before making another picture..
He wandered off to the riverbank..and sat himself down..
-How lovely this place is, he said to himself...he loved the little babbling brook...
He knew very well one had to be very careful when walking the Old Log Bridge...the little river could run wild and rush you off to unknown places..but for now..it looked ever so calm and romantic...glistening in the morning sun.
Mr C started fumbling with his black box....this was a marvelous opportunity to make some pictures of the dangerous Drumble in springtime...
-Its amazing hoe quick everything turned green so fast...said C surprised...I have to catch how the sunlight shines through the trees and makes this enchanting reflection in the water..
He focused on the Drumble...and what did catch his eye.......A Daisy floating by.....and another one...and another one.....
Daisies...in the Drumble...mumbled C....how strange...I don't suppose they took a dive into the water.....somehow they must of fallen in....
And in a mysterious way Mr C's mind wandered of to.......Miss Moussie...