Now gollup quite content on his (or her) little bounce to wunderlingshire township realized that she (or he) was very hungry. After all, gollups very rarely travel far from the hedge (of which gollup was the only one), and were not use to as much exercise before midday, as the jount to wunderlingshire township would undertake. However, Gollup, as with all gollups was studious and well prepared, having packed snacks and tools for the half day trip into the township.

Coming to the crest of the meadow, Gollup spotted the brook marking the almost halfway point (or so gollup thought not having made the trip to wunderlingshire before), and saw a few trees sitting at the side of this brook which would afford some wonderful shade in the mid morning. Gollup was very pleased as these trees would also shelter from any eyes or other creatures who may be coming to or from the township and as gollups are solitude by nature, found this quite satisfactory. After quickly confirming in the usual gollup stealth that no other creature might’ve had the same idea, gollup prepared to open his (or her) carrying case, to eat and enjoy a mid morning snack.

Now Gollups have a very sweet tooth with a love for berries and honey, and oats and nuts and barley. As gollup had never been to wunderlingshire before, she (or he) wasn’t willing to risk not having any foods that gollups might like available, and quite simply was only going to pick up some berries, as gollups garden under the hedge had not garnered much this season.

Gollup was carrying the drink of choice for all gollups which was honey tea. Now honey tea, is a very tasty tea indeed! Made with honey and water mixed with a healthy dose of dark brown sugar (which gollup always grew in abundance for all the dishes which gollup liked to eat). Gollup carried the honey tea in a teaskin, which was really a wineskin however gollups do not drink alcohol as it is not sweet enough to the taste of a gollup, so instead it was a honey-skin, holding honey tea. Now honey tea is a thick mixture and as it was a sunny day could become quite stiff (with all the honey) requiring gollup to massage the honey skin every few bounces on his trail to ensure it was soft enough to pour or drink, if gollup so felt the need for a sip every now and then, which was quite often now, and less often then. Gollups also ate berries and preferred their berries in a jam. A jam was easier to carry and afforded them the opportunity to mix it with honey and dark brown sugar to taste which of course also meant that the jam would last longer. However, it was really always about the honey. Now, no self respecting gollup would eat honey on its own however, as that is just not polite in mixed company, and considered rude and greedy, although gollups and gollup in particular didn’t fancy mixed company or have company at all, being solitary creatures – of which gollup was the only one.

As there was a brook by the trees, this also afforded gollup an opportunity to add more water to the honey tea as he (or she) had discovered many now moments thus far in the morning adventure. Gollups are quite organized creatures and very clean as well, and the drinking flask – which is really more of a thimble – was now a little sticky with the honey tea and needed to be cleaned, dried, and then cleaned and dried again.

Gollup opened the carrying case and began to extract the contents in a typically orderly Gollup fashion. In the carrying case were the following items: 1 blunt short knife used to spread the blueberry jam, a fork with two thin prongs that stretched about 4 inches as it also – when the occasion arose, doubled for a hair pin, as gollups had very long hair – which was not the occasion in this case as gollup was wearing a straw woven hat. The fork also had a very short handle as gollups have very small and dainty hands, with properly manicured nails and fingers, with hair only on the backs with wonderfully pink palms and fingers. Gollup was always very pleased with his (or her) hands as she (or he) felt that a gollup should have properly managed hands on those occasions when unwanted company would appear – which never occured as gollup was a solitary creature quite rightly as were all gollups, of which gollup was the only one.

There were two small spoons one slightly larger than the other, used for extracting the jam from the jar, and the smaller one used for stiring in extra honey to the honey tea, if the tea – for whatever reason – wasn’t sweet enough, as gollups have a very sweet tooth.

There was also a linen picnic blanket of appropriate size for a single gollup and all the tools needed for a gollup to have a picnic. Now this was not any linen blanket, as gollups were not prone to riches and fancy things, being solitary creatures, but rather one by circumstance. One day, while gollup heard passersby on the trail outside his (or her) hedge, gollup felt a tug ever so slightly on her (or his) hedge. Now gollup not wishing to attract attention, and having no interest to see or be seen by the passers by, froze as the shadow of whatever this was that tugged on the hedge refused to leave. Gollup was a wreck. Hours and hours went by and the sound of the passersby had long since gone off into the distance and had not been heard for quite sometime, yet this shadow still clung to poor gollups hedge, refusing to move, except by the occasional shaking of the breeze.

Now gollups are not frightened creatures and it should never be thought that a gollup is at all timid, as it is only a preference for solitude (which has more to do with honey) than the adverseness to associations, with those whom are excellent at not speaking, so as not to disturb that solitude. Therefore, Gollup, annoyed at him(her)self, shook off the silliness and ventured out from under the hedge to see what was making that shadow, only to discover this wonderful linen blanket. Now this was a very pretty blanket. thin and shear and obviously not missed as it had been hours since the last passersby had been near the hedge and as they didn’t seem to notice or care that it was missing, and as it was on Gollups hedge, it was now, by all rights of finders keepers, his linen blanket.

Of course, as with all gollups, Gollup was very hygenic and knew that it could only truly be his (or her) linen blanket if it had been properly cleaned. So gollup folded the blanket careful to not crease or wrinkle it, and brought it inside the hedge to be properly cleaned and dried, and then cleaned and dried again. After having cleaned and dried it thoroughly twice, it was obvious that it needed to be cleaned and dried twice more in order for it to be truly a blanket fit for a gollup, which in turn lasted the rest of the day. However, suffice it to say, Gollup was now the proud owner of a new (well Gollups only actually) linen picnic blanket if and when the need arose to have a picnic, which until today, had not ever occured.

Laying out the linen blanket, Gollup carefully arranged all of the items in the carrying case, as well as the oat and barley loaf, and the proper cutting board for such proper cutting as one would need for an oat and barley loaf, a jar full of blueberry jam, 3 towels for washing and 3 towels for drying and a little bag to hold the towels for washing and a seperate bag to hold the towels for drying, across the linen blanket in proper order as befitting a gollup.

Pleased at the arrangement, Gollup then picked up his drinking flask and went to the waters edge to clean it, in order to be sure that it was suitable for drinking once more – bringing 1 wash cloth and 1 drying cloth with him (or her) to wash.

Gollup leaned forward to dip in the wash cloth and jumped back started at what Gollup saw! No, it couldn’t be, there were no creatures here when gollup arrived and as gollups have very keen hearing and sight, how could any creature possibly sneak up on poor gollup. Leaning forward once again, Gollup again, jumped back quickly in surprise, quickly glancing to the left, and to the right to see where this creature was hiding, confused that it could sneak up undetected.

Now gollups are not vain creatures, and as such never use mirrors. And it is a well known fact that no gollup has ever (although gollup was the only one of his(or her) kind) ever seen their own reflection. So gollup was quite startled, never having seen a gollup before. However, as with all gollups, Gollup was not a frightened timid creature and was quite hungry now, and determined to have blueberry jam with Oat and barley bread, and no other creature was going to destroy that wonderful solitude of snacking under a tree by a brook. So mustering all the snarly face that Gollup could muster, he (or she) leaned forward once again, only to jump at the fierceness of the creature staring directly back at her (or him).

Not so sure now, gollup carefully creeped forward to get a good look at this creature, as really it was not that fierce after all, and Gollup was more startled by the fact the creature was there, than by the creatures appearance.

This is what Gollup saw…