Dark And Deep....

 

Along The Way....

As You might recall, Dear Readers, Tiny Bear. Mr. Plum Bear and Petunia had set out for a walk on a lovely afternoon heading toward The Castle. Tiny Bear had been there many times before and he was pretty sure he remembered the way. Petunia and Mr. Plum Bear had never been out into the big World before. Petunia was excited by everything she saw, and Mr. Plum Bear was just tagging along. But it was such a lovely fall afternoon that it was difficult not to enjoy the walk. 

At least that was what Tiny Bear kept telling himself! 

But because it was not quite so new to him

 he was feeling the weight of being the leader.

And the farther they went, the less sure he was....

 

Because everything looked so different...

or maybe he hadn't paid attention before...

But one thing was certain...

the farther they went the darker it became.

 

And on top of that, he was pretty sure he didn't remember this...

"Are we coming to The Castle yet?" asked Petunia.

"Not for a little while...." replied Tiny Bear.

And then he looked up ahead...

"Uh-oh..." he said, coming to a stop.

There was a huge green dragon

 perched on the hilltop just ahead!

And he had spotted them...

"Well.... well.... well..." said the Dragon landing in front of them.

"What have we here...?"

"Uh, H-hello Mr. S-slitherwing...." stammered Tiny Bear.

(He had met Slitherwing before...!)

"It's Me, Tiny Bear," he said. 

"And here are my friends Petunia and

 Mr. Plum Bear..." he added hastily.

"We're headed to The Castle..." he added for good measure.

"Is that so...." said the dragon, sneering just a little bit.

"And I thought I was looking at my dinner companions...."

 he said smiling nastily.

"But I suppose we could all go together

 to The Castle...." he added slyly.

"I could give you a ride...." he added helpfully.

(Tiny Bear had done this before and didn't trust Slitherwing at all!)

 

 

"You can't take us all at once..." said Tiny Bear defiantly.

But just then Petunia stepped forward...

"Oh, I would like a ride, Mr. Dragon...!" she said excitedly.

 

 "Well, I'd be only too happy to oblige..." grinned Slitherwing.

"Climb right up...." he added.

"But, Petunia..." said Tiny Bear hastily....

 "This is not a good idea!"

But Petunia had already climbed onto the Dragon's back.

"Well, you won't be able to take all of us together....!" 

declared Tiny Bear again.

"But I can surely take two of you...." sneered Slitherwing

 as he grabbed Tiny Bear in his talons.

"And I can come back later for your friend... 

Mr. Plump Bear, is it? Never fear.... I'll be back...."

and off he flew!

Up over the treetops.....

and away....!

Leaving Mr. Plum Bear alone on the Heath!

"Oh dear!" thought Mr. Plum Bear....

"Now what should I do?"

"Should I go back....?" he wondered....

"Maybe I should hide...."

"But he said he's coming back...."

"But that doesn't sound like a good thing..." he added to himself.

and then suddenly he could hear voices approaching...

"I think I am going to hide...!" he said darting off.

And just then who should be traveling over the Heath 

looking for magical herbs....

Brother Beorn and Sweet Pea the Fairy Bears

 were enjoying an afternoon stroll!

They really had not a care in the world!

But Brother Beorn had spotted something strange....!

"Well, Hello there!" he said coming closer.

"What are you doing out here all by yourself...?" he added gently.

"I was h-here w-with Tiny and Petunia..." stammered Mr. Plum Bear....

(he was that agitated!)

"And th-then a huge D-dragon flew away with them...!!" 

he said almost incoherently.

"He said he was c-coming b-back to get me too.... 

but I d-don't w-want to go...!" he added defiantly.

 

 

"Oh, my!" declared Brother Beorn. "This is not good!" he added.

"I think we should take you to The Cloud Palace..." he suggested.

"We Bears have to help each other...!" he added reassuringly.

"I'm sure Blue, the Blue Fairy Bear will know what to do!" he added.

"Why don't you climb on my back..." he said kindly. 

"I can carry you there!"

So Mr. Plum Bear climbed up and away they flew!

And before long they arrived at The Cloud Palace, 

high above the World!

Sweet Pea was right behind them.

"We found this little fellow down on the High Heath..." said Brother Beorn.

"His friends Tiny and Petunia were carried off

 by the dragon Slitherwing!" he explained.

"We thought you might know what to do...!" 

 he added a little self-consciously.

"Oh, Heavens!" declared Blue. "This is Trouble indeed!"

"I am only able to grant the wishes of those who ask..." she said gently.

"I cannot grant them for others."

"If there is something you wish, Mr. Plum Bear...?" she asked.

"Oh!" said Mr. Plum Bear thoughtfully.

"I wish to help find them..." he said.

"And help save them from the Dragon..." he added bravely.

"Perhaps we need to find The Little Dreamers...." suggested Sir Orion.

"I am sure they will be only too glad to help...!"

"If you would like, I can help you find them..." he added.

"I think I would like that...." said Mr. Plum Bear a little nervously.

(After all.... he really didn't want to see the Dragon again at all!)

 

Meanwhile, Dear Readers, I am sure Some of you might be wondering

 if there is going to be An All Hallows Eve Party at The Castle this year? 

Well, you can rest assured that Kendall has the arrangements well in hand!

There have been a few improvements at the Great Hall....

(The windows are at last in place!)

A few Old Friends have come to help with the Party decor...

Everyone's favorite Band... "The Deadly Nightshades" 

are back to Rock the Night away....

And over at the Lovely Old Dollhouse, 

the locals are trying to decide what to wear...

"I don't know.... " says Pollyanna

"I thought I wanted to be a Witch.... but maybe I should be a Gypsy... 

or a Princess...?" she added doubtfully.

"I'll be whatever you wish..." says Arthur helpfully.

"Yes, but what do You wish...?" she asks... as if he hasn't just told her...!

Victor and Joanna were having the same discussion in the Kitchen...

"I don't know...." says Joanna..... 

"I just don't feel like Maid Marion...."

"Maybe I should be a witch...?" she asks.

"Well," says Victor...."You know I love your Maid Marion... 

but I love anything you decide to be!"

"That's the problem...." she added.... "I just can't decide!"

 

And even Helen and Charles seem to be undecided....

 

 "Well, we could be the Lord and Lady..." says Helen....

"But I don't know.... maybe we should be Pirates....." she says

"Or minstrels..... " she muses... "Do we have a harp...?"

While they are making up their minds, 

Dear Readers, I am almost certain that Some of you

 will be wondering Where Oh Where 

had Slitherwing taken Tiny Bear and Petunia...?

Well, he had flown not too far away....

But not where anyone would think to look...

He dropped them off at the edge of The Dark Mysterious Forest.

"Stay here while I fetch Mr. Plump..." he told them.

 

And then flew off again.

"That was not very nice of him!" declared Petunia.

"Now what do we do..?" she demanded.

"Umm....I think we need to go hide..." said Tiny Bear bravely.

"In the Forest..." he added.

 "It will be hard for him to find us in there..."

"What about Mr. Plum Bear...?" asked Petunia.

"I am sure Mr. Plum Bear is hiding from Slitherwing..." replied Tiny Bear.

 (At least he Hoped Mr. Plum Bear had thought of that!)

"What will we see in the Forest...?" asked Petunia cheerfully.

"Hiding places..." said Tiny Bear. "Lots of hiding places..."

So they set off into the Deep Dark Woods...

And suddenly.... not very far ahead of them, 

tucked under the trees,

 they could see a small cottage!

"Oh, what a darling house!" cried Petunia.

"I don't think it was there a minute ago...." said Tiny Bear warily...

"At least.... I don't think I saw it there..." he said uncertainly.

"Well, we can hide there...can't we?" asked Petunia happily.

"Oh, look...!" declared Petunia, running toward the cottage,

 "There's a teacup.... and a Bunny!"

"Hello, Ms. Bunny..." she said cheerily,

 "Can we hide here from the Dragon?" she added.

"Of course you can." said the Bunny.

"Can we go inside..?" asked Petunia sweetly.

"Of course you can." said the Bunny again.

"But how do we get in...?" asked Petunia....

"Just say the magic password..." replied the Bunny.

"Oh dear." thought Tiny Bear. 

"This doesn't sound like a good idea..." he said to Petunia.

"But I want to hide in there...!" declared Petunia.

 

 

Well, Dear Readers, the story doesn't end here....

but perhaps we should leave them here for a while...

seeking the magical password...

Deep in the Dark Forest as Night draws in!

 

(To be continued......)

In The Dark....

 

On A Beautiful Sunny Day....

Lets Face it, Dear Readers, an Attic workroom can often be quite dark and cramped, tucked in under the eaves of the house. And Pollyanna's workroom was no exception. In theory it has a medium sized dormer window on the (still not built!) opening roof side, but even that would not allow much light to come into the room. Pollyanna was used to the cozy space and the cramped work area, and Arthur often spent his time up there with her "working" on his computer... or sometimes napping if the truth be told! And this was just such an afternoon when the attic suddenly felt very confining and stuffy to Pollyanna. She was going to fall asleep herself if she didn't go out for a walk!

She turned to Arthur and noticed he was about to shut his eyes... 

"I think I need to go for a walk, Hon," she said.....

 "Do you want to come along or take a nap...?" she asked.

"Aaaahh..." said Arthur a little groggily.... 

"I'll come with you, of course...!" he added,

 waking himself with an effort.

"It sure is dark and stuffy in here today...!" he said.

"Oh my goodness, what a glorious day!" declared Pollyanna

 as soon as they reached the doorstep.

"We should have come out sooner...!" she added.

 

"A little fresh air does wonders for the outlook..!" said Arthur, smiling.

"It certainly wakes one up...!" said Pollyanna, teasingly.

"But I wasn't asleep...!" declared Arthur.

"Welll.... maybe not Quite asleep...." said Pollyanna with a smile...

"But it was close...!" she said cheekily.

"I will have to admit... it was a close call...!" said Arthur agreeably.

"But you saved the day...!" he added sweetly.

"Because I was about to fall asleep myself...!" said Pollyanna laughing.

 

"Do you suppose it's a "Fall thing", she asked? 

"That it's just getting so dark we want to fall asleep earlier?"

"Well, it's certainly dark in that attic...." said Arthur agreeably.

And meanwhile, Dear Readers, 

unbeknown to Pollyanna and Arthur,

 their conversation had been overheard by Petunia

 in the attic room across the hall.

Like Pollyanna's workroom, it was dark even at midafternoon.

There was a tiny window in the gable wall but it was curtained.

Petunia was on the bed with Tiny Bear and Mr. Plum Bear

 when she overheard Pollyanna say she needed to go outside for a walk.

"There's an Outside...?" asked Petunia of no-one in particular.

"There happens to be a Great Big World outside..!" said Tiny Bear knowingly.

"But can we see it...?" asked Petunia curiously.

"Well, there is a window to see some of it..." replied Tiny Bear.

Petunia went right over and had a look.

She could only see a little bit between the curtains.

"It doesn't look Very Big...!" she declared.

"Well!..." said Tiny Bear.... "There Is a whole Lot out there!"

"I've been out there and it is Big!" he declared vehemently. 

"I want to see it! How do we get out there...?" asked Petunia. 

"There's a door... there's a whole lot of doors.." said Tiny Bear...

 not at all sure this was going in a good direction.

"I want you to show me....!" said Petunia excitedly.

So Tiny Bear Showed Petunia the way to the stairs...

"Mr Plum Bear, are you coming?" called Petunia as they left.

"Well", thought Mr. Plum Bear, "no sense in staying alone in a dark attic...

 I guess I might tag along... see what is out there!"

"I hope the cats are all outside..." said Tiny Bear

 as they reached the second floor hallway.

Sure enough no-one noticed them as they made it down to the entrance hall.

"There's the Front Door".... said Tiny Bear pointing.

"Oh, my!" said Petunia as Tiny opened the door.

"You were right.... it's Huge...!" she declared excitedly.

 

 "Come on, Guys!" she said... 

"Where are we going now..?" she called 

as she ran into the fallen leaves.

"Oh dear," thought Tiny Bear... 

it looked like they were going for a walk!

"Well," he said reluctantly... 

"there's The Folly.... 

we could visit the Folly... or The Castle...."

"Both!" declared Petunia... "I want to see Both!"

"So Off they went...!"

"I think it's this way...." said Tiny Bear...

"I'm pretty sure it is this way..." he added for good measure.

It had been awhile since he had been to The Folly...

It was a glorious day for a walk!

The weather was just warm enough but not hot...

There was just enough breeze to send leaves falling from the trees...

and before too long they approached The Folly.

"Is this The Folly...?" asked Petunia, a little daunted.

"Yes." said Tiny Bear. 

"I once lived here" he added helpfully.

"That's a lot of steps..." said Petunia doubtfully.

"Ah, yes." said Tiny Bear. 

 

 

"Going down is easy... going up is not." 

he added just for explanation.

"Well...." said Petunia...

"What about The Castle?"

"Oh, that's a ways further..." said Tiny Bear with a sinking feeling...

"I want to see it!" declared Petunia without hesitation.

So they headed on across the meadow...

The meadow was even lovelier that he remembered...

there were deer grazing at the edge of the woods...

Tiny Bear shuddered inwardly ....

he did not want to go into the woods.... 

 

 The woods were Big and Dark....

you never knew what... or Who lurked in there...

better not mention it to Petunia! he thought to himself!

 

 

"The Castle is off this way...." he called... 

"at least I think it's off this way...." he added.

They had a ways to go... better not get distracted...

 

Yes, Dear Readers, escaping the Dark 

and enjoying the sunny moments 

always seems like a good idea.

But what happens when the Dark overtakes You..... 

even on a sunny afternoon....?

 

 

This was the question that had troubled the Wizard for months...

ever since that sunny afternoon in the Spring when the Sun...

the glorious brilliant sun had suddenly winked out... Gone!

 

He had been standing on this very Tower Top!

The stars suddenly shone in the twilight sky.... 

where a moment before it had been sunny and bright!

 

A Dark shadow had crossed his heart 

and left him doubting everything he knew....

If the Sun could go "out".... what else might fail?

And then the sun had sprung back to life.... 

nearly blinding in its brilliance...!

One had heard tales of such sightings down through the ages...

 but hardly given them credence! 

And yet.... he had seen it with his own eyes.... 

felt the chill of the night air....

And known a bone deep sense of dismay...!

But what did it portend....?

He was afraid.... 

afraid of he knew not what...

Yes, Dear Readers, he was in the Dark....

and he was Afraid that could only mean

 Trouble was afoot!