Read Online Sebastian by Alan Field - Free Book Online Page B

for some days. I was almost beginning to think I had no hope to give up when one afternoon I found a little girl dancing up and down in front of me. She was shouting up at her Daddy and pointing at me. The shop door dinged and they came in.
    â€œI must have him, Daddy. I must,” she was saying. “I’ve never seen such a marvellous bear.”
    Well, it did me good to hear that after so long. Her Daddy was giving me the sort of look reserved for unwanted presents, but he took out his wallet and paid over the ten francs.
    â€œMind your coat, dear,” he said, “he’s so dusty.”
    â€œOh, I don’t care, Daddy, he’s beautiful.”
    She hugged me till I squeaked.
    We caught a taxi and swept off to the Champs Elysées and stopped at a very posh hotel all in marble with men in bow ties standing about.
    â€œI’m Annette,” she said, as we swished up in the lift. “And you’re S-e-b-a-s-t-i-a-n. What a lovely name!”
    I had quite recovered my self-respect after she had brushed my hair, cleaned out the cobwebs, and straightened my jersey. She insisted we all went down to dinner together, and I sat opposite her on a striped velvet chair.
    The waiter seemed very amused to see a bear come to dinner and asked Annette politely: “What will the young gentleman have, Mademoiselle?”
    Everyone was very merry, including Annette’s Mummy and Daddy, and the waiter kept pouring out wine from a bottle he kept in some snow in a silver bucket by the table.
    â€œTomorrow we go back to England,” said Annette. “I don’t suppose you’ve ever seen England, Sebastian, but it’s nice really, even though they have schools and things. I’ve got a super swing in the garden - you’ll love it.”
    She tucked me up at the bottom of her bed that night, and the next morning we caught the plane home. It was much more exciting than being in the parcel. Annette held me up to the window and I could see rolling white mountains stretching into the distance.
    â€œThey’re the clouds, Sebastian,” she said.
    I looked carefully for the cloud giants Toots used to talk about that caused the thunder but there was no sign of them. A car was waiting for us at London Airport and it was not too long before we arrived at Annette’s home. I had to shake hands with her Grandma, and was introduced to Albert, the tabby cat who had a collar with a little bell on it.
    â€œTo stop him catching so many birds,” said Annette. “Come on, I’ll show you my room.”
    It was an old house and had four flights of stairs. She had the very top room with a window seat and a sloping ceiling. There were pictures of television stars pinned up everywhere. I didn’t see any more bears sitting about and there only seemed to be dolls.
    â€œDaddy always said bears were for boys and girls ought to have dolls,” Annette explained. “You can have my little desk to sit at - it’s too small for me now anyway and just right for you.”
    It was a nice little desk, with a lift-up lid for putting things in.
    â€œI suppose,” she said, “somebody did own you once? I mean, you didn’t spend all your life just sitting in that shop in Paris?” I would have liked to tell her the story of my travels, but ... “Still, you’re mine now and you’re my most favourite ever,” she said, giving me a kiss on the head.
    We all sat down to tea together in the big kitchen and I had a red and white checked serviette tucked into my bow tie. Annette put me a pot of honey and a spoon. I was glad she didn’t help me to eat it though, because last time at home it all ran down my chin and I had to be cleaned with carpet shampoo.
    The next day, Annette’s Daddy had to go to work. He went off in striped trousers, and a black coat and bowler hat.
    â€œHe’s a stockbroker,” said Annette. “He has to share out people’s