The Land of the Sourpie Read online

  Caboose looked around, still with a startled look on his face. “Oh, nussing. I was just dreaming,” he answered. In addition to having a very soft, whistle-like voice, Caboose pronounced words that contained “th” as if they had an “s” instead. So when he said “nothing”, it sounded like he said “nussing.”

  Flurry could not quit giggling. He tried his best to keep silent, but he just could not keep the laughter inside. It was exactly like one of those moments in a quiet place like a library or a church when you knew you should not laugh, but no matter how hard you tried, you could not contain it. Well, this was exactly how Flurry felt. He tried to hold his breath, cover his mouth, and even bury his head in the pillow. However, the giggling would not stop.

  Noah shook his head to and fro, as if he knew what was coming next. Noah reached for his headset and put it over his ears. He was prepared for the inevitable.

  Flurry knew that he should keep quiet, so that he would not startle Boaz or Honja. Try as he might, Flurry could not contain the laughter building up inside of him. It was like he could explode at any moment. Flurry looked at Caboose again and said, “You’re not a turnip? Hee, hee, hee, hee, hee! You’re not a turnip? Hee, hee, hee, hee, hee! That’s good to know, Caboose!” Flurry continued to giggle. “I always wondered about that,” he added in jest.

  Flurry’s face looked as if it were being filled with hot air. His cheeks puffed out, and then it was too late. Flurry’s hysteria came bursting forth. He laughed so hard that he fell on the floor and rolled around, kicking his legs back and forth. Flurry’s glee reached the ears of Boaz and Honja, which abruptly ripped from their slumber.

  “Flurry! See what you did?” His mother exclaimed in an angry tone. She did not receive an answer. Flurry laughed so hard that his eyes filled with tears.

  As he rolled around on the ground, he kept repeating the phrase, “I’m not a turnip! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha! I’m not a turnip! Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!”

  Caboose smiled and soon joined Flurry in the merriment. Noah shook his head again, as if he were witnessing something very typical of Flurry.

  Honja and Boaz were still confused about what was going on. “Mommy, what’s wrong with Flurry?” Boaz asked, clearly annoyed.

  “I don’t know, Sweetie. I think Flurry didn’t get enough sleep last night,” she replied.

  “Flurry! Stop being so weird!” Boaz pleaded.

  Honja looked irritated and pulled his pillow down over his head.

  Eventually things were under control. Flurry had mostly calmed down, though he had some giggles from time-to-time while they got ready for the day. As the sun progressed across the sky Flurry would occasionally make a remark or call out for Caboose, but he would shout, “Hey Turnip!” instead of using Caboose’s real name.

  The boys got their gear together, and their mother helped them with their bags after she had slipped some food into each one. Their mother looked at all of them with tears in her eyes as she spoke. “All of you take care of each other, and be safe. Flurry, make sure you look after them. You’re responsible if anything happens to them.”

  “Don’t worry, Mommy, I’ve got it all under control,” Flurry said in a confident voice while he bore a smug look on his face.

  Noah shook his head. He knew full well how irresponsible Flurry could be. Flurry’s mother was still wary. Since she knew this same fact about Flurry, she turned to Noah and whispered to him, “Noah, keep an eye on them for me. I know I can count on you. Don’t let Flurry do anything foolish. Okay?”

  Noah nodded his head to show that he would watch over them. Noah was much more dependable than the others. He was a lot more mature and level-headed than all of the rest of them combined ‌—‌ you could say he had wisdom beyond his years.

  After they were all geared up and ready to go, Flurry’s mother opened the front door for them. She turned back to look when she heard Flurry’s voice in the distance. He had not gone out the door, but she heard him shout, “Okay, goodbye!” Perplexed, she noticed they were no longer in the same room with her.

  Where did they go? she wondered. The lady of the house closed the front door and walked through the house in search of her boys. As she came into their bedroom, she noticed clues that led her to conclude that they had gone into the closet. That’s strange! she thought to herself. Why would they do that? She opened the door, but there was not a single trace of her cubs. It was as if they had vanished into thin air.

  CHAPTER 2

  AN UNPLEASANT SURPRISE

  Having been brought to life, miraculously, by Christopher Kringle, some residual effects had clung to Flurry without anyone being aware of it. Though unintended, Christopher Kringle had been suspicious that something unique had happened with Flurry, so he kept a close eye on the cub. Due to this happenstance, Flurry had mysterious powers without any knowledge of this fact. This enabled him to lead his friends through the closet and instantly find themselves in Ursus, via the device found in the parcel that had arrived the night before.

  Late the previous evening, Flurry opened the mysterious package to find what appeared to be nothing more than a door handle. It seemed like a very odd object for Mr. Kringle to send him. There were only two of such a device in existence; the other one was used by none other than Kringle himself.

  Flurry learned how to operate the device from the included instructions. Boaz was of great help to Flurry in this regard. The guide indicated that travel between two locations could be done by merely thinking of a desired destination and placing the handle against any flat surface. At the turn of the decorative lever, the surface would become a doorway to whichever place Flurry’s mind focused on.

  The other fuzzies tried to use it, but to no avail. What made this object special was that it would not work for anyone else but Flurry, due to his unique origin. Even Flurry did not understand how this ability was so. As far as he was concerned, he could do it simply because he was awesome ‌—‌ though you and I know better.

  After the short moment it took for Flurry and his friends to travel to Ursus, they were greeted by the entire teddy bear community. At the entrance to the teddy bear village they all stood, too numerous to count. The crowd cheered and waved at Flurry and his friends as they drew near.

  At the forefront of the crowd stood Flurry’s teddy bear parents, Mr. and Mrs. Snow. Behind his parents stood Mr. and Mrs. Kringle, along with Flurry’s other family members. Flurry ran up to his mama and gave her a hug. Tears streamed down their faces as Flurry’s papa joined in a group hug.

  After a period of prolonged tears and affection, Flurry’s mama asked, “Son, are you going to introduce us to your friends?”

  “Oh, yeah! Sorry about that. Mama, Papa, this is Noah, Boaz, Honja, and Caboose, but he prefers to be called ‘Turnip’,” Flurry giggled.

  “Yeah!” Caboose nodded, but when he realized that he had agreed to the name “Turnip” he quickly corrected himself. “Hey! Sat’s not my name!”

  Flurry cackled and then continued with his introduction “They’re my new friends from Middleasia. We share a room together. Noah’s my best friend!” The crowd listened in on Flurry’s exposition ‌—‌ not that Flurry was trying to be private. He always liked to be the center of attention.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” Flurry’s parents kindly greeted his friends.

  Then Flurry rushed up to Mr. Kringle, who had been standing there observing the entire interaction. Flurry tugged on Christopher’s pant leg. “Come here! Come here!” Flurry exclaimed, while he attempted to draw Christopher closer to his friends.

  Flurry then rushed up to Noah and the others and shouted, “Do you know who this is? Well, do you?”

  Caboose scratched his head, while he sported a dumbfounded look on his face, and then shrugged.

  Noah shook his head back and forth to indicate that he, too, did not know.

  Boaz and Honja were not amused with Flurry’s antics, which resulted in Boaz sighing before he answered, “I’m sure you’re going to tell
us.”

  Flurry shouted, “It’s Santa!”

  Flurry’s pals looked at one another and back at Flurry again. Then Boaz replied, “Okay?” It was evident that the name did not ring a bell for anyone in Flurry’s gang.

  Flurry felt exasperated as he thought to himself, How could they not know who Santa is? Flurry addressed his roommates again, “Guys! You know? The one that brings presents on Christmas Eve!”

  At this time, Mr. Kringle cleared his throat and directed his statement toward Flurry’s brothers, “It’s Christopher Kringle actually. San’ta is the Polarin word for father.” Christopher turned toward Flurry and continued. “Flurry, not everyone knows about me. You can explain everything later. In the meantime, welcome home! I hope you’ll enjoy the next few days here. Make the most of it!”

  Christopher and Catherine waved goodbye, left the crowd, and strolled down the cobblestone path that led back toward the southeastern part of the small town. Their large stone home could be seen in the distance. As the young couple departed, Flurry wanted to follow along. The cub’s mother grabbed him by the paw and led him along with the rest of Flurry’s company. “Come, now. We should head home for a meal, and while we’re at it, there’s someone I’d like for you to meet.”

  “Who? Who is it, Mama?” Flurry inquired.

  “You’ll see. Just be patient.” Mrs. Snow led Flurry up the path, followed by his friends and his papa, who brought up the rear of their caravan.

  They arrived at the front door of the home where Flurry grew up ‌—‌ if you could say that about a teddy bear that never aged. The light brown-colored house was the same as he remembered it, with the same blue shutters and front door that sported the two-snowflake family crest. The fireplace had already been lit, and smoke ascended from the chimney.

  The front door opened, just as they strode up the path. At the threshold was a petite, cream-colored teddy bear that stepped out from the warm interior and into the cold. She had a cute blue nose, a blue dress, and two blue bows in the fur upon her head ‌—‌ one above each ear. She was simply adorable! Her cute looks quite possibly rivaled that of Flurry’s ‌—‌ something that would not go over well with him.

  Flurry looked at her, perplexed. He thought he had met all of the teddy bears in Ursus, but he did not have any memory of this particular one. Flurry continued to study her as they approached. Then Flurry noticed the snowflakes on her dress. These snowflakes were unmistakable ‌—‌ they were the Snow family’s crest. Could she be a distant cousin that I haven’t met? Flurry thought to himself.

  Mr. and Mrs. Snow helped everyone inside. While they shook the snow off of their feet, Flurry walked up to the female bear. He looked her over, but did not say a word. Flurry stood and gazed at her. He seemed suspicious as he inspected the young cub. Much like Flurry would do, she put her arms behind her back and blushed a bit while she looked uneasy. The female cub exchanged concerned glances with Mrs. Snow.

  Mrs. Snow quickly intervened and said, “Flurry, I want you to meet Fall. She has been so excited to see you. We told her all about you. Isn’t this exciting? You have a little sister.”

  Flurry froze in place with his mouth ajar. His face would have been as white as a sheet, if his fur were not already white. It took a moment for the shock to wear off enough for him to say, “Sister? Sister? Since when? I don’t have a sister! I never had a sister! This can’t be true!” Flurry shouted with indignation in his voice. “I don’t want a sister! Mama, I thought you only loved me!”

  Flurry ran up the steps to his old bedroom, flopped onto the bed, and cried.

  Downstairs, Mr. Snow looked at Mrs. Snow, shrugged, and said, “Well, I think that went a lot better than we anticipated.”

  Mrs. Snow sighed. “I should go see if he’s okay. In the meantime, Fall, acquaint yourself with Flurry’s friends. I’ll be right back.” Mrs. Snow rushed off to attend to her son.

  “Hello. I’m Fall,” the young teddy bear softly spoke to the others.

  “Hello,” the dinky lion replied. “I’m Boaz, the other lion is Noah; the polar bear is Caboose, and the …‌” Before Boaz could finish, Fall had already interrupted.

  “Awww! What a cute little mouse!” Fall exclaimed as she bent down and patted Honja on the head.

  Honja was instantly upset, pushed her paw away from his head, turned his back to her, and crossed his arms.

  “Now, you did it!” Boaz exclaimed. “He hates being patted on the head, and he really hates being mistaken for a mouse. He’s a bunny rabbit.”

  “Oh! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to make you angry, little bunny.” Fall tried to smooth the matter over.

  “His name is Honja,” Boaz added.

  “Little Honja, please don’t be mad. If you will forgive me, I’ll give you some of my cookies. My mama made them for me, and I’ll share them with you.” Fall attempted to bribe the bunny’s forgiveness.

  Surprisingly, it worked. Flurry had never been that clever at winning Honja over, but Fall had now succeeded where Flurry failed ‌—‌ though it is doubtful that Flurry ever really tried very hard. Teddy bears do hold tasty treats in high regard.

  Honja turned around and was met by Fall’s paw which held a cookie out for him. He tried to act disinterested, but he gave in and quickly nibbled away at the baked treat. The sweet-tasting pastry was as big as he was, if not larger. The bunny was quite content and had already forgotten the mistaken identity. As far as Honja was concerned, he now liked Fall better than Flurry. If there had been a vote, Honja would have elected Flurry out of office.

  “Wow! That’s amazing!” Boaz exclaimed. “I’ve never seen Honja’s anger get squelched so easily. You have a gift. Maybe you can come back with us, and Flurry can stay here.”

  “Thank you! I think?” Fall answered with a moment of caution and then a giggle.

  “What’s a squelch?” asked Caboose.

  “No, Caboose. It’s not a ‘thing’. It means to stop or suppress,” Boaz explained.

  “Ohhh! I like supper!”

  “No! Not supper! I said …‌ oh, never mind.”

  Fall’s father stepped toward the cubs. “It’s almost time for lunch. Since all of you appear to be getting along, for the most part, let’s go ahead and pull our chairs up to the table,” Mr. Snow addressed the gang. “I’ll ready the kitchen. They should be back down here in just a moment.”

  However, upstairs, things were not as smooth as Mr. Snow had hoped. Flurry continued to bawl his little eyes out. Mrs. Snow came into the room and found her boy lying on his bed. “Sweetie, it’s all right. Don’t cry, my son,” Mrs. Snow consoled her teary-eyed cub.

  Flurry’s steady stream of tears resumed. He would not allow himself to be comforted. He sobbed throughout his reply. “I thought you loved me, but you replaced me!” Flurry bellowed before he returned to his sorrows. The cub buried his face in the tear-soaked pillow from his bed.

  “We didn’t replace you, Sweetie. Nothing could ever take your place. I’ve missed you more than you can imagine, and not a day has gone by where I haven’t missed you dearly. But without you here, the home has been so …‌ empty. Your absence has left a hole in my heart that only you can fill. Fall was brought to us by Mr. Kringle, as a surprise gift. He thought she would help ease our pain. I thought you’d be happy to know that you have a sister. Think of the fun the two of you could have together.”

  “Whatever!”

  “Don’t be so selfish!” Flurry’s mama gave him a lecture about his attitude, and attempted to explain more of how Fall came to be a part of their family.

  Flurry sat up, rubbed his eyes, and then sat there in silence with a scowl upon his face.

  “Wipe that look off of your mug right now!” Flurry’s mama sharply rebuked him. “Flurry, I came here to comfort you, but if you’re going to be difficult, you can just sit here in your room and think about it while the rest of us eat our lunch! It isn’t fair to keep your guests waiting to eat just because you want to throw a pity party for
yourself! You have a sister! Now, deal with it!” Mrs. Snow got up and stormed out of Flurry’s room. Flurry did not react, but continued with his grumpy countenance. Eventually, he crawled under the blanket and hid there, as if it would effectively hide him from the rest of the world.

  Mrs. Snow came downstairs and rejoined the rest of the guests at the table. “Well?” Mr. Snow asked, “How is he?”

  “He’s …‌” Mrs. Snow began and then paused when she changed her mind about what she was going to say. She rested her face in her paws momentarily and then looked up to reply, “He’s being difficult. He has this crazy idea that we don’t love him, and that we tried to replace him with Fall.”

  Mr. Snow sighed and rubbed the side of his face with his paw. Caboose looked over toward the steps, slid down from his chair, crawled under the table, and slipped away from the others, while Flurry’s parents continued to converse about their son.

  Nobody noticed Caboose’s sly departure, as they all listened intently to the Snow family discussion.

  Caboose had a bit of trouble getting up the steps, but he managed to climb them all and find Flurry’s room, after a little exploration. Caboose came into the room, took ahold of the blanket with his mouth, and pulled the bedspread down to the floor.

  Flurry looked up with his watery eyes and was relieved to see that it was Caboose. “Oh, hey, Caboose!” Flurry responded to his visitor.

  “Hello,” said Caboose.

  “What are you doing here? I thought Mama was fixing lunch.”

  “Yes, she is, but you’re my friend and friends stick togesser,” Caboose answered, and climbed up on the bed and laid there with Flurry.

  “I don’t want to be here anymore! I wish we could sneak out without anyone noticing,” Flurry replied, as he looked out from the window. After a momentary pause, Flurry thought of a plan, and his mood changed. He quickly cheered up as if a light bulb had turned on inside of his mind, giving him new insight and inspiration. “I know! We could go visit my uncle! His name is Vinegar. I could tell Mama and Papa that he wanted to see me. They’ll believe me, and then we can use that as our excuse to get out of the house. Come on Caboose!”