By Kev le Chat

(Illustration by Miki de Goodaboom)

It was dark…everywhere. And everywhere didn’t seem to be very big at all.
He pressed his paws this way and that…he couldn’t even stretch his little furry body out properly
Not really. And Ramble was a very small bear, it has to be said.

He couldn’t remember much before being in the Dark Everywhere, but as he thought about it,
He realised he’d probably fallen into his suitcase, and banged his head. He knew his name of course,
It would be a bit daft if he forgot that, and he knew he had a suitcase, because that was what the Dark Everywhere was, he was sure of that. He seemed to remember that he really liked to travel.

But…what now?

He felt a thud, and felt someone or something fiddling with the latches. He was feeling a bit stressed to be honest as sunlight poured in and some crazy creature screamed at him:
“Ooooooohhhhh! Aren’t you ADORABLE??”

Well, of course I am – thought Ramble, a little cross. I mean, it’s traumatic being released
From the Dark Everywhere without being screamed at by a lunatic.

He looked at his surroundings….he seemed to be sat in a window, there was lots and lots happening on the other side of it. Shiny metal boxes in many different colours rolling this way and that on wheels, with Yoomans inside. He seemed to have a vague recollection of Yoomans. He realised the creature who screamed at him was a Yooman too.

In fact, there were Yoomans everywhere, walking to and fro on the other side of the window, it was very interesting indeed. Some were stuffing things in their faces, some were carrying enormous bags, but everyone seemed to have somewhere to go.

This went on for days and nights. Ramble got a bit bored with the window in the night, because all he could see was a reflection of himself, so he would hop out of his suitcase and play with some of the other bears that seemed to be dotted around the place. Some of them looked a bit sad. Ramble asked one of them, a funny tatty little orange thing – why that was.
“Nobody buys us” said the orange bear. “Some of us have been here for months”.
“What do you mean ‘buy you?’ “ asked Ramble, a bit confused.
“ You’re a bit thick, for a well-travelled bear, aren’t you?” said the Orange bear a little unnecessarily, to Ramble’s way of thinking.
“You’re a TOY! Someone needs to buy you so you go to a good home!”
I’m a bear, you idiot, thought Ramble, though he was far too polite to say it. He ambled back to his suitcase and flopped down in it until morning.

The next day, the street was busy again, shiny boxes – cars, as he had now learned they were called were vrooming and honking up and down the street, and there were people everywhere, though to Ramble’s mind they all looked a bit grey…
Then he saw this very strange thing across the road…he had a wild mass of black hair, almost like a bear and was wearing really weird clothes and a brightly coloured scarf.
“What’s THAT!?” exclaimed Ramble, to no one in particular.

He was a bit panicked now, the hairy weird thing was coming across the road to his side!
I hope he doesn’t break the glass, he thought.

Ramble needn’t have worried about that. Ramble’s eyes grew wide as the hairy yooman peered through the window at him.
Ramble was about to explode with terror when something amazing happened….the yooman’s face broke into the biggest smile
The little bear had ever seen! It filled his heart!

Then, the Yooman disappeared from view! Don’t go….thought Ramble…
But a moment later, the dingaling went! Ramble knew the dingaling, it meant someone was coming in the shop!
And then there he was talking with the Screaming Yooman who ran the shop, and pointing…at him!

He looked down at Ramble and said the words Ramble would never forget:
“You’re WONDERFUL! And you’re coming home to Spain to live in our bear house where you will have lots of friends who will love you!”

Ramble thought his heart would burst! He was going on a travel adventure, and he was going to be loved!

(Prints of all sorts are available. Click on the painting to go to Miki de Goodaboom’s shop online)