“Flying Blind? You actually like that noise?”
“I never took you for a punk rocker, Humphrey!”
“MAMMAL MAYOR! MAMMAL MAYOR!”
Another quill storm was brewing. Mayor Quill crumpled the blank paper in his paw and stomped his foot, alerting the others to stop laughing immediately and get busy writing letters of their own. He would deal with Humphrey’s little dream of being mayor later.
“Oh, assistant,” said the mayor, stressing the word to remind Humphrey of his role, “get me a new piece of paper. This one is a tad wrinkled.”
Humphrey unballed himself and dutifully handed a fresh sheet of stationery to Mayor Quill.
“How’s this?” asked Bernice, reading from her paper. “Dearest Grand Cranberry, please make it snow in the Grumpy Woods. A lot. A whole lot. It could actually make me happy. Sincerely, Bernice Bunny.”
“That’s goOOOd,” said Opal.
“Yessss, it issss,” said Sherry.
Mayor Quill was skeptical. All he had written so far was the letter D. Polite letter-writing was not his strong suit. However, if it stopped a party, he was willing to be as polite as needed.
So that was that. Everyone got to work writing letters with lots of words like please. When they were finished, they stuffed them in envelopes.
“You’ll deliver these for us?” Bernice asked Humphrey.
“Oh no! That’s not how it works,” said Humphrey. “Everyone who writes a letter to the Grand Cranberry must deliver it themselves to the Grumpy Bog on Hibernation Eve. Otherwise your wish won’t come true.”
“Absolutely NOT!” protested Mayor Quill.
Dawn Fawn stopped humming and dropped her feather duster. The thought of going to the muddy, swampy Grumpy Bog was a very scary thing for a clean freak like Dawn.
“Suit yourselves,” said Humphrey. “Let me know how that fruitcake tastes.”
The townscritters detested the thought of going to the Grumpy Bog. But they detested the Super Happy Party Bears’ holiday cheer even more. They voted on it and it was official.
With letters in hand, they made their way through the Grumpy Woods to enlist the help of a piece of fruit.
CHAPTER SIX
The Grumpy Bog was wet. It was muddy. It was sticky. And Dawn Fawn had no intention of spending one second plopped down in it. Therefore, when all the other critters marched off to the swamp, Dawn stayed back, instead focusing her attention on the heaps of confetti the bears had left behind. She wanted to get it all cleaned up before everyone returned to City Hall covered in mud. Muddy paws plus confetti was not a good mix.
When Dawn was just a young doe she believed in the Grand Cranberry. In fact, she sat with Humphrey, who was then just a little hedgehog, all night one Hibernation Eve with her special letter clutched in her hooves. The letter asked the Grand Cranberry for a dolly who could open and shut her eyes. But Dawn awoke on Hibernation morning surrounded by muck and no dolly. Humphrey insisted that the dolly must have sunk to the bottom of the bog, so for the next several hours, Dawn and Humphrey snorkeled in the sludge. This only resulted in getting filthier.
To make matters worse, Humphrey argued with Dawn and still insisted that the Grand Cranberry granted wishes. After all, he had asked for a new bottle of bubble bath, and as soon as he got home, his mother dunked him into the warmest, sudsiest bath ever. As for Dawn, she got a bath, too. But not her dolly.
And that is why, to this day, Dawn battles dirt and grime in the Grumpy Woods. “No good can come of mess,” she says, “but unfulfilled wishes.”
While lost in her memories, Dawn furiously swept up the mountains of confetti at City Hall. When finished there, she followed the trail of tinsel and glitter left by the bears, sweeping as she went.
“CRANBERRY SCAM! CRANBERRY SCAM!” she sang.
The harder she swept, the more static electricity she built up, causing the confetti to cling to her. By the time her cleaning led her across the woods and straight up the flower-lined path of the Party Patch, she looked like a dirt-busting disco ball.
She paused on the front stoop. Through the bear-shaped door, she could hear the bustling inside—a flurry of final preparations for the Hibernation Eve celebration, a celebration that was sure to cause even more mess. Anger bubbled up inside her.
Using the end of her broom handle like a battering ram, she pounded on the Party Patch door, causing it to swing wide open.
The bears stared as Dawn Fawn entered, covered in glitter and tinsel. She was sick of cleaning up after everyone else. She was sick of struggling to keep the woods clutter-free without any thanks.
“I WANT MY DOLLY! I WANT MY DOLLY!” she sang out with rage before collapsing in a puddle of tears.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Meanwhile, Humphrey Hedgehog waded right into the Grumpy Bog as the rest of the townscritters stood by the edge. They watched as Humphrey fought the suction of the mud with each step forward. He reached the center before he realized that no one had followed.
“You know, it’s rude to just demand wishes without actually making any real effort to get to know the Grand Cranberry,” he called back.
“But it’ssss ssssquishy,” said Sherry.
“Fine,” said Humphrey. “Then kiss your wish good-bye.”
The critters hesitated until one by one they reluctantly entered the bog. It seemed to gurgle and burp with each step. A blub-blub-blub groaned from the reeds at the far end.
“There’s something alive in here,” announced Squirrelly Sam.
“That’s your imagination,” said Mayor Quill, trying desperately to believe himself.
“Something just moved past my leg,” said Sam. “Look! Did you see that?”
“Just keep walking, you furry oaf,” barked Mayor Quill. “It’s probably just an eel.”
Sam gulped. “EEL?!” The squirrel panicked. He yanked himself from the mud and leaped across the heads of Bernice, Sherry, Opal, and Mayor Quill until he finally came to rest on top of Humphrey. Paw-print muck dripped down the angry face of each townscritter.
“So now what doOOOO we doOOOO?” asked Opal.
“We wait,” said Humphrey. “We await your good tidings, Grand Cranberry!” he called into the night air while carefully placing the stack of letters on a large boulder.
“How long do we have to stay out here?” asked Bernice.
“The Grand Cranberry does not like to be rushed,” proclaimed Humphrey. “Better make yourselves comfortable.”
So, that’s what they did. The townscritters made themselves comfortable, or as comfortable as possible when you are up to your shoulders in oozy, gooey sludge, leaning on your neighbor. And they waited.
And waited.
And waited.
They watched the moon rise high and then start its descent again. They counted fireflies twinkling all around them. They listened to the lullaby of distant frog croaks. And soon their snores joined in the lullaby. That’s right, with all that waiting, they fell asleep.
Several hours passed. Bernice was the first to stir. Her little nose twitched. It felt cold and icy. Thinking she was cozy in her own bed, she rolled over and tried to grab more covers, but instead she grabbed Opal’s wing. Opal shrieked and flapped, spraying mud everywhere. It was then that Sam opened his eyes.
“SNOW!!!!!!!” he yelled, alerting the others, who woke up and couldn’t believe their eyes.
Everything, as far as they could see, was covered in fluffy white snow. Yup, the Grumpy Woods was having a blizzard. And the townscritters were trapped in a very frozen, very icy Grumpy Bog.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Back at the Party Patch, the bears wrapped Dawn Fawn in their favorite blanket and poured her a mug of piping hot cocoa (with extra marshmallows). Dawn sat still, with her head down, clutching the mug and watching the marshmallows bobbing in the cocoa. It reminded her of sitting in the Grumpy Bog, waiting for her wish to come true. She closed her eyes and hummed to make the thoughts go away.
“She does
n’t look so good,” said Mops.
“Poor thing,” said Tunes, patting Dawn on the back.
Bubs was blowing his party-wisdom bubbles in the corner. “Sometimes, like the doughnut, we all feel empty inside.”
Everyone oohed and aahed at his wisdom.
“So Dawn needs to be filled up with something?” asked Little Puff.
“Like raspberry jelly?” asked the littlest bear.
“Not quite,” said Shades. “We need to fill Dawn back up with positivity!”
“And the perfect way to do that,” said Mops, “is our pre-Hibernation celebration!”
The Party Patch erupted in cheers as the bears snapped back into party-prep mode.
“IT’S SUPER HAPPY PARTY TIME! SUPER HAPPY PARTY TIME!”
When they were finally ready, the bears looked over their list and checked it twice.
“Decorations. Check.”
“Tasty treats. Check.”
“Bowls of punch. Check.”
“Stacks of presents. Check.”
“Wait,” said the littlest bear, removing a gift marked To Dawn from the pile and handing it to her. “Dawn, the pre-Hibernation holiday is a time when friends and family come together to eat, drink, and have a party. But most important it’s when we all have one extra special day in the year to express just how much we care for one another and to spread love and kindness. So this is for you.”
Maybe it was the lingering scent of baking in the air. Or maybe a piece of holiday tinsel had gone into her ear and straight to her brain. Whatever it was, Dawn Fawn felt woozy as she untied the bow and tore the paper away to reveal a dolly who could open and shut her eyes.
Dawn hugged the dolly tight. She may have even smiled … a little.
“Now we are all set!” exclaimed the littlest bear.
However, when the bears opened the Party Patch door, all they saw was snow. A solid wall of snow. The blizzard had quickly dropped several feet on the Grumpy Woods. It was sparkly and beautiful. But the bears were snowed in.
“What will we do now?” asked Little Puff.
“The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,” said Bubs. “But we have promises to keep!”
“I think Bubs is trying to tell us that the party must go on,” said Shades.
The bears didn’t quite understand poetry, but they cheered anyway. In a flurry of excitement, they bundled up in hats and scarves. They created snowshoes out of dinner plates. They broke apart chairs and tables and made skis. The snow wouldn’t stop the bears from their pre-Hibernation celebration.
“But how will we carry all this through the snow?” asked Mops, looking at the stacks of presents and party supplies.
Their arms were hardly big enough. And with mittens on, it is pretty much impossible to hold on to anything. The bears gazed around the Party Patch. Surely there was some way.
“We need a sleigh!” said Shades.
“How about the blow-up swimming pool?” asked Jacks.
“Perfect!” cheered the bears. They loaded up the pool with all their holiday goodies. Yet, there was one problem. Even twelve incredibly positive bears could not pull the makeshift sleigh. It was simply too heavy.
That’s when they saw their answer. Dawn Fawn could pull the sleigh. And although most of the glitter and confetti had finally fallen off her, there remained a big glob on her nose. Her nose glowed like a lightbulb. Her nose worked as a perfect headlight to pull their Super Happy Holiday Sleigh through the blizzard.
So, the bears asked, “Dawn Fawn, with your nose aglow, won’t you pull our sleigh through the snow?”
CHAPTER NINE
Now to say that Dawn Fawn agreed right away would not be entirely true. You see, she was feeling a little weak after her tirade and so her defenses were a little down. But it would take a lot more than that to convince her.
There was a lot of “I’m not a reindeer” and “pretty please” back and forth. But when she looked into the eyes of her little dolly, her heart seemed to grow three times.
She walked over to the blow-up pool sleigh and tucked her dolly securely into the front of her apron before placing the harness over her head.
“IT’S SUPER HAPPY DAWN TIME! SUPER HAPPY DAWN TIME!” the bears cheered.
“Wait!” said Little Puff. She ran over to her craft supplies. A few seconds later she presented Dawn with a beautiful festive set of reindeer antlers. “Gotta look the part.”
The Super Happy Holiday Sleigh slowly made its way across the Grumpy Woods. Of course, Dawn knew that no one would be at City Hall, so she led the bears to the Grumpy Bog, where they found several grumpy icicles.
The townscritters were relieved to be rescued. With a few sips of the bears’ hot cocoa they were warmed up enough to be free from the ice and snow.
“I never thought I would be sssso happy to ssssee you all,” said Sherry as she slithered aboard the sleigh and right into an ugly sweater.
In fact, the ugly sweaters were welcomed by all the townscritters, who were still chilled.
“I told you the Grand Cranberry would grant our wishes,” said Humphrey.
“What are you wearing?” Sam asked Dawn, eyeing her antlers.
Once everyone was safely delivered to City Hall, Mayor Quill decreed that no one was ever to spend the night in the Grumpy Bog again … without blankets and space heaters.
The Super Happy Party Bears presented their not-so-boring gifts. Sherry’s ssssnake ssssock doll and Dawn’s dolly got along from the start.
All the friends they sent invitations to showed up for the celebration. (Well, except the beavers.) Stan the bumblebee arrived and brought some samples of his newest honey line from his Getsy shop. The Puffy Cheeks and the Twitchy Tails danced the Nutcracker—literally cracking nuts. Wallace Woodpecker even showed up and used his wood-carving skills to fix those square wheels on the mayor’s train. It was the best holiday party ever.
Soon, with full bellies and full hearts, the Super Happy Party Bears snuggled up for a cozy hibernation together.
And you know what? The townscritters snuggled up, too. They were feeling just a little less grumpy. THE END.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
In previous chapters, Marcie Colleen has been a teacher, an actress, and a nanny, but now she spends her days writing children’s books! She lives in her very own Party Patch, Headquarters of Fun, with her husband and their mischievous sock monkey in San Diego, California. Occasionally, there are even doughnuts. This is her first chapter book series. You can sign up for author updates here.
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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
About the Author
Copyright
A part of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
SUPER HAPPY PARTY BEARS: TINY PRANCER.
Copyright © 2017 by Imprint. All rights reserved.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016962163
eISBN: 978-1-250-12415-9
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Imprint logo designed by Amanda Spielman
Illustrations by Steve James
First Editi
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Super Happy Party Bears--Tiny Prancer Page 2