Rustle in the Wardrobe

The bedroom was small and blue, with a wardrobe in the corner that had a crooked door.

Theo was lying in bed with his torch under the blanket. He wanted to go to sleep. But he could not, because something in the wardrobe was going rustle, rustle, rustle.

"Who's there?" Theo whispered.

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

Theo did not want to be scared. He wanted to know. So he got out of bed, tiptoed across the rug, and pulled the crooked door. It would not open. It was stuck.

He pulled harder. Nothing. He pushed. Nothing at all.

"Rustle, rustle," said the wardrobe, as if it were laughing.

Theo sat on the rug and thought. Then he went and got his teddy, and his toy rabbit, and his big stripy pillow. He put them in a line behind him. He held the teddy, the teddy held the rabbit, and the rabbit held the pillow. Theo took a deep breath.

"One, two, three, PULL!"

The door popped open. Out tumbled three jumpers, a scarf, and a very round, very surprised hedgehog.

The hedgehog blinked in the torchlight. She had a bit of woolly sock stuck on her prickles.

"Oh dear," she said. "I only wanted a cosy place. It was cold in the garden. I was making a bed, and then the door went stuck."

"That was your rustling?" asked Theo.

"It was the sock," said the hedgehog. "It would not stop following me."

Theo giggled. He picked the sock off her prickles, one by one. Then he looked at the pile of jumpers on the floor.

"You can sleep in the green one," he said. "It's my favourite. It's the softest."

The hedgehog turned around three times and curled up in the sleeve. Theo climbed back into bed with his teddy, his rabbit and his pillow.

The wardrobe was quiet now. Only one tiny sound came from the green jumper, soft as a sigh.

Snuffle. Snuffle. Snuffle.