BEAR IS BACK IN MY THOUGHTS

"Good morning, Bum.  Where have you been?" asked Bear as I passed his driveway.

"You startled me, Bear," admonished Bum.

"Where have you been?" repeated Bear.  "I haven't seen you since your boyfriend left."

"I don't walk this way so much," answered Bum.

"Why not?" asked Bear.  He just can't let anything rest.  Nosy bugger, thought Bum.

"The birds attacked me up the street near the corner, if you must know."

"What!!" exclaimed Bear.

Bum repeated, "The birds attacked me."

"Crows, I suppose," said Bear.

"Yes," Bum said.  "my sister thinks they remember me."

"What do they remember, Bum?"

"I threw a stone at a crow once.  He was getting into our garbage bag, placed at the curb for pickup.  He'd made a real mess, tearing open the top and pulling bits of our garbage out, and scattering it nearby.  I had to re-bag the mess."

"That's nasty," muttered Bear.

"Indeed."  Bum went on, "I've tried wearing different coloured clothes, as a disguise, wouldn't you know.  That didn't work.  It's the whump, whump sound the crow makes as he attacks that I dread.  Luckily, the last time I was carrying an umbrella and after two passes at me, I managed to snap the umbrella up on the third pass and that ended it."

"That's more than nasty, Bum."

"Enough about the bloody crows, Bear.  How have you been?"

"Quiet," said Bear, and then continued, "My master has been away for a few months in the U.S.A.  It's some kind of course to help retired fly boys."

"God, that sounds dull.  I can't think of anything worse than spending hours and months attending courses."

"He's giving the courses, Bum," said Bear with a bit of a smirk.

Bum thought a moment, digesting this information, and then said, "no walks for you then, Bear?"

"No."

Bum pressed on, "so what do you do instead, or does your master's wife take you for walks?"

"No."

"You don't have much to say for yourself, Bear."

"No."

"Would you stop, Bear?"

"What?" said Bear crossly.

"Stop saying No to everything I say."

"Yes," muttered Bear.

"Yes, and you'll stop?" said Bum.

"Yes."

They stopped talking for a bit, both thinking I suppose.

Bum couldn't not talk for long, so said, "I've finished our book, Bear."

"That's great, Bum.  Is it published yet?"

"No, of course not, Bear.  It's in the hands of our editor, Paul, my nephew you know."

"How's that going?" enquired Bear.

"Slowly."  Before Bear could comment on slowness, which he abhors, Bum moved away saying, "I must go, see you tomorrow." and that was that.