Chapter One: A Consortium is Formed

Nearly half-a-dozen years have passed since Small and Sheep – the country’s foremost questing pair – bought a boat at auction. It was a typically impulsive purchase on Small’s part, who is always thinking of what their next quest will be. Although the boat was not in the best condition, being without masts or rigging and somewhat dilapidated, Small’s lively imagination at once pictured it at sea. ‘We could call her The Song of the Nightingale,’ he breathed, bright-eyed. ‘Kind of a long name for a boat,’ said Sheep, drily, ‘and besides, the nightingale is hardly an aquatic bird. Wouldn’t something like Puffin or Petrel be better, if you want to go down that route?’ ‘I was thinking of Keats,’ said Small,

‘The same that oft-times hath
Charm’d magic casements, opening on the foam
Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn.’

‘Hmm,’ said Sheep. ‘I suppose we’d better test her in the water, then.’

Unfortunately, the boat sank almost at once. Here is some rough hand-held footage of the incident:

Small was hugely disappointed. It was evident that any hope of a maritime quest would have to be postponed, so he turned his mind instead to conquering the Trowzers of Doom, a remarkable feat of mountaineering that he undertook that very same day. It is celebrated in this short film, which very nearly won the Palme d’Or in Cannes for Best Film of a Quest by Felted Creatures.

It was only recently, in May of this year, that Small’s interest in the boat revived. In the course of a convivial evening with their friends, the talk turned to boats and the sea. Bronze Toad revealed that he had lately fallen heir to a long-abandoned boatyard in the picturesque village of Much Caulking and was wondering what to do with it. ‘Didn’t you used to have a boat, Small?’ enquired their host, Shaman Badger. ‘Not one of my wiser purchases,’ confessed Small. ‘I’m afraid it’s in rather poor condition. It leaks likes a sieve and would need extensive restoration before it could ever put to sea again.’ At this, Ink Monkey (who is generally very shy and says little in company) became somewhat excited. ‘Why don’t we repair it, then? Bronze Toad has a boatyard that needs to be put to use, Small and Sheep have a boat that wants fixing, so why don’t we bring the two together?’ ‘We could form a consortium,’ rumbled Sheep, to everyone’s surprise. Sheep is normally very taciturn, and lets Small do his talking for him, but on the matter of the boat he had always felt pangs of conscience that they had abandoned it so soon and neglected it so long. He had been more impressed than he cared to say by the vision Small had conjured of sailing perilous seas in faery lands forlorn and had long cherished a secret hope that one day they might do that.

‘Well now,’ said Shaman Badger, ‘a word of caution may not be what you want to hear, but restoring a wooden boat is no small undertaking. Does any of us have any expertise in the matter?’ The rest of the party were downcast, and lowered their eyes to the table. None of them knew anything about boats. Then Ink Monkey (who is a trained librarian) spoke up. ‘I’m sure we could find out!’ ‘Bravely said,’ said Shaman Badger. ‘Fortunately, I have a number of suitable books in my library, and truth to tell, I have always wanted to do something in that line myself.’

And with that, the Consortium was formed.