“The question is,” said Rabbit, “where is Christopher Robin?”
Piglet hadn’t heard that Christopher Robin was missing, and he edged closer to Pooh.
“Pooh,” he whispered, “is it true? Is Christopher Robin really Somewhere Else?”
“Well,” said Pooh, “Christopher Robin might be Somewhere Else. But inside ‘Somewhere Else’ there’s a ‘Somewhere’ sitting quietly, just waiting to be noticed. If you say ‘Christopher Robin is Somewhere,’ it’s just Ordinary.”
“Oh,” said Piglet. He thought about what Pooh had said, and decided he felt better.
Owl flapped up onto a stump and cleared his throat in an “I have something important to say” sort of way. Everyone turned to Owl — except Roo and Tigger, who were busy deciding the difference between bouncing left and bouncing right.
“My friends,” said Owl in a loud voice, “we are today faced with a Mystery. And we must Solve It. Where, indeed, is Christopher Robin? It is our Mission to Find Him.”
“Yes, yes,” said Rabbit impatiently. “I’ll organdize a search.” And Rabbit organdized everyone, sending Eeyore in one direction, Kanga in another, until he’d given everyone except Pooh and Piglet an Important Job.
Owl cleared his throat several more times in an “I wasn’t finished yet, Rabbit” way, but nobody noticed. Rabbit told Owl to fly in a circle over the Hundred Acre Wood to try to see Christopher Robin from up in the air.
Everyone set off in their own directions, leaving Pooh and Piglet standing in the meadow.
“Pooh,” said Piglet, “I think Rabbit forgot to give us a Mish…a Mush…a job.”
“That’s all right, Piglet,” said Pooh. “Jobs are just one of Rabbit’s things. Busyness and Bother. Now that it’s quieter, I think I hear my hunny pots calling me. It’s time for a Little Something. Let’s go to my house, Piglet.”
Piglet took Pooh’s paw in his and they set off down the path to Pooh’s house.
In between the meadow and Pooh’s house was Christopher Robin’s house, and as Pooh said, “It wouldn’t be polite not to knock to see if Christopher Robin has some muffins or biscuits feeling lonely.” So they knocked.
Christopher Robin opened the door.
“Christopher Robin!” said Pooh, “you’re not Somewhere Else, you’re here!”
“Of course I am,” said Christopher Robin. “Silly old bear. I’ve been here all morning I just had Something To Do.”
“Christopher Robin,” said Piglet, “what did you have to do?”
“Decorations. Baking. Icing a cake. Wrapping,” explained Christopher Robin. “Today is my dad’s birthday, after all. A. A. Milne. He was born ever so long ago, in 1882. And he wrote about all of us. I expect I’m not going to be very happy about that when I grow up.”
Pooh wasn’t listening to the last part of what Christopher Robin had to say. “Christopher Robin,” he said, “could you say that part about icing a cake once more?”
“Silly old bear,” said Christopher Robin.
