Trudge trudge trudge

(The story I'd like to have read to my children if I'd had them)

From where she'd come through the wall, the Golden Polar Bear knew she'd arrived slightly off target. But she'd set her course on another planet in another solar system, so being 2 hours walk from where she'd meant to land wasn't too bad. All things being considered properly.

She trudged on, with the rug of dazzling colours rolled and slung over her shoulder. She trudged through the back lanes of Staveley towards Kendal and kept her nose down.

'I didn't know there'd be so much rain. I really didn't know it could rain like this,' she thought to herself. 'Will it ever stop? I suppose the locals must just get used to it.'

The Bear thought of home, Planet Polaris, where the air was dry as a desert and cold like the North Pole. Yes it was dear readers, dry and cold. The rain splashed sploshily down.

Animals in the hedgerows kept themselves hidden as the big Golden Polar Bear trudged past. Hiding under ferns and in the nooks in the walls, or up the big trees, they were hushed and their eyes were wide. Some of them waggled their whiskers, slightly cross that their nocturnal wanderings had been interrupted. But most were in awe of the majestic sight of the big Golden Polar Bear. It wasn't her size but her colour: the liquid gold, the shimmering coat, the rippling of it as she moved. Never had they seen such a thing. It was out of this world. The rain drops shone like diamonds. The coat didn't seem to be getting wetter. The diamond drops rolled off and onto the floor. And the Bear remained dry!

Long after the Bear had passed, when they felt it was safe to come out, they saw their faces reflected in the golden paw prints she'd left behind her. They wondered how such things could be, and they sensed a magical happening had just happened.

Quickly, news began to travel ahead of the trudging Bear. Birds flew and swooped the news down, so that gradually the animals became bolder. They woke themselves if they were sleeping, they'd stop if they were eating, they'd walk if they were running. For they all wanted to see the Golden Polar Bear.

On both sides of the road, on top of the walls, in trees, in ditches, they bowed shyly forwards, straining to see. It was very quiet.

Eventually she could stand it no more,

'Come Come,' said the Bear in her low slow voice. 'I will not hurt you. And don't bow. Just because I leave golden prints of the paws doesn't mean I'm special! They do fade but it's fearfully meddlesome because everyone can find me if they follow them.'

And this news travelled too. Soon, in the early dawn light that wasn't light because it was still very foggisome, animals hipped and hopped and flew and swooped in greeting.

'I'm very hungry,' said the Bear. 'Has anyone got any cake?'

The animals and birds didn't have any cake and didn't know what to do but one brave rabbit called Bunny hopped out and pushed a biscuity cakey lump in front of the Bear.

'What's this?' said the Bear.

'I don't know. I fuh-fuh-found it but you can have it,' said Bunny through her big front teeth. 'Rabbits need green things to eat and crunchy things, and this is not green and it's not crunchy, it's very light and it's got things in that look like my droppings so I'm not eating it!'

The Bear's massive paw came down and a long claw pushed slowly at the biscuity cakey lump. The animals watched, hardly daring to move. The claw skewered the lump, and before anyone could blink, the biscuity cakey lump was inside the Bear's mouth. Everyone held their breath.

The Bear chewed and chewed and chewed. And the watching animals felt they did need to breathe after all, but they did it very quietly.

Then the Bear spoke.

'I don't know what that was but that is the best thing I've ever tasted. I loved the little bits of whatever it was that look like rabbit droppings. I do. It was sweet and not sweet and light and heavy and it was a perfect thing. I wonder what it was? Thank you Rabbit.'

'Bunny at your service. Fuh-fuh-forgive my not having any more. I only fuh-fuh-found one lump. The rabbit bowed her head slightly, her ears drooped a little and it was entirely clear to all the animals that Bunny was not going to say anything more.

The Bear bowed her head in thanks and moved on. The rain sploshed splashily down. And it wasn't for stopping.