Ode to Teddy Bears

Hello,
In honour of "Shape A Story, Shape A Future" Day, I have stretched it out for a week instead - my "Le Challenge".
Starting us off with some stories, that I have enjoyed reading to my sons. 
PART 1 - BEAR STORIES
Day 1: 

THE TEDDY BEARS' PICNIC

Bears often decide to have picnics, and just as often, things don't go exactly according to plan.  Once ten little bears planned a picnic.  One little bear tried to catch a butterfly and didn't come back for hours. 

Another attempted a somersault, and couldn't get up again.

The third bear went swimming, when he should have been helping. 

The fourth got the hiccups and was no use at all.

The fifth bear fell asleep. 

The sixth little bear was stung on the nose by a bee, because he wondered if it's honey might be tasty.

The seventh got so excited that she had to have a rest! 

Her sister was chased by a crab.  She forgot all about making sandwiches.

It was not surprising that the ninth little teddy bear decided to go home. 

So the tenth bear tucked into the buns and cakes all on his own, ans was soon a very full little bear indeed!

At last, all the little bears did gather together for their party, but after all the excitement, they fell fast asleep... every one of them!

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Day 2:

THERE'S A BEAR IN THE BATHROOM

"Hey!" yelled Charlie one evening.  "there's a bear in the bathroom!"  
"Charlie!" shouted his mother.  "I've got enough to do looking after the baby, without listening to silly stories from you." 

   The bear smiled at Charlie.  Charlie looked carefully at the very large bear.  "What," he said, "are you doing in our bathroom?"  "It's a very nice bathroom," said the bear in a low growly voice.  "But how did you get here?" asked Charlie.  The bear didn't answer but it looked a little guiltily toward the window, and Charlie could see some pretty large paw prints on the window sill.  "You can't stay here," he said to the bear.  "You'd better come into my room."  "That's awfully kind of you," said the bear.  "I don't suppose you have any ... er ... little snacks?"

   Charlie took the bear to his room and gave him a half-eaten bag of soggy potato chips.  "Were you planning to stay long?" he asked, politely.  "If you like," replied the bear with a smile.  "I thought perhaps you might like some company at the moment."  Charlie signed.  It was true.  Ever since his little baby brother had been born a few weeks before, it seemed that no one had any time for him.  Charlie didn't like the baby.  All day long it dribbled or cried.  If he'd done that, he'd have been sent up to bed. "I'm very glad you've come," said Charlie to the bear.  "But you're going to have to be careful not to be found."  "I'll blend into the background," said the bear.  Charlie was doubtful, but in fact the bear turned out to be rather good at hiding himself.

   Before long, Charlie and the bear became very good friends.  Everyone else could make a fuss of the baby: Charlie had a special pal.  When he was sad, the bear gave him a big furry hug.  When he was happy, it made funny bear-faces that made Charlie laugh so much his tummy ached.

   One day, Charlie went downstairs to find some apples for the bear and got a surprise.  In the living room, his little brother was standing up!  He looked up, smiling all over his little face, and said, "Charlie!"  "Yes, said his mom.  "That's your big clever brother."  Charlie sat down and played with his brother.  he was even warmer and cuddlier than the bear.

   That night, when Charlie went to bed, he thought of telling the bear all about his baby brother.  But he wasn't very surprised to find that the bear was nowhere to be seen, and there were big black paw prints on the window sill.

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Day 3:

THE TROUBLE WITH EDWARD

   "Where's that bear?" roared Mr. Teddington from the garage.  "Someone - and I think I know who - has filled my boots with mud!"  Edward tried to explain.  "I was trying to start a wormery, dad.  We've been learning about worms at school.  "Come here at once and clean out my boots!"  replied his father.  It didn't seem to matter what he did, Edward was always in trouble.  Even if he was trying to do something helpful, it always seemed to go wrong. 

   Later that day, when she had finished cleaning up after Edward, Mrs. Teddington flopped into a chair.  "What are we going to do with that bear?"  "I think the problem is that he doesn't have an older bear to look up to and copy.  I thought we could invite your friend Violet and her boy Billy to stay with us," said her husband.  "Two boys in the house?" Mrs. Teddington shuddered.  But she remembered Billy handing out hymn books very quietly at her sister's wedding and reluctantly agreed.

   As soon as Billy arrived in the house, Mr. and Mrs. Teddington felt that they had done the right thing.  Billy was clean and polite, but more important, he was thoughtful.  Billy polished Mr. Teddington's car so that you could see your face in it.  And he saved the rinsing water for Mrs. Teddington's potted plants.  "He's having a very good effect on Edward." whispered Mrs. Teddington to her husband.  "Although sometimes I think he is just a little bit too good."

   On Billy's last day, the whole family went for a picnic by the river.  "We're a little too near the river for safety," said Billy. "One false step could cause a dangerous situation."  Oh nonsense," cried Mr. T.  "It's perfectly safe."  But as he spoke, he slipped.  SPLASH!  "He can't swim!" yelled Mrs. Teddington.  "Somebody do something!"  "Dad!" cried Edward.  "I'll save you!" and he plunged into the water.  "I shall stay safely away from the edge," said Billy calmly. "People are often drowned trying to save someone." 
   But Mr. Teddington climbed out of the river with a broad smile.  "In case you hadn't noticed, Billy," he said, "the water only came up to my knees.  I know accidents can happen even in shallow water, but Edward is a very good swimmer and there are things that are more important than being sensible.  I'm very proud of Edward."  Mrs. T. gave them both a big hug.  "There wasn't any need to worry," smiled Mr. Teddington.  "I wasn't really worried," said his wife. "Especially now I can see exactly where Edward gets his ... Edwardness from!"

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Day 4:

THE GHOSTLY BEAR

   Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there was a huge castle. The castle stood empty for many years, but one day there was great excitement in the nearby village.  The owner of the castle was coming to visit.  Now no one had ever seen this mysterious owner, so there was a lot of talk about who it might be. 

   "I've heard it is a Countess," said the baker.  "A witch put a curse on her.  Now she wears a veil to hide her ugly face."  "No," replied the blacksmith, "the owner IS a witch.  She travels at night, and has a black cat."  "Nonsense!"  The school teacher waved her stick.  "It is simply an old lady who cannot move around very well." 

Every day, the children in the village looked out for the important visitor, but no one came.  
   Then, one morning, a little girl called Lucy noticed smoke rising above the highest tower in the castle. 

"She must have come in the night!" she cried.  "She must be a witch after all." When they heard this, the villagers were very worried.  "We must take her a big present." they said, "so she does not get angry with us."

   So the collection was made and a beautiful chest was bought.  "Now," said the baker, "who will give the present to the witch?  I can't go with my weak heart and that path to climb."  "Nor can I," said the teacher, "with my bad leg."

   Only one voice spoke.  "I'll go," said Lucy.  "I'd like to see what she looks like."

"But," said the blacksmith, "won't you be frightened?" "Oh no," replied Lucy.  "My teddy bear will keep me safe." So Lucy set off to the castle.  It was a long climb, but at last she stood before the great doors and knocked. As she stood there, all by herself. Lucy began to feel just a little bit frightened.  But she clutched her old bear and started to sing to keep her spirits up.  
   With a horrible creaking noise, the doors of the castle slowly opened - all by themselves.  Lucy walked straight in.She found herself in a great, dark hall.  At the far end of the room, a figure in a dark cloak was crouched on a chair as large as a throne.  It wore a hood, so Lucy could not see its face, but a long, bony finger beckoned her.

   When the little girl was standing in front of the figure at last, she tried to speak up bravely.

"Please, your highness, or your witchness, we wanted to welcome you to the castle and give you this present."

A horrible cackle came from the dark-robed figure. "A chest?  I've got hundreds of them," it croaked. "But I can see that you do have something I want.  Give me that teddy bear, and I will let you go home safely."  :No!" cried Lucy, hugging her teddy bear.  "You can't have him."  "Really?  Then I shall have to lock you up until you agree."

   Lucy was dragged into a room with an enormous four-poster bed, and the door was locked behind her.

At dusk, the dark figure brought her some food and a single candle.  "Go to bed." it said.  Lucy climbed into bed.  She felt very frightened, but somehow, she managed to go to sleep. 

At midnight, she was woken by a clock striking by her bed. DONG! DONG!   She woke to find a large, white bear standing by her bed.  He seemed to be shimmering with a strange light.  "W...w...what do you want?" she asked. The strange bear said nothing, but it held out its paws toward Lucy's little bear, beside her in the bed.  "No!" cried Lucy. "He's mine!"

   Then she saw an odd thing.  The shining bear was crying!  He looked so very sad that Lucy could not bear it.  "All right," she said quietly.  "Here's my own special bear to cheer you up."  With a sigh, holding the little bear gently in his arms, the white bear melted through the door! Lucy shut her eyes and rubbed them. When she opened them, she was back in her own room at home, tucked up in her own little bed.  Only her teddy bear was missing.

   Next morning, the whole village gathered in amazement at the foot of the hill.  Overnight, the gloomy castle had changed in an extraordinary way. The windows sparkled.  There were flags flying from the turrets and doves fluttering around the battlements. "It must have been bewitched after all," gasped the villagers. "Our gift has broken the spell". Lucy thought about the chest hidden under her bed.  "Someone was unhappy," she thought. "And now they are not.  That is what bears are for."

   I believe she was right, my friends.  the mystery never was solved.  It was said that the Countess who lived in the castle had suffered an unhappy childhood.  Perhaps Lucy gave her back what she had lost.

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Day 5:

BEARS EVERYWHERE #1

   Now, you know that humans make the kind of mistakes that sensible bears would never make. At Christmas time they are worse than ever. Sooner or later, some silly human is likely to send the wrong present to the wrong person.

   We bears, who understand how important it is to feel loved and wanted, know that someone who receives the wrong present will feel upset.  So that is why our special job at Christmas is to look out for misplaced presents and send them back to where they belong.

   One Christmas, a forgetful granny in England made a particularly bad mistake.  She sent wooly gloves to her niece in Australia, where it is hot at Christmas time, and a sunhat to her niece in Canada, where the snow lay thick on the ground.  And to make matters worse, she sent them at the very last minute.

   What could we bears do with so little time to spare?  Even last-minute flights from both countries would not arrive in time.  A council meeting of the Growling was called at once, and the oldest bear of all was consulted.

"Dear bears," he said, in his quavering voice, "I can see only one solution, and it is one that we can use only in the most serious cases.  these presents will have to be ... ahem... lost ... until Christmas is over.  Please alert the bears concerned at once."

   Just as soon as messages could reach the bears at opposite sides of the world, action was taken.  The parcel with the gloves was dropped carefully behind a cushion.  The package containing the sunhat was tucked into a cupboard. Now normally in this kind of situation, action is taken immediately after Christmas.  the presents are exchanged and then allowed to be discovered.  But for some reason, both sets of bears in this case forgot all about the "missing" presents.

   In fact, it was not until sex months later that teddy bears in Australia discovered the offending package.  In horror, they at once contacted their Canadian cousins, and that parcel was retrieved as well.  Now both sets of bears were at a loss to know what to do.  The bears reported to the next meeting of the Growling.  There were gasps of horror around the room.  then the oldest bear of all told those bears what he thought of them.

"Sir," said one of the guilty bears, "we will make the exchange at once". But at this the oldest bear smiled.  "I think you will find," he said, "that no exchange will now be necessary. Simply allow the presents to be found.  But make sure that this NEVER happens again."

   The bears did as they were told.  the niece in Australia was delighted with her gloves. The niece in Canada just loved her sunhat. Which of you clever bears can tell me why the presents did not need to be changed?

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Day 6:

BEARS EVERYWHERE #2

   Joseph was the easiest boy in the world to please. He liked anything with bears on it.  He had bears on his slippers, and bears on his socks.  His bedroom curtains had bear paw prints all over them.  He had lots of stories about bears, and on his bed sat his own special teddy bear, Rufus. He loved Rufus best of all.  he told the old bear all his secrets and all his worries.  And Rufus seemed to understand.

One day Joe's cousin asked him to visit.  "You can help Joe to pack, Katy," Joe's mother told his big sister.  "You would have been invited too, if you hadn't put gravy in Aunt Sue's purse". Katy grumbled all the time as she helped to pack Joe's clothes.  "Joe, what are you doing?" she asked.  "I'm putting Rufus in," said Joe.  "He doesn't really like being inside, but he might get lost on the train."  "But you can't take Rufus!" laughed Katy. "Everyone will think you're a real baby.  Baby Joe, Baby Joe, has to take his teddy bear!"  Joe put Rufus back on the bed.  he felt a cold space in his tummy.

   Later on, in the train with Aunt Susan, he almost forgot about Rufus. And it was exciting seeing the farm and the animals.  But Joe was very quiet as they had supper. Later, he lay very still in the strange bedroom opposite his cousin's.  There were roses on the wallpaper. In the dark, they looked like ogres' faces.  "Oh Rufus," said Joe, "I wish you were here."

During the day, Joe almost forgot that he was sad.  But at night he couldn't sleep.  Aunt Susan was worried.  "He won't tell me what's the matter," she said to her husband.  "Why don't you try?" 

Uncle Richard sat on Joe's bed.  "You know," he said.  "When I used to stay with my granny, I never felt homesick because I took my old bear, Mr. Bumble, with me.  he was my best friend."  then Joe told Uncle Richard all about Rufus and how he missed him.  Uncle Richard smiled.  "I guess I could get along without Mr. Bumble for a night or two, if you'd like to borrow him."  Joe opened his eyes wide. "But you're older than me!"  he said.  "Just a bit," grinned his uncle.  "What has someone been saying to you?  Just between you and me, Joe, I feel rather sorry for people who don't understand about teddy bears, don't you?"

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Day 7:

A BEAR AT BEDTIME

One bear in a bed is cuddly, and two are better still. 

With three teddy bears, you are sure to be warm, and just one more is no problem at all.

Five teddy bears in a bed can help you sleep, while six teddy bears are very good indeed.

Seven is a lucky number for bears.  And eight teddy bears are best of all.

But nine teddy bears in a bed?

Be careful!  There may not be room for you...
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That's it for now...
Pleasant Dreams!
Mortisha Manson/ C.E.S. (*@^@*)
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