Monday, October 16, 2006

Meggielocks and the Three Bears

Once upon a time there was a blue bear covered in snowflakes. Logan the Lionhearted was bequeathed the small squishy-bellied bear as a thank you from Queen Mommy's co-worker. He had helped the Queen and her cohort complete a rather mudane task - then demanded $500 for it. He got the bear instead from the lady that thought he was quite funny

This bear was originally tossed aside with distain. It was too girlie. It was too babyish. It was not fit for a noble and wise "big boy." Then the mischievous Princess Meggielocks got a hold of the bear. Suddenly Snowy Bear earned "special" status. He was off-limits to the oft-sticky handed princess.

This did not make the sticky-handed princess very happy.

And so, she took her pleas for equality to her Fairy Grandmother, who rectified the situation on their very next trip to the craft store. The result? A pink, soft bear the same size and shape as Snowy.

All was right with the world.

Until one day, "Teddy" went missing.

They looked high. They looked low. They looked left and right. In and out. Behind and in front. Teddy was gone.

Meggielocks was most upset. Queen Mommy was to, fearing set backs in nice things like sleep - Teddy had become quite the comfort object at bed time. The Fairy Grandmother promised Meggielocks a new bear the very next day.

When the sun came up and craft stores again opened, the Fairy Grandmother, Logan the Lionhearted and Princess Meggielocks set off to secure a new and much cleaner Teddy. At the same time, Queen Mommy located a store of the same chain near her office - Teddy was, after all, a limited edition bear. Can't be too careful.

The sun set with two bears in Meggielocks possesion. One drying in the sink after a good cleaning (she had attempted to clean the noble Grandpa's car with it) and the other nestled close to her as she drifted off to sleep.

Many weeks went by. Or so it seemed.

One afternoon, the sun already low in the sky, Logan the Lionhearted drove a small toy car under a big heavy loveseat in the family's multi-purpose room. The Queen pulled back the loveseat and let the brave boy venture into the unknown. As he was poking around for his car, the queen found a small cuddlesome pink bear. Princess Meggielocks had been playing with Teddy moments before in that very room. The queen assumed she had tossed Ted on the top edge of the loveseat and that he had fallen to pending doom when the seat had been pulled out. Queen Mommy tossed the bear back into the playroom floor behind her and didn't think twice about it.

Moments later Princess Meggielocks was hugging two pink bears tight. "I found him!" she kept saying over and over.

Queen Mommy said something wise, because isn't she always wise, about that second bear being the one that was most recently cycled into 'cleaned' status. Logan the Lionhearted shook his head.

"No Mommy," he said with such reverence. "The bear you just cleaned is still up high in the shower where you put him to drip dry."

So the Queen ventured down the hall to see if the lionhearted lad was correct.

And he was.

Tonight, the fair-haired princess is nestled into bed with her three bears - newly minted (thanks to the sometimes off-her-rocker Queen) "Inky, Pinky, and Stinky."

Princess Meggielocks is quite happy.

And so is the Queen.