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Hooty Bear (a children's story)
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Hooty Bear (a children's story) |
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Poet deVine
Administrator
Member Seraphic
since 1999-05-26
Posts 22612Hurricane Alley |
This story is the the beginning and end of an idea for a series of stories titled The Adventures of Hooty Bear. The original version was written as an assignment many years ago in high school. Miriam had always been such a shy child, running and hiding whenever company came to visit. At the tender age of four, she was forced to wear wire rimmed glasses which further separated her from children her own age. Times were very hard for her family and the glasses had to constantly be protected from breaking. Miriam never played much at school or with her sisters and their friends. She sat on the swing on the big front porch and played with her dolls, telling long involved stories about how they would go to parties at each others houses. Miriam spent most of her time alone. Her parents talked of nothing else but the ‘depression’ and poor Miriam wondered why they called it ‘great’….they didn’t have money. Dad didn’t have a job and the family was living on vegetables from the garden and chickens Mom raised in the backyard. Miriam’s fifth birthday arrived and everyone told her not to expect anything. There was little enough money for shoes but a frivolous birthday present would be out of the question. Miriam longed for a doll with shining golden curls! They had a cake, not much sugar in it and just a sprinkling of powdered sugar for frosting. When it was eaten, Miriam’s mother brought out a small unwrapped box. Miriam held her breath as she opened the box! Inside lay a teddy bear, dressed in short pants, a vest and a bow tie. On one end of the tie was an H, on the other a B. But most astonishing of all, the bear wore wire rimmed glasses just like Miriam! She squealed in delight as she lifted the bear out of the box and squeezed it to her chest! It squeaked! Another laugh and Miriam held up her new toy for everyone to see! "Thank you!" she cried as she hugged first her mother, then her father. Her three older sisters looked on and smiled. From that day on, Miriam was never without her bear. She held him so tight her mama told her she was going to "hug that bear to death". The kids at school teased her about the bear’s glasses and began taunting her about her owl…’make your owl hoot for us’! And that’s how the H and the B became symbols for his name: Hooty Bear. Miriam laughed at the jokes…didn’t mind not having anyone to play with or talk to because now she had a best friend in Hooty! Years past and the depression got worse. The chickens were all eaten and never replaced and Miriam’s father was certain that the only place they could ever survive was in California. The family began packing up what they could cram into a truck and planned for the journey from Indiana to Los Angeles, where Miriam’s uncle lived. As the time drew near to leave, Miriam, now almost 10, was told that she would have to leave Hooty Bear behind. Every spare inch of the truck had to be used for necessities. If they took Hooty, maybe a bag of much needed flour would have to be left out. They had to survive the grueling trip west with only the provisions they could carry as Miriam’s uncle could only send them enough money for gasoline for the trip. For days, Miriam wept. She thought and thought about ways to smuggle Hooty into the truck…she thought if she tied him to her head like a hat, no one would care. But her mother told her she was being foolish, told her to grow up. And Miriam sadly prepared to leave the only friend she ever knew. She decided to leave him on the bed, for the next family that moved into the house. Perhaps some young boy or girl would find him and love him as she had. His squeaker, long since silent, was buried beneath his brown shaggy belly. The night before they began their journey, Miriam opened Hooty’s belly with a pair of scissors, took out his metal squeaker and pried it open. Inside she lay a sheet of paper on which she had written: Then she quickly stitched up his belly and slept with him cradled in her arms one last time. In the morning, she placed him lovingly on her bed and sobbing, left the house. In the truck, she turned and looked back once. "I’ll never forget you Hooty Bear!" she promised. Then she turned, facing west and her new life. **** Sixty nine years later, Jenni Foster, her mother and grandmother stood in line at the Brass Cat Antique store, waiting to check out. Jenni’s grandmother came here every week to find a special collectible cup and saucer. Jenni hated it here. She thought it smelled old, like her Gran-nana who was a thousand years old. Jenni pranced around, looking at one thing after another, until an old worn teddy bear caught her eye. She gingerly picked it up, looking over her shoulder to see if her mother was watching as she wasn’t allowed to touch anything! The tag said five dollars and ninety five cents. Jenni at the tender age of six, could read quite well. Her father said she took after him. Her mother said she took after her. Jenni knew that she didn’t take after anyone..she was herself. She sat alone with her computer and taught herself to read and write and count. She spent a lot of time alone. Her mom and dad worked all the time and Jenni didn’t have any brothers or sisters to play with. "Jenni Catherine!" Her mother’s voice stopped Jenni in mid stride. "Put that down right now!" Until now, Jenni wasn’t much interested in the bear. She’d outgrown her ‘baby’ toys and didn’t like dolls or Beanie Babies. "I want him." Jenni’ mother stomped over to her and took the bear from her hands. "No." "I’ve got money!" Jenni cried, reaching into her jeans pocket and pulling out a ten dollar bill. "Where did you get that?" her mother replied, turning and eyeing her own mother. "Grammy gave it to me," Jenni announced proudly. It was a bribe, but Jenni would never tell her mother that. Each Saturday morning, Jenni was forced to go shopping with her mom and grandma. Somehow, Grammy knew it and began bribing Jenni to go along. Now it looked like it backfired. Mother was really mad! "The child should have things she likes," Grammy said defensively. "It’s just a stuffed animal, for God’s sake, not a priceless antique!" Jenni looked from her mother to her grandmother and could see the silent war between them. Jenni’s mom sighed heavily and walked away, handing the bear to the sales clerk. Jenni smiled as she reached up and paid for her bear. Jenni was strapped into the back seat of her mother’s car, Jenni called it a Tuberu, and they drove off. "You’re coming in for a bit when you drop me off aren’t you?" Grammy asked. "Yes, I guess so, " Mommy said. "Jeff won’t be back until late so we’re on our own today. And I certainly don’t feel like cooking!" Jenni giggled. Her mother never cooked, even when she felt like it! They lived on take out food and frozen dinners! But Jenni didn’t mind, she ate quickly then disappeared into her room to sit in front of her computer, playing games. When they entered Grammy’s house, Jenni’s mom firmly grabbed her hand and led her to the back of the house. Oh, no! thought Jenni. Gran-nana! Her mother dragged her down a hall to the bedroom off the kitchen. Jenni could smell her Gran-nana before she was thrust into the room. It smelled like a mixture of old paper and lavender and hung in the air even in the hallway. Her mother, smiling a mean smile, walked over and kissed the old lady sitting in the chair by the window. "Gran," she yelled. "How are you? Look who’s here!" She motioned for Jenni to come over next to the old woman’s chair. Jenni held back, a mutinous lowering of her eyes signaled the usual tantrum. "What have you got there?" Gran-nana asked. Jenni drew closer and held up the bear. Her mother quietly left the room. It was a constant chore to get Jenni to spend a moment with the old girl. Gently, Jenni laid the bear in her great grandmother’s lap. He wasn’t very special. No clothes..his fur was worn in spots but he wore the cutest glasses. Jenni pointed to them so the old gran could see them. "Aren’t they cute?" Jenni asked. "Yes, they are. I had a bear like him when I was little." Gran-nana said. Silently, Jenni groaned. She’d heard Gran-nana tell stories before, about gardens and chickens and not enough to eat. Jenni started to think how she could leave without hurting the old woman’s feelings. "When I was a girl, I had a bear just like this one. I called him Hooty because all the kids at school thought he looked like an owl with his big glasses. Guess they thought I did too, that’s why I didn’t have many friends I guess." "I don’t have friends either," Jenni said. She leaned closer to Gran-nana now, feeling the common bond that loneliness creates. "I had to leave him behind when we moved here. I was ten years old and I cried so hard I almost threw up!" Gran-nana smiled at Jenni. "I remember, I opened him up and put a note in that little metal box inside him." Jenni squeezed the bear’s stomach and her eyes lit up as she felt a hard object just under the fur. "He’s got one too!" she exclaimed breathlessly. "Jenni! Get my scissors out of my sewing kit over there on the floor!" Jenni in a rush of excitement, rummaged through the box until she found the small sewing scissors her Gran-nana never let her touch. She walked slowly back, carrying them as she had been taught, points down, away from her body. She handed them to the old woman. Gran-nana snipped a few threads in the bear’s belly. She tried to reach in to find the box, but her arthritic fingers wouldn’t work for her. "Jenni, reach in and see if there’s a small box in there." Jenni’s tiny fingers poked into the bear’s stomach and after a few seconds they withdrew, holding a small metal box! "Open it up!" Gran-nana cried! Her face glowed with excitement! Jenni pried the two pieces apart. Inside lay a piece of paper, almost gray with age. Tenderly, she handed it to the old lady. A soft rustle, and the paper was unfolded. Jenni slipped up onto her great grandmother’s lap to see what was written there. The first line said: But there were many more lines! Lots of lines……lines on the front of the paper and lines on the back! Jerry Peterson - loved this bear from 1930 to 1933. Mary Adams - loved this bear from 1933 to 1936 Ruth Tomaski - loved this bear from 1936 to 1938 (she died) Sophie Steinmatz - loved this bear from 1938 to 1941 (died in Auschwitz) Velma Kramer - loved this bear from 1941 to 1943 The list went on and on. There must have been 50 names on the paper! Jenni marveled at the writing, some in childish scribbles, some written in adult cursive. She looked at her great grandmother and saw her cheeks were wet with tears! "Imagine finding my own Hooty Bear after all these years! It’s like a miracle!" Gran-nana whispered. "All these children loved my Hooty Bear! I can’t believe it!" "I wonder how they got him?" Jenni asked. "Oh, I’m sure he picked them! He was the best friend I ever had. I’m sure God put him with each of these children for a reason, as he did with me!" "But I want to know!" Jenni cried. "Shall I tell you what I think?" Gran-nana asked. Jenni nodded her head slowly and leaned back against the old woman’s chest. "Why I believe, Jerry Peterson’s family moved into our little house a few days after we left. He had polio you know, walked with a limp. All the kids teased him…….." And this, like many more Saturday mornings to come, a story unfolded about the great Adventures of Hooty Bear. Little did the young girl of six and her elderly great grandmother know that the stories were true. |
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| © Copyright 1999 Poet deVine - All Rights Reserved | |||
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Christopher
Moderator
Member Rara Avis
since 1999-08-02
Posts 8296Purgatorial Incarceration |
WOW! Though I must admit to not being a fan of children's stories, I must admit that this sparked my interest. And I'm glad I read it. It gave me a chill, to think of a treasure being passed along, with no one breaking the chain. Bravo once again ms deVine! |
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DreamEvil Member Elite
since 1999-06-22
Posts 2396 |
Lady deVine your prose is as astonishing as your verse if not much more so. Your children's tale here will quickly become a favorite of mine and here in Prose. ------------------ Life is pain is poetry, at least I'll be productive. DreamEvil© |
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Tara Simms Senior Member
since 1999-08-12
Posts 1244Honea Path, SC USA |
I loved it, PDV. These stories could make for a charming series of books. Have you considered that? I would love to read The Adventures of Hooty Bear to my children. |
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hoot_owl_rn Member Patricius
since 1999-07-05
Posts 10750Glen Hope, PA USA |
Very cute story. I really enjoyed it. ------------------ "Nobody has measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold" ~Zelda Fitzgerald |
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Jeffrey Carter
since 2000-04-08
Posts 2367State of constant confusion! |
I loved this story Sharon! You should post more of your stories; you have such a way with words! |
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Mysteria
since 2001-03-07
Posts 18328British Columbia, Canada |
Oh this is adorable, got more? I know, I know, don't be so lazy go find them right?  okay on ma way. |
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Sadelite Member Elite
since 2003-10-11
Posts 2519 |
This has so much heart in it! I agree, it should be printed for children (and adults) to read! It left a happy tear in my eye. Sadelite |
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SwEeTnSeXy18 Member
since 2000-09-18
Posts 247nc |
Oh wow Poet this really captured my attention. It pulled my heart-strings because I have a rabbit that I got when I was 10 from my mom and it was special because it was supposed to be an easter present from the Easter bunny but he "forgot" to give it to me and the next day my mom told me he made a special trip back to our house just for me. I found out the truth later and I still have it and am now 22. My mom passed away when I was 12 and so I named it MommyBunny. Its old now and shows signs of good love and care. Wonderful childrens story! Lisa ~in order to gain, you have to lose~ |
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