Black Bear

By Imogen Clements, age 12

Grandma made me out of Grandad’s old slippers. My fur was made of black velvet and my paws were made from the spare room curtains. Back then, Grandma wasn’t a grandma and Grandad wasn’t a grandad. They weren’t even parents. I was made for Molly, their first baby. 

As soon as Molly came home from the hospital, I knew we would be best of friends. I remember Grandma lifting me up to the edge of Molly’s cradle and whispering in my velvety ear “That’s her! Black Bear, that’s her!” 

She lowered me into the cradle, Molly gurgled and held me close, her baby breath tickling my black velvet fur.

I was there when Molly said her first words, “Black Bear!” I was so proud. I was there when Molly took her first steps at one years old, dragging me behind her by my blue tartan bow. I didn’t mind. I was there when Molly was four years old, when she took me to school on her first day. Her teacher, Mrs Morris, gave me a chair to sit on next to Molly in lessons. One day we made mud pies together. My paws, made from the spare room curtains, got very muddy. 

She burst into tears and cried “Black Bear! Black Bear! I’m sorry!” 

Mrs Morris ran outside to see what all the fuss was about. She took Molly and I inside and I had a warm soapy bath in the sink. 

When Molly was six, she fell off the roundabout in the park and lost her first tooth. Grandma was so angry and said that she was a very silly girl and should have been more careful. That night Molly cried. We stayed up together and talked about it. I told her that it was all ok.

She said, “I love you, Black Bear.” And then we went to sleep.

On her eighth birthday she didn’t have a party. Instead,Molly and I played tea parties. She was the glamorous fairy princess, and I was the teddy coming for tea. It’s not that Molly wasn’t a very friendly person, she just never made friends with anyone. She tried once, but they didn’t like me. That’s when she decided that we would be friends forever with no one else. Just her and me. Me and her.

I remember when in year five, Molly took me into school. Her teacher, Mr McLean, told Molly that she was too old to bring me to school. Molly was told off in front of everyone. She started crying and ran into the bathroom. I hated seeing her so upset. I tried to make her feel better. 

She said, “Thank you Black Bear!” 

Then she kissed me on my nose and gently tucked me into her drawer. And so that’s how it was for the rest of the year. Molly would take me into school, put me in her drawer and then took me out at break and play. At the end of the day, Molly and I would have a good long talk about what she did at school in the day. I told her I missed her.

She said, “I miss you too, Black Bear.” 

Once she turned twelve, she stopped bringing me everywhere. She stopped bringing me to school, to the park. So I sat on her bed all day, I never complained. I tried to keep myself busy while I waited for her and dusted my paws, made from the spare room curtains. We still hugged at night, but she never took me out of her room anymore. 

Once, when I asked her why she didn’t take me anywhere, she said I look too scruffy. That day, while she was at school, I brushed my tatty fur, polished my eyes, and tightened my tartan bow. She didn’t even notice. 

By the time Molly was fourteen, she wanted nothing to do with me. I sat at the foot of her bed all day. I crawled into her arms at night to hug her with my paws, madefrom the spare room curtains. But every time I tried; she would turn over. And slowly, I became lonely. Molly started to bring lots of friends over. What happened to just me and her? I finally worked up the courage to ask her one night, but she acted like she couldn’t hear me anymore. I was heartbroken. I crawled under the bed and stayed there. 

It felt like years and years I was under the bed. I would see feet. For a while I saw a pair of black trainers too. Molly always laughed around Black Trainers.  And Black Trainers was here a lot. Almost every day. And it was like that for two years. And then, one night, Molly never came back. Just like that. I never got to say goodbye. Grandma and Grandad were old by then. They hardly ever came in Molly’s room anymore. 

Time passed and then one day I heard footsteps. Little footsteps. Not heavy, tired ones like Grandad’s or small, shuffley ones like Grandma’s. Light footsteps, like when Molly was little. For a second, I thought Molly had come back. I was so excited and happy! Then I remembered all the time that had passed. Molly probably had children of her own by now. The mattress above my head sagged slightly. Not a big sag like Grandad or a groaning one like Grandma, but a little sag, like a child. 

I gasped! A little face peeked under the bed. Then two little hands reached out and pulled me out from under the bed. The little hands were attached to little arms, little arms to little shoulders, little shoulders to a little neck, and on top of the little neck, was a little face. A smiling face. The little face looked just like Molly’s! My shoulders started shaking, tears dripped down my old and dusty black velvet fur. I looked up into her brown eyes and threw my paws, made from the spare room curtains, around her neck. I missed hugs, I missed children, I missed Molly. 

Then a familiar voice called up the stairs. “Lola! Dinner time sweetie!”

Lola squeezed me tight, “I have to go now, but don’t worry, I’ll be back. What’s your name?”

“Black Bear” I told her.

Just then, a woman with short brown hair and brown eyes walked into the room. She looked just like Lola, only older. Molly! My eyes filled with tears. Molly crouched down next to Lola and looked deep into my black beady eyes. 

“I see you’ve found Black Bear!” said Molly. “He was my favourite toy when I was your age. He used to come with me everywhere!” 

“I did!” I cried.

“I remember when I was about your age, I went to a birthday party. I was so nervous because I had just moved schools and I didn’t know anyone there. I convinced Grandma to let me bring Black Bear and finally she let me. Black Bear and I hid in the bathroom the whole time and smuggled cake from the kitchen!”

“I remember too!” I cried out. 

It didn’t matter how loud I shouted; Molly couldn’t hear me. I hung my head. I had waited for this moment for so long. She couldn’t hear me. 

Lola looked at Molly. “What happened? asked Lola. “Why didn’t you take him with you when you moved to our house?”

“I grew out of him sweetie,” explained Molly. “He belongs in this house”

At that moment, I saw Black Trainers was back in the room.

“What have you got there?” a deep voice said.

“This is Black Bear, Daddy!” Lola exclaimed.

So that was him, Black Trainers. The one who took Molly away from me, I was furious! Why would he do such a thing? Then I looked at how Molly was smiling at him. They were clearly a happy family. My family. What was the point of being angry at him when he was Lola’s Daddy. Lola, my new best friend. I reached up to Black Trainers and gave him a hug, with my paws made from the spare room curtains. It wasn’t the kind of hug I gave Molly and Lola, but the kind of hug which means ‘I still don’t like you, but I’ll tolerate you for their sake’.

And so we made a deal, Black Trainers, and I. He could have Molly and Lola all to himself in the week, but when they were staying at Grandma and Grandad’s house, they were mine to play with. I’m not sure if he knewabout the deal, but he kept his end of it.

I remember when Lola came to stay next, she reached for me from under the bed, put me on her pillow and told me all her secrets. That night, she stroked my blackvelvet fur and hugged me to sleep. In the morning, she told me stories and we played tea parties together. She was the glamorous fairy princess, and I was the teddy coming for tea.

I was there. I remember it all.