Once upon a time there lived a tea mug. She had been around for a long time, working honestly, pouring milk and warming up cuppas. But suddenly she felt sad for some reason. She didn't chime like the other cups did when they sat side by side on the drying rack. She didn't sparkle with cleanliness, no matter how often she was washed.
So the mug quietly decided to leave home. She wanted to see the wide world she had heard so much about during all those cuppas. Most of all, she wanted to find a friend.
For a long time she wandered along unfamiliar bush tracks, saw all sorts of things and miraculously came through unscathed. But she never found a friend. Then one day she was sitting on the bank of a creek, feeling sorry for herself, when it seemed to her that someone was crying.
She looked closer and saw a small, grubby little piglet. He was snuffling quietly and didn't notice anyone around him. So the mug sent him a sunbeam. It danced playfully across Pip's back, peeked into his teary little eyes and dried every last tear.
The little piglet squealed with delight so loudly that the mug nearly cracked from fright. Then she filled herself with fresh spring water and offered to let the piglet have a wash. The sun warmed the water, and the piglet splashed happily in the mug as if it were a bath. And it turned out he had a soft pink colour.
All the creatures of the bush gathered. Everyone was having a lovely time. But then a magpie swooped in and announced that Pip's mum was tramping through the bush searching for her beloved little boy. So the animals twisted a strong rope from grass and tied it to the handle of the mug.
The piglet climbed into the mug, and the cockatoos took off, holding the loose end of the rope in their beaks. They lifted the mug high and flew so high that the piglet's breath was taken away. But they reached Pip's home in no time.
Everyone was overjoyed: Mum had found her son, and the mug had found friends. Little Pip was happy for everyone.
And that's where the story ends. Do you have a favourite mug of your own? Would you like to share your secrets with it?
