Bickel Bear is the most adventurous bear in Imaginaria. He loves it when something new and exciting happens, and with Bickel Bear, exciting things happen all the time! You see, wise bears always have adventures because everything is an adventure—depending on how you look at it, of course.
Bickel Bear loves to dance and sing, and he especially likes to sing his ADVENTURE SONG, which goes like this:
ANYWAY... Bickel Bear's particular adventure started like this...
Bickel Bear was bouncing and bounding by the Buburubs' lovely Lilac Lake, singing his ADVENTURE SONG, when he saw something leap out of the sweet-scented waters. The form twirled in the air three times, whistled at the bewildered bear, and disappeared behind the purple pussywillows.
"Oh!" exclaimed Bickel Bear. "What could THAT be?" Bickel Bear, being a curious kind of adventurous bear, crept closer to the edge of the lake, careful not to step on any of the pussywillows. He liked pussywillows, and didn't want to hurt any of the pretty purple stalks waving in the wind. The closer he got to the lake, the quieter he became— which was not easy for Bickel Bear, since he was not a quiet sort of bear. Just when he reached the water's edge, still hidden by the little pussywillow forest, the mysterious figure jumped out of the water again, twirling three times and whistling, just like before.
"My, my," whispered Bickel Bear to himself. "I wish I could do that." Totally forgetting that he was trying to be quiet, Bickel Bear leaped in the air, only to fall right into the water amid the water lilies. He sat up wearing a water lily hat and looked at his reflection in the water.
As he was admiring the flower on the top of his head, he saw a pinkish blur over his shoulder. Bickel Bear turned around so fast, the lily fell off his head and he fell back into the water. "Now where did it disappear to?" wondered Bickel Bear. "I'm sure I saw the whirlything again."
Just then, the whirlything appeared right in front of Bickel Bear, spinning three times and whistling its curious little whistle—only this time, it slowed down long enough for Bickel Bear to see that IT was a SHE, and had a beautiful, kind face, dazzling smile and long, flowing golden hair. He couldn't tell if she had fur and whiskers, though, because just as Bickel Bear was about to say, "How do you do?" she dove into the water and disappeared again.
Bickel Bear knew that if he was to ever unravel the mystery, he was going to have to get the whirlygirl to slow down and explain a few things. "How to do it?..." he wondered, and sat down in the water to think. As he was thinking his thinking thoughts, the beautiful whirling began again, and the whistling tickled his ears. Bickel Bear reached out one of his soft paws, put it into the pink blur, and everything came to a tumbling halt! Bickel Bear fell back into the water, and he heard a splash next to him. As he turned to look, the pretty whirlygirl sat up. Bickel Bear noticed she had no fur and whiskers, but she was still very pretty, he thought ... even though her hair was now plastered to her head and she was spluttering, "Goodness me! How did THAT happen?" Bickel Bear, being a very polite sort of adventurous bear, handed her a water lily and said, "HI! I'm Bickel Bear. You want a hat?" And with that, Bickel Bear put the flower on top of the whirlygirl's head.
"Oh, how beautiful!" cried the lovely whirlygirl, forgetting that they were sitting in a puddle of lilac water, and admiring the purply-pink flower atop her golden head. Finally, remembering her manners, the girl said, "Hullo. My name is Isa. I'm from the Land of the Impetuous Imps, and I got lost following the rainbow."
"Goodness, Isa," said Bickel Bear. "Did you follow the rainbow all the way from where you live?!?" "Yes," replied Isa, "and then I slid right down the purple part of the rainbow and landed in this beautiful lake. But now I don't know how I'm ever going to find my way back home." Bickel Bear jumped up, splashing water every which way, and with a giggle, cried, "Oh! Oh! I know! BARNABY! He'll help you get home. He knows EVERY place in Imaginaria, and HE'LL know what to do!"
There was only one thing wrong with Bickel Bear's grand plan ... He had no idea where to find Barnaby, the Best Boundary Buburub. You see, Buburubs bounce from place to place, laughing as they travel through the forests and mountains of Imaginaria. They're hard to keep track of, because they tend to roll away, tumbling and giggling, not paying attention to where they're going or where they've been. Of course, although Isa and Bickel Bear didn't know it, the wise Unicorn of the Crystal Mountain knew everything that had happened, and had already asked Barnaby to meet the waterlogged duo by the shores of Lilac Lake.
Bickel Bear helped Isa out of the water and danced her 'round the shore, singing:
Isa and Bickel Bear played and danced and had so much fun, they forgot all about Isa being lost, so when Barnaby rolled down the hill, he almost toppled them over in the middle of their new ADVENTURE SONG.
"So-ho-ho sorry-hee-hee," giggled Barnaby. "Didn't mean to bump you-hoo-hoo." "BARNABY! Isa—it's Barnaby! I told you I'd find him!" ignoring the fact that Barnaby was the one who found THEM. Turning to Barnaby, Bickel Bear practically jumped, "You'll show Isa the way home, won't you, Barnaby?" Isa curtsied, while Barnaby giggled and kicked his feet in the air. "The Unicorn told me-hee-hee that the Impetuous Imp lost her way while chasing the rainbow-ho-ho, and I'm to show her the way ho-ho-home." As Barnaby shouted, "ISA! Come follow-ho-ho me-hee-hee!" his roly-poly purple pot belly rolled with the rest of him toward the lavender hills at the foot of the crystal caves and mountain of the Unicorn. Isa whistled and twirled in the air, and Bickel Bear followed the flying imp and bouncing Buburub. Suddenly, Bickel Bear bumped into Barnaby, who had come to a sudden stop.
As Bickel Bear, Isa and Barnaby twirled and tumbled, they looked up and saw the beautiful white Unicorn with the glistening, golden horn standing before them. The voice they heard was warm and loving. "Hello, little ones. I see that Barnaby found you. Very well done, Barnaby. Bickel Bear, thank you for taking care of Isa, and for your very wise decision to find Barnaby to help her home."
Isa bubbled, "He was EVER so kind to me, you know, and we had so much fun singing and dancing. He is also a bear of brilliant brain, and even gave me a hat!" Isa proudly showed the Unicorn the perky lily on her head. "I think we'll be friends FOREVER!" Isa declared. "Oh goody!" cried Bickel Bear, jumping up and down. "I like that!"
The Unicorn smiled and said, "Now, Isa, you've got to learn to think before you wander so far from home again. Never, never go anywhere without telling someone where you're traveling to, and when you're going to be home. Otherwise, your friends and family will worry. It helps to know where you're going, and how to get back, too, don't you think?" Isa looked at the ground and nodded her head as she realized she'd forgotten all about the Imps at home. After all, she was having an adventure—and it's easy to forget about home when you're out adventuring.
"And Bickel Bear..." continued the Unicorn, "You were very good to befriend Isa, and very wise to think up a plan to help her home, but..." Bickel Bear wasn't sure whether to be happy or hang his head. He knew there was a compliment in the Unicorn's words, but there was a scolding coming too, he just knew. The Unicorn, seeing Bickel Bear's gloomy face, smiled and said, "Now, now... it's not all that bad. You showed true caring and friendship to Isa, but remember... when you set out to do a job, you need to stay with it." Bickel Bear dragged his toes in the grass and softly said, "I'm sorry." He immediately brightened when the Unicorn praised him, saying, "It was a very good idea to ask Barnaby for help, since he is very good at helping lost ones find their way home. Remember, though—you can't expect someone else to figure out how to solve your problems. YOU have to be the one. Do you understand?" Bickel Bear put his chin on his paws and thought very thoughtfully for a moment, then said, "I think so. When I'm out adventuring, I need to make sure that fun doesn't get in the way of being good and doing the right thing all by myself, huh? And if I SAY I'm going to do something, I have to keep my promise to DO it, and not let anything get in the way of keeping my promises, right?"
The Unicorn nuzzled Bickel Bear, saying, "You're a wise and kind bear." Turning to Isa, the Unicorn raised its horn toward the northeast, saying, "Isa, that is the way to the Land of the Impetuous Imps. Barnaby will take you to the edge of the Buburubs' mountains, and I'll make sure that the Faeries o' the Fern take you the rest of the way home. You are always welcome to visit any land in Imaginaria, but remember what I said."
"I will, I promise. I'll never leave home without making sure of where I'm going; and I'll always tell someone," Isa said, nodding her head and curtsying like a good Imp.
Bickel Bear offered his paw to Isa, whispering, "I'm glad that just this once you got lost, 'cause I got to find you, and now we're friends. You'll come back and visit, won't you? After all, friends do that sort of thing, you know," he said, cocking his head to the side like the wise bear he was. "I'll come back and visit as soon as I can; and I'll tell all the Imps about our adventure. May I teach them the ADVENTURE SONG, too?" "OF COURSE!" shouted Bickel Bear, "Let's sing it again." Barnaby rolled through the purple posies leading the way; Isa twirled, whistled and flittered, and Bickel Bear bounced and bounded up and down, as they all sang:
This story is lovingly dedicated to Scott & Isabella Bickel
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