Mrs. Huddle and the Snuggle Inn – Read and Print

By Rachel Dunstan Muller, copyright 2022

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If you ask the creatures who make their homes in the Tangletree Forest, they’ll tell you it’s a wonderful place to live. Everyone is friendly – the squirrels, the rabbits, even the bears. At least they’re friendly to other animals like themselves. But one autumn afternoon, a troll named Mrs. Huddle came to live among them.

Now, none of the residents of Tangletree had ever met a troll before – but they all knew about trolls nonetheless. Ugly, smelly, foul-tempered creatures; you would never want a troll as a neighbour.

So, you can imagine the outrage when the animals of Tangletree learned that a troll named Mrs. Huddle had taken over the Badgers’ former den – which the Badger family had abandoned when they moved into their new burrow.

“A troll in Tangletree,” said Mrs. Squirrel. “It’s outrageous! What is our forest coming to?”

“I hear she’s turning the Badgers’ den into an inn,” said Mr. Owl.

Mrs. Rabbit couldn’t believe it. “Who would ever stay at an inn owned by a troll?”

No one, the animals all agreed. No self-respecting creature from Tangletree would ever visit – let alone spend the night inside – an inn owned by a troll.

Poor Mrs. Huddle. None of her new neighbours welcomed her to Tangletree; none of them would even talk to her. But Mrs. Huddle was a determined troll. She rolled up her sleeves and got to work. First, she gave the old Badgers’ den a thorough cleaning. It took her three days to sweep and scrub every inch of that space, but when she was finished, it was spotless. Then she gathered bundles of fresh cedar and pine, to make the inn smell like an evergreen forest. When that was done, she brought in all the furniture – little beds and tables and chairs to fill every cozy nook and corner. And then, she put pictures on the walls – lovely drawings of boats, and clouds, and other happy things. Next, she hung lanterns from the ceilings, to fill the inn with soft, glowing light. And when the lanterns were lit, she built a fire in the hearth, and hung a huge pot of vegetable soup over the flames, and a kettle filled with hot apple cider.

And then – the Snuggle Inn was ready for its first guests! To let everyone know the inn was open for business, Mrs. Huddle hung a painted wooden sign over the front door. And then she waited.

She waited – and waited – and waited – but no one came. Oh, the animals of Tangletree were curious. They would have liked to poke their noses inside, have a good look around – but they had all sworn they would never set foot inside an inn owned by a troll, and so they all stayed away.

Days passed, weeks passed, and the weather got colder. Everyone in Tangletree expected that Mrs. Huddle would soon give up, that before the first snow she would pack up all her furniture and move back to whatever neighbourhood she’d come from. But she didn’t give up. Instead, every day she put a new pot of soup over the fire, and a fresh kettle of hot apple cider. You’d think she’d be lonely without any visitors, but she kept herself busy. She had floors to sweep inside, and roots and berries and mushrooms to gather outside, and at night she had books to keep her company. It was a quiet life, but it wasn’t so bad.

Then one cold December afternoon, dark clouds gathered above Tangletree forest. The first snowflakes fell gently, like soft feathers floating to the ground. But then the wind began to blow, and the snowflakes fell faster.

All the creatures of Tangletree, little and big, quickly scurried back to their homes. As the wind blew harder and the snow got deeper, they were all very grateful for their warm burrows and dens. Mrs. Huddle was grateful for her cozy home, too. But before settling by the fire, she hung a lantern over the door of the Snuggle Inn, so that anyone passing by in the storm would see it. And do you know, there were animals traveling through Tangletree from other forests. There was a pair of otters, on their way to visit distant relatives. There was a young bear, exploring the world for the first time. There was an old grandmother racoon, searching for a friend she hadn’t seen in years.

One by one, the traveling animals came stumbling through the snow. And one by one, they spied the lantern glowing in front of the Snuggle Inn. Oh, but they were happy to push through the door and find Mrs. Huddle waiting to welcome them. And if they were surprised that the innkeeper was a troll, well, they got over it quickly. Of course, they did! They were just thrilled to be safely out of the storm.

First, they warmed themselves by the fire; then they filled their hungry bellies with vegetable soup and hot apple cider. But that was just the beginning. Once the inn’s guests were warm and fed, they began to share songs and stories with each other. Soon the Snuggle Inn was filled with happy voices, with laughter and music. The gathering had quickly become a celebration – which is the best way to push back the dark on a stormy winter’s night.

But the storm didn’t last forever, of course. At some point during the night, while Mrs. Huddle’s guests were all tucked into warm feather beds, the snow stopped falling, and the wind stopped howling. And when the visiting animals woke up, they found Mrs. Huddle cooking a great big stack of hotcakes over the fire. She served them with butter and warm maple syrup. Mmm – they were delicious.

But you know, although the storm was over, the snow on the ground was so high, that it was impossible to travel very far. So, the Snuggle Inn’s guests decided they would stay a few days longer – if that was alright with Mrs. Huddle. Well, of course it was! That’s exactly what an inn is for – to welcome guests for as long as they want to stay.

Well, the visiting animals made so much noise singing and laughing and playing games, that the news quickly travelled through Tangletree: something was happening at the Snuggle Inn! And though the animals who lived in Tangletree had sworn they would never set foot in an inn owned by a troll, well, they couldn’t help but be curious. One by one, they crept out of their dens to see what they could learn. The rabbits and badgers and squirrels had to burrow through the snow to get to the Snuggle Inn. And when they reached it, they all gathered outside the door and listened.

Oh, but it sounded like the guests inside were having the best kind of fun – with their songs, and their stories and their games. And the smells coming from the inn were delicious too – cinnamon and nutmeg and freshly baked bread. As they listened outside the door, Mrs. Squirrel and Mr. Owl began to wonder if perhaps they hadn’t been a little hasty in judging their new neighbour. Perhaps there were good trolls in the world, as well as unpleasant ones. And perhaps Mrs. Huddle was one of the good ones.   

Just then, the door flew open – and there was Mrs. Huddle herself.

“What are you all doing out here in the cold?” she said. “Come in and make yourselves at home.”

The animals looked at each other – and then, that’s exactly what they did. They scampered in out of the snow and joined the other guests by the fire. And of course, being an excellent innkeeper, Mrs. Huddle had more than enough food and drink for everyone.

It’s been many years now since that first gathering. And there have been many more since – in fact, too many to count. Whenever there’s any reason to celebrate – a birthday, or a new neighbour, or the first day of spring – the Snuggle Inn is where everyone comes together.

And as for Mrs. Huddle? All the animals of Tangletree agree – troll or not, she is the best neighbour anyone could ask for.

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