Under the Land of the Flowered Bed

"Do you realize we've never been under the Flowered Bed?" Pumble said suddenly. The animals were having a picnic on the carpet and munching on peanut butter, strawberry jam and cream cheese sandwiches and homemade rice Krispie treats. Hairy, ever the practical one, had insisted on including fruit salad with their lunch. Pumble, being the whimsical one, had covered his fruit salad with honey, whipped cream and candied almonds.

"We have too," Cookies argued, dropping a piece of pineapple in his beak. "We go under there all the time."

"No we don't," Pumble dismissed. "We sit right behind the bed skirt. We never truly go under the bed."

"What's so exciting under the bed?" Cookies grumbled. "There's probably only dead bugs and dust."

"Who knows?" Hairy said, his voice optimistic. He wiped his fingers on a napkin and picked up a rice krispie treat. "There could be a whole other Pond down there. Perhaps we could meet new friends."

The seals perked up. They loved new friends. Even the ducks in the Spa seemed excited.

"I bet there's nothing under there but dust and dead spiders!" the first duck shouted.

"I bet there's nothing but old shoes and misplaced socks," the second duck shouted.

"It would be lovely if there were some chickens down there," the third duck said wistfully. The other ducks looked at him as though he was crazy. "I've heard chickens are wonderful friends," he said in a defensive tone.

Rolling his eyes, Cookies shook his head. "Dead bugs," he emphasized, dropping some grapes in his beak. "Maybe the Blonde Duck's hairbrush. That's it."

"Wanna make a bet?" Pumble challenged, helping himself to a fifth rice krispie treat. "Let's go under there after our picnic. I bet we'll find something exciting underneath there."

"What are we betting?" Cookies asked.

"Pie," Pumble said without hesitation. "Mouse pie for you, honey pie for me." Cookies licked his beak. He loved mouse pie.

"Deal," Cookies said, extending his feathered wing. "I bet there's nothing under there but dust and dead bugs." He and Pumble shook hands. The seals clapped their fins together and squealed with delight. They loved exploring. Everyone put the leftovers away and grabbed their favorite exploring gear. The ducks in the Spa waved goodbye as they started off on their trek.

"Be careful and don't fall into any caves!" the first duck shouted.

"Be careful not to get bit by a snake!" the second duck shouted.

"Have fun." The third duck smiled and waved his thick white wing. The animals waved as they carefully crept under the bed skirt. Blinking, they took a few steps forward and let their eyes adjust to the dark.

"Ha!" Cookies shouted, clutching his stomach with glee. "There's three dead bugs! And there's a bunch of dust! I told you! Better start baking, bee!"

Pumble's shoulders slumped as Hairy patted his back. "It was a very good idea," he reassured Pumble. "I'm sure it's quite exciting down here."

Suddenly, the seals started squealing and hopping up and down. They pointed their tails toward a small moving object off in the distance.

"What is that?" Pumble asked, squinting his eyes. Suddenly, he jumped up and down with a loud hoot. "I told you there was something under the bed! Look right there! There's dust bunnies."

"Dust bunnies are dust, you moron," Cookies said, automatically turning. "I still win"-- He stopped mid-sentence, his jaw hanging open. Tiny bunnies with dusty grey ears and white tails of the sheerest thread in carpet fibers were hopping toward them. They were fuzzy around the edges, as if an artist had sketched them and smeared the pencil all around them. They blinked their tiny eyes, no bigger than a small button, at the animals.

"It looks like Pumble wins," Hairy said, grinning. The seals were delighted to meet another creature that hopped and immediately made a beeline for the bunnies. As they played, the rest of the animals looked around. An entire landscape of dusty beauty surrounded them. Tiny flowers covered soft mounds and clovers spun from the minute hairs. It was a desert of fluff, with delicate tumbleweeds of golden hairs rolling past paper towel scraps twisted into a paper cactus. Socks formed plateaus for bunnies to hop on and a wayward jewelery box served as a cave for the dander lizards. A threadbare lizard scuttled down one of the cactus while a roadrunner twisted from a silver paperclip rushed past.

"It's a whole other word down here," Hairy whispered, amazed as he looked around them. "It's fascinating."

"Just like I thought," Pumble said, giving Cookies a smug look. A great squeal pierced the air, and the seals covered their ears with their flippers.

"What was that?" Hairy asked, looking around. The seals shrieked as the squeal tore through the air and pointed in front of them. Pumble gasped.

"Oh my God," Pumble whispered in awe. "The stories are true..."

To be continued........