Now Gollup, being well fed, with clean teeth and such, was bouncing in his waddle way to Wunderlingshire to purchase some different berries (as his garden had not yeilded much this season due to sparse ran and hot sun) and as the winter would soon be approaching, felt it wise and prudent to ensure enough for the winter months, when nothing would grow by the hedge.

However, although Gollup was wonderfully happy, he was also a little confused, after all, until today he had never seen a gollup (as gollups weren’t vain creatures and as such never ever saw their own reflection), and now knowing what a gollup was to see (where Gollup was the only one of his kind), felt a bit self conscious, knowing now what everyone else would see. However, at the same token, having been a very clean gollup was not concerned about seeming to be unhygenic (as gollups of course, are quite hygenic creatures, washing and drying, and then washing and drying again), felt a little extra cautious as gollups are also solitary creatures.

He began to think about who and what he was, after all, he had never given it much thought before today and this adventure outside his humble little hedge had never occured. So before today, he had never any idea of his face, and other than the ability to see himself, wasn’t at all aware of what he should or should not look like. As well as he hadn’t ever seen any other creature, as he preferred his solitude, to mixed company, except of course the company of others whom were excellent at not speaking, which also had not yet occured.

Suffice it to say, Gollup had no contact with anyone or anything at all ever in the bushes where his hedge sat comfortably nestled. Nor had he ever though of how he became to be in those hedges, just waking up one day in the hedges, knowing he was a Gollup, and thus only refering to himself (which is now known), as a gollup.

It also occured to him that although he did have a vast vocabulary, hadn’t even at this moment spoken anything outloud except for the occasional “ohhh!” or “hmmm” or “ummmmm” when eating berry jam on oat and barley bread, while drinking honey tea. After all, Gollups are very expressive when they eat, savoring every yummy bite of sweets with audible sounds.

And as a solitary creature, he was rather now more concerned about going into the township, wondering whether or not he would be noticable, or invisible, not having any idea what Truids or Ganders wore, let alone what they looked like (always having hidden himself in his hedge whenever passers by, passed by.

However, all that aside (as gollups are by no means timid creatures prefering solitude, rather than seeming frightened), he did know that he needed berries to carry him through the winter, and now, apparantly needed some sort of reflection glass to be sure that he could wash and dry his teeth, and then wash and dry his teeth again. He also realized that using a cloth to wash and dry his teeth would just not do. There had to be an easier way to clean teeth, remembering how long it had taken him to clean both upper rows of teeth and then again both lower rows of teeth, just the first time, and then again.

So he began to make a mental list of all the things that he would need, and thought that perhaps he should find another larder carrying case for these extra items, not having foreseen this as an issue when he packed back in his hedge. The list, so far, included the following: 1: Enough berries for the winter with an extra months berries just in case 2: A reflecting glass to see his teeth for when he cleaned them and then cleaned them again 3: A larger carrying case to carry this carrying case (as gollups do not like to waste things), as well as the addition of the reflecting glass and a new method by which to clean his teeth. And then clean his teeth again. 4: A method by which to clean his teeth.

This last item was a query for poor little Gollup, this had never been something which he had ever considered before, never having even known that his teeth would be dirty. After all, he was constantly drinking honey tea and you would think that honey tea, would be enough to clean his teeth, which of course, he discovered, wasn’t the case at all. So he pondered and pondered as he bounced and waddled to Wunderlingshire Township – which of course, was only a little ways away now, having already traveled past the halfway point crossing over the brook by the trees (which he thought as he’d never travelled to Wunderlingshire Township before).

He came across the road to wunderlingshire township and stopped, for a moment forgetting his thoughts about how to clean his teeth more efficiently, with a new problem. The road.

You see, Gollup hadn’t taken the path which passes by his hedge as his route, being a solitary creature, and not comfortable in mixed company (although he had never had mixed company), in order to avoid the chance of mixed company. But here it was. The road. Now there was no way to choose a path without using the road as one side of the road held a high embankment to steep to climb, which would require Gollup to go back and all the way around to climb this embankment which would still keep him far to close to the road, and not do at all, as it would be likely that he would come upon mixed company. And the brook – which was now quite a bit wider than a brook and more of a stream – followed the road on the other side.

Also, having never been to Wunderlingshire, it just seemed silly to take any other way, on that chance that he would never end up at Wunderlingshire, and other than having heard a few passers by speak of Wunderlingshire Township previously, Gollup was not aware of any other location, after all, he was the only one of his kind.

Suddenly all these fears and doubts had come to the front and although gollups are not timid creatures at all, this was nothing to do with being timid. This was all about not knowing what would happen next. After all, so far today he had discovered that his teeth were dirty and needed to be cleaned and then cleaned again. His sweets were too sweet, and as a result had to be watered down with water from the brook (which was now a stream) and he was almost out of honey tea. As gollups have honey tea every now and then, however, more often now.

Well, he thought to himself, “I have to go into Wunderlingshire Township to buy berries, and as I will have mixed company in Wunderlingshire Township without any choice in the matter, I had best be ready to expect mixed company now as well. Besides Gollup, you will find that perhaps you need the practice, having never met any creature before today, and still not having met any creature, and it would be good to have the practice to at least be able to speak to another someone.”

Gollup was brave and sure, and although curious about the unknown decided that this was the best course of action. With a “humpf” he carried himself onto the road, in a bounce and a waddle, and bounced and waddled on down the road. The task was set. Besides, he had already come over halfway (or so thought Gollup never having been to Wunderlingshire Township before), and it was just too late in the day to have to bounce and waddle all the way back to his comfortable little hedge just to do all of this again tomorrow.

After about an hour, having been alert sniffing the air and anxiously prepared for accidental expectant mixed company, Gollup’s thoughts again drifted back to the method by which he would have to clean his teeth (as gollups are quite hygenic and this was a very important part of a gollups hygiene, as gollup knew this about all gollups, with him being the only one).

Now the sky was still wonderfully lapis and the clouds were slowly drifting out of sight. The birds were singing happy songs and more trees were appearing, as the road became more worn, being the only road in and out of Wunderlingshire Township (or so Gollup thought, having never been to Wunderlingshire before). And Gollup, was more bouncy and more waddly as he bounced and waddled along the road to Wunderlingshire, much less concerned and much more happy, beginning to whistle an unknown tune without cadence or reference (as gollups were not prone to music except in mixed company which gollup did not have, being a solitary creature). So it was a lovely day indeed.

Pouring himself a little honey tea after massaging his honey skin (which is really a wineskin, but gollups do not drink alcohol as it is not sweet enough to their taste), he looked around, thinking about how to clean his teeth while enjoying the sky, the travelling spartan pillowy clouds and the birds flying and singing overhead. Even the heat didn’t feel so hot with the breeze softly blowing and adding the scent of flowers and trees and grass to the already wonderful day.

Gollup was feeling quite confident and wonderful as he had already so much of an adventure which he had dully noted to memory so as not to forget. Which wasn’t difficult as his adventure had much to do with the discovery of what a gollup was and having to clean his teeth.

As he bounced and sipped his honey tea from his drinking flask (which was really just a thimble, but then you know that already), and having finished the honey tea, stopped – was he was quite hygenic – and cleaned his drinking flask before once again hanging it from his belt, after having washed it and dried it and washed and dried it again.

Now in his happy glee, of a wonderful day with birds singing and whistling a tune without any real cadence, he didn’t notice the creature which had come up behind him along the path and was startled with a sneeze!