TheBanyanTree: Now We Are Six

[Roger Pye]

I seem to remember a long time ago in another dimension a place we 
called The Spoon Cafe and one of the story-telling ideas that came out 
of it was The Box. Like 'Now we are Six' those that wished had to write 
a story about a box. What follows is a much amended version of the one I 
wrote which some of you might remember, though the punchline is different:
*********************
THE BOX

    It was early in the morning; Lucy, the German Shepherd, had barked 
furiously like she always does when someone visits so Roger opened the 
door and saw the box sitting on the verandah.   He looked around, no one 
about - only the dog on her chain - and The Box.. Just an ordinary brown 
cardboard box with a white printed label on the top. He bent down to 
read it:

'To The People who live at Bear's House, Middlingbank. This is not junk 
mail nor is it a joke. If you decide you do not wish to keep the 
contents of this package, repack carefully and place it on this spot 
before you retire for the evening.'

    Hmmm. He picked the box up, carried it inside the cottage and put it 
on the kitchen table. As he slit the paper tape holding the lid closed, 
he seemed to hear very low whispering coming from the box.  He stopped - 
the 'whispers' stopped. Imagination, he thought, cutting the rest of the 
bindings and lifting the lid. Inside were two more boxes, one larger 
than the other. The smaller one's label said 'HANDLE WITH CARE - OPEN ME 
FIRST' so he did, looked in it and began to laugh.
    "Hey, Robin, come and look at this." His partner came in from the 
study, looked down and chuckled. In the little box were seated three 
very small teddy bears. One had on a green scarf and another a purple 
one while the third was wearing a tiny red woollen jacket and matching 
woollen hat.
    "What's so damn funny? Haven't you seen teddy bears before?"
    The voice appeared to have come from Purple Scarf. Roger choked, 
spluttered and looked at Robin helplessly as Green Scarf said "Be quiet, 
Emma, don't be so rude or they .. they might send us back. She didn't 
mean it, Mr Occupier, honest, it's just we've been in this box for so 
long and .. and at least two other families have already rejected us 
because they said they had no need for Traffic Fairy Bears. You do, 
though, don't you, living way out here all on your own? Please say 
'Yes'. Oh, I'm Sarah, by the way."
    "Traffic Fairy Bears," Robin repeated thoughtfully. "What are they, 
exactly? I mean, what do you have to do to be one?"
    "Tell the driver when it's safe to turn at intersections and 
roundabouts and stuff like that. That's what we've been trained for," 
Emma replied. "Oliver, though, he's only a baby bear and he's still 
learning; he gets a bit confused sometimes. This is Oliver." She nudged 
the bear in the red woolly jacket.
    "I'm Oliver, happiest little traffic fairy bear, in the world," he 
sang very softly so they could hardly hear him.
    Robin said instantly "Just what we've always wanted - three Traffic 
Fairy Bears - they'll fit nicely in the 4Runner’s centre compartment, 
and be company on long journeys. Won't they, dear?"
    "True enough .." Roger had begun to say when there where was a 
violent hammering noise. The other box wobbled slightly.
    "Oh, that'll be Tilly," Sarah muttered, " You'd better let her and 
the others out, Mister, before she gets angrier; she's a worry when 
she's angry."
     Others? They opened the bigger box to find three more bears, 
slightly larger than the first three. "About time, too," one with a pink 
bow said peevishly. "I'm Matilda, Chairbear and Spokesbear; this is my 
Committee – Vinnie, bearmagic specialist, great at curing headaches - 
and Ziggy, cyberbear extraordinaire. Now what are you laughing at? 
Honestly, what have I said that's so funny?"
    "Don't send me back, please, I'll go back in the CLOTHING BIN and 
it's dark in there and I get so frightened .."
    It was Vinnie. Roger shook his head, said softly. "Nobody, nobear, 
goes back, ever, Okay? As of now, you're all part of our family. Come 
and meet Bear."
    Tenderly they lifted all of the little teddy bears out of their 
boxes and carried them into the study where a much bigger bear was 
sitting by the monitor, and arranged them all around him.
    "Here are some new members of the family, Bear," Robin said 
cheerfully. "Look after them; they're a little insecure."
    That night The Box went back on the verandah. Inside it was a note: 
"Dear Bear Providers.  You wouldn't happen to know the whereabouts of 
their brothers and sisters Gideon, Annabelle, the Twins, Winifred, 
Josiff, Jerry, Virginia ... would you? Oh, and Rupert, he's the brainy 
one who was sent to university. They really miss Rupert!!"

************************
Well, that was the late 90s and here we are in 2006 in a modern (very 
hot tonight) brick veneer house in the National Capital. In our 'back 
room' where all the spare stuff ends up, Gideon, Annabelle, the Twins, 
Winifred, Josiff, Jerry, Virginia  and Rupert - the brainy one who 
graduated from the ANU two years ago - share a shelf with Tigger & 
friend who came from a  landfill near Middlingbank just before we moved 
here. There are other bears and friends too. The Traffic Fairy Bears 
became four with the addition of William who is about the same size as 
Oliver, and Oskar who we already had when Tilly turned up joined her 
committee. The Furskin Bear, Bubba (made, incidentally, by the American 
company that created the Cabbage Patch dolls) has been united with at 
least six of his clan.

Our bedhead is loaded with Tilly and Co, the TFBs, three Furskins and 
numerous other animals. Every other room except bathroom and toilet also 
has its contingent.  So we really cannot say Now We Are Six when, in 
reality, Now We Are Sixty-Six!!

Roger