The Christmas Wish Of The Black Teddy

THE CHRISTMAS WISH OF THE BLACK TEDDY

By – ROSEMARY WRIGHT

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN ON DECEMBER 12, 1979

 The Christmas Wish Of The Black Teddy – I wrote The Christmas Wish Of The Black Teddy in 1979. I was between jobs, short of discretionary money and it was Christmas. I had presents to buy for friends and family and I was more than a little worried about what to do. I thought about my predicament and decided to use my talent for writing – so I penned a story or poem for everyone.

I wrote this poem for my friend Caryll and made her a character in the story – along with her husband Paul and some friends that they knew. Buffy was the name of their dog at the time. She loved the gift and used to read it to the kids in her neighbourhood every Christmas. The message of friendship stands the test of time. Enjoy!

AT THE T.B. BEAR COMPANY

IN WISHFUL FALLS

THE CHRISTMAS ORDERS

WERE PILING UP VERY DEEP

INDEED.

　

STORES EVERYWHERE

WANTED BEARS OF VARIOUS

SORTS, SIZES AND COLOURS

TO SELL TO BEAR LOVERS

AT CHRISTMAS TIME.

　

IN THE CUTTING ROOM

OF THE T.B. BEAR COMPANY

A YOUNG WOMAN WITH

IMAGINATION TO SPARE

YEARNED TO CREATE

A BEAR THAT WAS DIFFERENT.

　

ONE DAY WHEN SHE WAS ALONE

CARYLL TOOK ONE SHEET OF

　VERY RICH, FURRY BLACK

AND PLACED IT BETWEEN THE LAYERS

OF TAN AND BLUE AND PINK

AND THUS IT WAS THAT LIFE

CAME TO THE ONE AND ONLY

BLACK TEDDY!

HE WAS SEWN AND STUFFED

EYED AND NOSED

BOWED AND TOED

WITH ALL THE COLOURFUL BEARS

AND PACKED AS WERE THE OTHERS

IN LARGE, WARM BOXES

MARKED FOR BUFFY’S TOY STORE

IN BUFFYTOWN.

　

FOR THOSE OF YOU

WHO DO NOT KNOW

　OR PERHAPS HAVE NEVER LEARNED

BUFFYTOWN IS MANY MILES

　FROM WISHFUL FALLS.

ALMOST BEFORE HE COULD THINK

THE BLACK TEDDY

WAS STANDING ON A SHELF

BESIDE WHITE BEARS AND BLUE BEARS

PINK BEARS AND TAN BEARS

BUT FOR AS FAR AS HE COULD SEE

ALONG THE BEAR LINES

　HE WAS THE ONLY BLACK TEDDY

HE FELT VERY LONELY.

 

HIS FUR WAS SO DEEP AND SO RICH

THAT HIS BLACK EYES AND NOSE

DID NOT SHOW UP AT ALL

SOMETIMES PEOPLE PUT HIM

ON THE SHELF BACKWARDS

AND ONE DAY

A LITTLE GIRL

　EVEN STOOD HIM ON HIS HEAD

HOW HE LONGED

TO BE LIKE

ALL THE OTHER BEARS.

 

BOYS AND GIRLS

MOMS AND DADS

GRANDMOTHERS AND AUNTS

INSPECTED THE BEAR LINE

DAILY

AND BEAR NUMBERS

　DECREASED

STILL, THE BLACK TEDDY STOOD.

SOME DAYS

THE BLACK TEDDY

WOULD SMILE

UNTIL HIS LITTLE JAWS HURT

HOPING THAT SOMEONE WOULD NOTICE

THE FINE ROWS OF PERFECT WHITE

BEAR TEETH

　BUT NO ONE DID.

 

HOW HE NEEDED A FRIEND

SOMEONE THE SAME

SOMEONE WHO WOULD UNDERSTAND

THAT HIS SWEET BEAR HEART

　WAS FULL OF LOVE

SOMEONE WHO WOULD NOT LAUGH

WHEN LITTLE BEAR TEARS

　FELL FROM HIS EYES

ROLLED DOWN HIS CHEEKS

　AND GOT LOST IN THE THICK BLACK

　OF HIS BEAR COAT.

DAYS WENT BY

AND DOZENS OF BEARS

WENT TO HOMES TO BE

CARED FOR AND LOVED.

THE STORE CLERKS

　OFTEN LOOKED AT THE BLACK TEDDY

AND TALKED ABOUT HIM OUT LOUD

AFTER THEY LEFT HE WOULD HANG HIS HEAD

IN SHAME AND HATE THE BLACK COAT

THAT CARYLL HAD LOVED SO MUCH.

 

ONE NIGHT JUST AT CLOSING TIME

PAUL, THE TOY DEPARTMENT MANAGER

FORGOT TO LOCK THE DOOR

　THAT LED FROM THE BEAR ROOM

TO THE STREET.

 

THE BLACK TEDDY

WAITED UNTIL ALL WAS QUIET

THEN HOPPED DOWN TO THE FLOOR

WENT OUT THE DOOR

AND AWAY FROM THE PLACE

THAT MADE HIM SO UNHAPPY

OUT HERE SOMEWHERE

HE WOULD FIND A FRIEND.

 

IT WAS VERY COLD OUT

EVEN UNDER THE THICK LAYERS

OF BLACK BEAR FUR

THE SNOW MADE HIM SHIVER

AND THE WIND STUNG HIS EYES

OF COURSE

HE HAD NO IDEA WHERE TO BEGIN

HOW DID ONE FIND A FRIEND

ON A LONELY STREET

LATE AT NIGHT

IN BUFFYTOWN?

 

THE BLACK TEDDY

SKIPPED HOPEFULLY AROUND THE CORNER

AND SAW THE WARM CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

AND HEARD THE HAPPY MUSIC

FROM THE BUFFYTOWN BAR.

HERE, HE KNEW

WOULD BE A FRIEND

HE WOULD JUST WALK UP

TO ANOTHER BLACK BEAR

AND SAY HELLO.

 

THE BLACK TEDDY

CREPT IN THE FRONT DOOR

AND HID BEHIND A CHAIR

THERE WAS PAUL FROM THE STORE

WITH SOME OF HIS FRIENDS

AND THERE WAS MR. NUTLEY

WHO OWNED THE GROCERY STORE

PEOPLE WERE LAUGHING AND DANCING

OR CHATTING AT THE BAR

BUT THERE WERE NO OTHER BLACK BEARS

IN FACT

THERE WERE NO BEARS AT ALL.

 

SLOWLY THE BLACK TEDDY

BACKED OUT THE DOOR

ON TO THE SIDEWALK

AND PROMPTLY

FELL BACKWARDS

DOWN THE STEPS

AND OUT ON TO THE COLD STREET.

HE PICKED HIMSELF UP

SHOOK ALL OVER

AND PATTED THE BEAR FUR

AROUND HIS FACE.

 

JUST THEN A CAR

SKIDDED BY

AND SPLASHED

THE BLACK TEDDY

WITH COLD, GREY SLUSH

HE SHIVERED DOWN TO HIS BEAR BONES

HOW HE WISHED HE KNEW

WHAT TO DO.

HE AMBLED UP ANOTHER STREET

THEN DOWN A SECOND AND THIRD

ACROSS A FOURTH

WHERE HE SAT DOWN

BY A TREE

TO THINK SOME DEEP, SERIOUS

BEAR THOUGHTS.

THE BLACK TEDDY

LIKED THE OTHER BEARS

AT THE STORE

MAYBE HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN FRIENDLIER

JUST BECAUSE THEY WERE PINK, BLUE OR TAN

IF DIDN’T MAKE THEM BAD BEARS

AFTER ALL.

WITH DETERMINATION AFRESH

THE BLACK TEDDY

DECIDED TO RETURN TO THE STORE

BACK TO HIS PLACE ON THE SHELF

HE WOULD TRY VERY HARD TO TALK

TO THE OTHER BEARS

AND PERHAPS SOON

SOMEONE WOULD BUY HIM TOO

AND TAKE HIM HOME.

ALL THAT REMAINED NOW

WAS TO FIND HIS WAY

BACK ALONG THE BEAR TRACKS

FROM WHENCE HE HAD COME

HE HAD BEEN SO BUSY THINKING THAT

HE HADN’T NOTICED THE FRESH SNOW

THAT COVERED BUFFYTOWN

OR THE STRONG WIND THAT HAD

BLOWN ALL HIS TRACKS AWAY.

*** MEANWHILE BACK IN WISHFUL FALLS ***

CARYLL HAD FINALLY CONVINCED

MR. McNURTNEY AND MR. SCHNURFFER

THAT THE T.B. BEAR COMPANY

SHOULD MAKE BLACK BEARS FOR CHRISTMAS

AFTER ALL NO ONE ELSE WAS DOING IT

AND JUST IMAGINE HOW WONDERFUL THEY WOULD LOOK

ESPECIALLY WITH RED BOWS AND WHITE BOWS

AROUND THEIR LITTLE BLACK BEAR NECKS.

GETTING BACK TO BUFFY’S TOY STORE

PROVED HARDER THAN HE HAD ANTICIPATED

AND IT TOOK ALL OF A DAY

FOR THE BLACK TEDDY

TO FIND HIS WAY

FROM THE DAIRY QUEEN TO THE LIBRARY

PAST THE FIRE HALL AND THE BUFFYTONW PUBLIC SCHOOL

ALONG THE MAIN STREET AND PAST MR. NUTLEY’S GROCERY STORE.

BEDRAGGLED AND DE-BOWED

THE BLACK TEDDY

ROUNDED THE LAST CORNER

SNUCK IN THE DOOR

AND HEADED FOR HIS SHELF.

HE STOPPED

DEAD IN HIS BEAR TRACKS

FOR THERE IN FRONT OF HIM

WERE ROW UPON ROW

OF BLACK BEARS

ALL WITH BIG CHRISTMAS BOWS

TALKING AND LAUGHING

JOY FILLED HIS HEART

AS HE SCOOTED FOR HIS SPOT.

SUDDENLY EVERYONE GREW QUIET

THE BLACK TEDDY

FROZE IN MID-SHELF

AS PAUL WALKED UP FROM HIS OFFICE

AND ALONG THE BEAR LINE.

HE PICKED UP THE BLACK TEDDY

AND LOOKED AT HIM

“THIS ONE WILL CERTAINLY

HAVE TO GO BACK, HE SAID

“DIRTY COAT AND NO BOW”.

THE BLACK TEDDY’S HEART POUNDED

HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN

JUST WHEN HE HAD FOUND OUT

THAT ALL THE BEARS COULD BE HIS FRIENDS

TAKING ONE LAST LOOK AT THE BEAR LINE

THE BLACK TEDDY DISAPPEARED INSIDE A BOX

AND WAS PROMPTLY RETURNED

TO WISHFUL FALLS

MARKED: DISMAL AND DAMAGED.

 

　CARYLL UNTIED THE SMALL PACKAGE

AND LOOKED DOWN AT THE

BLACK FIGURE INSIDE

WAS IT HER IMAGINATION?

SHE WAS SURE THIS WAS

HER FIRST SMALL BLACK TEDDY

AND THERE WERE SMALL BEAR TEARS

IN THE GENTLE, DARK EYES.

 

IT’S BEEN ELEVEN YEARS NOW

AND THE BLACK TEDDY

HAS MOVED WITH CARYLL

FROM THE CUTTING ROOM

TO THE PLANNING ROOM

TO THE DESIGN ROOM

AND FINALLY INTO

THE MANAGER’S OFFICE

OF THE T.B. BEAR COMPANY!

HE SITS PROUDLY ON CARYLL’S DESK

EXEMPLIFYING THE FINE QUALITY

AND LASTING CRAFTSMANSHIP

OF ALL THE BEAR MAKERS

IN THE COMPANY.

 

AT EACH DAY’S END

THE BLACK TEDDY

GOES HOME WITH CARYLL

AND IT IS SURPRISING

HOW MANY IMPORTANT MEETINGS

AND ELEGANT DINNERS

THE BLACK TEDDY HAS ATTENDED.

 

EACH CHRISTMAS

HE GETS A NEW WHITE BOW

AND SITS BY THE TREE

TO SUPERVISE ALL THE HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES

WHY JUST THIS YEAR

CARYLL HEARD FROM PAUL IN BUFFYTOWN

THAT ONCE AGAIN BLACK BEARS

WERE THEIR BEST CHRISTMAS SELLER.

 

THE BLACK TEDDY HAS A FEW GREY HAIRS

AROUND HIS SNOUT NOW

BUT HE HAS LEARNED OVER THE YEARS

THAT FRIENDS AREN’T ALWAYS WHERE

YOU EXPECT TO FIND THEM

THAT THEY COME IN ALL SHAPES AND SIZES

AND THAT YOU HAVE TO GIVE LOTS OF LOVE

SO THAT IT WILL BE RETURNED.

 

HIS CHRTISMAS WISH OF YEARS AGO

TO FIND A FRIEND

HAS CERTAINLY COME TRUE

AND THIS CHRISTMAS AS ALWAYS

HE SENDS YOU

A BIG BEAR HUG FOR THE HOLIDAYS

AND LOTS AND LOTS OF BLACK TEDDY LOVE.

　SPECIAL NOTE:

ONLY PEOPLE

WHO ARE VERY PERCEPTIVE

WHO BELIEVE IN MAGIC AND STAR DUST

CAN UNDERSTAND BEAR THOUGHTS

AND HEAR BEAR TALK

AND

YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!