One gloomy morning in the Hundred Acre Wood, an old grey donkey named Eeyore stood by the stream, looking at his reflection in the water. He sighed a long, sad sigh. Winnie the Pooh was walking by and heard him. "Good morning, Eeyore," said Pooh cheerfully. "Good morning, Pooh Bear," answered Eeyore in a slow, gloomy voice. "If it is a good morning, which I doubt."
Pooh stopped and looked closely at his friend. Something seemed very wrong. "Why are you so sad, Eeyore?" he asked kindly. Eeyore shook his head slowly. "It's my tail, Pooh," he said, turning around to show his behind. "It's gone. Somebody must have taken it. How like them." Pooh gasped. Eeyore was right; his tail was completely missing!
Pooh felt very sorry for his friend. A donkey without a tail is a very sad thing indeed. "Don't worry, Eeyore," Pooh promised bravely. "I, Winnie the Pooh, will find your tail for you." Eeyore managed a tiny, half-smile. "Thank you, Pooh," he mumbled. "You are a true friend. Not like Some."
Pooh set off on his important mission. He walked through the pine trees and over the hills, thinking hard. He thought so hard that his head began to ache. "When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, thinking is hard work," he told himself. He decided the best person to ask for help was Owl. Owl was very wise and lived in a grand treehouse called The Chestnuts.
Pooh knocked on Owl's door. Owl opened it, looking very important. "Hello, Owl," said Pooh. "Eeyore has lost his tail, and I am looking for it." Owl adjusted his spectacles. "This calls for a Search," Owl announced grandly. "We must Issue a Reward." Pooh didn't quite understand the big words, but he nodded anyway because Owl sounded so clever.
As Pooh was leaving Owl's house, he noticed something hanging right next to the front door. It was a long, grey rope with a neat little bow tied at the bottom, and it was being used as a bell-pull. Pooh stopped and stared at it. "Owl," Pooh said slowly, "where did you get this bell-pull?"
Owl puffed out his chest. "I found it in the forest, Pooh. It was just hanging over a bush. I pulled it, but nobody answered. Then I pulled it harder, and it came off in my hand. Since nobody seemed to want it, I brought it home." Pooh nodded understandingly. "Owl," he said gently, "that is not a bell-pull. That is Eeyore's tail."
Owl looked very surprised. "Are you sure, Pooh?" he asked. "Yes," Pooh replied confidently. "Eeyore was very fond of it. He was attached to it." So, Pooh carefully unhooked the tail from the door and carried it all the way back through the Hundred Acre Wood. He walked carefully, making sure not to drop it in the mud.
When Pooh found Eeyore again, the donkey was still standing by the stream, looking even sadder than before. "Hello, Eeyore," called Pooh. Eeyore slowly turned around. "I suppose you haven't found it," he mumbled. Pooh smiled his biggest, warmest smile and held up the grey tail with the little bow. "I found it!" he declared proudly.
Christopher Robin was called immediately to attach the tail. He used a small hammer and a very strong nail. Eeyore was so happy that he actually smiled a real smile! He trotted around in a circle, swishing his tail back and forth to make sure it worked perfectly. Pooh felt a warm, happy feeling in his tummy. Helping a friend was even better than eating a pot of honey.
