Bear and Pups

This is the story of a bear. A bear who was loved and adored by one little girl. This little girl carried the bear everywhere. Because she was just learning to talk, she dubbed him “buh” and they were the best of friends. Sleep couldn’t be had without bear. Bear was a must-bring on every trip, small or large, and tears were shed when he couldn’t be found. His fur was matted and dull, the stuffing was disappearing out of him, but the little girl couldn’t care less. He was her favorite.

And then, one day, a puppy entered the scene. The puppy had been around for a long time too and had experienced occasional love, but nothing like bear. One day, the mom noticed that the little girl was asking for the bear AND the puppy when she went to sleep. No big deal. Bear was still a favorite. But little by little, bear started to get knocked under the bed and left there for days. And more and more, puppy became the asked-for treasure.

Now, today, the story is about a puppy. A much-loved (and unfortunately white puppy) with matted, dull fur and disappearing stuffing. Puppy goes to bed with the little girl and can always be found in her arms when she walks out of her room first thing in the morning. The little girl has very serious conversations with her puppy and, best of all, has dubbed him “Puppy-Pups” – or just “Pups” for short.

Pups is a part of the family, but sometimes we all wonder if Bear feels bad, being discarded by the wayside and all. It must be distressing to be so callously replaced by another toy. (This we know from Toy Story, the bible of all toy etiquette.) But bear will always have a special place in our hearts. We just hope he knows that when he’s squished under a chair for weeks on end without anyone’s knowledge…