Queenie was a quilt, who spent most of her time resting. On the whole, Queenie was quite happy, except for her one big problem. You see, a quilt should be fat and warm and snugly, but Queenie wasn’t.
She was thin.
And cold.
And quivery.

“Nothing I do seems to make me any fatter,” Queenie complained to her friend Alice the alarm clock, and she took a long hard look at herself in the mirror.
Alice tutted a few ticks.
“Have you tried eating?” ventured Alice.
“Eating?” replied Queenie in surprise. “Eating what?”
Alice had to admit she didn’t know and a gloomy silence fell while they both had a think.

“I suppose,” said Queenie at last. “I suppose I could try and find out what to eat.”
And she looked around her.
In the corner of the room she saw an old pram.
“I could eat that!” she said brightly, and without much more ado she swallowed it. Wheels and all.

“How do you feel my dear?” asked Alice sounding a trifle alarmed.
Remember, she was an alarm clock.
“Most peculiar,” said Queenie going a shade pale. “I think I’d better lie down.”
But as soon as she moved she clanked! Clank!

“Oh I do beg your pardon!” said Queenie quite covered in confusion, and she sat down and clanked even louder!
“Oh, it’s not fair,” she wailed. “Not only am I thin and cold and quivery, now I clank as well!”
And she really got quite upset.
“Are you sure you feel as bad as you sound?” asked Alice, and offered her hanky. Queenie sniffed.
“Finding that one suddenly clanks is a bit of a shock,” she explained. “But mind you I have to admit that I don’t feel quite as hungry as I used to.”

Alice was delighted. “Well that settles it,” she said to Queenie.

“Tomorrow we must find you some things to eat and we must make sure we find only quiet things.”

And with that they both settled down to sleep and to dream lovely fat snugly dreams.