Episode 3.
“A Surprise Visit and Another Surprise”
It was a lazy Sunday at Chalmers Inn, the little house that housed our 3 little bears. The day had begun as usual, with Kir Bear waking up early as usual in order to get breakfast started. Kir Bear was a very energetic little Bear who did not seem to sleep too much. In fact, the other residents of Chalmers Inn had noticed that she rarely slept and was always tossing in her bed during the night. She seemed to sleep for only 2 hours at most and was always up early. Unbeknown to Ali Bear and Cher Bear, Kir Bear’s tossing and turning was an attempt to muffle the crunching sound she made as she secretly ate honey covered cookies in bed. The 3 Little Bears had a rule about not eating in the bedroom. A rule thought up by none other than Kir Bear herself.
This Sunday was no different from any other. Kir Bear woke up early and in another 3 hours, Ali Bear and Cher Bear made their way downstairs to eat the breakfast prepared by her. After that, they were to perform the duties that were outlined for them by Kir Bear. This Sunday was a pleasant one for Ali Bear as he did not have lots to do. He had managed to complete most of his duties during the week and was left to his own designs after sweeping the porch. This was not so for Cher Bear who had been assigned to do the task she hated the most, the washing. So, while Kir Bear went along doing her tasks while humming her favourite song, the theme song to the Bink Banther cartoon, Ali Bear positioned himself on the balcony right above where Cher Bear was doing her washing. He knew how much Cher Bear hated doing the washing and he loved to listen to her grimace as she went along with it. Ali Bear had taken a glass of lemonade and his favourite book, the 3 Musketbears, to the balcony with him. Both Kir Bear and Cher Bear wondered just how many times he had read the book. Kir Bear swore it was the 4th time, Cher Bear swore it was the 6th time. They were both wrong as Ali Bear was reading the book for the umpteenth time. To the unknowing reader, that refers to a number to large to count. So with his ears turned to Cher Bears grimacing, one eye on his book and the other eye on Kir Bear, he settled himself comfortably on the balcony with his glass of lemonade. He loved to watch over Kir Bear to make sure she was okay. It made him feel real important, almost like a real Musketbear.
Cher Bear felt a few drops hit her on the top of her head. She wondered if it was going to rain and felt her heart jump with glee. If it rained, she could not do the washing she thought. She looked up into the sky and saw it was as clear as a summer night. She touched her head and tasted the drops on her head, they tasted like lemonade. She looked up to Ali Bear and found him reading his book with no concern in the world. Cher Bear was furious and hated to see Ali Bear sitting there doing nothing. Ali Bear turned his gaze away from the book to her and smiled knowingly. He knew just how much she hated doing the washing and it made his heart jump with glee. He and Cher Bear were not very close.
It was at that moment that the bell rang. Trrrriiinggg!!! Everybody wondered who could be paying them a visit this early on a Sunday morning. Kir Bear dropped what she was doing and ran to the door. It amazed Ali Bear just how much energy she had. It’s like she never tired and rarely rested. On opening the door, Kir Bear found no one there. She was about to shut the door when she sensed some ruffling in the bushes nearby. Just when she was about to poke the bush with her broom, out jumped someone who screamed out, “Helllooo Kiiirrr Beeaaarrrr!!!! Papa pa Kir mama ma Kir hey Kiiirrr!!!”. “Sissy Bear”, screamed out Kir Bear. And they both hugged each other excitedly. Ali Bear who had been reading his book turned towards the commotion that was going on. Could it really be, he wondered. Could it really be Sissy Bear? Everybody’s favourite Little Bear? He jumped out of his seat and ran downstairs to find Sissy Bear and Kir Bear still in an embrace. Sissy Bear had a way of making Kir Bear really excited. Kir Bear would change her personality when Sissy Bear was around. They were like long lost sisters, twins I may add. Ali Bear who had managed to reach the door as Kir Bear was shutting it said hello to Sissy Bear. For some reason, Sissy Bear was never really excited to see Ali Bear. She always somewhat ignored him which hurt Ali Bear a little. But he had gotten used to it. He simply just loved having her around.
Kir Bear and Sissy Bear seated themselves in the living room and Ali Bear decided to join them. When Sissy Bear and Kir Bear got together, they could talk with each other for hours to no end. They talked about everything and nothing. They cracked jokes and even cried together at times. This was always done in the presence of Ali Bear whom for most part they simply ignored. Ali Bear had gotten used to it and simply sat and listened to them chat, yap and talk. Or what was commonly referred to as conversation.
Cher Bear who was still doing the washing decided to come in and see what the entire disturbance was. When she saw Sissy Bear there, she let her face drop in disappointment. Cher Bear was not a big fan of Sissy Bear and thought she was a pretty uncultured Little Bear. A pretty rough little Bear. Even wild in some ways she thought to herself. It was then that Sissy Bear decided to disclose her reason for visiting them so early. She had recently returned from Balgary where she had been living for some time. The reason was to come as a big shock to all of them and especially Cher Bear. “I am getting married” said Sissy Bear. “To whom?” retorted Kir Bear in her soft voice, in surprise and amazement. Cher Bear wondered if it was Mike the Mechanic Little Bear or Rick the Pastor Little Bear. Everybody waited in suspense as Sissy Bear was taking her time in answering the question. She was good at creating suspense. “To Bealexander Honeypot III” Sissy Bear finally said. “WHAT!!” yelled out Cher Bear. “Bealexander Honeypot III” Cher Bear yelled out some more. Sissy Bear grinned while shaking her head vigorously in affirmation. “THE Bealexander Honeypot III” yelled out Cher Bear again. Sissy Bear widened her grin and shook her head even more vigorously than before. And who is this Bealexander Honeypot III the reader is probably wondering. He was none other than the most eligible bachelor in the whole of Balgary and probably the whole of Banada.
Cher Bear could not believe it. She could not believe that of all the Little Bears in the whole of Banada, Bealexander Honeypot III would choose Sissy Bear. Sissy Bear then took out a huge purple ruby ring from her little purse and showed it to everybody. Kir Bear gasped, it was so huge. Cher Bear was unimpressed; she wondered why he had not bought her a diamond ring. Ali Bear just sat motionless on his seat.
Sissy Bear explained how they had met. Bealexander Honeypot III was going out hunting when he found Sissy Bear hunting on her own. Bored with his normal male companions and their ever boring stories, he invited Sissy Bear to join him. He thought she was a pretty interesting and funny Little Bear. So, they had gone hunting together and really hit it off. Cher Bear was still in a state of shock. After all, she always imagined she would marry Bealexander Honeypot III.
Sissy Bear explained that the wedding was to be held in Bictoria and wanted Kir Bear to help with it. She was really hoping Kir Bear would make some of her legendary honey covered cookies and even more legendary Kiki soup. Kir Bear agreed and said that they would all help with the wedding. Cher Bear agreed to help with the music while Ali Bear was to visit Mayor Biggles and make arrangements with regards to using City Hall as the venue for the wedding. Bealexander’s family lived in England and would not be able to help with the wedding plans. It was all up to Bealexander and Sissy Bear. They needed all the help they could get.
So, while Sissy bear and Kir bear were still yapping, Ali Bear left for city hall while Cher Bear sat and listened to them talk. She always felt left out when Sissy Bear and Kir Bear got together and decided to go back and do her washing.
And so, the preparations went underway. The whole of Bictoria had heard the news since Cher Bear wanted everyone to hear it from her mouth. Word on the streets was that Bealexander Honeypot was only getting married to Sissy Bear in order to make his parents angry. He had fallen off with them some time back after his father asked him to return to England and run their honey making business. He had refused and this had strained his relationship with his father. But nobody believed those rumours. Everybody loved Sissy Bear and wanted the very best for her. They all wanted to help with the wedding.
Ali Bear had managed to convince Mayor Biggles to let them use City hall. Mayor Biggles was reluctant after the last event held there nearly resulted in it being burnt down. He still had not caught the culprit who had done it. But when he heard it was Sissy Bear’s wedding, he immediately agreed. So, everybody got down to work to make the wedding a success. There were rumours that even the Queen of England may attend the wedding, but these were basically dismissed as wishful thinking by Cher Bear. Cher Bear quickly started organizing the Orchestra. She had called Bomania and had asked her aunt if the Bomanian national orchestra would love to play at the event. Cher Bears aunt was a renowned psychologist in Bomania and had many powerful friends. She hands down refused to help Cher Bear since Cher Bear owned her too many unrepaid favours. Cher Bear had thrown a tantrum and her aunt her slammed the phone down on her. This had made Cher Bear furious. Everybody wondered why she could not simply use the Bictorian Orchestra from the University of Bictoria. After all, they were pretty good. She had grimaced at the suggestion but in the end, she had no choice but to agree to use them. She had a long list of the music she wanted played at the wedding and wanted to know if the Bictoria Orchestra could handle it. They said it would be no problem. But after some practise, it was sure to everybody, there was a problem. Cher Bear. She became too demanding. Asking that each note be played how she wanted it played and not how it was written on the music sheet.
Kir Bear had gotten down to preparing her legendary food and spies were everywhere to see what ingredients she used. Kir Bear had asked that all the kitchen doors at City Hall be locked and the windows covered with newspapers. She would not allow anyone to steal her recipes. Not even Ali Bear knew exactly what she put in them, but he had an idea. Yet he dared not speak for the fear of his very own life. Bealexander was to fly into Bictoria a few days ahead of the wedding. His family would arrive one day before the wedding. So, it was really up to the city of Bictoria to put on a good event. And work they did to ensure that everything ran smoothly. While Kir Bear had employed guards on every door at City Hall, Ali Bear had taken to helping Little Porky Little Bear and Little Sammy Little Bear in setting up the music system. Even Sissy Bear came to help. She cheered everybody along and when they became exhausted, it was she who made them laugh and get energized again. They did not mind the hard work; they would do anything for Sissy Bear.
However, all was not running well with Cher Bear. The Orchestra was getting tired of her interference and many of the members were thinking of quitting. Ali Bear had been called to mediate but he said no. He and Cher Bear did not get along and it would result in an all drawn out fight. Kir Bear wanted nothing to do with the situation and pretended to be extremely busy. It was then that Sissy Bear arrived to settle the dispute. She thought the Orchestra was amazing and in order to appease Cher Bear, asked her to also help Miss Bunsen, the local tailor, with the wedding gowns. Cher Bear was ecstatic. But poor Miss Bunsen, on seeing Cher Bear arriving had asked her assistants to shut all the doors. Cher Bear had knocked relentlessly until Miss Bunsen had been obliged to finally open the doors. They had gotten down to work together, but were soon arguing over what colour was to be used for the gowns and other inane details that Cher Bear assured Miss Bunsen were of great importance.
And so after a lot of clashing and quarrelling and Sissy bear running around to put out fights and arguments, the wedding day arrived. Bealexander wanted the wedding to be a small event. Something for his family and her family and their close friends. Sissy Bear had agreed but was feeling guilty about it. Sissy Bear was a very popular Little Bear and did not know whom to include in her list. Cher Bear had come up with what she thought was an excellent idea. Sissy Bear would have only a few friends in City hall where the wedding was taking place and the rest of her friends could watch the event on huge screen TV’s that were to be placed on the outside of all 4 corners of City hall. Sissy Bear felt depressed at the suggestion. Cher Bear thought it was splendid.
Finally, the wedding day arrived. It had all been planned out perfectly. The wedding would take place in City Hall and would be followed by the Reception at the same avenue. Everything had been laid down perfectly. The 4 huge TV screens had been put at each corner of City Hall so that those not invited in could watch the whole ceremony. There were murmurs amongst the crowd gathered. Pierre Little Bear called it an injustice, Walter Little Bear called it a conspiracy, Helmut Little Bear called it a great inconvenience, and Jessica Little Bear called it a pity. No one was sure exactly how many of Sissy Bear’s friends would come but most expected a huge number. They were not disappointed, by 10:00 that Saturday morning; they had started streaming in from everywhere. They seem to come from all over and it appeared that the whole of Bictoria was at the venue. By midday, it looked liked the whole of Banada had showed up to the wedding. There were so many people there, that Mayor Biggles instructed the local theatres to open up so that the wedding could be streamed into those venues too. All types of creatures showed up, Little Bears, Dogs, Cats, Weasels, Humans, Big Bears and even Snakes. Sissy Bear was an extremely popular Little Bear it appeared and nobody had anticipated this. Nobody at all. Not even Kir Bear.
At one past noon, the first group of private guests appeared. Everybody murmured and waited to see who had actually been invited inside. Out came Miss Bunsen and Kir Bear. As they walked towards City Hall, the murmuring dropped. Everybody understood that Kir Bear was a close friend of Sissy Bear. Ali Bear had decided not to be part of the “in” crowd although he had received an invite from Sissy Bear through Kir Bear. He did not want to be on the bad side of the whole of Banada. He was not Kir Bear after all. So, he positioned himself near one of the TV screens and when Kir Bear and Miss Bunsen appeared, he murmured the loudest but stopped his murmuring when he saw Kir Bear turn towards his direction.
Next up was Mayor Biggles and his family. The murmuring was not loud too. After all, he was the Mayor and an important man whom everybody had great respect for. Next up was the Bomanian ambassador to Banada. That’s when the murmuring became incredibly high. How could she they thought. The Ambassador quickly exited from his carriage and practically ran into City Hall. He had left his bodyguards behind so as not to stir controversy but now he was not sure if it was such a good idea. Next up was the Honeypot family who were surprised to find the whole of Banada, as it appeared to be, there. They wondered how Bealexander knew all these people. Some of them were not the type of people they were used to associating with. They smiled sheepishly as they made their way into City Hall and exhaled in relief once inside. Mr. Honeypot thought of calling his pilot to come pick them up from the venue by helicopter but decided against it. Next up was a long stretch limousine. Black in colour with tinted windows. Everybody believed that the bride had finally arrived but it was not so. It was none other than Cher Bear. She quickly exited from the limo and practically started waving to the crowd. She was dressed in a long wedding gown with a tail that was practically about 7 feet long. Around her were a few flower little Little Bears who had been instructed to carry her tail so to speak. That’s when the murmuring reached peak fever pitch. Not Cher Bear they all thought. How could she invite Cher Bear and not them they asked. Cher bear had a young little little bear walk in front of her with a violin while he played the infamous “here comes the bride” song played at just about every wedding on earth.. Everybody wondered who was really getting married. However, everything did not go smoothly for Cher Bear as she was frozen at the entry to City Hall. It seemed her name was not on the list. Cher Bear was livid. Who had cancelled her name, she wondered aloud, she could not believe it. Little did she know it was none other than Little Porky Little Bear who was up to his old tricks again. She demanded that someone call Kir Bear, who came out and resolved everything.
Finally at about two past noon, Sissy Bear showed up with her cousin Tony Little Bear. The murmuring continued and Sissy Bear seemed totally embarrassed. She could not believe that she had actually agreed to Cher Bears plan. She felt really ashamed. Yet again, this was her day and she hoped everyone would forgive her. After all, we all make mistakes now and then. Like pouring a spoonful of sugar into a bowl of milk with frosty flakes or forgetting to pay the rent on time. Sissy Bear was dressed in a wedding gown similar to that of Cher Bear but without the long tail. There were a few whistles and cries of “we love you Sissy Bear”. Sissy Bear waved to the crowd and they began clapping. Sissy Bear relaxed a little and thanked everybody for coming. They were more cries of “We love you Sissy Bear” and she was finally ushered in.
Ten minutes after her arrival, Bealexander showed up and wondered if he was at the wrong venue. Who were all these people he wondered. He could even see a snake sitting nearby. He wondered what was going on and wondered if they had mistakenly gone to a rock concert. But he was soon assured that this was the right venue and quickly ran into City Hall. He would have to have a talk with Sissy Bear after the wedding. He wanted to know who all these people were and how she knew them.
And so, when all the invited guests had been ushered in, the wedding began. And what a wonderful wedding it was. Everybody watched on the big screens outside city hall. The rest watched the event in the 3 movie theatres that were found in Bictoria. Kir Bear looked splendid in her black dress. It was actually a black flock with gold hemming. She wore a pearl necklace and had a small tiara on her head. She looked queenly as ever.
The wedding went smoothly with no interruption. Sissy Bear broke down into tears when she said “I do” and Cher Bear broke down into tears when Bealexander said “I do”. Kir Bear watched unemotionally. She was not the kind to cry in public. She saved that for home when no one was around. And especially not Ali Bear. And when the wedding vows were exchanged, the whole of Bictoria erupted into applause. Sissy Bear looked giddy and Bealexander smiled from ear to ear. It was time for the reception. Kir Bear had instructed that the food be served to the crowds too. Nobody had anticipated so many people arriving and there was not enough for everybody. Fortunately, the hotdog vendor was nearby and pretty soon, he was a wealthy Little Bear. During the reception, Cher Bear had chosen the music to be played by the Bictoria Orchestra. It was a bunch of Bomanian hymns which were sang at her grandmothers wedding. Some were catchy but most were depressing. It appeared that only Cher Bear seemed to be enjoying the music and then suddenly, it all went off. Someone had disconnected the music system from the power source. Mayor Biggles ran to see who it was but there was nobody there. After he had connected it back, the crowds decided that some other type of music be played. It was then that Little Porky Little Bear gave the DJ a copy of his Boffspring music CD. The crowd loved the punk music much more than Cher Bears music. Cher Bear was livid. She hated punk with a passion.
But even then, the crowd was becoming restless. They wondered if they would be allowed to see Sissy Bear. They were tired of seeing her from the TV screen and wanted to meet her in person. It was then that someone gave the idea that they ought to bum rush the event. Many in the crowd seemed to be in agreement. Others were not. But eventually the former won and it looked like a scene out of the French revolution with the masses bum rushing the Bastille. It was now the turn of Mayor Biggles to be livid. He did not want a riot in his town and this seemed to be one in the making. He attempted to calm down the crowd but they would not listen. They started chanting “Sissy come out and play. Let us in Sissy”. They kept this up until Sissy Bear showed up and asked them to calm down. But even she could not calm the crowd down and they kept surging.
Everybody was uncertain of what would happen next. The crowd seemed on the verge of rioting and everything was truly looking uncertain. Bealexander Honeypot tried to calm the crowd too but they would not listen. They wanted to be let in. They were tired of sitting in the sun. They were either let in or it was going to get ugly. Mayor Biggles called the sheriff and he attempted to calm the crowd too. That made them get even more excited. Ali Bear who had watched everything managed to get into City Hall via a window and asked Kir Bear to get ready to leave. The masses were ready to invade the Bastille as they so put it. Things did not look good out there. Cher Bear was called and asked to get moving. The tail on her dress was torn off in case it prevented her from escaping easily. Cher Bear was livid. More at her dress been damaged than at the event being bum rushed by the masses. Everybody got ready to leave. Ali Bear arranged for the Stevenson’s to bring the getaway car. In were bundled Kir Bear, Cher Bear and Miss Bunsen. Ali Bear was to stay behind and see that Sissy Bear got away too. And just as the Stevenson’s car drove off, Ali Bear went back in to convince Sissy Bear to leave the arena. But Sissy Bear would not have it. It was her wedding and she seemed angry that Kir Bear had decided to leave. Ali Bear tried to convince her to leave but she would not. It was not until the masses started knocking on the doors that Sissy Bear agreed and was quickly bundled into a limo with the rest of the Honeypot clan. They were quickly driven off to Chalmers inn.
The crowds burst into City Hall and went around scrounging and plundering what they could get. Mayor Biggles wondered what had gotten into them. He noticed that the rioters were not from Bictoria, but actually from Balgary. The Sherriff took out his shot gun and fired a shot into the crowd. This excited the crowd even more and a real riot broke out which was then televised to the whole of Bictoria. Nobody could believe it. What was supposed to be a happy day for everyone had turned ugly real fast. So precarious was the whole situation that Mayor Biggles considered calling in the army. But he decided against it as he thought it may inflame the crowd even more. What could he really do, Bictoria was a peaceful city and did not have the capabilities to fight riots. So he let them riot. And riot they did, damaging just about anything they could lay their hands on. And when they were done, they turned towards the city. It was then that Mayor Biggles called in the army. The crowd dispersed faster than an excited rabbit.
Back at Chalmers Inn, nobody could believe what had happened. Nobody could have believed it would all come down to this. Sissy Bear was really mad and blamed everything on Cher Bear who simply accused the crowds of being savages. This angered Sissy Bear further as many in the crowds were her friends. She was about to pounce on Cher Bear when Bealexander and Ali Bear held her back. They kept watching the TV in amazement wondering how it had all gone wrong. Nobody could believe it.
Later that evening, Mr. Honeypot called his pilot and the Honeypot clan was airlifted via a helicopter to Balgary. Sissy Bear went with them. What was to be a happy day had quickly turned into a tragedy. Luckily, no one was seriously harmed. Not even Little Porky Little Bear who had been the first to escape. It was one of the saddest days, if not the saddest, in the history of Bictoria.
The End
