The Animal Hospital

Behind the shed, Grace painted a sign in the biggest, neatest letters: ANIMAL HOSPITAL. OPEN! PLEASE KNOCK. The little clinic was ready: a blanket, a bandage box, a spoon, and a toy stethoscope round her neck. For three whole days, nobody came. Not even a mouse.

Then one morning… KNOCK, KNOCK! A hedgehog stood at the door, clutching his tummy. "I ate a whole jar of jam," he groaned. Grace listened with the stethoscope. Gurgle, gurgle… GLOOP! "A sticky jam tummy," said Dr Grace. "A rest and a little water should help. No more jam today!"

The hedgehog curled up under a blanket. Just then, Grace peeped outside, and nearly dropped the clipboard! Animals stretched all the way down the garden path. "Knock, knock, on the old shed door! Doctor, Doctor, there's one more!" they sang. The hospital was officially OPEN. What a busy morning!

First came an owl with enormous sleepy eyes. "I can't sleep at night," he yawned. "That's because owls are usually awake at night and sleep in the daytime," explained Dr Grace. "Oh!" said the owl. He tucked his head under one wing and fell asleep before the next knock. He even snored.

Next came a rabbit. "HIC! HIC! HIC!" went her hiccups, bouncing her right off her paws. Grace tried a sip of water and a quiet cuddle. HIC! Then… HIC!… the rabbit hiccupped herself into a pile of leaves. At last, the hiccups stopped. "Phew!" she squeaked. "Next!" And she hopped away.

A snail arrived without his shell and shivered like a jelly. Everyone searched beneath the lettuce leaves until… there it was! A ladybird had borrowed the shell for a cosy little nap. "Sorry!" she said, scooting out. The snail slipped back inside. "Much better. I'm home again!" He left a tiny trail of joy.

A frog came next, looking miserable. "Ribb," he croaked. "Only ribb?" asked Grace. His throat was sore, so Dr Grace suggested rest and a quiet day without singing. The frog's mouth drooped. Singing was his favourite thing in the whole pond. "I'll visit tomorrow," he croaked, sadly hopping home.

All day, the knocks kept coming. A squirrel had a splinter; a mouse had a sneeze; a duck had sat on her own tail. As the sun sank, the queue grew quiet. Then a shadow spread across the path. Slow footsteps. A trembling sniff. KNOCK… KNOCK… Who could it be?

At the door stood a bear. A VERY big bear, with enormous paws, and enormous tears rolling down his nose. The smaller animals huddled together. But Grace noticed the bear wasn't roaring. He was trying very hard not to cry. He held out one paw and whispered, "It hurts." His voice was tiny.

Right in the middle of the bear's paw was a tiny thorn. Grace swallowed, then spoke softly. "I'll help you. Hold still, please." With careful fingers, the thorn came out. The bear blinked. He wiggled one claw, then another. "Oh!" he breathed. "It doesn't hurt any more!" And his huge shoulders relaxed.

The bear's tears turned to a happy sniff. He wrapped Grace in a careful, cuddly hug, gentle as a giant blanket. Outside, the animals cheered. The frog was so delighted that he forgot his sore throat and burst into song. "RIBBIT! RIBBIT!" "That's better!" laughed Dr Grace. Even the owl woke up.

From then on, the woodland animals came by with thank-you gifts: an acorn, a feather, a shiny pebble. Under the old sign, they hung a new one: BEST DOCTOR IN THE WOODS. And every evening, just as Grace put away the bandages… KNOCK, KNOCK! "Doctor, Doctor, there's one more!"