Once upon a time there was a teacup. It had lived a long life, worked hard, poured out cream and warmed people up with tea. But one day it felt sad for no clear reason. It didn't chime like the other cups when they sat side by side on the drying rack. It didn't sparkle, no matter how often it was washed.
So the teacup quietly decided to leave home. It wanted to see the wide world it had heard so much about during teatime. Most of all, it wanted to find a friend.
For a long time it wandered along unfamiliar trails, saw many things, and somehow stayed in one piece. But it never found a friend. Then one day it sat on the bank of a creek, feeling blue, and thought it heard someone crying.
It looked closer and saw a small, grubby little piglet. He was snuffling quietly and didn't notice anyone around him. So the teacup sent him a sunbeam. The sunbeam skipped happily across Hammy's back, peeked into his teary little eyes, and dried every last tear.
The little piglet squealed with joy so loudly that the teacup nearly cracked from the fright. Then it filled itself with fresh spring water and offered Hammy a bath. The sun warmed the water, and the piglet splashed around in the cup as if it were a bathtub. Underneath all that dirt, he turned out to be a lovely shade of pink.
All the forest creatures gathered around. Everyone was having a wonderful time. Then a chatty magpie flew in and announced that Hammy's mama was running through the woods looking for her beloved little one. So the animals twisted a strong rope out of grass and tied it to the handle of the teacup.
Hammy climbed into the cup, and the birds took off, holding the loose end of the rope in their beaks. They lifted the cup high into the sky, flying so high that the piglet's breath was taken away. But they reached Hammy's home in no time.
Everyone was overjoyed: Mama had found her little one, and the teacup had found friends. Little Hammy was happy for everyone.
And that's the end of our story. Do you have a favourite mug of your own? Would you like to share your secrets with it?
