By Liz O'Neill
Bea woke early, and quietly did her stepstooling exercises, not dropping a drip of honey or certainly no crashing of clay pots, empty or full. The last thing she wanted to do was to wake Scruffles or Sweet Puppy.
Neither of them had been able to sleep well the night before with the terrifying thunder and lightning storms. Scruffles had remained at his usual storm station, the cave opening. And Bea and Sweet Puppy assumed their well-learned defense position, huddled together, cowering in the furthest corner in the furthest room of their cave home.
Just as they had believed things were clear, a new storm bullied its way in. And more. And another louder crash. And finally just as in fireworks, a deafening sizzle bang. It seemed endless until they could finally trust the silence.
Scruffles was not at all disturbed by the storms. But he worried about his shivering, shuddering, shattered friends. He seemed to believe that by sitting doing the on guard exercise, he was helping to keep them safe.
Maybe he thought if a spear of lightning headed their way he could reach up and knock it out of the air the way he could strike a rubber ball pushed by the wind rolling toward him. He was very good at his game of knocking a bright orange maple leaf out of the air as it fell from a tree.
Bea, herself felt quite ragged. By the time this worn out wee bear, got onto the designated path for her strolling exercise, the sun was rising and warming the land. If the temperatures are just right, there is something which predictably appears in the beginning and end of the day. They are actually clouds hanging out just above the grasses, hills, cliffs, mountains, waters, and trees. And this is where our first adventure begins.
What a very eerie sight. Strange silhouettes played off the glare in the mist. Once more her strolling exercise must halt. Bea knew she needed to do her notice and investigation exercises. The sun had begun to find its way over the treetops, through the leaves and fir bows. Because it was so hazy and quite a distance away, Bea could not make out what it was that she was looking at. It seemed to be moving all in one unit.
She was only able to watch it from a poor angle. Whatever she was seeing was distorted by the fog. The front part of this creature seemed to reach the tops of some trees. The last part of it was closer to the ground. It had one fluffy head and had a hippity-skip rhythm as it moved along across the panorama.
How fast this eleven legged mass was moving was unclear. By using the background of brush as a gage, she could tell it was indeed on the move. She had no idea what it was and it made her fear grow very fast.
That was enough strolling exercise for Bea for this part of the day. She would have to do her brain exercise without an opportunity for doing any investigation exercises.
As she strolled slowly and pensively toward home, she did her brain exercise. She'd never seen anything
like that. Was it just a distortion caused by the rising sun's rays wavering through the fuzzy fog?
But it was moving. Would the mist mysteriously move like that? What kind of blurred creature was that slinking slowly into her unbelieving sights with its eleven legs and a hippity-hip at its tail end.
She noticed that it didn't really have a tail. It had the tiniest bit of a ball stuck where a tail should be. It reminded her of the ball Scruffles had found. But she didn't think it was the same thing. By then, the creature had faded into the mist and was gone. She did know that she was not going to go near nor mention that thing until she did more brain exercises.
| Author Notes | Thank you to Galia G for the perfect fog scene....I hope you enjoyed Be Wee With Bea Part 1. We are now beginning Be Wee With Bea Part 2. You will soon meet Dooley and her brood, Benny, Zoe, Annie, and Maddie. There will be new adventures with lessons for us and Bea to discover. If you do the brain exercise as Bea suggests, you will be able to wisely choose which new exercises you would like to begin to practice. Bea hopes you have already begun many of the old ones. |
By Liz O'Neill
Bea had learned that she actually did best if she practiced her routine exercises. It made her feel more sure of herself. She could also make time for her stepstooling exercise and her "be-good-to-myself" treat. So many wonderful things had been discovered because of her strolling exercise. With the most recent discovery upsetting her it helped to remember who she'd met on those adventures and how much she'd learned and how much happier her life had become.
She'd met that ragged raccoon cat who filled her life with such joy. They'd gotten off to a rough start but they acted like the rocks which tumbled in the river until they are smooth. Their rough times were smoothed out by talking things through. Hardest of all, Bea had had to do her humble exercise. That proud little bear had to admit that trying to make things happen her way exercise did not work very well. In fact, it did not work AT ALL. Not one bit.
On another fortunate stroll, Bea'd met a poor little bedraggled creature who'd been wandering the streets for who knows how long. She was missing her hair on her hind legs and looked so sad. Bea had even sung a song to her to get her to come join her and Scruffles.
An appreciative wee one, Bea realized that without having met Timothy the beaver along one of these wonderful paths which led to Timothy's Pond, Bea would have had no furniture or clay bowls. She used those perfectly formed bowls for her golden honey which her mom taught her was her "be-good-to-myself" treat.
She would not have been able to do her Be Wee With Bea exercises which began with her stepstooling exercise. One led to the other. First, she would have to do her weightlifting exercise in order to carry her clay pots filled with honey down her steps. This made it possible for the wee hungry bear to enjoy her "be-good-to-myself" treat.
During this time she would practice more of her brain and notice exercises. She realized everything leads to something else and then twirls back around. That must be how problems got solved. This reminded her of the child's toy her mom had found for her. It had a little car with it that went up a little path and then could twirl back down another to the ground where it began.
She hardly ever forgot that continuing her humble exercise helped many difficulties to work out right. As long as she did her talk to the maker everything would stay in balance. A perfect example of keeping things in balance was when she met Willow on one of her paths.
Bea discovered the wonderful exercise which Willow practiced. How she was always there for the sad children waiting to give them hope. Unlike most, Willow was able to listen without any distraction. What a gift she gave everyone by listening. She helped Bea learn how to listen better to others. Bea did find this very difficult and wondered how Willow could do it. She thought she'd ask her someday.
She remembered how she had so enjoyed her Bea's Golden Path as long as she could. Then it changed so that she couldn't even recognize it. Bea never felt good about the way that had happened. But she knew as always, talking to the maker of golden paths and the maker of everything helped her feel so much calmer. Many of her fears went away and eventually, everything twirled around to be okay. She kept telling herself everyone would be safe if she talked to the maker of creatures of the fog. She planned to do that soon.
| Author Notes | We have begun the 2nd part to Be Wee With Bea where we will stroll with Bea to learn new lessons and experience new adventures. |
By Liz O'Neill
Many times on her strolling exercises, Bea had walked a distance from that terrible area which led to Bea's Golden Path. She had never seen the change taking place. She realized this was because she had been too busy thinking of her wonderful footprints and the golden part of the path which used to be there. She wondered what else she had missed over time because she hadn't done her important notice exercise.
Walking cautiously toward the black path she promised herself that she would do more noticing. This was difficult and she had to make her courage bigger than her sadness. She felt such a heaviness and her bad memories came pouring back. The sacred place in front of her used to be golden like the color of her "be-good-to-myself" treat.
She had discovered it so many leaf falling times ago, a beautiful path of golden dirt which held her footprints. She fondly remembered darting in and out of the path and joyously discovering that her pawprints were still there. Some even had her claw and paw marks.
Her thoughts had turned to blackness just like the awfulness which had been poured over her footprints. She remembered the tracks left by all of the creatures who'd had the honor and pleasure to have walked Bea's Golden Path. That whole nightmare was rushing back of smelling something terrible and Scruffles running with her to see what was going on.
She wasn't sure she could continue her investigation exercise or her notice exercise. It hurt too much. Bea's Golden Path was gone, no longer there. Why was she even visiting it? Then she heard that soft humming of bees that always comforted her and it gave her courage to go closer.
Bea thought of the pattern of weather her mom had told her about. She remembered feeling severe cold and then oppressive heat. The coolest place was in her cave home. Her mom had said this caused the black to melt and crack. There were wonderful giant cracks all along what used to be the black path.
Now it was a path of cracks. Bea was elated and began doing a drumming dance hoping to make more cracks. Counting as her mother had taught her, many little trees were poking up. They reminded her of the ones she and Timothy, the woodcarving, clay pot making, tree planting, beaver had put into clay pots. Each crack seemed to have life peeking out from the darkness into the light of the warm sun.
She was sure that Timothy had not been there to plant anything. She knew for certain that she had not stepped foot, paw or claw on this spot. So must be the maker of Golden Paths and the maker of trees of all kinds had planted them. She still didn't know if it was the same maker that did all this.
But just in case she did her talk anyway to the maker of all things. Bea, the wee bear, felt somehow that would take care of the whole thank you thing. Her steppings, as she left, were the happiest she'd danced in a very long time.
| Author Notes |
I'd like to acknowledege Susan F. M. T. for her very perfect photography for my theme.
If you have not read Part one of Be Wee With Bea it might be helpful. That book is available on Amazon and other such venues. You are invited to visit Bea's beginnings in my portfolio on this site. |
By Liz O'Neill
In spite of waking too early for her own satisfaction, Bea did her stepstooling exercise. Scruffles and Sweet Puppy watched her going up and down the stepstool to get her "be-good-to-myself" treat. This beautiful stepstool was carved, in addition to other pieces of furniture, by Timothy, the wood carving beaver.
Suggesting they all do their brain exercise to reflect on how they wanted their day to go, Bea announced that she felt an urge to do her strolling exercise on Bea's Golden Path. She wanted to investigate whether any more changes had occurred. She had had such an exciting adventure last week. There were tiny trees growing through the cracks of the black stuff covering Bea's Golden Path. She never made it there that day.
As we have seen, so often during her strolling exercises when she is really doing her notice exercise, the wee bear is able to make brand new discoveries. What she comes upon this day she had never seen before.
It was as if it had just arrived, that someone had just put it there. But Bea knew it was old, as old as her cave home which she was sure had been used over many long cold sleeps with families living in it. She loved her cave home, it was just right. It was fairly new to her. She had only lived there with her "be good to myself" treat for a few cold snowy long sleep times.
That was before she had met Scruffles. And now many icy dark days had passed since that strange meeting of two friends who had very little in common. Later she met another who was maybe a little bit more like her. What a wonderful threesome they had become. Scruffles, Sweet Puppy and their mom Bea, the caring sometimes a little too much, wee bear.
She became aware that her thoughts had wandered. They were nice thoughts but they had drifted away from what she was seeing at this moment. She has plenty of trouble doing her focus exercises. This situation called for a rigorous effort.
She just knew that there was something special about what she was looking at. It was flat on the top and round on the bottom. But it wasn't just a big stone sitting on the ground, it was on top of smaller stones. The top had a very faint carving in it which looked like the biggest bird Bea had ever seen.
As she stepped back she realized the whole rock was shaped like a bird and as she circled this wonder, she knew she was right. She saw that it still looked like a bird wherever she stood. She wondered what it was like underneath. She could not believe her eyes as she got down on her front knees.
There were two particular stones under there which took her breath away. One was a carving of a face much like Scruffles. Bea was quite certain that this was the face of a cat which had been around long before any raccoon cats.
The other, even stranger to her eyes, looked like the giant form of her friend Snakely. However, this also had giant carved wings sloping down its sides. She remained there for a while as still as could admiring how very white that carved stone was.
She remembered that same striking white color in some of the placed stones in the walls she'd seen along this path. She wondered if the stone builders and carvers were the same. Maybe they had spent time doing their brain exercises and their talk to the maker of stones, in some of the nearby caves.
She pictured them joyfully fishing from the Singing Stones river where she, Scruffles and Sweet Puppy daily visit. She'd have to tell them what a special place their river is. She heard the softest breeze she'd ever heard before which reminded her to do her talk to the maker of everything. With a bird in the background drumming on a tree, she left this memorable spot lightly touching-the-ground in a dance.
| Author Notes |
I would gratefully acknowledge Pomme de Terre by jgrace ...the perfect picture
This is part 2 of Be Wee With Bea. The 1st book Be Wee With Bea is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage www.beweewithbea.com You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory to catch up or sample other chapters. |
By Liz O'Neill
The sun shimmered through the leaves of the trees. as it set at Bea's back. She was returning from a meaningful strolling exercise. She raised her arms, relieved that she had not seen the mist creature earlier that morning.
You may remember that at the beginning of our story, she once again had her exercise interrupted by a strange creature moving through the fog. This humble wee bear wanted to talk to the maker of everything in an appreciative tone about her happy day.
Her next thought as she entered her cave home was to do her sweet stepstooling exercise where she went up and down her step stool carrying her pots of honey which she enjoyed as her "be good to myself" treat. We have learned along with Bea that things don't always go the way we plan.
We sometimes see something but it doesn't really click in our brain. It's as if our eyes see it but not our brain. The movement was there in the corner of her left wee bear eye. Her brain did not want to see it. She did her pretending exercise.
Her fears were growing and the fifty bees were swirling around inside her. It must have been staring in from of the cave opening with its head crooked. The sun shining behind it caused its shadow on the wall. She wondered if this were a baby of the larger fifteen-legged fog creature which she had seen a couple of sunrises ago.
This one had twelve legs. Standing close to Sweet Puppy and Scruffles, she dared not move a paw. It was her responsibility to protect them. She hoped her silent gasping had not been heard by anyone especially the creature. It could not know she had seen it and how frightened she was. She needed to do her investigation exercise.
The stepstooling exercise would have to wait. She had to peek. She'd be quick about it. She jerked her head to try to catch a glimpse of the new smaller creature. All she saw was Sweet Puppy and Scruffles standing there. There was nothing beyond them at the opening of the cave.
She hesitated alarming them, as they already had enough problems and bad memories. Turning back to her shelves of honey pots she spied it on the wall again. She spun 'round toward the opening. Just Sweet Puppy and Scruffles. Back around. Still there. Whirling back and forth. The creature. Sweet Puppy and Scruffles. The creature.
She couldn't take it. She had to get doing her stepstooling exercise in spite of this unsettling situation. She also worried that Sweet Puppy and Scruffles would ask her why she was just standing there as if frozen.
She would do her brain exercise quieting herself as she had some of her "be good to myself" treat. And not a word to either of them about this would come from her honey covered lips.
| Author Notes |
This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage www.beweewithbea.com alsohave a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory to catch up or sample other chapters.
|
By Liz O'Neill
There it was again. Bea thought maybe it would have been better if she had waited 'til the sun had fully risen. But this one was different than the one she had seen several sunrises ago. Bea tried as hard as she could to dare to keep looking at the new mist creature in her midst. This one was shorter with a very weirdly shaped head and moved faster than the other.
There was no hippitty-skip at the end like the other. It meant there was more than one kind. She again debated whether she should tell Scruffles and Sweet Puppy about these strange sightings. She wanted so much to turn away, yet, could not take her eyes off this near-like mirage moving through the thick fog. She then remembered the shadow of the creature in her very cave home.
She must tell Scruffles and Sweet Puppy. And would need to do it soon. In her mind, she sprinted away toward home, while she tiptoed quietly and cautiously full of thought, talking to the maker for help on how to calmly tell Scruffles and Sweet Puppy the whole story.
| Author Notes |
I would like to acknowledge Linda Wetzel for her very appropriate photograph.
This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage, www.beweewithbea.com also have a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory to catch up or sample other chapters. Pays one point and 2 member cents. |
By Liz O'Neill
Bea was preparing to do her stepstooling exercise. Too much time had passed since she'd had her "be-good- to-myself" treat. That meant enjoying the best honey she could. Her mom taught her to be good to herself and not to think bad thoughts about herself. She turned just in time to see the cave wall shadow creature. Startled, she raised her arms over her head and silently screamed with her wee muzzle wide open. She didn't want to let Sweet Puppy and Scruffles know how great her fears had grown. It was her responsibility to keep them safe as she'd promised when she took them into her cave home.
This creature was even more fantastic than the last cave wall creature and quite distinct from the morning sun time creature. It had two large furry textured antennae moving in waving motions, a fluffy tail, and ten legs. She turned quickly and once again saw only Scruffles and Sweet Puppy at her side. Spinning back she noticed the creature had lowered its antennae.
She abruptly turned and tiptoed as fast as she could to the back of the cave. This was the safe-feeling place in which she and Sweet Puppy would cower, clinging to each other during thunder and lightning storms. The sinking feeling returned as every terrible moment flashed through her brain.
It all rushed back over her like the river's angry stream. That most important day she had not stopped to do her brain exercise. Regret had been her companion ever since. The usually sweet wee bear had roughly placed poor unsuspecting Scruffles in that dark corner during his yowling episode. And what a time she'd had finding him and getting him back home after desperately depositing an already frazzled cat at the cave door. She'd learned how vital communication is.
Contrary to their home's often busy noise, this quiet place was perfect for her to do her brain exercise. Lost in thought, she'd almost forgotten why she was there. Then doing her brain exercise she remembered. She needed to figure out what would be the best action for all of them. They needed to communicate with each other regarding the known creatures.
She did, as you might expect, worry about her "be-good-to-myself" treat. She just hoped the creatures didn't like honey. Practicing her be-calm exercise enabled her to do a notice exercise. It dawned on her she hadn't breathed in a very long time. That was what happened to her when her fears began to grow with the feeling of fifty bees buzzing around inside her. They buzzed louder, whirling faster, as remembered she'd left both defenseless Scruffles and Sweet Puppy out there with the creature. It was clearly time to do her talk to the maker of everything. Her courage needed to grow bigger than her fears.
When she heard that comforting humming of bees, she knew the duo was safe. Everyone needed to sit down and do their brain exercise in a circle. It was time to tell all, about the fog creatures. She had to report she'd been full of fear because they'd been standing near her and didn't even notice the cave wall shadow creature. She'd seen one at another time as the sun was going down.
That must be it. There were sunrise mist creatures and sunset wall creatures. As they sat together in their serious mood, Scruffles fessed up that he had also been withholding telling of seeing a mysterious large three-headed, ten-legged creature. Each antenna had a head, each head had two ears. At the very end of his story and of the creature was a fairly fluffy tail.
| Author Notes |
I would like to acknowledge suzannethompson2 for her very appropriate image.
This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage, www.beweewithbea.com also have a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory to catch up or sample other chapters. |
By Liz O'Neill
Bea wonders why, when we see something different which we don't understand, we immediately fear it and promptly make plans to destroy it. She knew she did not understand this creature of the mist, it was clearly different than Sweet Puppy, Scruffles, and her. This unknown entity did make her fears grow and felt like 50 bees buzzing inside her, but she wasn't sure what to do about it.
First of all, she had no right to destroy anything and had to admit this creature had just as much right to be around here as they did. She didn't know the age of the creature or how long it had been there. It was possibly here first. She just wanted to do her investigation exercise to see if they needed to have a real fear about it.
Recalling what her mom had said about possibilities, for all she knew, this might even be a future friend. She remembered her mom's continuing bit of advice was to just be on guard.
It was settled. They would perform reconnaissance to do an investigation exercise. Being precise in her devising ways to find out more about the creature of the mist she required intricate planning and packing up things they thought would be necessary such as treats for everyone since they had no idea how long this would take.
Scruffles wanted to drag a fish along with him. Sweet Puppy agreed to chew on that same fish. They had become very good at sharing. Bea made the gathering of sustenance the most complicated. She had to figure out how she could carry one of the clay pots of her golden "be-good-to-myself" treat.
She made a note in her mind that she should ask Timothy to make smaller clay pots for situations such as this. He had made some lovely pots which he shaped from the mud along his pond known as Timothy's Pond. They were edged with the imprinted patterns of his broad beaver tail. He set them to dry upon a number of the logs he had industriously gnawed to fall from their standing position.
She could never carry a large heavy clay pot like that. She already had to be honest with him to tell him one or two or maybe three had dropped and cracked. He'd reassured her that he had also cracked many. She did not need to feel guilty.
She nodded her wee bear head admitting to herself that she had been faithful in performing her daily weight lifting exercise carrying the honey pots up and down her step stool. She doubted she was yet strong enough to easily transport one especially if it were filled with honey. She didn't quite know what she would do.
| Author Notes |
I would like to acknowledge El-mundo for their very striking image.
This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage, www.beweewithbea.com also have a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory to catch up or sample other chapters. |
By Liz O'Neill
Scruffles wanted to slither silently through the tall grass, hoping not to meet up with any other green or brown wriggling friends. They might startle him and he would yowl and sabotage the whole exciting endeavor. But worse would be if Sweet Puppy barked.
This was covered very specifically during their orientation for the mission. Bea was very aware of what could go awry in this declared stealth activity. As far as the creature was concerned, she had no notion with whom or what they were dealing. She did, very well know who would be accompanying her to accomplish this objective.
There were only a few exceptions to Sweet Puppy's rambunctious poor focusing. One was when she smelled food. The other was, if a chipmunk or squirrel were scampering around, she would be devoted to tracking them. This would especially be true if they were anywhere within her vicinity.
Bea wondered what Sweet Puppy would do if she actually came face to face with a chipmunk or squirrel who wouldn't back down. That cute pointy-eared dog would want to play with them. If she met with resistance or any stance of aggression, she'd do an about-face and high-tail it home. She might sluff off with her tail between her legs feeling safe only as she ducked into their cave.
Scruffles preferred basking in the sun nestled by fresh-smelling green grass and posies. His favorite game was to dive, feet completely leaving the ground. An unsuspecting giant green grasshopper or a chirping cricket would be dangerously flicked at. Spared this time, they would caper from blade to blade of grass, just a little more alert.
Bea felt certain she'd been thorough enough about possible situations that might arise. She was prepared for just about anything. But we've been following Bea in her strolling exercises enough to know there is always a surprise at the other end. Some happy and some not-so-happy outcomes.
It was the latter. Things went very wrong. What a disappointing disaster. Neither knew what the other was going through because they were silently screaming. Remember, this was a hushed search for the creature. Even sputtering and growling and yowling had to be muffled. The entire effort came to an abrupt halt.
The only notice exercise Bea was able to do was see what a mess her entire body had become. She realized she would need the others' assistance. As she looked around, her dread took over. They were dealing with the same annoying, paralyzing situation. Scruffles was powerless to move with his two front legs, which were fastened to each other. He was incapable of snapping his tail in agitation because that was anchored to his back. His whiskers each supported at least one burdock.
Instead of the 50 bees, it was just words buzzing in everyone's head. Burdocks. Burdocks here. Burdocks there. Burdocks everywhere in their hair. Sweet Puppy's muzzle was a mess. Bearly able to open her mouth, she was worried her teeth would never find their way to a delectable chicken leg again.
Bea was unable to raise her arms. paws and claws to get the team's attention to wave them in her direction. If they could laboriously inch toward her, she would motion to them to head back to their cave home. They could be seen, stuck to each other, downheartedly hobbling away from the sunrise and mist.
| Author Notes |
I would like to acknowledge jgrace for setting the mood with their picture.
This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage, www.beweewithbea.com ...I also have a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory site to catch up or sample other chapters. Pays one point and 2 member cents. |
By Liz O'Neill
After swishing, swirling, tumbling and plunging up and down they got most of the burdocks off. When burdocks get wet the globes of clingers fall apart more easily. Unfortunately, each friend was pretty well on their own in the stream. Moving too close to one another, they risked becoming reattached. Each had to proclaim when they were completely clear of the burdensome burdocks.
That ordeal dealt with, they were able to focus on their next plan. They would travel in full daylight to do an investigation exercise for planning out prevention of any possible pitfalls. When they returned to that dreadful spot they were relieved to see there weren't many burdocks left. Most of the burdocks at this time, thankfully, were floating down the river.
Sweet Puppy, in pursuit of something living underground, discovered a large hole or deep pit at the edge of a grass-covered bank. Such a perilous pitfall could have caused quite a commotion if any or all of them had fallen into that darkness. At least that calamity was curtailed. What could be left?
It didn't take long for the answer to that rhetorical question to reveal itself. They wanted to get as near as safely possible to the path the creatures appeared to follow. Between them and their target was a wide swamp through which they would have to muck their muddy way. Doubts were doubling. Bea was beginning to do her brain exercise to size up whether any of this was worth it anymore. It just seemed too difficult, too complicated. Discouragement was setting in.
Summing up the courage to announce that she was calling the whole thing off was interrupted when Scruffles announced that he'd found a way around or over or across. Without warning, he dived into the nearby edge of the swamp. Both Sweet Puppy and Bea were horrified; they would never employ that tactic. What could they do to save that rip-roaring raccoon cat?
But they needn't have bothered worry. He was already in the deepest part. To their relief and surprise, he snaked in and out of the water all the way across. When he was safely on the other side, they all nervously laughed. Both Bea and Sweet Puppy's eyes couldn't have gotten any wider when they watched Scruffles' next trick. He began slowly slinking toward their side of the swamp. Instead of leaping through the water he pattered across the surface dampening only the bottoms of his paws. He went in and out of their view. Most of the area he traveled through was blocked by weeds.
Before they could ask any questions, with their muzzles wide open they listened to his explanation for such strange behavior. He told them he had done his investigation exercises while Sweet Puppy was sniffing out underground homes. He had noticed Bea was standing there doing her other-worldly thinking. She often traveled there in her head during her brain exercises when things were too challenging to figure out.
We know that Bea was probably doing her talk to the maker. She had a need for courage and a solution. It appears the maker had heard her. Scruffles told the story of how his head had bumped into something in the middle of the swamp, something hard. He judged it to be too long and too thin to be a fallen tree.
With her eyes spying the area, Bea did her notice exercise and detected no sign that Timothy had been there. There were no fallen trees brought down by a wood carving, clay pot making beaver. So what could it be? When Bea looked up, Scruffles was standing on the other side of the swamp again. He had made no alarming splashing sound and was still barely wet. Strutting back to Bea and Sweet Puppy he volunteered to show them where to place their feet, paws, and claws to cross.
He had just walked across an unidentified something quite concealed by the wringing wet ragged reeds. Bea knew she didn't want to get wet. She deferred the trying task to Sweet Puppy who agreed to follow Scruffles step by step. Scruffles disappeared first. Sweet Puppy looked back at Bea with a desperate look in her eyes.
Fears were growing slowly. Had she made a drastic mistake? She had sent the two she was commissioned by the maker to care of, into a dangerous unknown. Sweet Puppy disappeared next. Where had they gone? What had just swallowed them up? Bea could stand it no more. She had to go look. To see. To understand.
| Author Notes |
I would like to acknowledge Shricik for such an appropriate picture.
This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage, www.beweewithbea.com ...I also have a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory site to catch up or sample other chapters. |
By Liz O'Neill
There would be no sunrise creature floating across the path this day. The intention was to get to the unexplored spot when the land was soaking up the sunlight. There were no burdocks to dodge, only a swamp to navigate. Bea had lost track of Scruffles and Sweet Puppy. They seemed to have shot across the water.
The wee bear decided she could be brave enough to cross right behind both Scruffles and Sweet Puppy. They had returned from the opposite side to help make her fears get smaller. They reassured her that they would be with her every step she took into what she called the unknown. They told her that the unknown would soon be known. This encouraged her to take those frightening steps toward the creature's path.
She knew even though she felt like fifty bees were buzzing inside her and her fears were getting bigger and bigger that she had to " take the plunge" for the sake of Scruffles and Sweet Puppy. She took her first fearful step forward, the only way to go. Preparing herself to feel her foot, paw, and claws deep in some mucky, muddy, sticky, swampy stuff she was pleasantly surprised.
She opened her tightly clamped wee bear eyes and did her notice exercise. Peering into the deep dark water she realized she couldn't see anything that she could be walking upon. What was holding her up? Scruffles had been right when he said it wasn't a broken tree underwater. She appeared to be walking on water in broad daylight.
She still did not understand why her legs were not getting shorter. It didn't feel like stones, it was too smooth as she swished through the rough rattling reeds. Nor did she feel it necessary to hop from one safe spot to another.
Here she was doing her brain exercise and doing her talk to the maker of swamps exercise out in the middle of a swamp. This was at least the second bizarre place she had done these exercises. The first was when she was up in the very, very, high tree getting the tenderest of twigs for Timothy the wood carving, clay pot making beaver.
She had had to claw her way down that rough tall tree. That was something she'd never done before. Another learning adventure the maker would help with was to finish getting beyond the marsh.
Somehow, she had made it without sinking in, up to her wee bear neck. As she touched sod, disappointedly looked around wishing that her "be-good-to-myself" treat would magically appear. Her treat of golden honey which her mom had told about, would have to wait. She usually did her exercises at least one or two times a day to get her clay pots of honey to be good to herself. Because doing her talk to the Maker exercise was more important she did that immediately.
Feeling better with that done, she could pay attention to Sweet Puppy and Scruffles. Facing their direction she was happily greeted. The two, soon to be many, joined a proud-of-herself bear in their water-splashing dance of joy.
| Author Notes |
I'd like to acknowledge avmurray for such a compelling picture.
This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage, www.beweewithbea.com ...I also have a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory site to catch up or sample other chapters. |
By Liz O'Neill
Excitement bounced from wall to wall this special morning. Everyone had gotten up very early. Bea was at it sooner than the others so she'd have plenty of time for her "my-be-good-to-myself" treat. She did her graduated weight lifting bringing the honey pots down. Returning them on her stepstool, they were a little lighter as she hefted them higher.
She even took time to do a little toe-touching exercise when she dropped a little drip on her left foot. Fortunately, it was the top of her foot and did not reach her claws. That would have been so much work it would have almost required a floor touching exercise.
Often while practicing one exercise she did another. Doing her brain exercise, she summarized. They now knew how to get safely across without having to dive or loop in and out as Scruffles had. She only hoped that whatever it was that had held them up would still be there when they carried out their dawn investigation exercise.
As they neared the strong-smelling swamp she stopped to do her talk to the Maker exercise. The 50 bees were beginning to buzz inside her. Soon thereafter she heard the comforting sound of happy bees humming around her. The fears and anxiety of the previous day seemed to have dissolved.
The crossing went surprisingly smoothly. Bea felt supported and held up out of the water which was the color Bea's Golden Path was now. They quickly and easily made it across. They soon were in position. They were hidden among a stand of fresh sweet-smelling fir trees but the creature would be in plain sight.
As Bea was enjoying the change of odor from the bog she did her notice exercise. Either the temperatures had changed quickly or the creature was later in its crossing. No, wait a minute, the fog was changing form. The creature must be nearing their hiding spot. As the hazy mist rose and swirled, Bea was sure she had spied the head of a bear! Was the creature part bear, like Bea? Were those legs just like sweet puppy's?
Bea's mom had never told her or warned her that such creatures existed. Imagine, a part-bear-part-puppy roaming throughout the countryside. With their necessary silence, she had no way of knowing if the others saw any of this or if it were just her wild imagination. Bea felt alone in her thoughts.
As the cloud lifted before her wee bear eyes, and the others, the fog dissolved into a bear. Two larger sweet puppies followed as she carried two smaller ones. That is all it was? Nothing to be afraid of? Just a mom with her own cute puppies? Uncertain what to do next, she waited until the potential friends had completely disappeared beyond the embankment.
| Author Notes |
I'd like to acknowledge Dick Lee Shia for such a compelling picture.
This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage, www.beweewithbea.com ...I also have a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory site to catch up or sample other chapters. |
By Liz O'Neill
Signaling for Sweet Puppy and Scruffles to recross the water, Bea began her brain exercise. She needed to assure herself that her voice would not echo. She did not want to be heard by the creature which wasn't a creature after all. As she was skittering upon the deep dark waters hiding the swamp mud she couldn't help but wonder what was holding her up from sinking.
When they'd all gotten over safely, they decided to make their way back home to discuss what had just happened. Bea was not much of a conversationalist on the way back, as she was very distracted doing her brain exercise. She was remembering how her mom had taught her there are always possibilities for new friends to be made; but sometimes you had to do the on guard exercise.
She further encouraged her to take the next step, even if the fears came back.
And her bad memories with those mean little bears not wanting to be friends with her were surely racing back. Worried a similar situation might happen, she did a debating exercise in her head. She wanted everything in balance not tippy like trees half blown over.
Her thoughts swirled like the familiar waters in the stream where she and Scruffles had first fished. She reasoned with herself about having just seen another mom with her puppies. Two moms together could help each other. She was doing well until her fears began settling in.
What if this mom did not want any help from Bea? What if she were happy just being by herself? How could they even happen to meet? Would this newly met mom think that Bea had been tracking her? The planning and scanning wee bear did her humble exercise. She had to admit that this thought wasn't far from the truth.
Bea stirred up the rest of her mom's lesson about the subject of possibilities. Sometimes you had to do the on guard exercise and take the next step, even if the old fears came back. She wanted to stop the old familiar "what-if's" which she had practiced too often throughout her life.
She switched to practicing her notice exercise. The wee bear who wanted to grow wondered why her fears were stronger this time. She didn't seem as worried when she became friends with Timothy the wood carving, clay pot making beaver. He lived in the water most of the time.
Sure, Timothy slept and actually spent his time in a dry area called his lodge, but he had to swim a distance underwater to get there. Bea was not interested in undertaking a new swimming underwater exercise.
Maybe that was why she felt safer. They had become very good friends but didn't spend a lot of time with each other. This way, Timothy probably wouldn't get tired of having her around and think she wasn't fun. He wouldn't have bad thoughts about her.
And this was not Willow the patient loving tree who never moved except when the wind blew. She was great to visit when Bea had to talk about ideas that worried her and made her fears grow. This was a real bear mom with puppies. Bea would have no excuses to just briefly visit with this possible friend.
Picturing another bear, like herself, getting to know the real Bea made fifty bees begin buzzing inside her. What if this new bear thought Bea was not a good mom? What if she did notice exercises too? She would see all of Bea's complications and big and little mistakes she makes.
Her "what-if's were winning the debate. What if she thought the Be Wee With Bea's exercises were silly? That would crush her like a flattened beehive which had fallen from a tree and been trampled upon. What if this bear wanted all of Bea's "be good to myself" treat? How could she feed everyone? She didn't know where she could find enough fish. They were already having to travel farther to find a good fishing spot. She knew she needed to do her be calm exercise. It was time to do her talk to the Maker exercise.
| Author Notes |
I'd like to acknowledge Bob one oldreb for such a great picture.
This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage, www.beweewithbea.com ...I also have a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory site to catch up or sample other chapters. |
By Liz O'Neill
Something woke Bea. Bleary-eyed, she attempted to do her investigation exercise. Tilting her head, it sounded like a cave full of bees. Was her cave home full of her friends who had the same sound to their name as Bea? It made her think of how she got her name. Her mom had always called her Bear.
She and her mom were sitting quietly when the sun was peeking through the slow rustling trees just above their heads. It felt like a lazy-bear-day, but Bea wanted to learn something new. She asked her mom to print her name out so she could see what it looked like. She wondered if it had any of the same marks as the flat pieces of trees she and her mom had seen on their strolling exercises.
On that day, with even her fears seeming to be sleepy, Bea was having some of her sweet treat. As her mom printed BEAR on a broken branch, a golden drop dripped right on the"R". With her left paw, she grasped the big purple crayon her mom had found on the path during their strolling exercise. The wee bear printed what she saw, BEA. That is what her name was from then on.
That buzzing which woke her would be okay if they were making golden honey for more of her special "be-good-to-myself" treat. But why would they all be in her cave home? Usually, as we know a humming was a good sign for Bea, but this was a different sort of humming. It actually seemed to be coming from outside their cave.
Doing her brain exercise, she knew this was not the usual source of the happy sound of humming. She was sure of that fact when both Sweet Puppy and Scruffles quickly curled curiously close to her. They didn't know what could be causing that terrible sound either.
When leaves and sticks came propelling into the cave, Bea's fears began to grow. She could hear crashing and cracking and thudding which grew louder as she crept closer to the mouth of their cave. The angry wind was whipping through the trees and tossing them around.
The humming ceased as quickly as it had picked up. Bea was relieved about a few things. One was that no trees had fallen on the cave as when she was young with her mom. The other was that the wind which had come visiting humming in an angry way had not stayed long. For once, her fears did not take over.
***********************
Everyone was able to finally get back to sleep only to be awakened again, this time by a terrible buzzing. Bea knew instantly, as she did yet another investigation exercise, that the source of this scary sound was not bees at all. It was not the angry wind either.
Doing her brain exercise told her that this terrible buzzing had something to do with the terrible humming. She remembered how it had shaken them awake earlier. The worst sinking feeling suddenly came to her. It was deeper than if she had actually sunk to the bottom of the dark-watered swamp. There was an endless muddiness swallowing her up. Her fears were growing. But this time it was not about her.
Willow's safety stabbed her in the heart. She was afraid that this buzzing was happening around Willow and that Willow was in great danger. Willow was the caring incredible tree Bea had met. Willow had told her story of how children gather around her to cry and be angry about people who treat them in cruel ways. Bea feared the one who had helped so many over time, was now in need of help, herself.
| Author Notes |
I'd like to acknowledge Susan F. M. T. for such an appropriate picture.
This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage, www.beweewithbea.com ...I also have a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory site to catch up or sample other chapters. |
By Liz O'Neill
With Willow's well-being as her focus, there was no time to do her stepstooling exercise where she went up and down her stepstool to get her pots of honey. More importantly, there was no time for her weight-lifting exercise or to have her "be-good-to -myself" treat.
As she did her sprinting exercise toward the path that led to Willow, she did her talk to the Maker of Willow trees. Her dear friend had to be okay. Bea did not know what she would do if she didn't have her to talk to. What would the sad angry children do if they had no place to go to be listened to and to rant, rave and cry?
The terrible buzzing became deafening as she got closer to Willow's safe spot. She had dreadful doubts that there would ever be such a safe spot again. Her wee bear fur face was soaked with tears when she stood to stare at Willow's spot. She felt weak as if her honey filled legs were getting very squishy.
She remembered how Willow had told her child after child would come to her hurting, physically and emotionally. This loving tree did not want to think of the betrayed children striking her with sticks. She'd rather think that it was the angry sticks cutting into her bark.
So many mixed memories came to her about all of the healing talks she'd ever had with Willow. How much Willow had helped her. And Willow's holding dear the stories of so many broken children. What would they do without her? The buzzing was so loud in her head she couldn't do her brain exercise to know what to do with all of her emotions.
Should she just stand there for a silent moment and do her humble exercise and be thankful for Willow being in her life? She did not know what to do. Should she choose to do her sprinting exercise toward Willow and put her arms around her scarred bark? Or should she do the celebrate life dance?
When she did the first two, Willow expressed curiosity as to why Bea'd been crying and had had such a dark mood. Bea realized Willow had no idea what was going on. She was just being her calm self.
She informed Bea the children had told her some men were sawing up trees that had fallen during the storm. Ah, the buzzing did have something to do with the humming. Bea felt a moment of sadness along with Willow for those other trees. Letting out such a forceful gasp of relief told her it had been a very long time since she'd taken a breath.
***********
With her emotions at such a peak, all Bea needed was to have Willow ask her how she was doing. The wee bear unloaded everything that had been in her heart. She told her of the mist creature mystery. She did a bit of a bear chuckle to herself.
The often-too serious tree laughed at what the mist creature has turned out to be. Shaking her bewildered head, Bea still wondered why a mom bear just like her and puppies just like Sweet Puppy would be so scary.
Practicing her notice exercise she had to admit that she'd been doing her pretend exercise. This meant making the whole thought of the possibility of a friendship with this mom bear go away. She told her of all of her fears and Willow just listened.
Because Willow said nothing it led Bea to the real truth. This was a very different situation from Bea's efforts to try to fix the unfixable. She remembered how she used to try so hard to fix something that was not hers to fix. By not saying anything, nor trying to fix her confusion, Willow was allowing Bea time to talk this through.
Bea did not always understand the meaning she was supposed to learn from her struggles. What she had just gone through was a big hint this time. She had been terrified to lose Willow. Talking to the Maker of humble bears helped Bea to figure some of it out.
She was afraid of what would happen if she did make a new friend. It might turn into a very healthy relationship. Moms exchanging mom stories and helping with hints about what each did that worked, sounded so nice. Maybe that mom even did the talk to the Maker exercise.
She hoped that was true. Needing to feed and keep all those large and tiny puppies safe surely made it necessary. Bea was beginning to like her already and felt more confident that she would like Bea. With happy wee bear eyes looking upward she bet they would want to get to know Scruffles and Sweet Puppy.
Admitting to Willow how she actually looked forward to getting to know the mom and her puppies, she thanked the remarkable tree for listening. Joined by Scruffles and Sweet Puppy, the worry-free wee bear did her celebrate-life dance.
With all that had happened in a short period of time, the wee weary bear checked to see if she had any energy left. Strolling toward home, thinking of the positive possibilities, she did a light dance step of hope.
| Author Notes |
I'd like to acknowledge jgrace for such a striking picture. Willow is a representation of my working with children from abusive homes. They told me such terrible stories. They learned it was safe for them to express anger to or at me.
This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage, www.beweewithbea.com ...I also have a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory site to catch up or sample other chapters. for such an appropriate picture. Willow represents my experience working with children in abusive homes. They told me terrible stories and learned it was safe to express anger to or at me. |
By Liz O'Neill
As they headed toward home after the terrible scare about Willow's livelihood, the wee Bea planner was already beginning to think of how she and the mom bear could possibly meet. Would she have Scruffles and Sweet Puppy with her as she did her strolling exercise? Or would it be better to meet the new potential friends alone? Maybe she'd just tell the other mom about Scruffles and Sweet Puppy. What a choice to make.
Then she remembered what Timothy the wood carving, clay pot making, caring beaver had said to her. She'd frantically gone to him to ask for help. She and Scruffles had had their initial problem after she'd invited him to live with her. Timothy reminded her she should have discussed with Scruffles what he wanted when he first moved in. Bea always needed to make everything work out right. Sometimes she made poor choices.
She thought she knew the best way to do things, but it wasn't the only way. This time she did her brain exercise to do things right. She knew what the nicest thing for everyone would be in such an exciting visiting situation. She needed to ask Scruffles and Sweet Puppy what they wanted to do. Did they want to come along or stay home and find out what happened later?
As you may have guessed, Scruffles chose to remain home basking in the freshly risen sun. And, of course, Sweet Puppy could not let this opportunity to make new friends. The plan was they hurry in the dark to get ahead of where the happily revealed convoy traveled. Then they would linger as if "full-of-business" until the mom bear came along with her puppies.
They timed things perfectly. Not much waiting passed after the delighted duo got settled into where their new friends would come along. They heard the usual chatter with a bit of bickering echoing. The moment Bea had worried about and planned for would soon be over.
******************
Remembering the manners her mom taught her, Bea introduced herself and Sweet Puppy. She then welcomed them to the area. The mom bear announced herself as Doolie. The list of her puppies went from tallest to tiniest, Benny, Zoe, Annie and Maddie.
Sweet Puppy was immediately enamored with Annie who could not be bothered even looking at her. To escape Sweet Puppy's admiring advances she kept weaving under long legs. Because Sweet Puppy was so focused on making friends with Annie, she did not notice that Maddie was wagging her little nub of a tail. She was rollicking with a hippity-skip on her three very short legs.
As it turned out, Sweet Puppy and Zoe, a much more appropriately sized puppy, began playing with each other. Bea wondered if that was the first time Sweet Puppy had done her simply-enjoying-her-life exercise. She seemed so free at that moment. It did Bea's heart good to see this, knowing what a terrible life she had had.
It became obvious that Maddie's real friend was Benny, white fuzzy-faced and very anxious . His jumpy behavior made Sweet Puppy a little "stand-offish" with him. She was going to have to do her brain exercise regarding this quite large puppy. Staying calm but alert she knew she'd be safe.
Annie, who had a firm facial pose that could be likened to Winston Churchill indicated that she felt more secure in her mom's arms. The reason for this became obvious to Bea as they exchanged ideas.
You may remember that Bea feels a need for everything and everyone to have a specific name. She wanted to listen a little longer to Doolie to know what to call her. This is so the Maker can find Bea's friends sooner. If Doolie ever needed the help, Bea was going to make sure she could be found right off by the Maker.
The longer Doolie talked, the more Bea began to think that she would refer to her as Doolie the Wise Bear. She wanted to have the Maker of wise bears be able to find her new friend Doolie. Bea didn't think that Doolie was going to need help right off, she sounded quite wise.
Bea realized all of her "what-if's" and fears were unfounded. She did not have to worry about needing to find enough food for that family. Doolie told Bea of a renewable source of food, especially chicken. What a nice change that would be for all of them. Then, she thought of Scruffles who wasn't there.
A promise was made to introduce Scruffles to the crew later. Doolie then told Bea and Sweet Puppy more about where this chicken place was. Inquiring about the chance there would be honey too, Doolie replied with a resounding yes. This note of hope of different food was coming just in time. The fish they caught were more scarce in the areas closest to their cave.
It was a fragile time in their meeting. Bea did not want to broach the topic of her be- wee-with-Bea exercises. Nor did she think this was the time to mention her talks to the Maker of everything or the Maker of anything specific. She didn't know why but she was quite certain that Doolie did do her talk to the Maker, often.
The sun had not only risen but was high overhead when they parted, agreeing to meet again. It took a bit of an effort to tear Sweet Puppy away from her fun with Zoe. Bea had to promise her that they would be able to get together soon. The two resistant puppies said their good-byes.
Maddie seemed especially excited to hear that she would be able to spend time around Sweet Puppy again. When Sweet Puppy went over to say her farewells to Annie she was pleased that she at least got a polite snortle out her. That to Sweet Puppy was promising.
When they had traveled a distance, Bea looked back. Was that a little step dance she saw Doolie doing? And wasn't Zoe prancing too? She felt such gratitude. It was time to do her talk to the Maker of new friendships. Bea's bad memories were slowly fading. Her heart experienced a little thrill as she and Sweet Puppy headed home, dancing to the gentle swaying of the trees.
| Author Notes |
I'd like to acknowledge bd shutterspeed for such a striking picture. Willow is a representation of my working with children from abusive homes. They told me such terrible stories. They learned it was safe for them to express anger to or at me.
This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage, www.beweewithbea.com ...I also have a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory site to catch up or sample other chapters. for such an appropriate picture. Sadly, everyone in this story with the exception of Tim aka Timothy the beaver and I aka Bea are still here. All of the animals have gone to the Rainbow Bridge or Bridge of Rainbows as Bea calls it. And Doolie, my former partner passed a year ago. And Sweet Puppy this January. |
By Liz O'Neill
Sweet Puppy was getting tired of fish. Believe it or not even Scruffles bored of eating things swimming around in their river. Cats can be finicky and Scruffles was certainly no exception. Bea and Doolie, her newfound friend, compared notes as moms are wont to do. She shared with Bea a wonderful secret.
Doolie had discovered a new source of food for everyone in her family. This gave Bea a feeling of growing excitement with such information. She was noticing the need for a brand new exercise which she would call dumpster diving.
Retrieving the other two, the enthusiastic wee bear, announced their next mission would be known as Operation Dumpster Diving. Scruffles and Sweet Puppy may have secretly rolled their canine and feline eyes.
Scruffles would be the lookout. Cats love to sit quietly staring here and there. Sweet Puppy would get too distracted straying off after finding a chipmunk's trail. Scruffles could not have even a little cat nap while on this assignment. Sweet Puppy was commissioned to be the liaison between the lookout and the enterprise.
Plans were finalized; they would set out just before dawn. Doolie, the wise bear, had shown Bea the best path to reach the rear of some grocery stores. There was a big problem though. She had not led Bea through the woods in the dark.
As we all know, things look different in the terrible blackness. It is much harder to identify markings seen in the daylight. Cautiously stepping their way along untrod territory, they heard running water. Such chaotic sound in the past had signaled Bea there was dangerous chaos about to erupt.
The troubled trio had no time to yell to warn each other. The ground beneath them seemed to give way and they found themselves tumbling and tumbling, round and round. They heard sounds of snapping, crunching, cracking and finally splashing. The last thing they not only heard but felt. Water.
Bea's fears were growing even greater than they already were. She knew she had to do her brain exercise. Who would ever have thought she'd be doing her brain exercise in the middle of a black swirling river in the dark?
She remembered she'd said the same thing when she was at the top of a hardwood tree getting as many twigs as she could as fast as she could. She had volunteered to gather the most tender bark for Timothy the wood carving, clay pot making beaver. The only problem was they were at the tippity-top of the tree.
She'd forgotten to breathe the whole time she was clawing her way up and down. That memory reminded her to breathe while swishing, swashing and swimming. She also remembered the most important exercise she had done on that escapade, besides tree climbing.
She had talked to the Maker of wee bears. So she immediately did that, adding to the list, the Maker of raccoon cats and the Maker of sweet puppies. Still unsure if they all had the same Maker, she mentioned them individually.
She did not want to lose either of them. It was her responsibility to keep them safe. All she'd wanted to do was provide them with a variety of food. Look at them now. She once again questioned how good a mom she was for them. Those sad thoughts didn't last long.
She knew she was a caring mom. Growing in confidence, she encouraged them to communicate with each other. This way, they would know where the others were. They continued to be carried endlessly, further along, to an unknown destination.
About to reassure them that everyone would be okay, except for being very waterlogged, she heard the water sing a sweet peaceful song. She didn't know why, but she had certainty, everyone would be safe.
Though she told herself to breathe, she had not taken a breath since they hit the water. There was one deep breath taken as she began plunging downward, but none since. When she did her be calm exercise, she was able to do a very important notice exercise. The river was no longer a river.
They had been tumbling and turning in the stream which fed Timothy's Pond. They were floating peacefully along toward the dam. She was most familiar with this pleasant pond. Feeling more sure of herself, that shaken wee bear directed the exhausted sopping survivors of this harrowing ordeal, to shore.
When everyone had shuddered as much of the water and terror from their quaking bodies, Bea sounded two slaps upon the water. Neither a puzzled Scruffles nor Sweet Pupppy knew of this ritual.
They were equally fascinated when they heard one resounding slap coming from over there, wherever that was. A beaver who they hoped was the Timothy, surfaced and swam their way. They had heard about him and seen his work. They often used his clay pots and carved furniture. They all began talking at once to tell Timothy their trying tale.
This was no sudden intrusion to Timothy. Fortunately, to help them hide from their enemies, beavers tend to do much of their business at night. The rest of the time they spend in their den or lodge, a dome-shaped dwelling.
Bea admires Timothy for being able to build such an architectural work of art. To keep Timothy safe at all times, Bea and he had agreed that she would sound two slaps and he would sound one beaver tail slap upon the surface of the soft rippling water.
On their wet weary way home, Bea's mind was whirring. It would be necessary to revisit, in the daylight, where they had gone wrong. It was vital while drying off, they rest, restoring their energy and courage. This adventure was not even close to being concluded.
| Author Notes |
I'd like to acknowledge El-mundo for a perfect picture. Sadly, everyone in this story with the exception of Tim aka Timothy the beaver and I aka Bea are still here. All of the animals have gone to the Rainbow Bridge or Bridge of Rainbows as Bea calls it. And Doolie, my former partner passed a year ago. And Sweet Puppy this January.
This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage, www.beweewithbea.com ...I also have a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory site to catch up or sample other chapters. |
By Liz O'Neill
After a little time had passed and everyone had sufficiently dried out and fluffed up. Bea, the very courageous wee bear assured Scruffles and Sweet Puppy that she was undaunted about their mission of dumpster hunting for diving.
Shaking her paw, she announced she would not be deterred and hoped they were still in favor of continuing the plan. She reminded them there would be a smorgasbord of good food waiting for everyone. They would no longer sink their teeth into anything boring. She thought it best to bring both of them to do her investigation exercise and see where they went off the path the other morning.
On their exploratory strolling, which Bea called the reconnaissance, she did her investigation exercise. She realized that the anticipated markings and identifying clues could never be seen without daylight.
She'd have to think of some other way for them to know when to stop to make a certain left paw turn and keep veering in that direction. She didn't even want to think back to that harrowing experience when they had mistakenly turned right.
But how could she leave a sign for them to be able to see, in the hours before first-light? This critical quest of dumpster hunting had to be concluded before the crack of dawn. They did not want to be discovered by wanderers.
Then she remembered, while doing one of her strolling exercises, coming along walls made from piling stones in different patterns. She wasn't sure what it was at the time, but now it was all coming together for her.
The stones which struck her in a magical way were seemingly placed here and there. But how beautiful they were, so white with a very shiny gloss to them. They were different sizes and shapes. Individual ones were placed at the bottom, the middle and some planted right on the very top.
Strolling a little further along, she had seen stones resembling the new friends she had made at Timothy's Pond. To help her meet more friends, Timothy has introduced her to different sized turtles.
Picturing back, she remembered there were large flat stones with four smaller rounded ones placed where legs or feet would be. There was a long stone for the neck. She did a little leaping dance in her mind recalling the most magic of all. One of those beautiful white stones was placed right where her turtle friend's head would be.
Strolling into another area, she had puzzled about a line of small stones. Her wee bear eyes stared as she noticed the stones in that row went from large to larger. At the very end, there rested a sizable stone she called a pointy nose.
That design made her think of her Snakely friends. She liked putting ly on the end of the names of some of her friends. It meant she loved them. Dovely. Foxly. Snakely.
But the stones she was getting her idea from, were small piles by trees. She wondered if they had been put there to tell someone when to stop or turn in a certain direction. That's what they could build, or rather, she would. Even though Scruffles and Sweet Puppy couldn't lift stones, they could rally her.
Boredom was quickly setting in. She knew she needed to keep their attention. Explaining why the stones were in a certain pattern, she felt confident these signs would work for them on their next attempt. Everyone was properly briefed to find the store with a dumpster outback.
Remembering that Dooley had said it was the first store, a lump formed in her throat and bees began buzzing inside her tummy. Arriving at a clearing they saw in front of them, three stores, all with dumpsters.
She was very glad Dooley had told her it was the first one. If Bea had done her brain exercise she might have realized that "the first store " could mean a lot of things. But she didn't. Nor did she do her notice exercise.
She looked at her two paws. One was the paw she had written her name with the day her mom showed her how. The dumpster on that side was what she would label the first. Or did Doolie mean the store down there at the other end?
More bees were gathering in her no longer empty tummy. Soon there would be fifty of them. She wondered if first meant the first one Doolie saw. She wasn't even certain which path Doolie used.
As we know, things never quite work out the way Bea plans them in her wee bear imagination. Is the last dumpster really the first one? Or is the first the last? We will surely find out, along with Bea and the other two.
| Author Notes |
I'd like to acknowledge meg119 for her perfect picture.
This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage, www.beweewithbea.com ...I also have a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory site to catch up or sample other chapters. There was an abused woman and her brother who survived the winter eating frozen foods left at the store dumpster. They eventually came to our shelter. |
By Liz O'Neill
An expedition was scheduled for the next morning. Why there was such an urgency, we'll never know. Bea gets something in her mind and that is that. As we have noticed her impulsivity has never turned out good.
Scruffles certainly could tell us about that. He remembers as some of us, how when his yowling woke her, she reacted without doing her brain exercise. He found himself being plunked outside the cave.
They began in the all-too-familiar darkness. Soon all of the miss-firings toward the desired target would become a much needed misty blur in their past. Doolie the wise bear had told Bea of the treasure, which she was sure would hold something golden for a wee bear.
The reconnaissance had been successful. The stone markers she piled prevented any further mistakes. If one couldn't find a marker, the other could. Fortunately, they all had amazing night vision.
Doolie had told her that the store workers left packages of chicken outside what they called a dumpster so it was easy to capture. Scruffles and Sweet Puppy were drooling and stomachs were growling so loud they were afraid someone might hear them. Bea was dismayed when she found nothing set outside the deep dumpster.
Fortunately, there were little steps for her to fit her feet as she climbed up to the edge of the tall metal box. This climb was actually nothing in comparison to the climbing she had done to get the tender barked twigs for Timothy. As she did her brain exercise it occurred to her she had been doing her brain exercise in very unusual circumstances and unexpected places, of late.
Making it to the edge, looking down into the dark unknown she could see nothing. The determined wee bear carefully let herself drop down to the bottom. Squish. Doing her investigation exercise she saw that it was what we call a banana. She'd never seen anything like it. Attempting to step out of that, she stepped into a package of tomatoes.
She was extremely uncomfortable with mushy stuff oozing through her toes and claws. Enough was enough. She wanted out of this terrible situation. When she looked for the steps like the ones on the outside, there were none.
She wasn't even certain that Sweet Puppy was still out there. Bea had been too busy doing the glop, slop, bop. The only music that played very slowly and rhythmically in her head during that dance was shsslushhh, shsslushhh, shsslushhh.
She could only hope that Sweet Puppy had not become distracted by a chipmunk and raced off following the trail while it was still hot. The frustrated wee bear wished for her words to pass through the thick darkness and fly up and out to Sweet Puppy.
Getting Scruffles was her only chance. She was feeling those fifty bees buzzing around inside her. She always felt them when her fears were great. To make matters worse, new light was too quickly creeping over treetops.
Sweet Puppy had been there all along at her assigned post. She understood what Bea was saying and immediately headed off to fetch Scruffles. She was able to do her talk to the Maker of wee bears. Shortly after the talk, she heard the buzzing of bees around honey, which was always comforting and reassuring.
But wait, the buzzing was not just in her spirit. They were in the dumpster with her. She followed the happy sound. Doing her investigating exercise, she traced the darting yellow specks to a jar of honey with a fairly good-sized chip out of it.
Tipping at just the right angle produced a golden rivulet of her "be good to myself" treat. For a minute, she was in her pretend world, with no problems. But the length of the minute could only be measured by how full the jar stayed.
Not long enough. She looked for more. She didn't at this point of desperation, care what she had to drag her paws and claw through. She was sure there must be just one more jar buried in there. She never had time to complete her search.
Sweet Puppy had been able to find Scruffles who had already climbed to the top of the dumpster and was very bemused, looking down at Bea covered with a smorgasbord of fruits and vegetables. This mishmash was not the buffet they had planned for and fantasized about.
Bea realized that Scruffles had gone somewhere else in his head for the moment. She gave him a little time, then instructed him to jump down to the bottom. She did have to admit to herself, she was a little cautious and worried that both of them would end up stuck at the bottom of this gloomy darkness.
Scruffles was long and very tall when he stood. Lengthening her body the way she had to while reaching for a clay pot of her "be good to myself" treat , she could grasp the edge of the holes in the metal. She would pull herself up enough for Scruffles to be able to get under her. When he stood up, it slowly raised her to the next set of holes.
Bea was able to reach with one paw and her claws using the other paw to pull herself to the top rim of the dumpster. She then started worrying about leaving Scruffles at the bottom. But he was a Racoon Cat and was already balancing on the edge beside her to make sure she could get out.
Her shaking legs were remembering climbing back down that extremely tall hardwood tree she had unwittingly climbed to help Timothy the Beaver. She was so relieved to be touching the ground.
| Author Notes |
I'd like to acknowledge a.samathasena for their appropriate picture.
This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage, www.beweewithbea.com ...I also have a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory site to catch up or sample other chapters. My idea for this series of chapters came from the time at work when an abused woman and her brother told us how they survived the winter eating frozen foods left at the store dumpster. They eventually came to our shelter. |
By Liz O'Neill
Stepping down from the dumpster, Bea, the exasperated wee bear, stomped her toes, claws, and paws to get as much muck off them as she could. She felt relieved to get herself to the ground, sad when she noticed the ground had no dirt or grass. It was covered with the same black hardness that still covered Bea's Golden Path.
She remembered what she'd said to Scruffles at that horribly devastating moment when the two discovered her tracks buried. The same was going on here. The tracks of all who had the opportunity and privilege of walking upon this land lay buried under the same gloom.
The thought that someday all of the mud for clay pots-- topsoil for planting trees for Timothy--would be covered with blackness made her cringe inside. Her eyes grew round with worry. The softest of fallen pine needles for bedding and other unnamed dirt paths would be no more. She wondered how many dirt paths had been covered over and if any of them had been named.
She wondered if any of the stone pilers had paths buried under her feet. The concerned bear hoped very hard that none of the important piles of stones had been disturbed and moved or torn down to make room for this dark deadness. She was also sad when she thought of how many trees and maybe even someone's cave was under here.
She decided it was time to end her sad wondering. Ready to move on, she realized Sweet Puppy was not standing anywhere near her assigned post. She could see an excited puppy off in the distance, running toward them, tail wagging, with something her mouth.
It was not a chipmunk. Bea had to admit she was relieved about that. She had no idea what Sweet Puppy could have gotten into. As she got closer, Sweet Puppy slowed her pace. Very hesitant and resistant, she dropped the leg of chicken to tell what she'd been doing.
Determined they would not return home without having accomplished their goal, she did an investigation exercise. She didn't want everyone to be disappointed once again. They'd planned and practiced for a long time, even doing a dry run which turned out to be a very wet one.
She told of how she wondered if three was one and one was three. That ingenious puppy discovered that was exactly what had caused the confusion which led to a mushy, messy mishap. Neither Scruffles nor Bea had any idea what Sweet Puppy was talking about. But they did see chicken.
Noticing their confused expressions, Sweet Puppy explained further. Wondering if Doolie meant the last was the first, she investigated the farther one. All kinds of foods lay spread out for anyone to take without any dangerous dumpster diving required.
She'd found a sled which was kind of torn up but would do fine for carrying whatever they wanted to collect. She cheerfully announced she'd always dreamed of being a sled dog. Scruffles happily found quite a few packages of tuna, and Bea, several chipped jars of her "be good to myself" treat.
An official sled dog, Sweet Puppy led the joyous group home. As they danced their way back, Bea licked a non-chipped side of a honey jar and puzzled how one could be three and three be one.
| Author Notes |
I'd like to acknowledge MKFlood for their precious picture mccritters.
This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage, www.beweewithbea.com ...I also have a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory site to catch up or sample other chapters. My idea for this series of chapters came from the time at work when an abused woman and her brother told us how they survived the winter eating frozen foods left at the store dumpster. They eventually came to our shelter. |
By Liz O'Neill
Led by the veteran sled dog, Sweet Puppy, Bea and Scruffles made frequent journies to the dumpster. Risking the danger of making new friends had benefited everyone. Bea reflected with the other two how difficult things had been before meeting Doolie the wise bear, and her puppies.
There was often a struggle to catch the decreasing number of fish in their river. The Bea mom worried her little ones were bored. She wished she could do more interesting activities with them. Scruffles, as you might imagine, didn't really care as long as he had a sunny spot on the ground.
They'd met new friends. It was wonderful to observe how much happier they were. The difference for Scruffles was while everyone was playing, he had discovered a delightful circle where the trees opened up. The sun warmed his day-long snoozing.
Doolie had shared how relieved she was. The infighting had been replaced by new interests. They were always together and had learned some of the Be Wee With Bea exercises. A few were strolling, brain or meditating, and talking to the Maker.
Doing their notice exercise, Benny, Zoe, Annie, Maddie, Sweet Puppy, and Bea agreed that Doolie was acting as if she were up to something. They decided to follow her. Maddie was about to do her routine longer-journey-climbing exercise. She'd heft herself, from Annie to Zoe, to Benny.
Look out for the investigation exercise, she would ride atop Bennie's head. Calling for stealthiness with absolute silence was easier with just three. Often a fuss with three more, Bea volunteered to carry Maddie. Not one of them had any idea where they might end up, nor how long it would take. Everyone's fears were growing.
Bea reassured them they did not have to go if they felt unsafe. They could call the whole mission off or just a few of them could go and report to any left behind. The consensus was everyone wanted to go.
Bea knew where Doolie was going. She could not figure out how Doolie even knew about that hidden, sacred place. How could Dooley have discovered it? Had she been followed on one of her strolling exercises? How dare she track a wee bear with problems.
Old feelings crept in. She's forgotten them for a while. Had she made a mistake to befriend Doolie? What would she do without her companion? Were she not a wee bear, she would have shown embarrassment.
Holding both Maddie and Annie, she did her humble exercise. All too often, when she was disapproving of someone, she found herself practicing the same unacceptable behavior. Upset that Doolie may have followed her, she was now following Doolie.
The other thought was, Doolie discovered this place during her own strolling exercise. Bea was reminded it was not always about her. Here she was ready to throw a wonderful friendship away and that was about her.
As they arrived where Bea knew they would end, she filled with guilt for even being there. It was not right to be eves-dropping. She should be happy Doolie had found her friend Willow, the compassionate tree.
She signaled everyone to turn back. There were stubborn, dismayed, and puzzled looks. Why had they traveled all this way without discussing or quarreling as they were wont to do? Didn't Bea know how extremely difficult the task of behaving was?
| Author Notes |
I'd like to acknowledge MoonWillow for such a striking picture. Willow is a representation of my working with children from abusive homes. They told me such terrible stories. They learned it was safe for them to express anger to or at me.
This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage, www.beweewithbea.com ...I also have a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory site to catch up or sample other chapters. for such an appropriate picture. Sadly, everyone in this story with the exception of Tim aka Timothy the beaver and I aka Bea are still here. All of the animals have gone to the Rainbow Bridge or Bridge of Rainbows as Bea calls it. And Doolie, my former partner passed a year ago. And Sweet Puppy this January. |
By Liz O'Neill
Bea thought maybe he would come back one last time, as she placed a bowl of Scruffles' favorite fish in his spot. Leaving this painful moment, she recalled how long ago, Scruffles came back the morning she had thrown him out. An unnatural bone-chilling yowl had rudely awakened her. This time he would not return.
She set another bowl out the next night. And the next. No raccoon cat pushing a bowl of tuna, was heard at all. Only silence. Bea's bittersweet memories echoed, sounding along the cave walls in the sad, sad silence.
What a lovely last strolling exercise they had had. Bea noticed that Scruffles had been growing weaker and thin as when she first met him. With no appetite, he hadn't been able to enjoy his "be good to himself" treat.
Bea knew something was wrong. Her fears were growing and she felt an urgency to do her talk to the Maker of raccoon cats. Because he had not ventured away from his warm spot in days they invited Scruffles to get some fresh air. He hesitantly announced it was time for his journey to the bridge of rainbows.
All three decided to do a strolling exercise appreciating the music which came from their surroundings. Even though Scruffles loved chasing the crickets and grasshoppers, he admitted that they were his favorite sources of music.
For one moment, Bea looked in the direction of Sweet Puppy sniffing out the fresh trail of an unknowing chipmunk. Turning back around, Scruffles was gone.
As the two shuffled home, bittersweet thoughts danced through Bea's memories. She would cherish them. Lagging a little behind, Sweet Puppy was uncharacteristically silent. He must have already been missing some of the same things.
Bea and Sweet Puppy woke to sounds of rain at the mouth of their cave home where Scruffles used to sit. As it struck the ground, music of deep sadness was created. They both sensed it. Not too much later in the morning, the rain slowed to a drizzle and ceased with dark clouds beginning to clear.
It was time she and Sweet Puppy left the darkest, dreariest den of her cave home. There was no purpose in staying just being sad and angry. They agreed it was time to do a strolling exercise even if three was now two. As they deliberately moved one foot in front of the other, they left the spot open where the large raccoon cat would walk.
The mist was clearing over the land and the sun burning through. There it was. The answer. Bea had been waiting. The reassurance. Scruffles had found his way. In front of them were beautiful colors arching the bright broad blue. Bea thought that must be how Scruffles reached the bridge her mom had told her about.
She fondly thought of how Scruffles had discovered a hidden way of crossing the swamp. Maybe it was like a bridge to the side closest to where the creature of the mist crossed the blurred horizon. She laughed to think of their twisted speculations about what the creature was, where it came from, disappeared to and why it crossed the same path nearly every morning at the same time.
How bittersweet with good memories coming to her, rather than bad. All of the Scruffles adventures were flooding out. If we make new memories which are happy, they might help to replace our bad memories. She didn't think it would show wisdom to cover them over, they would still be buried in the memory dumpsters.
Those bad memories were just whispers since Scruffles, Sweet Puppy, Benny, Zoe, Annie, and courageous indomitable Maddie came into her life. Then there was dear kind Doolie who was caring and understanding.
Bea did not want to make her sad. Doolie had already suffered a great loss when she'd watched her beloved friend Allie head off to the same bridge. Bea worried that telling Doolie would bring back sad memories. So she decided she wouldn't say anything just yet. She felt so lost. Maybe Willow or Timothy could help her to find her way.
| Author Notes |
I'd like to acknowledge Joelgraphuchin for their great picture. I rescued Scruffles as my first cat. He passed at age 18. I'm glad he lives on in my books.
This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage, www.beweewithbea.com ...I also have a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory site to catch up or sample other chapters. Sadly, everyone in this story with the exception of Tim aka Timothy the beaver and I aka Bea are still here. All of the animals have gone to the Rainbow Bridge or Bridge of Rainbows as Bea calls it. And Doolie, my former partner passed 2 years ago. And Sweet Puppy last January. |
By Liz O'Neill
After doing her stepstooling exercise and because Bea the broken-hearted wee bear was so upset she did some major spilling. This made it necessary for her to do some toe touching exercises.
Not wishing to waste any, this meant she could be further consoled by getting just a little more of her "be good to myself" treat. Bea knew she needed to do a rigorous strolling exercise and to do her brain exercise.
Strolling more slowly than usual she heard the sad music of the wind through the branches. This made her think of the dark music that was playing in her wee bear heart.
My heart is full of midnight, I'm as blue as I can be
For my handsome raccoon cat had to leave me
His tuna bowl is in his corner, I haven't the heart to throw it away
And there's the ball he found one day, to jump and run and play
He helped me when there was trouble at Bea's Golden Path
He even shook off his sleepiness without taking time for his raccoon cat bath
When I found him he had sticky matted hair
It was so very sad to see him standing there
Oh, he became so handsome, that raccoon cat
He was so very skinny, then not too fat.
Good thing he liked fish, and not my "be good to myself" treat
It would have been hard to find him something else to eat
He'd sit and do his brain exercises with me
Which made us both very, very happy
He liked dancing during our strolling exercise each day
Now, he's not here, he's gone, gone away
He saved me when I did my dumpster dive
Oh, I wish that he was here and still alive
When we did our "the creature of the mist" investigation
He worked very hard to find the creature's identification
He helped us get across the swamp, he had discovered a hidden bridge
I still look for him, hoping he's just up there dancing on the ridge
We were three, now we're two
Oh dear Maker of all things, what will Sweet Puppy and I do?
My heart is full of midnight, I'm as blue as I can be
For my friend, Scruffles had to leave in order to be free
He said at "the bridge of rainbows", he will be waiting for Sweet Puppy and me
Until then, we will live our lives as full as we can do for now
Practicing our Be Wee With Bea's rigorous exercises and learning how
To get beyond this terrible loss, we must do our part
To change the music from sadness to joy, we feel so deep in our heart
____________
Persuaded by Bea, Sweet Puppy agreed to go along to see Willow who stood there and listened and listened without being distracted. This was very important to Bea who was worried about Sweet Puppy. She seemed to be searching throughout the cave looking for Scruffles. That was one of Willow's special features. She was almost always in the moment. Unless she was remembering some of the children who have come to see her.
Bea remembered when the Maker of Willow trees told Bea to tell Willow she held the memory of pain, anger, sadness, and any other feelings too hard to hold for wee hearts. The Maker said that was a wonderful exercise. Bea never needed her to say much, didn't want her giving any solutions or answers. She needed to figure things out for herself. She knew this was just what Sweet Puppy needed.
Willow had told Bea she could allow herself to be sad as long or as often as she needed to. She wanted Sweet Puppy to hear that message too. The sadness with the feeling of emptiness was as hollow as one of Bea's honey pots with something very important missing. This aching they felt didn't need to be filled or fixed by any particular time limit.
She also said that the missing of one friend opens up the missing of others such as her mom. The bad memories might come back for a while. They won't stay, but it will feel like forever. This answered the question Bea had about missing her mom even more since Scruffles had left.
She also told Bea she would have a mixture of feelings that would move from sad to angry, to pretending, to calm, back to angry and pretending. Slowly the pretending would lessen and the fears would become smaller; then the courage and the calm would last longer.
Willow could not tell Bea when any of this would happen. It was just the way of it. Bea could see Sweet Puppy was taking it all in. She hadn't said anything but was doing her learning exercise. That was enough for that day. Bea could do no more. The two of them could be seen strolling with a little more bounce than when they began.
| Author Notes |
I'd like to acknowledge GaliaG for their perfect picture. I rescued Scruffles as my first cat. He passed at age 18. I'm glad he lives on in my books.
This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage, www.beweewithbea.com ...I also have a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory site to catch up or sample other chapters. Sadly, everyone in this story with the exception of Tim aka Timothy the beaver and I aka Bea are still here. All of the animals have gone to the Rainbow Bridge or Bridge of Rainbows as Bea calls it. And Doolie, my former partner passed 2 years ago. And Sweet Puppy last January. |
By Liz O'Neill
Bea heard Scruffles yowling like he did when she first welcomed him into her cave home. She wouldn't throw him out this time the way we remember she did before, she promised herself. No matter how unnatural it sounded or how much it grated on her nerves, she would treat him differently this time. She'd let him get away with more, eat anything he wanted, and certainly let him go in and out when he asked. She felt better about it all now.
After she was finished doing her pretending exercise, she began her investigation exercise. The mewling was Sweet Puppy whining and restlessly flailing her legs. It wasn't Scruffles at all. She knew Scruffles had gone to the bridge of rainbows.
Seeing Sweet Puppy's angst drew her to wonder how she could comfort Sweet Puppy when she couldn't ever comfort herself? She had to do more healing exercises. She'd begun to do her stepstooling exercises but even her "be good to myself" treat just didn't help. She felt inconsolable. Nothing seemed to help. It was time to go see Timothy, the woodcarving, clay pot making, very patient and understanding beaver.
As she neared Timothy's Pond, her sadness grew deeper. What if Timothy wasn't in his lodge. What if he were burrowed so deep he couldn't hear her slap the water two times so he would know it was her and not some predator. She stood there with her "if only's" and "why's" and "no it can't be's".
To her great relief, Timothy sounded one loud beaver tail slap on the water and swam to the edge of the pond. She was glad to see him because he would listen. It helped knowing he cared. She soon discovered he could understand her loss better than she had thought possible.
He never told her that at one time he'd had a mate. Beavers mate for life, Bea often wondered why he did not seem to have one. Timothy reported that for some reason his mate was dissatisfied with how he built the dam and lodge. He'd felt shattered as he watched her swim away, to be seen no more. She had broken the "beavers mate forever" rule.
He told Bea a long time had to pass for him to get beyond that loss. It did get easier. Bea was not reassured to hear about the length of time it might take. That meant more waiting, of a very painful sort. We know how little she likes waiting.
Fortunately, going to Timothy's Pond was not a ritual she and Scruffles shared. There would be no reminder of Scruffles with Timothy. It would have been harder to go to visit him and she did enjoy spending time with him, except maybe the-climbing-the-tree part.
She smiled to herself as she remembered how she had to do her humble exercise because she had been doing her pretend exercise. She had acted as if she knew all about climbing trees. We remember her giant fears as she slowly made her way from the tippy top to get the tenderest twigs to the ground.
Knowing he was able to have his favorite "be good to himself" treat made it worth it. She felt better knowing she could always come to visit with Timothy.
This helped her realize she would find mutual understanding with Doolie. She would do her brain exercise about how to tell her about Scruffles.
| Author Notes |
I'd like to acknowledge seshadri_sreenivasan for their appropriate picture. I rescued Scruffles as my first cat. He passed at age 18. I'm glad he lives on in my books.
This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage, www.beweewithbea.com ...I also have a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory site to catch up or sample other chapters. Sadly, no one in this story with the exception of Tim aka Timothy the beaver and I aka Bea are still here. All of the animals have gone to the Rainbow Bridge or Bridge of Rainbows as Bea calls it. Doolie, my former partner passed 2 years ago and Sweet Puppy last January, 2019. |
By Liz O'Neill
When Bea asked Sweet Puppy if she wanted to accompany her to Doolie's home cave, she was excited to go. With the wish that Annie would be more receptive to making friends, she planned to vigorously play with Zoe.
The other truth was that she didn't want to stay home alone. It was too empty there. They'd found another path so they didn't have to walk on water as Scruffles had taught them to do. Without Scruffles who had gone to the bridge of rainbows, it wouldn't seem right.
When she met up with Doolie, she let go with unending tears. She told of Scruffles having gone down a different and final path toward the bridge of rainbows.
As Bea had anticipated, Doolie teared up and told her how sorry she was. Doolie still often missed Allie, her beloved puppy friend who was also at the bridge of rainbows. Though the times had diminished, she admitted she missed her less often.
Not that she wasn't always in her heart, it was not a betrayal to Allie that she had moved beyond some of the sense of loss. She reminded Bea that she still had Sweet Puppy and that she needed to do her be grateful exercise. She cautioned Bea to take even more special care of Sweet Puppy.
Changing the topic, Bea decided to tell her about their adventure walking on water at the swamp when she had first seen them in the mist. Zoe and Sweet Puppy were the first to begin the trek across the dark water when they all went to do the investigation exercise.
Playing halfway across, the two friends went plunging into the rattly reeds and green scum. What a mess. But why had they no longer been able to walk upon the water? The next thing Bea saw was a definite wee bear head tilter.
Both Zoe and Sweet Puppy were back standing on the water shaking themselves off. First, they were there. then, they were not, then they were. Sweet Puppy slipped while doing her shaking off exercise, but still landed on top of the water.
This was a very puzzling swamp. The investigation exercise had to become more rigorous. Both Bea and Doolie dipped their feet, paws and claws in the exact spot Sweet Puppy and Zoe had begun stepping onto the water.
There was definitely something there to hold them up, but the water hid whatever it was. Bea thought puzzling exercises she'd done over her many passings of long sleeps. In this case, there was no way to find out what held them up so it was a mystery they'd have to live with.
She had resisted and knew she needed to do her detachment from things which have a hold on you exercise. She always found that freeing. Why didn't she do it more often? Doolie said she suspected many others had the same tendency to avoid doing what is healthy.
What Doolie said next absolutely stunned and thrilled Bea. The wise bear said that she needed to visit Willow more often and began explaining who Willow was. Bea danced up and down and confessed she also visited Willow and how healing it always was.
The other fun thing was Doolie called her Willow too. She was amazed at how right her mom had been when she said there are many potential friends for us to find.
Remember how things had gone for the others. Maddie had a crush on Sweet Puppy who had no interest in her and Sweet Puppy had a crush on Annie who had no desire to give her any attention.
This time Sweet Puppy was finding new friends. Just as Annie spent a little time with Sweet Puppy, so Sweet Puppy played with Maddie whose little bob-tail rocked to and fro in delight.
For a day that had begun with such great darkness and loss in both their hearts, it had concluded with Sweet Puppy and Bea rediscovering their hope. They felt filled for the first time in a long time.
| Author Notes |
I'd like to acknowledge jgrace for their meaningful art.
This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage, www.beweewithbea.com ...I also have a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory site to catch up or sample other chapters. Sadly, everyone in this story with the exception of Tim aka Timothy the beaver and I, aka Bea are still here. All of the animals have gone to the Rainbow Bridge or Bridge of Rainbows as Bea calls it. And Doolie, my former partner passed 2 years ago. And Sweet Puppy January 2019. |
By Liz O'Neill
Bea and Sweet Puppy often visited Doolie's expansive cave home. To be there making new memories was easier than sitting in their old sad thoughts. Bea was telling Doolie of their first dumpster disaster and her two heroes, Scruffles and Sweet Puppy.
When told how Sweet Puppy had become a sled dog, Doolie laughed, adding Benny was theirs. Maddie enjoying an investigation exercise, finding a sled for them, had assigned Benny to be the sled dog.
As she was listening, Bea glanced at the wall in the room near the cave opening where Zoe and Sweet Puppy were tussling with each other. A could-be-frightening shadow creature moved upon the wall.
Practicing her brain exercise, instead of letting her fears conquer her, she learned something totally new. Watching the movements of Zoe and Sweet Puppy and the Shadow Creature, they were the same.
She decided she'd calmly mention this strange situation to Doolie who laughed. They had also experienced that fearful sight and ended up making a game out of it. With a demonstration, she explained how they played it.
Bea nervously laughed with relief that there was no shadow creature. As if a fog were clearing in her brain she remembered what happened every time she'd looked away from the shadow creature on the wall in her cave home. She saw Scruffles and Sweet Puppy playing.
She remembered waving her arms practicing her investigation exercise. She had become part of the Shadow Creature. Things were coming together for her. In her wild imagination, waving arms had served as the Shadow Creature's tentacles or antennae.
It all made complete sense, there was no such thing as a shadow creature. Scruffles would have enjoyed this discovery. He probably was laughing, dancing around the bridge of rainbows.
Bea thought it might be fun to make shadow creatures on the wall. She was anxious to tell Sweet Puppy about this potential game. Her mom had said there are many potential opportunities for us to find. We've just got to happen upon the right path.
Maybe this was one of the paths she and Sweet Puppy had been directed to take. They would learn, something scary could be changed into something fun. Going from fear to freedom there could be shadow dancing. She was beginning to like these ideas a lot.
The sun would soon be resting, time to head home so they could rest. As the two strolled over the brow of the hill, Bea saw a strange flickering light. No, there were two. Now three. The number continued to grow as she stood there doing her brain exercise. They were too large to be lightning bugs.
She loved lightning bugs, especially when they flew throughout the cave home, sparkling upon the walls of every room. Sadly, Sweet Puppy was afraid they were flashes of lightning from the booming crashing storm.
Bea followed with her eyes, the source of the shimmering light. The sun was shining directly onto puddles of something. But she couldn't imagine what it could be.
As she moved step by step closer, many golden slivers of moons began to take shape. Golden puddles. But not really puddles like mud puddles. These were a little up off the ground.
Doing her investigation exercise, she judged this all to be happening very near her cave home. Very, very near her home. Right in front of her cave. To the left of her doorway.
Some were just long golden-colored puddles with empty cracked pots tumbled in them. She planned to recover that spilled treasure later. The others were pots full of honey. She wondered who could have left her so many pots of her "be-good-to-myself" treat.
She knew it was not Doolie, she'd just been with Doolie, Annie, Benny, Zoe and Maddie at their cave home. With a combination of her notice exercise and a further investigation exercise, the clay pots looked very familiar.
They had the beaver tail imprint Timothy the wood carving clay pot maker had shaped and dried for her. Those were her own clay pots and the honey she had worked to collect. They belonged on her shelves which Timothy made for her. What were they doing out there on the ground?
| Author Notes | I wish to acknowledge cleo85 for their perfect picture. This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage, www.beweewithbea.com ...I also have a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory site to catch up or sample other chapters. Sadly, everyone in this story with the exception of Tim aka Timothy the beaver and I aka Bea are still here. All of the animals have gone to the Rainbow Bridge or Bridge of Rainbows as Bea calls it. And Doolie, my former partner passed 2 years ago. And Sweet Puppy last January. |
By Liz O'Neill
Doolie invited Bea and Sweet Puppy to join her family in their cave home when she heard of the eviction. They were all thankful Scruffles wasn't there to see his happy home being ripped apart. Bea recited events as they had happened and their outcome.
Right on top of the stepstooler, very much out of its place, was Scruffles' precious bowl. The wee terrified bear told of sprinting to find that it was all in one piece. Though it remained whole, she felt shattered.
Numb, she heard the wind play an ancient song through the grasses. She remembered the stories her mom had told of moving into that cave. She'd told the wee Bea how she had her mom-bear eyes on it for quite a while. When she observed the place remained vacant, she believed it was safe to move in.
Bea heard the previous occupants had been there over many, many long sleeps. She knew she needed to communicate with this unfamiliar occupant who was now reclaiming their original home. First, she wanted Sweet Puppy to come with her to check out a quaint cave she'd seen on one of her trails. That cave had not been disturbed in a very, very long time.
They began clearing their things from the front of their now old cave home. Hoping it would someday feel welcoming, they slowly moved the few belongings to their new accommodations. The little scrapper, Sweet Puppy wasn't sure she thought this was the best way to handle such a crushing situation. Just to give in and move here?
Fifty bees buzzing inside her, Bea practiced her brain exercise and her talk to the Maker of cave homes. These exercises always made her feel calm. The comforting hum of busy bees told her she was doing the right thing and that this was the right cave.
More secure, she found the courage to meet with the new occupant who came out and introduced herself as Ona of this ancient cave. She explained that over many, many long sleeps her families had lived there until they had to take the path for their journey to the bridge of rainbows.
Bea declined the invitation when invited to visit anytime. It would be too sad. That's where they had lived and grown and that was where Scruffles had curled up feeling safe. As they left headed for their new cave, they discussed working together to make it a home.
Three would now be two. At least this place wouldn't have so many reminders of Scruffles. But she would always keep his bowl. Practicing our notice exercise, we would see a bit of a slump in their step.
**********
After assuring Doolie they were doing fine in the new cave home, Bea noticed Doolie became very serious. It was Bea's turn to be quiet, listen to Doolie, and give support.
Doolie said she'd talked with Willow about her puppies who also had problems. Many nights she heard whimpers when bad memories showed up in their dreams. This reminded Bea of the heart-breaking whining she heard from Sweet Puppy.
Willow had suggested they talk with her. Although Doolie told them she would not listen in if they didn't want her to, they loved her asking her be there. Benny and Zoe tagged along behind their mom, who tenderly carried Annie and Maddie in her loving-bear arms.
Arriving at Willow's special spot, Doolie was relieved she had told Willow her background story giving cause for her own bad memories. Many long dark sleeps ago, Doolie was walking on a path that had a trick to it. Someone had spread brush, hiding a deep hole.
Doolie had fallen into it and could not get out. The earth gave way with each step she tried to take upward. She knew it was urgent that she get out before the trap builder returned for whatever he caught. No sooner had she finished talking to the Maker of bears to send help she heard a whinny up where the light shone through. To her amazement and great relief, a rope dropped down.
No words were even exchanged but she bit onto the rope, held on with paws, and claws and climbed painstakingly to the surface. Though the predator would be very disappointed she was pleased. Thanking the beautiful multi-colored horse, she promised someday, she would repay her by helping another horse.
******
Zoe and Benny shook as they spoke of their constant anxiety. Zoe had had a difficult time when she was daily dragged out of her crate in her people-home. She had spent most of her life not eating much. When Doolie found her, Zoe was thin and sad. Anxious-Benny told of how he felt badly the others had to be careful around him. Trying to gobble up their food, he scared them away.
Willow reminded them of their courage and calmness needed to organize the rescue plan to free Doolie from the cage she'd been locked in. Keeping her promise to help free a captive horse had angered the owner. Hearing the great part they played, both admitted they hadn't thought of it that way. A load off their shoulders, they stepped more lightly.
Annie didn't want to look or be grumpy when she worried about her mom and became very irritated and possessive of her. Willow reminded her how steady she'd been when Maddie had to crawl up onto her back to get to Zoe's back to get to Benny's head. Noticing for the first time a look of contentment on Annie's face, Doolie smiled.
Maddie became teary and pointed out to Willow that she had only three legs. She'd lost one when she got hurt in a place where people wanted to sell her puppies. She expressed to Willow with only three legs, she could not do much as the others. She had heard everything said to the others, but didn't see where she fit in.
Developing her muscles with only three legs, she became the strongest. It was she who Benny and Zoe appointed to climb the highest. Getting herself onto Annie's back, then onto tall Zoe, she had performed the most difficult task of all climbing up onto Benny's back, neck to the tippy top of his head. She had to stretch and balance on her one little incredibly strong rear leg. Stretching to her limit, she lifted the latch to free their mom.
Doolie grinned as she told Bea Maddie was going to be a force to be reckoned with after that praise. Doolie was so pleased with how Willow attended to each individually. She felt they had finally seen themselves as she, their mom had always seen them. They had discovered the first steps onto their paths in their search for hope. Maddie had a strut to her hippity-skip when she turned back toward the others.
| Author Notes |
I'd like to acknowledge Bob one oldreb for their precious picture. My former partner Maureen aka Doolie was arrested while protesting for the Vietnam War where she served as a medivac nurse. The background of the puppies is also true. They all had difficult pasts. Maddie was quite a trooper having been rescued from a puppy mill where she lost a hind leg caught in her cage.
This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage, www.beweewithbea.com ...I also have a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory site to catch up or sample other chapters. Sadly, everyone in this story with the exception of Tim aka Timothy the beaver and I aka Bea are still here. All of the animals have gone to the Rainbow Bridge or Bridge of Rainbows as Bea calls it. And Doolie, my former partner passed 2 years ago. And Sweet Puppy January 2019 |
By Liz O'Neill
Sweet Puppy admitted Bea had been right to choose this cave for their home. It was closer to Zoe's home so they could play more often. Bea loved it too because it was closer to Doolie's home. They spent most everyday together when Bea was not tidying her home.
She decorated the entrance to the fresh cave with tiny trees she had begun growing when mud was tracked into her cave. Rather than being unsettled by the mud or the one doing the tracking including herself, she just scooped it up, poured it into her empty clay pots and planted some little saplings.
A northerly opening made it a bit chilly when the wind blew, but it was lovely for the plants. She liked how the sun shone through just at the right time of the day. She reflected upon how her fears had grown when she saw the puddles of light outside their old cave.
Seeing that they were pots of her own honey, her "be-good-to-myself" treat, gave her an idea. Placing some of her clay pots filled with honey a little lower on her shelves brightened up their little home. The honey glowed golden in the sunlight streaming through the opening.
She no longer needed to worry if the mysterious creature would follow them to their new place; there were no creatures. The mystery had been solved. She laughed a little as she thought about all her fears and the 50 bees buzzing inside her every time she saw the mist creature. She breathed a pleasant sigh, thanking the Maker of new friends. The creature was really Doolie and her four pups.
She waited to see when the sun caused the shadows. She and Sweet Puppy would play the game Doolie told her about. While the sun was coming into their cave at the best angle, the wise bear and her puppies had great joy, without too much quarreling. Bea was excited to play with Sweet Puppy. She realized they hadn't played much at all, since Scruffles had left for the Bridge of Rainbows.
First to go, Sweet Puppy's tail waggled just right to look like Snaklie as Bea fondly named Snake. It didn't take an excited wee bear long to guess it. For her turn, Bea stood very tall and still, with her feet tight together. Her arms in different positions, she reached one up by her head and the other almost straight out. She could have been one of her favorite music makers that whispered to her on her strolls. She was a special friend. She was Willow.
Showing what fun they both had had, when they finished playing, the happy duo shadow danced. Sweet Puppy thought they should invite Doolie, Benny, Zoe, Annie, and Maddie to play. They were prepared with good ideas to show them. What fun for all of them to dance and to see wonderful designs that could be made.
Sweet Puppy enjoyed many warm hours of naps in her favorite spot on the floor. There were perfect places to store her chicken from dumpster expeditions. Finding a suitable place to do her stepstooling exercise, Bea was beginning to feel the spiral of life was restored to balance. Things were settling down and making more sense.
Resting beside Sweet Puppy in the large circle of warmth, a lazy-feeling wee bear practiced her brain exercise reflecting upon their many journeys. The right path had always revealed itself to her.
Doing her notice exercise she was learning that much of her journey and the paths she was led to take were making her life better. She had discovered new answers to old questions. These showed themselves to her whenever she practiced her Be Wee With Bea exercises.
Her gift of wisdom came by doing her talk with the Maker and learning to be more wee and humble. She hoped everyone would practice these exercises so they too would be able to discover the same kind of happiness.
| Author Notes |
I'd like to acknowledge cleo85 for their precious picture.
This is the 2nd book in the series Be Wee With Bea. Book One is available on Amazon and similar venues and on my webpage, www.beweewithbea.com ...I also have a fb page called be wee with bea. I'd love to have you check it out. You are invited to visit my portfolio on this FanStory site to catch up or sample other chapters. This is the conclusion of the record of another part of my journey as this is an autobiographical allegory. There will probably be a third part at some point. My life has continued and I have learned new things. Bea hopes you enjoyed growing along with her in self-knowledge. |
|
You've read it - now go back to FanStory.com to comment on each chapter and show your thanks to the author! |
| © Copyright 2015 Liz O'Neill All rights reserved. Liz O'Neill has granted FanStory.com, its affiliates and its syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work. |
© 2015 FanStory.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Privacy Statement