for Riley and Evan...Kimberly Thorner could you please read them this story Grandpapa wrote years ago.... NETTE THE BEAR From the window of the shop in Manitou Springs, Colorado the snow on the mountain top was easy to see on a clear day, on foggy days the lights warded off the darkness from without and glistened on the bright coppers, chrome and colored glass inside the shop. Occasionally an eagle called in the distance as it circled the mountaintop. Nette was a small black bear that sat on the shelf high in corner near the window. The wood cutter that had made her had added two small glass eyes that gave her a puzzled look and that was how she looked at life through the shop window, with a little bit of curiosity and puzzlement. When the woodcutter made her he had worked extra hard sanding until the sycamore wood was soft to touch and after several coats the varnish made her black coat soft and shinny. As seasons changed she watched the snow on the mountain top near Pike’s Peak change from pure soft white to a gun mental gray as the leaves on the Aspen trees went from bright yellow to summer’s dark green to bright yellow again in the fall. All day long the bell of the shop in the summer would ring gaily as shoppers went in and out buying wind chimes and candles, Indian jewelry, pots and blankets. But one day in the fall when the bright gold leaves had fallen off of the trees, someone grabbed her and stuffed her in a dark place. The place where she was wasn’t uncomfortable, the little white cushions where soft and the papers used in the box where warm, so she laid down in the darkness and slept. How long she didn’t know. “It’s gettin’ a little stuffy in here.” Nette thought as she slowly awoke, it wasn’t unusual that she should have slept for a long time; everyone knows that bears sleep for a long time when they hibernate. But just now she was feeling hot and the air around her felt strangely wet. “How did the air get wet, oh well it must have rained.” But she hadn’t heard it rain and she wiggled her nose to sniff the air and didn’t smell the clean freshness of the rains that came off mountaintops. “I’ll have to see about this” she thought as she growled a yawn and snuggled into the soft packing, “But not just now.” And she stretched her toes rubbed her tail and went back to sleep. There was the sound of a door opening and footstep on concrete and Nette felt the box being lifted in the air, the sound of foot steps and the door closing again. “Its probably some more clothes you ordered.” Came the deep voice. “No, whatever it is it’s a different box” Came the softer, sweet voice. The sound of tape being pulled roused the sleeping bear and she heard the higher soft voice say, “Its from your niece in Colorado” The growly voice said, “Huh, wonder what that is? The light suddenly appeared and hurt Nette’s eyes so she shut them tight and heard” Oh, look Pat its a bear, isn’t she cute.” “Well hello little one, welcome to our home.”Came the soft voice. “Ha ha well I’ll be darned, isn’t it cute, a funny little carved bear, with little glass eyes. Came the lower voice in wonder. “I wonder if I should tell them it isn’t polite to point out such things and draw attention to them”, thought the little bear, “I didn’t immediately say, oh look at the man with the balding head and the crooked nose, oh well, perhaps they just don’t know better.” “Look sister, perhaps its a new lady’s room.” Came a nasal voice from the floor and two golden eyes peered into the cardboard box, “ With! TOYS!!!” came the surprised shout followed by the sound of plastic scuttling across the floor followed by a flurry of orange brown and tan. “Don’t touch it sister,” came the snotty reply from near the door, “you don’t know where that stuff has been.... HEY, THATS MINE!!!! The sound of plastic being dragged across the room followed by the black and white tail rounding the corner. The two cats locked into a life and death struggle for a moment and then Princess the black and white cat stood with tail and head in the air and with a look of authority pronounced that she of the two cats had to have been secretly adopted and haughtily walked away. Punkin the orange, brown and tan calico lay on her side bottom leg sticking out, watching with large yellow eyes as she licked her front paw and said “That might account for your wide butt too Princess.” And the battle was back on with the sound of thundering cat paws racing though the house. “Wha, wha,asccchoo,what aschooo,” sneezed the old black dog from in back of the table, she stood and let go of a huge sneeze, phooowee, ”Whas all dat noise, whas going on he’ar, ain’t nobody tole me it was suppa time, look he’ar. You dang cats ud wake the daid.” Isis shook her ears and stretched, “I just found me a nice cool spot ta nap in and, hmmm whas dis” Her old gray nose sniffed the paper from the box and mentally noted to herself “Sycamore, white pine, glue, varnish, plastic stuff, come from Yankee land. Then with a great deal of effort she collapsed back into the corner behind the table. Nette’s eyes where beginning to clear now and the lights inside the house shown on the two people gathered around her. The one with the soft voice had long auburn hair and glasses and a soft kind face, the one with the deep voice was taller and didn’t have much hair and tended to talk too loud. “Well wasn’t that sweet of your niece, the card says her name is Nette.” The one with the long hair cradled her in her arms and looked down into her face, Nette cuddled into her warm body and looked around the room. The wood beams in the ceiling looked a little like the shop, the light reflected off of the brass and windows. Nette saw the strange shapes of the Burrell wood Polynesian carvings of masks and fish from the Marshall Islands the porcelain birds on perches from Europe and began to be afraid The high pitched whine of the little bear was far above the sound that humans could hear. “Wha, grumble, gol, wha, aschooo,” came the sound of Isis again as she slowly got to her feet with great effort. “Whas, aschoo, aschooo, A-SCHOOO” came the last great sneeze from the dog pulling her body straight and jerking her head almost to the floor. “Whew, dat was a good un, whew, who’s making all dat racket in here?” “What is that thing sister?” Mewed the calico. The sound had made her curious so she pretended she wasn’t by laying on her back with her paw extended and cleaned her stomach with one ear fully extended to be sure to hear anything that was said. “If it isn’t made of fine china, crystal or mink, I haven’t the slightest interest sister.” Said the black and white carefully watching the swishing tail of Punkin with the possible thought of attack. “I’ve no interest in the common.” Came the matter of fact reply as Princess regally, head and tail held high turned and walked away. “Except maybe common Tuna, big butt!” Was the smiling reply of the calico from the floor. With a spring Princess attacked and they scattered in different directions after a short scuffle on the floor. He’ar, he’ar, Ya’ll stop dat now, ya’ll setttle down, aschooo, dang!,a schooo, Ya’ll know dat at activity of ya’lls gits ma allergies ta goin’. The big dog stepped over to the coner and looked at the little bear. “Whas a matta darlin’ whay ya’ll makin dat rackett fo?” I’m Isis named afta the Egyptian goddess of the afta life, ain’t just a sure why tho, cause das my name, dem cats is Punkin, and Princess, dey da dang cats as live here too, now who you?” “Nette”, came the soft voice, “I’m from Colorado, I’m lost.” And a tear ran down the little face that some who didn’t know might have said was sap. The little bear looked around the room with her black shinny eyes and sniffed the air. “Why is it hot and why is the air wet, and who are the two big ones and where am I?” The big dog sat down with great difficulty and thought to herself, finally the silver-white brow over her eyes raised and she smiled and said “ Well, darlin, yo in Alabama, dos two is Pat and Martie, dey the ones sent here to take care a things, poor things, god made dem to work all day and get us food and wait on us and do fo us, when its hot outside dem fools go out in the heat and work, when its raining they go out in the rain, and they just sleep for a few hours at night, don’t take no naps during the day or nothin, makes me sad.” Nette’s eyes opened wide and looked at the dog with disbelief, bring us food and don’t sleep at all except a few hours a night, she found that hard to believe. “But don’t you fret none little un, they might be a bit slow, if ya know what I mean, but we watch out for em.” Said the big dog slowly shaking her head with a sad look on her face. “We try to be kind to em, I reckon the lord had his purpose for making em dat away, breaks ma heart tho. Now look he’ar little gurl, ya’ll got a lot questions. Its hot cause the sun shines on the cotton fields and makes em green and puffy white, shines on the magnolia and the honey suckle and makes em smell real purdy, and the wet air is called humidity and it keeps the grass and trees a dark soft green .....” “And grows catnip.” Said Punkin from the corner of the kitchen peeking out from under the counter by the stove. The slightest opening in the cupboard door was an invitation to explore that no cat could pass up, the stack of pans and bowls were beginning to bore her now so she decided to include the fascinating information (any information a cat had was of course fascinating to everyone) into the discussion. The huge black eyes turned back to small slits in her huge yellow eyes as she checked to see what the dark speck on the floor was and tested it with her paw. “Catnip” she confirmed. “Something you could use a little less of I would say, “came the dry purring sound of Princess, her nose tipped at the same angle as her tail. “You know how ridiculous you become when you sniff that stuff sister.” She said as she looked down her nose disapprovingly at the other cat wondering herself what the speck was but much too cool to show any interest lest she seem silly. Punkin deftly tipped the speck with her paw and found it didn’t move and walked away with a purposeful gait and said over her shoulder. “Humph, it might do you some good to sniff some and loosen you up a little, tight buns.” An attempt was made at a rear attack and after missing Punkin, Princess quickly gathered herself up and with correct cat posture stealth fully walked in an opposite direction saying “Common!” over her shoulder. “Heh, heh, a-a-schoo, aschoo dang cats, got ma allergies up again. Never mind dem cats, ain’t nobody wants no catnip but dem, never mind none a all dat, you look for the good thangs, the same thangs in ya’lls new home and not da strange and different thangs and you’ll be happy, shhhh here dem poor things comes again. “Where do you want to put her Pat, in the hutch, no let put her in the sun room.” Yeah, that’s fine with me hun, where ever you think.” The one with the long hair picked up the little bear and carried her to the sunroom with the windows all around and a funny thing happened. The sun and the lights glistened on the glass, and through the windows the little bear could see the Smokey Mountains in the distance. Sure there wasn’t any snow, but these mountains had trees on them with colors of red and brown, gold, yellow and crimson. The lush green grass waved in the wind that brushed the wind chimes and the bees and butterflies danced on the yellow and purple mums. The little bear looked and saw the beautiful colors of autumn all around and thought, “Maybe this won’t be so bad after all, maybe I can make a home here, I’ll just look for the similar things here and not the differences, and everything will be alright.” The call of the Red Tailed Hawk sounded in the distance mountaintop She snuggled up to the lamps made from Indian pottery and looked at the Navaho rug on the floor and took a nap, thanking god that she wasn’t one of those people who only slept at night The End
Posted on: Tue, 17 Jun 2014 22:12:41 +0000
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