The Ogglebogs Short Story & Audiobook Series: Episode 26 - Rocco Gets Lost

Rocco Gets Lost

It was a bright and sunny morning on Planet Ogg. Rocco was eating his favourite Ogglecake breakfast at the Oggle Café. Blobbo, Coco, Oddo, Beepo and Twinko had already munched their Ogglecakes.

Twinko said, “Now I’ve got something very important to do.”

Coco said, “Me too, I had better get going.”

Oddo said, “Can’t sit here all day. I have to help Coco with something very important!”

“Bzzz, bzzzz, bzz,” said Beepo.

Blobbo said, “Auntie Blibbo wants me to paint new inside out stripes on her front door. That’s after I’ve helped her with something important.”

Then they all left the café. Rocco was all alone.

“I wonder what Twinko, Coco, Oddo and Blobbo are doing today? It must be very important, if Beepo is helping them, too.”

So, Rocco thought it would be a great idea to do something while they were all busy. But what?

“Maybe I could go to the Mushmallow Forest and have a look round,” thought Rocco. “Or maybe I could look at some new toys at WhimWhams toyshop. Oh, I know, I could play on the berry-go-round and the ground-about. Maybe I could go on the hee-haw! No, that won’t be any fun on my own. Oh, blazing bananas, what shall I do? I know what, think I’ll climb up the biggest Treetap! When I get to the Treetap top I can look at the amazing view. I’ll take my Oggbag and eat my Oggwiches for lunch up there.”

So, off went Rocco to the Treetaps. Now, you may remember that Treetaps are very strange trees that have pipes that go all the way up their sides. And at the tops of the trees there are taps. That’s right: taps right at their tops!

Rocco soon got to where the Treetaps grew. And standing there was the biggest Treetap of all.

“I wonder if there are any Ogglebirds up there today,” thought Rocco.

You see, sometimes Ogglebirds fly up to the Treetap tops to wash their socks. They like to keep their feet warm with cosy, clean socks. I don’t blame them, do you? After all, everyone likes nice, clean, cosy socks.

So, Rocco started climbing. And there, at the very top of the Treetap, were lots and lots of taps.

But there were no Ogglebirds up there this time.

Rocco looked out over all the other Treetap tops. The view seemed to go on forever.

“But what’s that?” Rocco said out loud. Way over in the distance there was a tree. Well, there were actually lots of trees of every kind. Big hoak trees with splaykorns, bushy spline trees covered with spline-cones and lots of helm trees too. But one tree stood out. It was a fruit tree. A plim tree. As you know, plims are a delicious fruit shaped like a triangle. And, of course, plims, dotes and opples are the main ingredients for Ogglecakes. Plus, a little bit of Pasto’s very special Oggspice, of course!

“Mmmm, I’ll munch my Oggwiches and then off I go and pick some,” thought Rocco.

After eating lunch, Rocco climbed down the Treetap and set off toward the plim tree. It was a very long way. And Rocco walked and walked and walked.

Finally, a tired Rocco arrived in the deep forest.

It was quite dark where all the trees were. Rocco looked and looked. And finally found the plim tree.

“Blazing bananas, I’ve never seen so many juicy plims on one tree!” Rocco said out loud. “Thank goodness I’ve got my Oggbag with me. I’ll fill it up with plims. Mm, I might munch a few first!”

Rocco soon got to work and started picking. When the Oggbag was full of plims it was time to go home.

“Oh no, I can’t remember which way I came. Was it this way or that? That way or this? Blazing bananas, I’m lost!”

Rocco set off anyway and found a little path. But the path led deeper into the forest.

“That’s no good, I’d better turn back!”

Another little path seemed to lead in the right direction.

“This will do,” thought Rocco.

But that little path led to the very deepest part of the forest.

“Help, help, I’m lost,” yelled Rocco.

But no-one heard the yells.

Rocco sat down on the ground and felt sad.

Suddenly there was a weird and horrible noise up above. It sounded like someone blowing their nose, only very loudly.

“Sounds weird”, thought Rocco, “and a bit horrible. But I think I’ve heard that noise before.”

Up above the trees there was a spacecraft hovering overhead.

“I thought it might be a flying saucer but it’s a flying teacup! Blazing bananas, a flying teacup! Yes, it’s those friendly little aliens from planet Pip!” yelled Rocco.

Rocco waved and shouted. But the flying teacup moved on.

“Oh no,” wailed Rocco.

Rocco waved and yelled again. But thank goodness, the flying teacup turned back. Then it came down to land in a patch of grass.

Three little faces peeped out of the teacup windows. 

Then the three little aliens came out of the flying teacup. But they squeaked as they walked. And they looked a bit like raspberries on legs. Rocco was too polite so he didn’t laugh at the funny squeaking sounds.

“You look like you are lost, yah?” said one of the little aliens.

“I am,” said Rocco, “and I want to get to the Oggle Café.”

“Mega brill, that’s just where we’re going,” said another little alien.

The third little alien said, “We came down to ask Pasto for some more Oggspice.  We have almost run out, yah?”

“Oh, I remember now,” said Rocco, “It has got hotter on your planet and Oggspice helps to make your special sun cream.”

“Totally right, yah?” said the first little alien.

“Jump into our spacecraft and we can take you straight to the Oggle Café, okay yah?”

Up and up, they flew. It wasn’t long before Rocco could see the tops of all the trees. They flew over the Mushmallow Forest and soon, the flying teacup landed at the bottom of Bubble Mountain.

Rocco and the little aliens climbed up the mountain and went straight into the café. All the Ogglebog friends were there.

Rocco was very happy to see them all.

“Look, what I’ve got in my Oggbag!” said Rocco.

Rocco opened the Oggbag and showed the others all the lovely fresh plims from the forest.

All the other Ogglebogs took out their Oggbags.

Blobbo said, “Look, we picked these today!”

Oddo said, “And these.”

Coco said, “And all these!”

“Bzzz, bzzzz, bzz,” said Beepo.

“Where did you get all those plims?” asked Rocco.

“Auntie Blibbo’s, of course!” said Twinko.

“There’s a plim tree in her little garden and it had so many plims!” said Blobbo. “I ate quite a lot. They were yummy.”

Rocco said, “Oh, blazing bananas, I’d forgotten she had a plim tree in her garden!”

“Silly Rocco,” said Twinko.

“They are all ripe now,” said Coco.

“And we just had to pick them. Didn’t want to waste any.” said Oddo.

“Bzzz, bzzzz, bzz,” said Beepo.

“Oh, I see, Beepo. It’s going to rain tomorrow. That’s why it was so important to pick them today!” said Rocco. “And I went all the way into the deep forest. Then I got lost and the aliens came to rescue me.”

The first alien said, “That's totally right, yah?”

The second alien said, “Absolutely, yah.”

“Yah, poor Rocco was, like, totally lost, yah?” said the third alien.

“Thank goodness you came along when you did,” said Rocco, “I was getting a bit frightened, you know.”

“Bzzz, bzzzz, bzz,” said Beepo.

“Thanks Beepo, I’m very happy to be here too,” said Rocco. “Now I wish I could have helped you pick the plims at Auntie Blibbo’s!”

“Never mind,” said Twinko, “Now Pasto will have enough plims to last for a very long time. Ogglecakes for everyone!”

Pasto came out with a tray of delicious Ogglecakes for everyone.

“I saw your flying teacup down below,” said Pasto. “I expect you might need some more of this.”

Pasto handed the aliens a big bag of Oggspice.

”Oh, mega brill,” said the first alien.

“Like, thanks a million, yah?” said the second alien.

“This will last us for, like ages, yah?” said the third alien

Then Pasto said, “And I’ve got enough plims to last me for ages, too! Enjoy munching, everyone.”

The End