A Bear Like Me

Chapter One
Taking the plunge

One dark and cloudy night, a little yellow bear climbed out of his owner's window and down the drainpipe into the street. There was not a soul to be seen. He padded along the pavement cautiously just in case he met any foxes. He had heard all about foxes and was rather afraid of them.

As he crept along he heard the sound of a car. He knew it was a car because it sounded the same as when he went on holiday with his owner. But that was a long time ago. He did not get to go anywhere any more.

The little bear made his way on tiptoe towards the sound but just as he reached the corner a large ginger cat stepped out in front of him.

"Well hello" said the cat "whatever are you doing out here?"

The bear gulped and stepped back a pace. "I... er, I... I..." he stammered his eyes wide with awe.
The cat sat down and looked at him. "Take your time," she said calmly "I can wait." and she began to wash herself. First her paws, then her face, then her ears. The bear watched in admiration. He wondered if he could do that. He had got rather grubby sliding down that pipe. He looked at her face. It seemed like a kind face. The little bear sat down beside her, licked his paws and tried to clean his face but all he managed to do was make his fur all matted and tangled. He sighed sadly.

The cat looked at him and said, "You know, I have seen bears like you before. They had them in the house where I live but they have all gone now."

"Where did they go?" gasped the little bear, in horror.

"Well I think they must have run away," said the cat, thoughtfully. "One day they were just not there anymore."

The teddy groaned. "That's what I am doing." he said. "My owner does not play with me anymore and I thought if I could learn to be a better bear then she would love me again. How can I get to a place where there are other bears like me?"

The cat thought for a moment, and then she said, "That sound you can hear is a car called a taxi. It takes humans to places that seem to be special. It's sitting just around the corner. You could climb inside and hide. I got trapped in a car like that once and I ended up at a place where there are big machines that fly high in the sky. I think the humans call them hairy-plains. Maybe if you can get on one of those, it will take you to a place where there are other bears like you."

"H...H...Hairy-plains?" said the bear. His fur was quivering and his voice rose to a high squeak. "Are they m... m... monsters then?

"No I don't think so," said the cat screwing up her nose, in an effort to remember. "In fact I don't think they actually have any hair and anyway there were a lot of people all rushing to catch them. They would not want hairy-plains if they were monsters".
A sudden noise came from the taxi and footsteps sounded on the footpath.

"Quick!" said the cat; "the taxi is getting ready to go!" She led the way under a hedge and towards the car. There was an open door on the side. The bear hurried over and climbed in.

Looking back at the cat he said" Well, if you are sure about these hairy-plains, then I will thank you for helping me. Maybe we will meet again one day."

"Good-bye and good luck" said the ginger cat - "Hey wait! What is your name?" But there was no time. A man and a woman climbed into the taxi, the doors closed and it drove away. The little bear was gone.