Milo, Daisy and the White Rabbit

Daisy and Milo are spending the weekend at a hotel in the English countryside. While their mum and dad are relaxing, the kids go on a nature trail. In the grounds, they see a white rabbit - an unusually smart and funny character - who leads them on a magical adventure.

This is the first chapter of a book that Bertie has been working on for a third party. A "third party" means it's not you, and it's not us - it's somebody else!

The plan is to make this story into a book in ten chapters. Daisy and Milo will follow a white rabbit to different cities in Europe and America and will travel through time and meet some famous people of the past.

But our "third party" has asked us to get feedback before we go ahead with the rest.

Bertie is asking for your help. Please listen to this story and tell us what you think about it in the comments.

We know you are always great and giving us feedback, but this time we are especially asking you to take a little time and think and give us your fullest answers.

Here are some simple questions to help you form your comments:

• What did you like about the story?
• What didn't you like about the story?
• Would you like to know what happens next?
• What age group do you think the story is aimed at?

Story by Bertie.

Read by Natasha.

Proofread by Jana Elizabeth.

“Hey look!” exclaimed Daisy. “A duck is in the hotel!”

First one duck, and then a line of bright yellow chicks, waddled into the airy lobby. They were followed  by a doorman who had lost just a tad of his usual poise. The web-footed invaders ignored his efforts to shoo them out. Their beaky heads looked curiously at the bronze tree that stood near the winding staircase.

“I think they want to make a nest there!” said Milo.

“Peep peep!” said the chicks, quite loudly now.

The receptionists lifted their eyes from their laptop computers and laughed.

“Go on, back to the lake,” said the doorman waving his hat at them.

But instead of leaving, they started to run in quite quickly, swaying from side to side with their little heads popping backwards and forwards.

While all this minor commotion was going on, Lucy from the Kids’ Club came into the lobby.

“Hello everyone,” she said to half a dozen children who were gathered there, including Milo and Daisy who had come down from London with their parents that very morning. “Looks like the Nature Trail has started early today.”

She began to hand out cards which listed the plants and animals on the morning’s trail.

“You can tick off the first,” she said.

Item one was “Ducks.”

As they stepped out onto the porch in front of the hotel, the doorman had just managed to evict the pond life. But here was another unusual sight. A white rabbit was hopping onto the back of a golf buggy. The buggies were little electric cars used to ferry guests and their luggage around the extensive grounds of the hotel. As the buggy headed off carrying its human passengers and the rabbit, Daisy and Milo were looking on with great amusement.

"Well spotted," said Lucy. "You can tick the rabbit off your list too."

But the other kids could not see him. "What are you talking about?" asked one of them.

"Look!" said Milo pointing at the buggy.

"At what?" came the reply.

"Can't you see?" asked Daisy with some excitement, " it's not even a toy, it's real, it's climbing over the back of the seat!"

But the others could not understand what the fuss was about.

"I think it's an invisible rabbit," said one.

“He’s the smartest rabbit I ever saw,” insisted Milo. “He’s too lazy to hop, so he hitches a ride.” Daisy laughed. “I expect he’s a guest and has his own room.” By now everyone else thought it was some sort of private joke between brother and sister.

Lucy led the children along the drive. The day had started with rain, but now the sun was shining, and everything glistened in the damp fresh air. First stop was a lawn - almost like a village green - with a signpost pointing in various directions - not to the post office or the next town - but to locations further afield including:

5369 Miles, Beverly Hills
534 Miles, Geneva
5456 Miles, Los Angeles

How many hotels are there? asked Daisy.

Milo reckoned there were nine names.

“Wouldn’t it be great to visit all of them?” said Daisy.

“If we go to one hotel for Mummy’s birthday every year, then we can stay in all of them by the time I’m 18 and Mummy will be fif…”

“Shhh, it’s rude to say Mummy’s age,” warned Daisy.

They were visiting the hotel to celebrate their mother’s birthday. She was relaxing in the spa while the children spent the day at the Kids’ Club. Dad was installed on a sofa in the Summer Room reading the weekend supplement of his pink newspaper.

Just as the kids were about to move on to the next stage of the trail, they had a stroke of luck - a red breasted robin landed on the sign pointing to Paris. He looked at the children with his head on one side, and watched them tick him off their list.

The children made their way to the lake in search of Egyptian geese. They had seen plenty of Canadian geese before, but this was the first time they had spotted Egyptian ones, which have stubbier necks and look a little bit like oversized ducks. As a bonus Milo found a snail by the waterside. The lake was in a semi-secluded spot, with a curtain of trees on one side. Daisy looked at the swans and thought of Christmas when they had been to see the ballet, Swan Lake, in which a swan turns into a princess and dances with a prince.

Next they went out into the meadow. Calling it a meadow is perhaps an understatement, because this part of the grounds is a hillside covered in wonderful wild flowers.

It was a good thing that they had brought their wellies, because the ground was still damp, but with the sun shining down on the blue, yellow and white cornflowers, this was a truly magnificent sight. There were no end of other flowers to spot here too - daisies, dandelions, bluebells, and nettles.

And now came the climax of the trail. Lucy had brought a basket with her. She asked the children to gather round. The butterflies had grown up in the Kids’ Club. The children now took it in turns to reach inside and pull out a twig or a leaf with a butterfly on it. The butterfly would test out its new wings with a flutter, and then take off over the tops of the corn flowers.

When the last butterfly had flown to freedom, they turned back to the white Manor House that was the main part of the hotel. Back inside the hotel, they found Dad still relaxing with his tea and newspaper. Sunlight poured into the Summer Room from the large glass doors that opened onto the veranda. A cheerful painting of a cherry tree in blossom hung over the fireplace.

“How was the Nature Trail, kids?” he asked.

Milo enthused:

“You should have been there with your phone to take a video. There was this crazy rabbit riding on the back of a golf buggy - he was hilarious!"

“He was funny,” agreed Daisy. “And the trail was nice. We released some butterflies in the meadow.”

They planned their stay :- Wait for Mum to get back from the spa. Lunch in the Barn restaurant. Parents to go and watch the Polo match that was taking place on the ground beyond the meadow. Children to play croquet on the lawn. They had the Kids’ Club and a horse riding lesson booked for the following day. Everyone had plenty to do.

And everything went to plan. After lunch, it was a perfect afternoon for a leisurely game of croquet. The children had not played it before, but soon got the hang of knocking the wooden balls through the hoops. Their game was interrupted when a white rabbit sauntered onto the lawn and blocked the hoop that Milo was aiming for.

“Hey look!” He called out to Daisy. “Do you think he’s the same one we saw this morning?”

The rabbit twitched his nose at the children.

“It does seem like he remembers us,” said Daisy.

Then the rabbit hopped a few steps towards the veranda, stood up on his hind legs, and looked at them again.

“Curiouser and curiouser,” said Daisy. “I think he wants us to follow him.”

By now his fluffy tail was already disappearing through the door into the hotel. The children threw down their mallets and ran to see where he would go next. He ambled around the Summer Room as if he owned the place. And here was something especially peculiar. The gentleman who was sitting in an armchair did not seem to notice the animal hop right past his foot. There was none of the surprise or amusement that the ducks had created in the morning. If anyone thought it was unusual for a rabbit to be hopping around, they did not show it. In fact, it was almost as if he was invisible.

When he had surveyed the room, wandered around the sofas and chairs, sniffed the elegant lamps that looked like silvery reeds, and decided that all was in order, he ambled back outside again, and hopped down the steps into the garden. The children caught up and walked alongside him. He led them along a path behind the garden, and out towards the lake. It was such a lovely day, they might as well take a walk with their mysterious new friend.

“Be careful you don’t fall down a rabbit hole,” said Daisy.

But there did not seem to be any risk of deep holes. Instead he brought them to the gate of a garden secluded from the rest of the grounds. The house was as quaint as a cottage, but more grand. It was clearly very old, as it was built on a timber frame. The roof was reddish with tall chimneys and a clock tower. And on the lawn, a table had been laid with a white cloth. A silvery-haired lady and a younger man were seated there. A butler was pouring tea for them. It was a tranquil scene.

“I don’t think we should go in,” said Milo. But Daisy, who was usually the more cautious of the two, said thoughtfully: “I rather think he wants us to follow him.”

The rabbit was already halfway across the lawn and heading for the tea table. The lady spoke to the butler and he started to walk at a stately pace towards the children. Both kids naturally thought the same thing: “Oh no, now we are for it.”

But he had a kindly face - not at all angry - and said: “Mrs Anwesha asks if you would like to join her and her son. She wishes to tell you some stories about the white rabbit.”

By the time they reached the table, the rabbit was sitting on the lady’s lap and she was stroking it between the ears.

“Thank you for inviting us, Mrs Anwesha," said Daisy. “It will soon be time for us to go and meet our parents, so I hope you will excuse us if we only stay a short while.”

“But it is always teatime,” said the lady. “Or would you prefer apple juice? You may call me Anwesha, by the way. It is my first name.”

Daisy had tea and Milo preferred juice.

Anwesha sat elegantly, with a straight back, like a dancer. She introduced her son, Rishi, who must have been about thirty years old, and was wearing a flowery patterned t-shirt, as if dressed for the beach.

“Don’t mind him,” she said with an airy wave of a bony and slightly bird-like hand, and then she added with a loud stage-whisper: “He can’t see the rabbit you know."

“Oh poor you,” said Milo.

“Yes, poor me,” said Rishi, as he held a little pastry between his finely manicured fingers.

“Is the rabbit yours?” Daisy asked Anwesha.

“As far as I know, he is a resident at the hotel but whenever I am here he comes to visit me, and he tells me about the interesting places he has been, and the fascinating people he has met.”

“Does he talk?” asked Milo more curious than ever.

“Well, I sort of read his thoughts,” replied Anwesha. Daisy noticed that Rishi was trying not to smile, and she wondered if the whole thing was an elaborate joke.

“Has he met anyone famous?” asked Milo.

“Oh yes,” replied Anwesha, “royalty, film stars, musicians, renowned detectives… to see him you have to believe in magic."

“Yes, you have to believe in almost anything,” said Rishi.

“You mean, the rabbit has met famous people staying at this hotel?” asked Milo even more eagerly.

“Oh at this place, and at other hotels. He gets around quite a bit, you know. And anyway, as you two have the rare and special quality required to see him, he wants to ask you a riddle.”

“A riddle?” asked Milo, puzzled.

“Yes, or perhaps you might call it the first question in a challenge. It is this: Who is the Egyptian who sits on the lake?”

“That’s super-easy,” replied Daisy. “The Egyptian goose. We found him on the nature trail this morning.”

“Very good,” said Anwesha. “He is impressed.”

Quite frankly, it was hard to say if the rabbit looked impressed or not. He just twitched his pink nose.

“But that was, as you say, a simple one. There are nine other riddles,” added Anwesha. “If you can solve them, you will rescue a princess. Now a princess should be free, don’t you think? Rescuing a princess is indeed a fine thing to do. Unfortunately, I am too old to undertake this challenge myself, and Rishi here does not believe in magic, bless him, though a darling in all other respects. So that leaves you two. What do you think, eh?”

As she said this she pointed a long, red-painted finger-nail at Daisy:

“Okay,” said Daisy thoughtfully. "What are the other questions?”

“How should I know?” replied Anwesha. “Follow the white rabbit and you shall find out.”

“I think it’s time we were going,” said Milo, who was starting to find this all a bit hard to follow.

“Yes, please do excuse us, as I mentioned, we have to meet our parents,” added Daisy.

“Before you leave, I have a present for you both,” said Anwesha - and her son picked up two little baskets off the ground. Each one contained some chocolate rabbits that had been made by the hotel’s own chocolatier.

Rishi accompanied them to the gate of the garden. “Please excuse my mother, she has an unusual imagination,” he said. “But she means well, and I think she really does believe in that rabbit.”

“Oh it’s been fine,” said Daisy. “And very nice to meet you both.”

“Thank you for the chocolate rabbits,” added Milo.

The children went for a little walk, not sure what to make of the strange tea party. It did seem that only certain people could see the rabbit - which made him rather special - but on the other hand, all that stuff about him think-talking, and meeting famous people, solving riddles, and rescuing a princess - it was, well, all a bit peculiar.

As they strolled around the back of  The Barn and the little village of cottages where hotel guests could stay, they came across a red telephone box.

“That looks fun,” said Milo. The children had never actually been inside a telephone box, but they knew that Mum and Dad had both used them long ago before mobile phones were invented. They opened the door - it was quite heavy - and Daisy picked up the phone. Milo leaned in and spoke into the receiver:

“Hello, can I speak to the white rabbit, please?”

A voice answered:

“Speaking,” in a tone that was rather deeper than you would expect from a rabbit.

“Well nice to meet you, Mr Rabbit,” said Milo.

“Likewise.”

“Do you have another riddle?” asked Daisy.

“Indeed, the next riddle is this: What do you read in the bath?”

“What do I read in the bath?” exclaimed Milo. “Why nothing, I don’t want to get my book wet.”

“That is not the correct answer,” said the voice. “You must keep searching. Follow the white tail for clues.”

And then the line went “crackle” and after that, all that could be heard was a dialing tone.

More puzzled than ever, the kids decided it was time to head to the Manor House to meet their parents. On the way back, they spotted the rabbit, bounding along towards the steps.

As it wasn’t too far out of their way, the children decided to follow him. His tail disappeared over the top of the steps, and down he went into a sort of wide ditch or low-level path between the meadow and the garden of the Manor House. One side was lined with an ancient wall. About half way along, the rabbit stopped and waited for them. When they caught up, they saw he was sitting by an iron gate. He hopped and squeezed through the bars. The children peered at him. He was now inside a long tunnel that must lead under the lawn of the garden.

“Oooh, it’s spooky,” said Milo, and just to prove it, he called into the tunnel: “Whoooo I’m a ghost!” and heard his voice echo back, “ghost, ghost ghost!”

The rabbit put his head on one side. “Silly boy!” he seemed to be saying. Then he turned and started to lope towards the other end.

Daisy tried the gate and found that it creaked open on heavy hinges.

“Come on,” she said. “It only goes to the other side of the garden and back to the hotel.”

But it didn’t. They ran through the tunnel after the rabbit and at the end they found themselves still underground. It was not where they had expected to turn up at all. It was rather like a subterranean car park. A limousine was waiting by the curb with a man in uniform holding open the back door. Two people hurriedly got into the back seat and the car headed up a ramp.

They looked around for the rabbit. He was waiting for them by a rather nondescript door.

“Shall we follow him?” asked Milo.

“Well I’d like to get out of this place,” said Daisy.

And so they followed the rabbit.