Badger the Mystical Mutt and the Barking Boogie (4 page)

Pogo Paws sped off to send the p-mail, while Dodgy Dave and the rest of the gang carried Cheryl to the wheelie bins where the gungy treacle lay, and plonked her right in the middle of the sticky mess.

Dodgy Dave smirked and said, “Right, Cheryl! Let's see you dance now!”

Cheryl used all her strength to try to lift her tiny paw out of the tacky black gunk, but with no luck.

“I can't move, Dodgy Dave. Please help me!”

The rest of the gang whooped and cackled as they watched Cheryl, who was stuck fast.

“Maybe Badger the Mystical Mutt will use one of his famous spells to help you!” sniggered Dodgy Dave.

Back in Badger's garden, amidst the general whiff of the lane, he caught the scent of a freshly delivered p-mail. He sniffed the lamp post to open it. It was clear that Cheryl needed his help.

He dashed into the lane to see Cheryl knee-deep in treacle, sobbing dramatically.

“Cheryl!” he shouted, “I'm coming to get you.”

As he waded forward through the gluey mixture, the gang dropped a fishing net on his head and reeled him in.

“Gotcha!” shouted Dodgy Dave “Now let's see how you get out of this one, since you're so good at poking your nose into my business. Just so you know, Badger, the only dancing I've ever done is in a ring with Boxers.

“And as for you, Cheryl,” he added, in his toughest voice, “you're not just
like
a bad smell, you
are
a bad smell, and you just won't go away. This should keep you in one place for a bit. Oh, and by the way, I'm sure I saw the Pong Police up ahead.”

The gang snorted and chortled as they watched Badger slide through the treacle until he was next to Cheryl.

“You now have all day to chat about the delights of dancing together!” scoffed Dodgy Dave.

“Or until the Pong Police reach you,” added Pickle nastily.

Dodgy Dave and the gang slithered off, leaving Badger and Cheryl in a sticky situation.

“Don't worry, Cheryl. I'll get us out of this. All I need is one of my most efficient sticky goo-removal spells,” said Badger bravely.

Cheryl looked up at him hopefully and released another loud
prffffft
.

“Ooops!” she giggled. “I think nerves make my bottom burps bigger.”

Badger frowned and tried his best to remember the magic words. Sparkles of light twinkled around him. “Bingo!” he thought, “Soapy suds! They should do the trick!” He tried to jump up and down with the excitement of remembering the spell, but his paws would not budge.

“Treacle, trickle, gunge and goo
,

Time to turn into something new.

You're extremely sticky, and a little drippy
,

So hubble some bubbles and now become slippy.”

If Badger could have moved, he would have stood back with a flourish, as he was very pleased with himself. Immediately, lots of soapy bubbles started to appear around them.

And soon, clouds upon clouds of bubbles filled every inch of the lane.

“Now's our chance to escape, Cheryl,” said Badger. “'Chief, we need you to steer us out of here, please.
Show koo ray, show koo ray, out of the bubbles, up, up and away.
”

'Chief unwrapped itself from Badger's neck and billowed out like a parachute. Badger hung on with Cheryl hanging on to his tail. They climbed above the bubbles and soared along the lane, until they landed gently in Badger's garden.

“Well, that was a stroke of genius,” said Badger smugly. Then, sniffing Cheryl, he added, “At least the bubbles have made you smell better. Not much … but a little.”

Cheryl brightened. “Oh, if the smell has gone, maybe Dodgy Dave will dance with me now?”

Badger looked at her kindly. “It's not that simple, Cheryl. I think we need to call in some extra help to get rid of your smell completely. Follow me.”

Cheryl frowned and followed Badger to the sundial at the bottom of his garden.

“This sundial,” said Badger proudly, pointing to a stone pillar with a stone plate balanced on top, “is my Badgical Magical portal to the enchanted forest.”

“What's a portal?” asked Cheryl

“It's like a door, which opens at exactly the right time for us to slip through into another place,” answered Badger.

“I don't understand,” said Cheryl, shaking her head vigorously.

“Okay, watch then. I'm just waiting for a cloud to pass and then we can be off.” Badger was very still as he sniffed the air. He looked up at the cloud and hoped that the sun would peep out soon.

“Where are we going? I need time to practise my moves for the
Hotpaws Barking Boogie
,” asked Cheryl.

“Well, this might help you find your dancing partner, Cheryl. So trust me just for a while, and I can assure you that you won't lose any time at all by coming with me now. Where
we
are going, time stands still.”

Cheryl shimmied along Badger's back. She skipped onto the sundial and danced a cha-cha around its golden face. “What a great dance floor,” she shouted gleefully.

“Ssssh, Cheryl. Show a bit of respect. Come back now,” said Badger.

Cheryl hopped onto Badger's head and hung on to his white tuft, wide-eyed at this magnificent structure.

“When the pointer on the sundial is lined up with that bone picture there,” Badger pointed, “and that ball picture there, and when the sun casts its shadow in just the right way, the portal opens and we can take flight,” stated Badger.

Cheryl gasped and said, “But it's nearly there.”

“I know,” said Badger. “Get ready, wee one.”

As the shadow glided into place, a strange-looking contraption appeared before them, huffing and puffing, clanking and clunking.

“Meet the Wim-Wim for the Wowser to wind the weather up on a wet day,” said Badger with pride. “Come on, Cheryl. Let's go and make you smell divine.”

Cheryl hung on to Badger's ears as he stepped onto the first rung of the ladder. He twisted the big golden key that was sticking out from the Wim-Wim's side, clockwise. As the contraption cranked and creaked, jabbered and droned, rattled and groaned, they both took their seats.

Sparkles of light twinkled around Badger. The Wim-Wim sighed and breathed out a steady rumbling hum. Badger nodded to Cheryl and shouted, “Okay, we're off. Now I need you to repeat after me:

“Open our hearts with our eyes closed tight.”

“Open our hearts with our eyes closed tight,” repeated Cheryl, closing her eyes tightly.

“Imagine our bodies filling with light.”

“Imagine our bodies filling with light,” repeated Cheryl, taking a deep breath.

“With good intentions clearly in sight.”

“With good intentions clearly in sight,” repeated Cheryl, starting to tingle all over.

“Let Badgical Magical Dreams take flight,”
said Badger with a salute! The top of the Wim-Wim whirred rapidly.

“Let Badgical Magical Dreams take flight,” repeated Cheryl with the same salute.

Just then a wondrous rumba beat pulsed throughout her body, all the way from the top of her tiny head, right down to the end of her tiny toes.