Chapter Four
A few weeks passed after Brown Bear went missing and Eric still had not thought of a way to find him. Eric’s parents were worried because Eric had been so sad. They thought a new companion would be just the thing to make Eric feel better after losing Brown Bear. They brought Eric to an animal shelter on the next Saturday and told him to pick the puppy he wanted to take home.
Eric wasn’t as thrilled about bringing a dog home as his parents thought he would be. To Eric, a dog could never take the place of Brown Bear. Eric took his time walking past all the kennels. Some were filled with over-excited dogs, and some with sleepy dogs. There were dogs of all kinds there and Eric was finding a decision very difficult.
Eric couldn’t chose one and was about to tell his parents he wanted to leave, when a deep voice said, “Hello there, Eric.”
Eric looked around, but only saw his parents busy in the other aisle looking at some other dogs. He didn’t know where the mysterious voice came from.
"Hello there, Eric," the voice said again.
Eric didn’t know if he should be frightened or not.
"Who said that?" Eric whispered.
"I did," the strange voice replied. "I’m over here, in the kennel at the end. I have been waiting for you."
Eric was surprised. "Me? You have been waiting for me?" he asked.
"Yes, Eric. Now come over here so we can say hello properly."
Eric did what the voice told him to, and soon he was face to face with a very big, but very gentle looking dog. He was a very light golden colour and appeared very calm and gentle.
"That one has been here a while now. He’s a Labrador Retriever. Always seems sad, so no one wants him," the man who ran the shelter told Eric.
The man leaned closer to whisper to Eric, "But if you ask me, I think he is sad because no one wants him."
"I want him!" Eric chirped.
Eric was very excited because he was sure this was going to be his new best friend. He thought he was going to burst with joy.
"He is perfect! He even talked to me."
Eric's parents and the shelter keeper laughed.
The keeper misunderstood Eric and said, "Sometimes when we are sure we have found just what we wanted, it seems to call out to us, doesn’t it?"
"No, Sir, it’s not like that," Eric told the man with a big smile. "This dog has been waiting for me. He told me so himself."
Eric waited impatiently until his parents finished talking to the shelter keeper, and the kindly man unlocked the kennel and handed a leash to Eric. Eric was beaming. He was so happy, he whistled and laughed all the way home.
Eric couldn’t wait to get home so he could talk to his new friend somewhere private. The grownups would not understand if Eric started talking to a dog, because they couldn’t hear dogs and stuffed bears talk like Eric did.
Eric decided to name his new pal, ‘Golden Bear’ – like Brown Bear, but different. Eric and Golden Bear talked and learned a lot about each other that night. Eric was very happy to have this new best friend.
Eric became very quiet when he began talking about Brown Bear and his Nana. Eric told Golden Bear how the other kids picked on him at school. This made Golden Bear a little sad too. He liked Eric and felt very lucky to have a boy who loved him so much. Golden Bear had waited almost a year for just the right boy to come to the shelter. As soon as Eric walked in, he knew Eric was the boy he would go home with. Eric would love him as much as he would love Eric.
That night, while Eric slept, Golden Bear made a decision – he would help Eric find Brown Bear. It was not very nice what those boys at school did to Eric by taking Brown Bear. Tomorrow he would tell Eric about his plan to help him find Brown Bear. For now, Golden Bear was too sleepy to think any more, so he cuddled up beside his best friend and slept. Golden Bear and Eric both slept better than they had slept in a long time.
Golden Bear finally found a loving home. Eric and Golden Bear were sure to have many adventures together. Golden Bear was sure of that.
The next morning after breakfast, Eric and Golden Bear went for a walk in the field in the back of their house. It was full of bright purple flowers and smelled like mommy's favourite bubble bath. Golden Bear was busy romping and rolling in the flowers while Eric picked some flowers for mommy's china vase.
Golden Bear began leaping through the field, first away from Eric, then toward him. Each time, Golden Bear seemed to leap higher and higher. By the time he reached Eric, Golden Bear was leaping so high that he leapt right over Eric's head!
"Wow!" Eric exclaimed in awe. "How did you jump so high?" Eric asked.
Golden Bear didn’t have time to answer. Just as Golden Bear made his last swoop, he shouted, "Uh oh Eric!" into the wind, right before he dove straight under Eric and swooped him up into the air!
They were flying high up toward the clouds. Eric leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Golden Bear's neck, and squeezed his eyes shut tight. They swooped and twirled in the clouds and before long, Eric and Golden Bear were shouting with glee. They were flying!
"Where should we fly to?" Eric asked Golden Bear.
Golden Bear thought for a minute, then exclaimed, "That way!"
Golden Bear pointed straight ahead, at nothing in particular. Eric and Golden Bear were off on their very first adventure. This was the first of many more adventures to come, and Eric and Golden Bear hope that you will join them for every one of them!
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