The Thorn Bear: Chapter V

Music interrupts the chirping of birds and the rustling of leaves. Beautifully arranged sounds and notes complement one another and lift each other higher, making the chick dance. Amused, it twists and turns inside Teddy, where there is no space left anymore.

He is fat. The bear can barely bend or move, so large has the little one grown inside his belly. So large that the fur is stretched to its absolute limit. Held together only by the wire and a few remaining threads.

In a clearing, Ron the Rat sits on a stone. He draws wonderful melodies from his harmonica, and beside him in the grass lies Marta, the lady mole. She plays the flute with such delight that the birds sitting nearby begin to whistle along. Erik the Squirrel plays his guitar, plucking the strings and humming along to the beautiful tune.

Teddy approaches the commotion, and the music falls silent as rat, mole, squirrel and all the other animals of the forest turn to stare at the strange creature. Whispering among themselves, they point at the newcomer. Murmur things into one another’s ears and look awkwardly at the ground whenever Teddy looks their way.

The circle around the musical trio opens, and the bear stumbles into the middle.

“It’s you,” says Ron the Rat, straightening his top hat.

“Did you … did you …” stammers Marta the lady mole. “Did you actually finish off the marten?” Her stubby tail twitches at the question, and her narrowed eyes search for the nearest possible hiding place. None of the animals says a word. They all wait tensely for Teddy’s answer.

“Yes! I … no, we finished off the marten.”

Tears well in a badger’s eyes, a sparrow covers its beak with its wings, and Erik lets out a crooked note on his guitar.

Then the cheering erupts.

Excited chirping, squeaking and squealing.

Ron’s top hat flies through the air, and there is no containing the animals anymore. Overcome with joy, the squirrel drops his guitar, scampers up the nearest tree and back down again.

“Why is everyone so excited?” asks the bear, feeling his chick tremble with fear at all the shouting and cheering.

“Because that marten terrorized the entire forest,” Marta replies.

“He never left a single animal in peace. That much is obvious,” says Erik, and Ron, the rat from the landfill, adds, “There was nowhere anyone could feel safe from him.”

The cheering dies down, and the animals of the forest approach the bear who brought them peace. The bloated and swollen stuffed animal with rusted wire wrapped around his belly. The Teddy held together by little more than threads, smelling musty and foul.

One animal after another embraces the bear and presses him to their heart. The hugs he loved so much, the hugs he missed so dearly, now return to him a hundredfold. Not one of them shies away from the barbs of the wire mesh.

And then, once everyone has hugged the cuddly toy, the rusted iron breaks and falls away. The tightness around Teddy’s chest is gone, and at last, at last, he will see his chick.

“Come. Come on, little one. It’s safe now, I promise.”

The little one twists and turns, but the fur stretched to its limit threatens to tear apart.

“Please. Please, come out,” Teddy says, uncertainty creeping into his voice. The beaver tail tries to free itself, but once again the damaged fabric groans at the slightest movement.

“It’s grown too big. It can’t get out anymore. Not without …”

“Tearing you apart,” Ron finishes quietly.

A heavy silence falls over the animals as Teddy leaves the clearing.