Here is a little extract from my bearography that will tell you how I came to meet my dear friend Lucy.
Lucy's Story
One night, when Edi was returning alone from visiting the Theatre Royal, he saw a figure run underneath a bush at the back of the Cinema. It had started to rain when Edi had been away and now it was getting really heavy. As he passed by the bush he noticed a small pink face peeping out at him. "Hello, who’s in there?" he asked. "It's Lucy." a tiny voice replied. "What are you doing here?" asked Edi, as he made his way under the bush to get a better look at the stranger. "I was trying to get back home, but I've become so wet and cold I can hardly walk." "I live here in this building." said Edi, pointing to the cinema. "Do you want to come inside? It’s nice and dry and warm." "Can I?" asked Lucy. "Yes of course you can." Edi told her. "Just follow me." The girl stepped out from beneath the bush and Edi realised why she was having so much trouble walking. She was a knitted doll and her woollen body and clothes were soaked through. Her long red hair, tied up with ribbons in various clumps upon her head, was soaking wet and drops of water were dripping off the strands of wool into her eyes. Her blue and yellow polka dot dress was stuck to her body and it was obviously a struggle for her to move one foot in front of the other. "Here, take my arm and I’ll help you." said Edi. "We just need to get across there." he explained, pointing towards the open window. Lucy took his arm and they walked across the lane as quickly as they could. "We need to climb up this pipe." explained Edi. "It’s a bit of a climb, but I'm sure you can manage it. "I'm not sure that I can, it's a long way up." said Lucy regretfully. "I’m sorry, I’m just too exhausted." "Who’s this you’ve got with you?" asked Smoosh, looking down from the window. "It’s Lucy she’s lost and she's coming to stay with us tonight." explained Edi. "Can you help her climb the pipe?" "Of course I can. Just a minute." said Smoosh, as he climbed down. When he was standing beside them, he told Lucy to climb onto his back and put her arms around his neck. Once she was securely in position, Smoosh began to clamber back up the pipe and within a few minutes Lucy was sitting on the stairs inside the cinema. "Thank you." panted Lucy, between deep breaths. "You’re welcome." said Smoosh. "Take a minute to get your breath back and then we will take you to the boiler room to heat up and dry out." said Edi. Once Lucy was able to breathe normally, Smoosh helped her to climb up the stairs and before long they had scurried along the voids and were soon in the cosy warmth of the boiler room. "Oh this is wonderful." exclaimed Lucy, as she warmed herself by the boiler. "I can feel myself starting to dry out already. My whole body becomes so heavy when it gets wet, it's exhausting trying to move even a little distance." "Where do you live?" asked Edi. "Is it close by?" "It's not too far away, up on the hill. I share a wooden box with Gina and Bobbie." explained Lucy. "Are they outside in the rain too?" asked Smoosh. "No, they will be back at the box. I had decided to go for a walk, I'd never have guessed that it was going to turn out so wet." explained Lucy. "I love getting away from the box when I can. It's a bit cramped in there and it's nice to be out and about on my own sometimes." "It's quite a walk up to the hill." said Smoosh. "I doubt if you would ever have made it back in this weather." "I know, I was a bit silly really." said Lucy. "I should have turned back long before I got this far, but I'd not been this way since this building was finished and so I was curious to have a look." "How did you get so wet?" asked Edi. "Couldn't you find any shelter from the rain?" "I slipped and fell while I was running to get under cover." explained Lucy. "I was on a slope at the time and I rolled down the hill a little way and fell into a puddle. It wasn't too deep, but by the time I had managed to climb out I was soaked through. By that time the rain was so heavy I could hardly see where I was going." "Was that when I found you." asked Edi. "Yes, I was just running in any direction that seemed to have a clear path." explained Lucy. "I could make out some bushes in the distance and was trying my best to get underneath them in the hope they would provide some shelter." "It was lucky that I was coming round the corner at that exact moment." said Edi. "Otherwise, you might still be stranded under there." "I can't begin to tell you how glad I was to see a friendly face." said Lucy. "I was beginning to feel a bit scared. I thought I might be stuck there all night and possibly all of tomorrow if there were humans about." "There would have been." Smoosh assured her. "There are humans around this place all day long." "What about your friends?" asked Edi. "Will they be worried when you don't come back?" "Bobbie will be." said Lucy. "Gina probably won't even notice I have gone." "Do we need to go and find them." asked Smoosh. "Let them know you are safe." "I guess we should." agreed Lucy. "But can we stay here for a little while? Perhaps until the rain stops. I just don't have enough energy to go back into the woods at the moment." "Of course we can wait for a while." said Edi. "Smoosh is really quick at getting up to the windows, he'll check for us a bit later and see if the rain has stopped." "Why don't you tell us about Gina and Bobbie while we wait." suggested Smoosh. "I owe everything to Bobbie really." said Lucy. "If it wasn't for him I would probably still be living in the wilderness. He found me after I had been stolen from Anna." "Was Anna your owner?" asked Edi. "Yes, I was given to Anna as a birthday present from her grandmother. She knitted me herself and also a complete wardrobe of beautiful clothes." "I know what it's like to lose your owner." said Edi. "I was accidently separated from my owner, Jack, one night a few months ago and I really miss him." "How did you get stolen from Anna." asked Smoosh. "It happened one summer afternoon. Anna had been enjoying a picnic with a few of her friends who had come to her house to play. They'd all had too much to eat and were lying exhausted on the grass enjoying the sun." "Sounds wonderful." said Smoosh "Sunshine and beautiful food." "It was, but suddenly a dog found its way into the garden. The smell of the food must have attracted it. There was no food left by this time, but Anna had spilled some jelly on my dress and the dog could smell it. He started sniffing around me and licking it off. It was just then that Anna opened her eyes and saw the dog. She screamed and shouted at the dog to get away and leave me alone, but he picked me up in his mouth and ran off with me." "How awful." said Edi. "What happened then?" "The dog ran out of the garden and into some long grass. It ran and ran for a long time and then eventually it lay down and continued to lick the jelly off my dress. Once my dress had been licked clean it lost interest and ran away, leaving me lying in the grass." "What did you do?" asked Smoosh. "I was really shaken by the experience and I had no idea how to get back to the garden. I knew I must be far away from Anna, or any human, as I was able to move quite freely. I stumbled through the grass for a long time, but I never found any gardens. The grass seemed to go on forever. Some other children did pass by at one point, but they didn’t notice me. I wandered about the grass area for several days, but I only ever seemed to find more grass or a wall. There was a hill in the distance, so I decided I would climb up that in the hope I could see the garden from there. It was difficult to climb for there were lots of shrubs and branches on the ground, but even when I eventually reached the top I still couldn’t see over the wall. I began to accept that I would probably never find Anna again." "That’s awful." said Edi. "I was sitting with my head in my hands when Bobbie came along. He told me he had a place where I could rest and stay if I wanted and that was how I came to live with Bobbie in the box. "Are you happy living in the woods?" asked Edi. "It’s alright, but it can be very cold and wet sometimes. It’s lovely to be inside on a night like this." "Perhaps you could all come and live here." suggested Edi "But there is a cat who isn't too happy about toys staying in his building, so we'd have to check with him first." "Do you think we could?" asked Lucy. "I would love to stay here if it were possible." "We'll ask him later if we can find him." said Edi. "I hope he agrees, it would be great fun having other toys living here." "Shall I check if it's still raining." asked Smoosh. "Yes." said Edi. "You go and check the weather and I'll make a raincoat for Lucy." While Smoosh was away, Edi explained to Lucy how, a few weeks before, he and Smoosh had found a broken umbrella in the workshop. It had been a stormy day and the umbrella had obviously blown inside out and its owner had decided there was no point in keeping it. Edi had long wished he had an umbrella when he got caught in the rain while visiting the Theatre Royal, so when he saw this discarded one he had an idea to put it to good use. He knew that umbrellas were made from some kind of magic material that stopped the rain from making you wet. What if he were to make a cloak and a hat from that same material? Surely he would never have to get wet again, no matter how heavy the rain! He and Smoosh spent a long time trying to get the umbrella out of the bin but eventually they managed it. They spent even longer separating the material from the frame and dragging it into the voids, but it was well worth the effort. "We've still got loads of material left." said Edi "We can easily make you a cloak that will keep you dry when we go into the woods." "That would be wonderful." exclaimed Lucy. "I hate getting wet, but I love being in the rain. It would be fantastic if you could make me something to keep the rain out." Edi clambered through the red wall to where the material was stored and dragged it through into the boiler room. "We'll need to tear off a piece that is the right size for you." Edi explained. "It's hard work, but it can be done." "Still raining." said Smoosh as he scrambled through the red wall and into the boiler room. "You'll definitely need that rain cloak if we're going out before it stops." All three of them set about tearing off a piece of material for Lucy's cloak. It took quite a while, but eventually Lucy was standing with a perfectly fitting cloak draped over her shoulders and a hat on her head. Smoosh and Edi put on their cloaks and hats and soon all three of them were standing on the windowsill ready to go in search of Lucy's home. Once on the ground they made their way into the long grass. It was still raining, so they were very glad of the umbrella cloaks. The grass was wet and slippery, making it difficult to walk, but they kept heading onwards as fast as they could. Lucy had described to Smoosh where the box was located and he was pretty sure he knew the group of trees Lucy had mentioned. With his help they found the most direct route and before long they could see the trees in the distance. "Yes!" said Lucy. "That's the right trees, the box is just around the other side." She led them underneath some bushes and there it was, a large wooden box, turned on its side. A piece of old cloth was draped over the front of it and flapping in the wind. "Bobbie, Gina." shouted Lucy, as she ran towards the box. "I’m back." A head peeked through the side of the cloth and soon a pair of arms and a body followed. "Lucy! Where have you been?" asked Bobbie, as he stepped out of the box. He was a wooden soldier toy and wore a beautiful red army jacket and black trousers with a gold stripe down the side of the legs. "I got lost in the rain." said Lucy as she ran into Bobbie’s arms and hugged him. "I’m so glad you're okay, but who have you brought with you?" asked Bobbie, as he noticed the strangers behind her. "This is Edi and this is Smoosh." Lucy explained. "Edi found me trying to shelter from the rain and took me to his home to dry out." "Thank you for helping." said Bobbie. "Please, come inside, this rain is getting worse." "How on earth did you get lost Lucy!" asked Gina, a tall thin doll, dressed in a long green silk dress, who was sitting on a large sponge at the back of the box. "Well I didn't actually get lost, I knew where I was, but I couldn’t see because the rain was blowing into my eyes. I fell into a puddle and became soaked through within minutes." Lucy told her, sounding flustered as she tried to explain. "Trust you to go out walking in the pouring rain." said Gina. "It was dry when I left." Lucy told her. "There was no sign of rain, it just came on all of a sudden." "We thought it was best to come and let you know Lucy was safe." explained Edi, sensing that Lucy was becoming a little upset by Gina's attitude. "That was very good of you." said Bobbie. "I was worried about her." "They were so friendly to me." said Lucy. "And you should see the place where they live. It's a wonderful building, so warm and dry." "Would you like to see it." Edi asked Bobbie and Gina. "It doesn't take long to get there." "I’m not going out in that rain." said Gina. "Not to see some stupid building." "You can come another night when it’s dry if you would rather." suggested Edi. "That would probably be better." said Bobbie "It's a shame you can't come tonight, but we'll come back when it's better weather." said Edi. "I could come back tonight." said Lucy. "If it was okay, I'd really rather not stay here if I have the chance to stay in that lovely place." "You can come back with us if you want." said Edi "Now that your friends know you are safe and no harm will come to you, you're more than welcome." "That would be wonderful." said Lucy. "It was so nice feeling warm and dry, I've not felt like that since I lived with Anna." "We had been thinking of asking if you would all like to come and live with us." said Edi. "Though we need to get approval from the cinema cat. He's not too fond of having visitors in the cinema." "It depends on what this place is like." said Gina. "We are quite happy here in the box. It's been our home for a long time now." "That's a really nice gesture." said Bobbie. "We will certainly come and visit your home sometime soon." It was agreed that the next time there was a dry and not too windy night, Edi and Smoosh would fetch Bobbie and Gina and show them around the cinema. Lucy quickly collected a few possessions, gave Bobbie a warm hug and said she would see him soon. Gina waved her hand but said nothing as Lucy said goodbye. "She will never go out in the rain." said Lucy, as she, Edi and Smoosh made their way back to the cinema. "And she’s made from plastic, it wouldn’t do her any harm! Even her hair is plastic, the water just rolls of it, not like mine." "She didn’t seem very happy to see us." said Edi. "She was probably hoping I was never coming back." "Why would she wish that?" asked Smoosh. "Because she doesn't like me being around. She would rather live alone with Bobbie and not have me there at all." "Did she live with Bobbie before he found you?" asked Edi. "No, I lived there first." said Lucy "It was us that took her in when she found the box one day soon after she had been lost." "So she should be grateful that you helped her." said Edi. "Yes, but she isn’t." said Lucy. "It’s because I'm only made from wool. She thinks I’m not good enough to be her friend." "But that’s awful." exclaimed Edi. "And it's really stupid!" "It happens though." said Smoosh. "I’ve met many toys who wouldn’t speak to me because I was an animal and not a human toy." "But we are all toys." said Edi. "We should help each other and be each other's friends." "That’s what I think too." said Lucy. "But some toys just think they are better than others." "That really is a bad way of thinking." said Edi. "I never knew that some toys could be like that." "You learn a lot in the big outside world." said Smoosh. "And some of the things you learn are not always very nice." "I guess that must be true." said Edi. "I'm glad we don't have to deal with the outside world very often." "I'm just glad that I get to stay with you both tonight." said Lucy. "I am so excited about spending a whole night in the warmth." Before long they were back in the cinema and warming themselves by the boiler. Once they were completely dried out, Smoosh and Edi took Lucy on a tour of the cinema. Mr White Eye got quite a surprise when he saw a little woollen doll running down the aisle of the stalls. Edi was quick to introduce her and explain the predicament she was in. Mr White Eye was quite sympathetic and said she could stay as long as she needed. Edi didn't mention Gina and Bobbie at this point as he thought the idea of three new toys coming to live at the cinema might be too much for Mr White Eye to cope with just yet. He decided to leave that question until another night.