Remembering Things Lost (Part 2)

Chapter 5

Rattling coins and pinging buttons popped noisily as many small excited voices and older mellow ones, discovered

treasures and pleasures

old and new,

things remembered and things lost.

As the voices fell away and a dusky hue descended about the shop, I peeped over to the alcove window and noticed that the shelf that Hedy had sat upon was now

EMPTY!

Fading faces peered through the window and a child pressed his face close and squealed in delight at something,

nothing.

A sudden sharp tapping at the window and the younger brown-haired lady came over jangling her keys. She smiled as she let a fur-laden haughty looking lady into the shop.

“Marvellous!” the fur-laden lady held out her arms as if about to embrace. “Simply astonishing, I’ve looked high and low for this absolute treasure, my dreams have finally come true!.”

I felt a pang of remembrance, maybe mama had sent someone? Maybe the girl had noticed I was missing?

Silly tears welled up in my eyes….

a voice then purred “I have lived for life, I have lived for love.”

It was Hedy. She was being delicately wrapped in gold tissue paper. She looked over at me and winked as the paper enveloped her. The haughty looking lady carefully slid the tissue-package into her bag and walked out.

A floral summery breeze floated into the shop and a beam of late sunlight fell upon the bookcases illuminating…

the bear with the waistcoat and purple glasses.

A buzzing sound overhead,

the light’s flicked rapidly and then went out. The younger brown-haired lady opened the door again to let herself out, as the jingle-jangle sound stopped.

Stillness and silence.

“Ahem, ahemmm,” a deep, rich voice boomed. “And here’s to another pleasant evening.”

The voice was warm, like hot chocolate that I remembered from the girls room.

“Let us begin these proceedings please,” I could see now that voice belonged to the waistcoated bear. He was standing on a small pile of books.

A steady flow of teddies and dolls were walking towards him. He smiled as they began forming a circle around him.

Suddenly, a push from under the basket and it was upturned!

We all tumbled out in a mix of arms, paws, legs and Big Sloth!

“Glad to be out of there!” came his much missed long-slow voice.

“Come now all of you from the REJECTS- BASKET, all are welcome to experience this curious bookclub.” He was waving us all over to the circle of teddies and dolls that had formed around him. “WeRead is no ordinary bookclub as you will see for yourselves.”

Big Sloth, Milton and Ladybird with one-antennae began walking to the circle.

“My dear beauty in red dress,” he smiled at me. “Come along now, I know you will be pleasantly surprised.”

I walked over to the gathering and sat leaning against the pillow-like softness of Big Sloth.

The bespectacled bear began.

“WeRead was founded by myself after being abandoned in this very shop when it was a bookshop.” He paused to push his glasses up. “The dear elderly gentleman who found me, placed me on a bookshelf and said I would always have a place in his heart and in this shop.” He lowered his head.

“I want each and everyone of of you to feel this feeling of being wanted and connected. To have a self-belief and resilience that will carry you through, even after being neglected or rejected. " He waved his arms around the circle. “We must now be the curators of our own happiness and authors of own own stories. I believe that reading aloud is a magnificent way to build our inner confidence.” He held up a green leather-bound book. “Let us fill our self-happy levels!”

He pointed at a bear with a blue tie around his neck, “Dadbear, would to care to begin?”

The blue-tied bear walked over and stood on the small pile of books. He nodded and began.

“The Pobble who has no toes’

“Had once as many as we;

When they said “Some day, you may lose

them all;”

He replied “Fish, fiddle-de-dee!”

And his Aunt Jobiska made him drink

Lavender water tinged with pink,

For she said “The world in general

knows

There’s nothing so good for a Pobble’s

toes!”

He reached over and passed the green book to Ladybird with one-antennae, who was sat close.

Ladybird with one-antennae smiled a billowy smile and opened the book.

“On top of the Crumpety Tree

The Quangle Wangle sat,

But his face you could not see,

On account of his Beaver Hat.

For the Hat was a hundred and two feet wide,

With ribbons and bibbons on every side.

And bells, and buttons, and loops, and lace,

So that nobody ever could see the face

Of the Quangle Wangle Quee.”

The bear with the waistcoat patted Ladybird with one-antenna and said, “Excellent first reading my dear.” He turned to the small pile of books and selected a light blue book with an overgrown garden on the cover.

I remembered this book. It was one of her favourites and she often read it to us.

I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply.

“Everything was strange and silent and she seemed to be hundreds of miles from anyone, but somehow she did not feel lonely at all.”

I paused and looked up. Everyone was looking at me with…. admiration and acceptance. I felt really tingly inside. Magical.

I carried on. “All that troubled her was her wish that she knew whether all the roses were dead, or if perhaps some of them had lived and might put out leaves and buds as the weather got warmer. If it were a quite alive garden, how wonderful it would be, and what thousands of roses would grow on every side!” I took a little bow and all the teddies and dolls began to clap.

I felt so alive and so happy.

Chapter 6

As the clapping slowed and I sat back down, a really tiny yellow bear stood up and walked over to the reading area. He held a miniature book in his hands with a picture of a white rabbit on it. He propped it up in front of himself and began.

“Luckily for Alice, the little magic bottle had now had it’s full effect, and she grew no larger,” his voice was so much louder than he looked. “Still it was very uncomfortable and there seemed to be no chance of ever getting out of the room again, no wonder she felt unhappy. It was much pleasanter at home.”

He peered over the book smiling.

Big Sloth shifted and slowly got up. His eyes sparkled as he looked at me. He went over and took a book from the pile. He shifted from foot to foot.

“Meanwhile,” said Mr Tumnas, “it is winter in Narnia, and has been for ever so long, and we shall both catch cold if we stand here taking in the snow. Daughter of Eve from the far land of Spare Oom where eternal summer reigns around the bright city of War Drobe, how would it be if you came and had tea with me?”

Big Sloth looked up as a yellow-haired ragdoll walked over to the reading area. Her arm hung loosely.

She had yellow hair in pigtails and a soft happy face.

“Ummm…ermmmm…” She rubbed her arm where it hung and looked up at everyone. Picking up a book with a rabbit on the cover, she began.

“And so time went on, and the little Rabbit was very happy-so happy that he never noticed how his beautiful velveteen fur was getting shabbier and shabbier, and his tail becoming unsewn, and all the pink rubbed off his nose where the Boy had kissed him.”

She pushed the book back a little and continued.

“Spring came, and they had long days in the garden, for wherever the Boy went the Rabbit went too. He had rides in the wheelbarrow, and picnics in the grass, and lovely fairy huts built for him under the raspberry canes behind the flower border.”

The book toppled over onto the yellow-haired dolls foot.

“Owww..!” she howled jumping up and down.

The bespectacled bear came hurrying over, “My dearest Camille, are you hurt at all?”

He held her arm.

“I think I’m fine George, it was just a shock.” She held onto George as he walked her back to her seat.

A shy, grey woolly horse with fluff poking out from his tummy came over to the reading area.

He opened his book and with a little neigh, began to read.

“The time has come, ‘the Walrus said,

To talk of many things;

Of shoes-and ships-and sealing wax-

Of cabbages-and kings-

And why the sea is boiling hot-

And whether pigs have wings.”

He peered over the book and a flurry of clapping followed by George, the waistcoated bear met him with a large smile.

“Wonderful reading Archie, we’re all so proud of you!” He patted Archie on his back.

George reached over to the back of the pile of books and pulled out a tin. It had marching soldiers on it with red jackets and furry black hats. He opened the tin to reveal…..

Chapter 7

“SWEETS!”

All the teddies and dolls shouted out aloud.

The tin was opened to reveal…

pink and white bonbons, sharp little sherbet pips, squishy sugar- dusted jelly babies, dangly strawberry laces, whirls of black speckled liquorice, double coloured pear drops, sticky treacle toffees, purple parma violets, bright yellow barley sugars….

and so many other delicious delights.

“All my excellent readers deserve treats after such a great beginning to our reading aloud.” George beckoned everyone over to him.

“You have made this old bookshop bear brim over with pride.” He straightened his glasses.

When I reached the tin of sweets, the scent reminded me of the special weekends when the girl would bring a paper bag with such treats for us all. The thought made me smile inside.

As we all sat eating the sweets, George the bookshop bear stood on the books again.

“When I was abandoned in this very bookshop I lost myself in the books. I read everything I could possibly read. The books helped me to find an inner strength in myself, a resilience that was missing.” He climbed off the pile of books and began walking over to us.

“The more I read the more hopeful I became.” He breathed in and continued.

“Life begins as it does for us all,

young, happy, wanted,

needed, loved, special.

And then as we get older,

the child grows older,

realises things of more importance,

and eventually we are no longer remembered,

forgotten,

LOST!

But being lost isn’t always a dreadful thing,

It can be a calling,

sometimes you have to lose yourself to

find parts of you that would never exist

otherwise.”

He walked over to me and placed his hands on my face. “You my dear one are living in the past, you must let go before you can begin the next chapter.”

A tear trickled down my cheek at the thought of never seeing the girl again.

George gently wiped the tear with his paw and continued.

“When we learn how to shelve our memories so they can’t hurt us anymore, we can then reach for a new future with hope and build new memories.” He walked to the bookcases.

“With this bookclub we will support and encourage each other to shine individually and together.”

He opened his arms.

“Let us embrace in honour of friendships new and old.”

A tiny tabby kitten ran up and jumped into George’s open arms.

“O wolfie, my little tigercub, always first for a cuddle aren’t you?” the kitten meowed.

Camille the yellow-haired ragdoll and Archie came in towards the embrace, Big Sloth slowly got up followed by Ladybird with-one antennae. Eventually we all stood in a circle

hugging.

A twinkly, watery glow from the moon washed over us all as I closed my eyes.

Chapter 8

I remembered the blue box.

The box that I had arrived in.

It had a see-through window.

I remembered I first saw her large brown, questioning eyes and captivating gappy smile, peering at me, as she untangled me out of the box.

She held me close and I could smell flowers, skies and butterflies.

She took me everywhere with her, even to her mama’s motherland. Sometimes she would take me in her bag to school hoping I could protect against the cruel words.

And she always had that look when she looked at me.

That special look.

My eyes fluttered open as the circle dispersed.

George the bookshop bear held my hand.

“In remembrance of things lost.” he bellowed.

Everyone shouted aloud, “In remembrance of things lost.”

As we all returned to our places, I looked over at the collectors corner. Where did I belong?

The rejects-basket or the special shelves?

The question was answered by Big Sloth. He lifted me up and onto the shelf that Hedy had sat on.

“You belong here Hollyhop. You deserve another chance to be loved and to love.” His worn paw stroked my hair.

As the tender-dawn rays seeped through the window, radiating a new warmth,

I knew it wasn’t the end,

just a new beginning,

new friends,

new adventures.

And even though my heart would always be full with her, I felt a flurry of excitement knowing that I could be needed again,

remembered,

not lost.