Episode 6: The Bear Cub and the Berry Patch

Hello, and welcome to another episode of Sleepy Starship.

Are you ready to take a space adventure, and explore a new world with me?

Well, come on then. Let's go.

Tonight, you are the Captain of the Sleepy Starship. It has landed on your front lawn, right next to the mailbox.

Your co-pilot is Choo-Choo, a small, sleepy alien friend. She has patterned fur, a long curly tail, and big round ears. Choo-Choo never says a word. She purrs, and coos, and trills instead.

You slip on your slippers and step out the front door. The night air is cool on your cheeks. The ship's door swings open, and warm yellow light spills out across the grass.

Choo-Choo pokes her head out of the doorway, just her head, with her ears standing up tall. She gives a quick little trill to say hello. Then she ducks back inside, and you follow her in.

"Hello, Captain," says the ship's calm voice. "I hope you're hungry. Tonight's world is full of berries."

You climb into your seat and buckle up.

The ship rumbles, low and slow, and lifts. The mailbox gets smaller. Your house gets smaller. Then the clouds are below you, white and puffy, and the stars are all around.

Out the window, a blue planet goes by. It has thin white stripes around the middle, like a marble.

Choo-Choo puts one paw up on the glass, as if she could pick it up and keep it.

"Captain," says the ship, "tonight we are flying to Brambleberry. It is a planet of berry bushes. Some of them are very, very tall."

A purple and green planet comes up in the window. The ship slows, and settles down on a mossy path.

The door opens, and the air smells sweet. Sweet like jam on warm toast.

You step out onto the path. On both sides of you, there are berry bushes. And they are tall. Taller than you. Taller than a grown-up, even. They lean over the path from both sides, so it is like walking through a green tunnel.

And they are covered in berries. Blueberries, as round as marbles. Raspberries, red and fuzzy. Blackberries, shiny and dark.

Somewhere in the bushes, a bird sings two quiet notes. Then it stops.

Choo-Choo walks slowly down the path, looking up at all the berries, with her mouth a little bit open.

Then the bushes ahead of you shake. A branch bends. Leaves rustle.

Out from between the bushes comes a bear cub.

It is small and round and fuzzy, with brown fur and little round ears. And its nose is purple. Bright purple. From eating berries, of course.

The cub sits down in the middle of the path and looks at you.

Choo-Choo leans forward, and chirps a little question. The cub sniffs the air with its purple nose. Then it reaches up into the nearest bush, pulls down a branch, and starts eating blueberries, one at a time.

So you start picking too.

You pick a blueberry. It is cool, and a little bit dusty on the outside. You pop it in your mouth. It's sweet, and just a tiny bit sour.

You pick another one. And a raspberry. And a blackberry, so ripe it almost falls into your hand by itself.

Choo-Choo stretches up on her tiptoes and picks a blueberry, too. She holds it in both paws and nibbles it, very slowly, all the way around.

The cub reaches for a big cluster of berries, high up. But it is just too high. The cub stretches. And stretches. It can't reach.

You can, though.

You reach up and pull the branch down, and you pick a whole handful of the best berries, the biggest and darkest ones. Then you crouch down, and hold out your hand to the cub.

The cub looks at your hand. It looks at you.

Then, very gently, it eats the berries right out of your palm. Its nose tickles. Its breath is warm.

When the berries are gone, the cub gives your hand one small lick. And then it yawns. A big, wide bear yawn, with a little squeak at the end.

The cub turns, and waddles off down the path. You and Choo-Choo walk along behind it.

At the end of the path, in a hollow under the biggest bush, there is a bed of dry leaves and soft moss. The cub's mother is already asleep there, big and round, like a hill of brown fur.

The cub climbs up, and snuggles in against her. It puts its purple nose on its paws. And it closes its eyes.

Beside the path, there is an old tree stump, flat on top, like a little table.

And on the stump is a tiny wooden bowl. It is smooth and round, just big enough to hold in one hand. Someone carved it carefully, a long time ago. Next to it, scratched into the wood of the stump, there are three small words. For the travelers.

You pick up the bowl. It's light, and smooth all over, and it fits in your hand just right.

Choo-Choo leans over and sniffs it. It smells a little bit like berries.

You fill it up with blueberries, right to the top. One for each step on the way back to the ship.

At the end of the path, the ship sits quietly, its round windows dim.

"The bears are asleep, Captain," says the ship. "Home now?"

You stroll back through the green tunnel, eating blueberries from your little bowl. Choo-Choo gets every other one.

The hatch shuts with a click. Up you go, over the tall bushes, and Brambleberry becomes a little purple dot behind you.

Choo-Choo crawls up into your arms. Her tummy is round and full of berries. She closes her eyes, and gives a slow, drowsy snore.

The stars go by outside, slower, and slower. Then the clouds. Then your street. And the ship sets down on your front lawn, right next to the mailbox.

You carry Choo-Choo in through the front door, and down the hall.

You set the little wooden bowl on your nightstand, right next to your bed, where you can reach it.

Then you slide in, with the covers around your shoulders.

Choo-Choo curls up at the foot of the bed, round and heavy and warm, like the little bear cub.

Far away, on Brambleberry, the bears are sleeping in their bed of moss, under the tallest bush. And all around them, in the dark, the berries are growing, slowly, getting ready for tomorrow.

Let's breathe slowly, like a sleeping bear.

Breathe in slowly. Now breathe out. Breathe in again. And breathe out.

You're home now, Captain. Safe and warm.

Your ship is resting. Choo-Choo is resting. And now it's your turn to rest.

Now it's time to say goodbye, but we'll soon meet again on another Sleepy Starship adventure. Goodnight, Captain.