Desiderata - Les Crane

Children's Story: Do You Like Bears?

     

   It was a wonderful day. It was Benjamin Theodore Bear’s birthday. It was not just his birthday. It was his eighth birthday. It was the day in a bear’s life when he must leave Toyland and seek an owner. Benjamin T. would have to hurry, the Toyland Trolley leaves in just one hour. While he was dressing and eating breakfast Benjamin T. was wondering what his new owner might be like. Rebecca B. Rabbit promised to walk with Benjamin T. to the Trolley stop. Rebecca and Benjamin T. had spent many hours playing together and Benjamin T. would miss Rebecca B. Rabbit. As soon as Rebecca arrived, Benjamin and she started for the Trolley stop. It was a short walk, and they had timed it perfectly. The Trolley was on time. Benjamin T. hugged Rebecca good-by and climbed aboard. He was not the only toy with his eighth birthday today. The Trolley was nearly full. Benjamin T.’s ticket was for Someplace, Peopleland. It was the fourth stop. Benjamin T. rode for nearly two hours before the conductor announced his stop. Suddenly, he was afraid. As he climbed down the Trolley steps he could feel his heart pounding. The Trolley pulled away and Benjamin T. was alone. Gulping hard, he began walking toward town. He had only gone three blocks when he saw a small boy playing with his trucks. “Vroom. Vroom” The little boy was making noises for his trucks and cars.

            “Excuse me, excuse me, little boy.”

            The boy looked up and said, “What do you want?”

            “I was wondering if you like bears.”

            The boy looked at him strangely and said, “No, but I like lions and tigers”, and he made the sounds of lions and tigers going “Grrr and roar”. He started jumping around and waving his arms. Benjamin T. took a couple of steps backward and decided that he didn’t want this boy for his owner. While the boy continued to make these growling sounds, Benjamin T. started down the street.

            He walked, and he walked, and he walked. He approached a little girl playing with her dolls. “Excuse me, little girl.” The girl looked up. “Do you like bears?”

            Seeming to ignore Benjamin’s question she said, “We’re playing tea-party. Would you like to play tea-party with us?”

            “Certainly, what do I do?”

            The girl said, “Sit down and I’ll pour you some tea and get you a piece of cake.”

            Benjamin T. was getting a hungry by now and cake sounded wonderful. He sat down. He looked at the tiny cups and saucers and the small pieces of cake and thought he might like having this girl for an owner. The girl handed Benjamin his piece of cake. While she poured the tea, Benjamin took a bite of cake. He stopped. “Oh dear, on no, what can I do?” he thought, “This cake tastes an awful lot like sand. If I spit this out the girl’s feelings will be hurt. Yet, what can I do? I can’t swallow it.” The girl continued chattering about her tea party. Benjamin T. was going to have to do something with the sand in his mouth, but what? He had an idea! The girl looked away and he upset his teacup. “Oh my, I seem to have spilled my tea!”

            She didn’t notice Benjamin T. spitting out the sand as she cleaned up the spilt tea. She said, “Let me pour you more tea.” After she poured the tea she asked, “How was the cake?”

            Benjamin T. Bear said, “It tasted a bit like sand.”

            The girl was offended that Benjamin T. Bear did not care for her cake replied, “But it was sand. Everyone knows that when you play tea party you don’t really eat the cakes. You just pretend to eat them.”

             Benjamin T. stood up, “I seem to be running late for something and must go. I hope I didn’t ruin your tea party too much. Good-bye.” The girl didn’t even notice Benjamin T. Bear start down the sidewalk. She just went on playing tea party.

            Benjamin T. Bear asked everyone he met, “Do you like bears?” One lady he asked told him she did not have time for that kind of silliness. What was he to do? There was a park bench near the sidewalk and Benjamin T. decided to rest and think. When he left on the Toyland Trolley this morning to look for an owner he didn’t think it would be this hard. What could he do? There is no way to return to Toyland. Here he was, it was going to be getting dark in a couple of hours, he was hungry, tired, discouraged, and still without an owner. It wasn’t because he hadn’t tried. He had asked everyone he saw if they liked bears. No one seemed to have time for him. As he sat a tear started down his furry face. A voice, coming from beside him said, “Oh my, little bear, what’s the matter?”

            “No one likes bears. Do you like bears?”

            Oh yes, I love bears. Why do you say no one likes bears?”

            Benjamin T. told the lady his story. When he finished, the lady had a tear running down her cheek. “I was waiting for someone to meet me for lunch, but it doesn’t look like they are going to make it. Do you think, perhaps, you would care to have lunch with me? I know you are tired, and I’m sure your feet hurt, but if you think you might be able to walk to that green house with a picket fence we could lunch together.”

            “Could I?” Benjamin said, with just a ray of hope. In answer, the lady reached out her hand and said, “Here, give me your paw.”

            Benjamin knew that he had found his owner.