Alex Nutt had a problem, but she knew what to do when she had a problem that she couldn't handle on her own. She went off to find her mom.
"Mommy," she said, when she found her mother in the kitchen. "There's a bear in my room."
Rebecca (for that was her mother's name) frowned slightly, trying to make sure she understood. She was a good mom, who wanted to make sure she understood the situation before taking action. "A bear?" she asked. Alex nodded.
"A polar bear. He's big, and white, and furry."
"Well," Rebecca said. "Perhaps your dad and I should find out what the bear wants." So she called her husband, Michael, who was busy playing with Alex's brother, Colin. "Dear, there seems to be a polar bear in Alex's room." And Michael frowned a bit, just as Rebecca had, but when he looked up, he realized he had understood correctly. For there, at the top of the stairs, was a huge polar bear!
The polar bear was standing on his hind legs, just like a person, and cleared his throat, just like he was nervous. And finally, he began to speak.
"Um. Hello. I'm terribly sorry to be a bother, but I was hoping that I might ask your permission to take Alex on a small adventure."
"Hold on a moment!" Michael said. "Alex is a big girl, but she's not a grown up yet! She doesn't go on just any old adventure!"
"Oh, no, of course not," the bear responded, feeling guilty that he hadn't made this clear. "No, this is only going to be make believe, I promise you. It's perfectly safe - she'll be adventuring here, safely in her own home."
Alex wasn't sure what kind of adventure this was going to be, but she was excited by the chance go to adventuring with a talking polar bear!
The polar bear introduced himself as Comfy, and he offered to let Alex pet him to see what he meant. She could feel he was squishably soft - he was definitely comfy! When he told her parents that his last name was Bogart, they groaned, but parents can be silly that way.
Alex and her mom followed Comfy back to Alex's room. (Her dad wanted to keep playing with Colin, who wasn't old enough to understand about talking polar bears.) And her mom made her carefully lay out her coat, and her hat, and her boots and her mittens. Although they weren't leaving the house, they were going to go adventuring, and adventuring in the winter time meant dreasing up warmly! And then, Comfy asked Alex to close her eyes, and the next thing she knew, her room faded away, and she felt her mommy give her one last, quick hug, and she vanished!
She didn't stay vanished for long, though. She found herself wearing her coat and her hat and her boots and her mittens. She was outside, in the snow, and it was still snowing! She looked around, and saw that Comfy was right next to her. And next to him was an elf!
Alex had never seen an elf before, but once she saw this one, she knew it had to be an elf! It was a girl elf, and she was wearing a pointy hat, and a pointy pair of boots, with little bells on the tips! She had on a red vest and green pants, and all of her clothing was lined with fur, to keep her warm.
"Hello Alex," the elf said to her. "I've heard you're supposed to go on an adventure today. Is that right?"
Alex nodded, but the elf was in a hurry, and kept speaking. "Okay, good, we need you to go out and help us find some Christmas spirit. Or maybe spirits. But I know you need some drawing paper, and some colored pencils, and, of course, some glue. Here you go!" the elf said, all in one breath. The elf was holding out a small paper sack with handles on it, and Alex grabbed the handles.
"Most kids just help us scout out houses and entrances, and I have a lot of other little boys and girls to meet so goodbye!" said the elf, and then ran off, to find another child to talk to.
"I'm sorry about the elf," Comfy said. "She's very busy helping Santa build toys, and is in a big hurry."
"What did she mean, scout houses and entrances?" Alex asked. Comfy explained that Santa Claus had to find a way into every house that had children in it, so he could bring them presents.
"So, you look at houses, and you figure out how Santa would get in," he said. "And then you draw a picture, and put an arrow on it, showing Santa where he can come in. You see that house?" Comfy asked, and he pointed at a house with a big chimney. "You could draw that house, and point to the chimney. Or, if you think they might build a fire in the fireplace, you could draw an arrow to the front door, and Santa will know to knock politely on the door and ask the parents if he can come in to leave some toys."
"I don't know," Alex said. "I thought this was an adventure!"
"Well, when we go home to draw pictures, you can have some hot cocoa, and maybe even a cookie. A lot of adventures go well with cocoa and cookies," Comfy said.
Alex agreed that hot cocoa and cookies were wonderful things, but she remembered that the elf said she needed to find Christmas spirits and not just draw houses. Drawing houses with colored pencils was important too, but not as important as finding things she needed to find!
So she asked Comfy to hold her hand while she crossed the streets, and she wandered the city, looking for Christmas spirits. And after walking around for an hour, or maybe even longer, she saw something.
A man and a woman - and the woman had a little baby in their arms, and she was riding a mule!
Right there, in the middle of the city, only no one seemed to notice them. Alex looked at them, and realized that they looked lost, and awfully tired.
She pointed them out to Comfy, and asked why no one else seemed to notice. Comfy looked sad for a moment, and said that sometimes, when people were lost, and tired, and feeling alone, no one noticed. So if you notice someone who needs help, sometimes you're the only one who can help them.
That made Alex feel strange. She was just a little girl. Her mommy and daddy could find them someplace to sleep, but what could she do? She looked up at Comfy, and he said that what they needed was a manger - just a place to rest for a while, before they could continue their journey in the morning. They might be able to build one... could Alex draw one for them to build?
Alex was sure that she could! She and Comfy went over to the man and the woman and their baby, and asked them to stop for a while, while Alex and Comfy tried to make a place for them to rest. And Alex took out her paper and colored pencils, and drew a sketch of a manger - a crib for the baby, and a space for the mommy Mary and daddy Joseph. And there was a cow, and the mule and some sheep... and, of course, there was a little angel up on top.
And when she turned around from her drawing, she saw that Comfy had somehow found a manger, right behind them! It looked just like Alex's drawing, except... except it needed to be cleaned up, and someone had to help put together a crib.
Well, Joseph said that there was some wood in the manger; he could probably put together a crib. And Alex worked as hard as she could, trying to clean up the manger, while Mary took care of her baby. Once the cleaning was done, Alex helped Joseph pack up straw in the crib so the baby could sleep. And then, when all that was done, Alex realized they needed a cow. So Alex mooed!
She mooed quietly, so as not to upset Mary or the baby, but she mooed, and soon, a cow came by, happy to curl around behind the crib to let her warm body help protect the baby from the cold. And then she went Baaaa! like a sheep, and soon, some sheep came by. And then, with the mule, and the cow, and the sheep and Joseph and Mary and the baby Jesus in the crib, everyone was warm, and happy. It wasn't as good as staying at the inn, Joseph said, as he watched his wife and newborn son, but it was good to know that people cared enough to help him and his family find shelter when they were far away from home.
Alex was tired; she had worked really hard cleaning up the manger and calling for the animals, but she was happy. As she stepped back from the manger, she decided it looked just like the picture she had drawn.
"There's only one problem," she said, quietly, to Comfy, as he reached down to hold her hand warmly. "There's no angel on top."
"Ah, Alex," the large bear said. "You helped a family when no one else could. Today... today, the angel is you."
And after a moment, he gave her a long, warm hug, and the next thing she knew, she was back in her bedroom, fast asleep.
(If you want to, you can delete the story-pieces from your entry - I just don't know if I have a good e-mail address for you, so I figured this was the easiest way to get the story to you by today.)
and is not a bad guy 
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Date: 2009-12-22 01:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-22 01:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-23 12:21 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-12-24 03:38 pm (UTC)"Mommy," she said, when she found her mother in the kitchen. "There's a bear in my room."
Rebecca (for that was her mother's name) frowned slightly, trying to make sure she understood. She was a good mom, who wanted to make sure she understood the situation before taking action. "A bear?" she asked. Alex nodded.
"A polar bear. He's big, and white, and furry."
"Well," Rebecca said. "Perhaps your dad and I should find out what the bear wants." So she called her husband, Michael, who was busy playing with Alex's brother, Colin. "Dear, there seems to be a polar bear in Alex's room." And Michael frowned a bit, just as Rebecca had, but when he looked up, he realized he had understood correctly. For there, at the top of the stairs, was a huge polar bear!
The polar bear was standing on his hind legs, just like a person, and cleared his throat, just like he was nervous. And finally, he began to speak.
"Um. Hello. I'm terribly sorry to be a bother, but I was hoping that I might ask your permission to take Alex on a small adventure."
"Hold on a moment!" Michael said. "Alex is a big girl, but she's not a grown up yet! She doesn't go on just any old adventure!"
"Oh, no, of course not," the bear responded, feeling guilty that he hadn't made this clear. "No, this is only going to be make believe, I promise you. It's perfectly safe - she'll be adventuring here, safely in her own home."
Alex wasn't sure what kind of adventure this was going to be, but she was excited by the chance go to adventuring with a talking polar bear!
The polar bear introduced himself as Comfy, and he offered to let Alex pet him to see what he meant. She could feel he was squishably soft - he was definitely comfy! When he told her parents that his last name was Bogart, they groaned, but parents can be silly that way.
Alex and her mom followed Comfy back to Alex's room. (Her dad wanted to keep playing with Colin, who wasn't old enough to understand about talking polar bears.) And her mom made her carefully lay out her coat, and her hat, and her boots and her mittens. Although they weren't leaving the house, they were going to go adventuring, and adventuring in the winter time meant dreasing up warmly! And then, Comfy asked Alex to close her eyes, and the next thing she knew, her room faded away, and she felt her mommy give her one last, quick hug, and she vanished!
no subject
Date: 2009-12-24 03:39 pm (UTC)She didn't stay vanished for long, though. She found herself wearing her coat and her hat and her boots and her mittens. She was outside, in the snow, and it was still snowing! She looked around, and saw that Comfy was right next to her. And next to him was an elf!
Alex had never seen an elf before, but once she saw this one, she knew it had to be an elf! It was a girl elf, and she was wearing a pointy hat, and a pointy pair of boots, with little bells on the tips! She had on a red vest and green pants, and all of her clothing was lined with fur, to keep her warm.
"Hello Alex," the elf said to her. "I've heard you're supposed to go on an adventure today. Is that right?"
Alex nodded, but the elf was in a hurry, and kept speaking. "Okay, good, we need you to go out and help us find some Christmas spirit. Or maybe spirits. But I know you need some drawing paper, and some colored pencils, and, of course, some glue. Here you go!" the elf said, all in one breath. The elf was holding out a small paper sack with handles on it, and Alex grabbed the handles.
"Most kids just help us scout out houses and entrances, and I have a lot of other little boys and girls to meet so goodbye!" said the elf, and then ran off, to find another child to talk to.
"I'm sorry about the elf," Comfy said. "She's very busy helping Santa build toys, and is in a big hurry."
"What did she mean, scout houses and entrances?" Alex asked. Comfy explained that Santa Claus had to find a way into every house that had children in it, so he could bring them presents.
"So, you look at houses, and you figure out how Santa would get in," he said. "And then you draw a picture, and put an arrow on it, showing Santa where he can come in. You see that house?" Comfy asked, and he pointed at a house with a big chimney. "You could draw that house, and point to the chimney. Or, if you think they might build a fire in the fireplace, you could draw an arrow to the front door, and Santa will know to knock politely on the door and ask the parents if he can come in to leave some toys."
"I don't know," Alex said. "I thought this was an adventure!"
"Well, when we go home to draw pictures, you can have some hot cocoa, and maybe even a cookie. A lot of adventures go well with cocoa and cookies," Comfy said.
Alex agreed that hot cocoa and cookies were wonderful things, but she remembered that the elf said she needed to find Christmas spirits and not just draw houses. Drawing houses with colored pencils was important too, but not as important as finding things she needed to find!
So she asked Comfy to hold her hand while she crossed the streets, and she wandered the city, looking for Christmas spirits. And after walking around for an hour, or maybe even longer, she saw something.
A man and a woman - and the woman had a little baby in their arms, and she was riding a mule!
Right there, in the middle of the city, only no one seemed to notice them. Alex looked at them, and realized that they looked lost, and awfully tired.
She pointed them out to Comfy, and asked why no one else seemed to notice. Comfy looked sad for a moment, and said that sometimes, when people were lost, and tired, and feeling alone, no one noticed. So if you notice someone who needs help, sometimes you're the only one who can help them.
That made Alex feel strange. She was just a little girl. Her mommy and daddy could find them someplace to sleep, but what could she do? She looked up at Comfy, and he said that what they needed was a manger - just a place to rest for a while, before they could continue their journey in the morning. They might be able to build one... could Alex draw one for them to build?
Alex was sure that she could! She and Comfy went over to the man and the woman and their baby, and asked them to stop for a while, while Alex and Comfy tried to make a place for them to rest. And Alex took out her paper and colored pencils, and drew a sketch of a manger - a crib for the baby, and a space for the mommy Mary and daddy Joseph. And there was a cow, and the mule and some sheep... and, of course, there was a little angel up on top.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-24 03:39 pm (UTC)And when she turned around from her drawing, she saw that Comfy had somehow found a manger, right behind them! It looked just like Alex's drawing, except... except it needed to be cleaned up, and someone had to help put together a crib.
Well, Joseph said that there was some wood in the manger; he could probably put together a crib. And Alex worked as hard as she could, trying to clean up the manger, while Mary took care of her baby. Once the cleaning was done, Alex helped Joseph pack up straw in the crib so the baby could sleep. And then, when all that was done, Alex realized they needed a cow. So Alex mooed!
She mooed quietly, so as not to upset Mary or the baby, but she mooed, and soon, a cow came by, happy to curl around behind the crib to let her warm body help protect the baby from the cold. And then she went Baaaa! like a sheep, and soon, some sheep came by. And then, with the mule, and the cow, and the sheep and Joseph and Mary and the baby Jesus in the crib, everyone was warm, and happy. It wasn't as good as staying at the inn, Joseph said, as he watched his wife and newborn son, but it was good to know that people cared enough to help him and his family find shelter when they were far away from home.
Alex was tired; she had worked really hard cleaning up the manger and calling for the animals, but she was happy. As she stepped back from the manger, she decided it looked just like the picture she had drawn.
"There's only one problem," she said, quietly, to Comfy, as he reached down to hold her hand warmly. "There's no angel on top."
"Ah, Alex," the large bear said. "You helped a family when no one else could. Today... today, the angel is you."
And after a moment, he gave her a long, warm hug, and the next thing she knew, she was back in her bedroom, fast asleep.
no subject
Date: 2009-12-24 03:41 pm (UTC)