A Most Peculiar Toy Factory

by Alex Bell

  Finally, she turned into another tunnel and realised that there was something else at the end of it, just around the corner. She could see its shadow against the wall. And it was too big to be Oliver.

  The goblin! Tess thought to herself.

  Before she could lose her nerve, Tess crept right up to the corner, then leaped around it and flung out her mop.

  There was a pained cry and a thump, and something big fell down on the floor before her.

  But it wasn’t the goblin – it was Hoggle lying on the ground. His top hat had fallen off and he dropped his enormous net to grasp his nose with both hands.

  “Aargh!” Hoggle groaned between his fingers. “My nose! I think you may have broken it!”

  Tess wasn’t in a very sympathetic mood just then. She pointed the mop at Hoggle sternly and said, “It’s no good pretending any more – we’ve seen your grandfather’s journal and we know everything! We know there’s a goblin down here and that he’s making the teddy bears evil! We know that—”

  “Yes, yes, it’s all true!” Hoggle exclaimed, cutting Tess off. He looked up at her with pleading eyes and said, “But how was I to know? I thought Grandpops had just gone round the twist when he went on about those bears. Like him, I’ve always wanted to make toys.”

  Hoggle dropped his hands. Tess was relieved to see that his nose wasn’t bleeding and didn’t seem to be broken.

  Hoggle waved his arms about from where he was half-propped on the floor and said, “I wanted to make the most wonderful, fantastic, amazing toys that children would love for ever! Is that so bad?”

  “No,” Tess said, starting to feel uncertain.

  Hoggle gave a great sigh and said, “When I found out about the goblin, I thought hiring children would chase him away. I can’t have adults here – they’d be able to see there was something wrong with the toys. When the teddies are out in the world, the magic hides their evil from adults for the most part – although some adults seem to realise something’s not right. I thought that once you children had chased away the goblin, then the factory could have a fresh start.”

  “Well, it was a very risky scheme!” Tess said. “My brother Oliver has vanished! Perhaps the teddy bears have him, or perhaps it’s the goblin. Whatever it is, I’ve got to find him.”

  “Good gracious me!” Hoggle breathed. He’d gone pale as he stared up at Tess. “I’m so sorry,” he said. “I really did think that the teddy bears were all gone. I locked them all in a cupboard but they must have escaped. And I never dreamed the goblin would take a child. Not with the goblin’s allergy to children—”

  Right at that moment, there was a sudden loud, “ATISHOO!”

  It came from further down the tunnel. Hoggle and Tess stared at each other for a moment, then Hoggle scrambled to his feet and the two of them sprinted towards the sneeze.

  Tess and Hoggle rounded the corner and found themselves in a particularly large cave, with stalactites reaching down from the ceiling and big chunks of crystals set in the walls. In the centre of the space was a small wonky well made from chipped red bricks. It didn’t look like anything that special, but Tess knew it must be the wishing well, because the goblin was crouched on its wall. The scent of black pepper and toffee apples filled the air.

  The goblin was completely green, with arms and legs like a frog’s, webbed fingers and ears that seemed far too big for him. He was about the size of a small sheepdog and crouched on the edge of the well. As Tess watched, the goblin reached down and pulled something up from the depths. A shock of orange hair appeared and Tess gasped as she realised the goblin was dragging Oliver up by his collar.

  Oliver grabbed the wall of the well and pulled himself onto it. His face was streaked with dirt, but otherwise he seemed OK. Tess gave a cry of relief and ran towards him, just as Hoggle raised his net and charged towards the goblin.

  “Unhand that child, you monster!” Hoggle cried.

  The goblin jumped, startled, and whipped around to face them.

  Tess saw huge frightened yellow eyes before Hoggle brought his net down and scooped the goblin up.

  “Well done!” Tess cried, delighted. She threw her arms around Oliver. “Are you all right?” Tess asked.

  But, to her surprise, Oliver wriggled out of her hug and ran up to Hoggle.

  “Let Betty go!” Oliver yelled, poking Hoggle hard in the ribs. When that didn’t work, Oliver grabbed Hoggle’s arm and bit him on the hand. Hoggle dropped the net with a shout.

  “Good heavens!” Hoggle exclaimed. “I’ve always liked children very much indeed, but I do wish you’d all stop jabbing me and biting me and hitting me with mops!”

  “Oliver, what’s wrong?” Tess asked. “Who’s Betty?”

  “The goblin!” Oliver replied, hurrying over to the net where the goblin was still thrashing about. “She’s not evil. Betty saved me from the teddy bears and let me hide in her wishing well. She was going to take me home.”

  Oliver reached into the net and grasped the goblin’s hand to pull her out. Tess watched with shock as the goblin shrank against Oliver and wrapped her webbed hands tight around his leg. Betty’s head only just came up to Oliver’s waist.

  “Is this true?” Hoggle asked, staring at the goblin. “Did you save the boy?”

  The goblin hesitated, then nodded. Tess noticed that Betty had extremely long eyelashes.

  “But … aren’t you in league with the teddy bears?” Tess asked.

  “Me?” the goblin said. Her voice was cold and soft, like ice cream. Betty pointed a finger at Hoggle and said, “He’s the one who made the bears!”

  “I most certainly did not!” Hoggle exclaimed, sounding offended. “My grandfather made them. Then he threw a penny into your well and wished for his toys to come to life.”

  “It wasn’t my wishing well back then!” the goblin protested. “It was my uncle’s.”

  “Well, where is your uncle?” Hoggle asked.

  “He died,” the goblin replied. “A few weeks ago. He left me the well. I thought this would make a lovely new home, but then I discovered the place was infested with evil teddy bears.” Betty gave a loud sniff and her lower lip wobbled slightly. “And I’ve got nowhere else to go.”

  “Ah,” Hoggle said, and he rubbed the tip of his nose. “I think there has been a misunderstanding.”

  CHAPTER 11

  A Very Special Penny

  Tess was glad to learn that the goblin wasn’t in league with the teddy bears, and nor was Hoggle. In fact, it seemed as if everyone wanted the same thing.

  “We must get rid of these bears,” Hoggle said, sounding fed up. “I keep thinking I’ve found them all and locked them away. And the next thing I know they’ve popped back up and are running around the factory again. The teddy bears must have secret hiding places. Even the teddies on the wallpaper make rude faces and gestures at me.”

  “Some of my uncle’s magic must have gone into the wallpaper,” Betty said. She stuck a bony finger up her nose, pulled a bogey out and ate it.

  “What?” Betty said as she noticed their expressions. “Picking my nose is the only thing that will ward off the sneezes.” She turned to Hoggle and said, “The bears can pick the lock of that cupboard you keep putting them in. And they hide themselves away in the underwater streams that go beneath the tunnels.” She pointed at the back of the cavern. “The streams start there.”

  Tess thought about the frightened mermaid dolls and was struck with an idea.

  “I think I know what we need to do!” Tess said. She turned to the goblin and asked, “Can you grant wishes like your uncle?”

  Betty nodded. “If you throw a penny into the well,” she replied.

  “The mermaid dolls told us that the other toys can only talk – they can’t move around like the bears,” Tess said. “The mermaids also said that the bears hate all the other toys and have been attacking them. So what if you bring the rest of the toys to life, Betty? I’m sure they would help us round up the teddy bears. The mermaids
and rubber ducks would be able to dig out any bears that try to hide in the streams. The teddies would be outnumbered.”

  Betty pulled out another bogey, flicked it into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. “Actually,” she said. “That’s a pretty good idea.”

  *

  Tess and Oliver went to fetch Niles and Stacy in from outside. The twins were introduced to the goblin and told about everything Oliver and Tess had discovered. Then Betty got back in her wishing well and Hoggle stood ready with a penny to throw in.

  They’d agreed Hoggle would give the children a head-start of five minutes so they could grab some sacks from the storage cupboard. Then they were to run into the various rooms and warn the toys about what was going to happen and the plan they’d made to capture the teddy bears.

  The children ran around the rooms as fast as they could, talking to the toys. They spoke to the rubber ducks, the jack-in-the-boxes, the Noah’s arks, the toy soldiers and the mermaid dolls. The mermaids wept with relief and promised that they would go straight to the streams to round up the teddies.

  Finally, the children reached the Rocking-Horse Room. When Tess opened the door, she saw that the white horse she’d spoken to before still looked heartbroken. Tess hurried over to it and whispered their plan into its ear.

  And she was just in time. Hoggle must have thrown his penny into the well and made his wish, because sparkling gold ribbons seemed to fill the room, wrapping around the horses. They could smell the marzipan scent of magic as it fizzed and popped in the air.

  Suddenly the rocking horses were coming to life all around them. They tossed their heads and swished their tails and stamped their hooves against their rockers. The white horse nuzzled its soft nose against Tess’s neck, snorting into her hair with joy. Its eyes no longer looked sad and scared but bright and happy instead.

  “It worked!” Tess exclaimed. She turned to her siblings and said, “Niles and Stacy, collect as many mermaid dolls and rubber ducks as you can and carry them down to the stream in the goblin’s cavern. It will take them too long to get there without any water to travel on. Oliver and I are going to help the toys up here.”

  The twins hurried off. Tess was about to stride towards the door to lead the horses out when the white horse gripped her sleeve between its teeth and gave a gentle tug. When Tess looked back at it, the horse tossed its head towards its saddle. Tess realised that the rocking horse wanted a rider, and she grinned and leaped straight onto its back.

  Oliver took Tess’s lead and scrambled onto a dappled grey horse that whickered to greet him.

  “Let’s go!” Tess cried.

  The horses leaped from their rockers and galloped out of the door into the corridor.

  Tess saw that the toy soldiers were already ripping down the teddy-bear wallpaper. The painted bears were throwing dolls’ eyes at the soldiers, but they easily ducked them.

  And the real teddy bears were being driven out too. When they reached the foyer, Tess saw a small group of them racing across the floor, chased by some wooden elephants from the Noah’s arks. The bears looked just like Biffy and were running as fast as their fluffy white legs could carry them. But they weren’t fast enough and Tess’s horse galloped straight to them. Tess reached down and scooped them up in her sack. The bears wriggled and grumbled but could do nothing to escape.

  It was the same all over the factory. Everywhere the teddy bears went they were confronted with dolls or toy animals or soldiers or the Pipps children. When the bears tried to escape into the streams, the mermaids and rubber ducks soon got them back out again.

  Finally, everyone had gathered back in the foyer to stare down at four big sacks full of wriggling teddy bears.

  “Marvellous!” Hoggle exclaimed, rubbing his hands together with glee. “Is that all of them, captain?”

  Hoggle was speaking to one of the toy soldiers, who stood to attention and said, “Yes, sir, that’s the lot. We’ve gone around the entire factory and there are no bears left.”

  “At last,” Hoggle said.

  “You need to put them back in your grandfather’s trunk,” Betty said, and she gave the sacks a wary look. “It’s got a padlock attached on the outside, so they won’t be able to pick it from in there.”

  “I’ll put them straight in,” Hoggle said with a nod. He smiled at the goblin and said, “That was a marvellous job you did, bringing those toys to life. Simply marvellous.” He adjusted his top hat and added, “Perhaps you and I could be partners, Betty? With your magic and my craftsmanship, I have a feeling that Betty and Hoggle’s Toy Factory would make the most wonderful toys the world has ever seen. We’d share the profits, of course.”

  Betty gave Hoggle a wide grin and shook his hand. “It’s a deal,” she said.

  “This has been a real adventure, but we should be going,” Tess said, glancing towards the windows. It was getting dark outside and she knew that her mother would be starting to worry about them.

  “I must fetch your wages first,” Hoggle said. “After all, you’ve worked hard, even though it was at a different job than you’d thought.”

  “Do you think there might still be jobs for us here?” Tess asked hopefully. “It’s just that we really do need the money to save our farm. And you’ll need people to help if you’re going to start making toys again, won’t you?”

  “Indeed, yes,” Hoggle replied, looking pleased. “If you’d like to come back at the same time tomorrow, I’m sure I’ll find jobs for you.”

  “Oh, thank you!” Tess said. She was thinking of the cows back home and that perhaps they might be able to save them after all. “Well, we’ll see you tomorrow, then—”

  “Wait a moment,” Hoggle said. “I owe you four a great deal.” He looked thoughtful and rubbed his chin. “In fact, I think you have all earned a special bonus. How about a toy each to take home?”

  The children gasped.

  “To keep?” Stacy squealed.

  “Absolutely,” Hoggle replied. “You may each pick one toy.”

  “Oh, I’d just love one of the mermaid dolls!” Stacy said.

  “I’d like a toy soldier!” Niles cried.

  “Can I take Betty?” Oliver asked, looking longingly at the goblin.

  “Betty isn’t a toy,” Tess said, and tutted at Oliver. “Plus you just heard that she’s going to be Hoggle’s new partner.”

  “Perhaps you could come to our house for tea, then?” Oliver suggested to Betty.

  The goblin pulled another bogey from her nose and inspected it on the end of her finger. “Would your parents mind?” Betty asked.

  “Perhaps we could meet you in the woods for a picnic instead,” Tess said.

  “Well, if I can’t have Betty, then I’ll have a rubber duck,” Oliver announced.

  “Say please,” Tess said.

  “Please.”

  “And you?” Hoggle asked, turning his bright blue eyes on Tess. “What would you like?”

  Before Tess could even reply, the white rocking horse was whinnying and tugging at her sleeve.

  Hoggle grinned. “It looks as if the toy has already chosen you,” he said.

  Tess threw her arms around the rocking horse. Even though the toy was made of wood, the scent of real horses and sweet hay seemed to fill her nose.

  “Thank you, Mr Hoggle,” Tess said. “I promise we’ll take good care of them.”

  CHAPTER 12

  The Teddy-Bear Heart

  The children were on their way home from the factory when Tess said, “Remember Dad’s rule about Hoggle toys? He might not let us have them in the house. I think we should keep our toys a secret for now.”

  “How?” Stacy asked, and she clutched her mermaid doll to her chest. “Mum will probably be looking out for us from the window. She’s bound to see your horse.”

  The white rocking horse neighed and nudged Tess gently.

  “I know,” Tess said. “We’ll go round the back and hide the toys in the cowshed for now. We can smuggle them into the house la
ter.”

  So they did just that – finding a warm corner of the cowshed for the toys to nestle down for the night.

  Then the children went around to the front door of the house where their mother was waiting for them on the doorstep.

  “Oh, there you are!” she exclaimed, hurrying forwards to greet them. “You had me worried.”

  “There was a lot of cleaning to do, Mum,” Tess said. “We didn’t realise it was so late.”

  “Mr Hoggle should have made sure that you left on time,” their mother said, sounding annoyed. But then she smiled at them and said, “Well, you won’t have to go back anyway. I heard there was an absolute riot at the summer school when they tried to serve the health-food shop’s carrot juice and pickled vegetables. So the school won’t be using them any more and have re-ordered our chocolate milk and sugar mice.”

  “They have?” Tess gasped.

  Her mother nodded, beaming. “Yes, they’ve already paid us up front for the next year. So, you see, you won’t need to work at that toy factory after all.”

  Tess glanced at her siblings, who all looked crestfallen.

  “Actually, Mum,” Tess said, turning back to her. “We all really enjoyed it there today. And Mr Hoggle says he needs a lot of help to get the factory started up again. Perhaps we could carry on working there? Just for a bit?”

  Their mother stared at them. “Gosh, that was a turnaround!” she exclaimed. “This morning you hated the idea. Well, I suppose we can spare you for a couple of days. Now come on in and have some dinner.”

  Their mother led the way inside, but Tess paused on the doorstep and heard the faint whinny of a small white rocking horse from the cowshed.

  “Goodnight, toys,” Tess said softly. “We’ll come back for you tomorrow.”