A cheerful opening about a very silly soap bubble, Christopher, and Psotka, who rush to find out why the bubble keeps hiccupping.
In the middle of the colourful courtyard, between the swing and the sandpit, floated the silliest soap bubble in the whole world. Her name was Tissue Paper, and she loved making faces at anyone who looked up.
One bright morning, Tissue Paper drifted over the children’s heads, puffed herself out proudly, and then suddenly went, "HIK!"
She wobbled in the air. "HIK!" went the bubble again, and this time she spun round like a tiny dizzy moon.
Little Christopher looked up. So did his cat Psotka, who narrowed her eyes and twitched her whiskers. "Well," said Psotka, "that is the most polite hiccup I’ve ever heard."
Christopher and Psotka hurried to help. They tried everything they could think of. Christopher hopped on one foot. Psotka sang a very loud song. They even pulled the fiercest faces they knew.
But every time they thought they had fixed it, Tissue Paper only shivered and let out an even bigger "HIK!"
Then, just as they all jumped as high as they could, something odd flashed at the end of the garden. It was round, shiny, and much, much larger than a bubble should ever be.
Before anyone could blink, the courtyard shook with the loudest "HIK!" in the whole world.