Katherina Minardo, Sculptor

Once upon a time, in a village in a land far away, there lived a brother and his sister. They were both eight, yet you would not have guessed they were twins because they looked so different.

The girl, Penelope — everybody called her Penny — was small for her age. She was a little plump, with dark eyes and dark hair. The boy, Anthony James — known as Jim — was tall and skinny. His face was freckled and topped by a mop of red hair. He wore glasses. And their differences were not only physical.

Penny and Jim lived with their maternal grandmother. They were orphans, their parents having perished in a accident when they were three. Their grandmother was their only relative, and, even though she scarce had the means to take in two children, she had taken care of them ever since.

The two had totally different characters, and they clashed all the time. The grandmother knew, or at least hoped, that deep down in their hearts they loved each other. But no day passed without both fighting over something. The little country school they attended was situated quite far from her cottage, and she knew that they would fight all the way there, and all the way back. 

Penny was stubborn and selfish. And while she was highly sensitive when it came to her own feelings, she had little regard for her brother’s.

Jim himself was far too proud, and he loved to play tricks on his sister. He was also quite selfish, and did not like to share anything with Penny.

Their constant bickering was a thorn in their grandmother’s heart. She tried and tried to find ways to make them care for each other. She knew that she was not going to live forever, and the two had only each other in the world. 

They all lived in a tiny house with a small garden. In this garden grandmother managed to grow vegetables and keep a few chickens. She sewed all the children’s clothing, and tried her very best to give them a happy, if spartan, home. Life could have been better, but she never complained. Her only real sorrow was that Penny and Jim fought like cats and dogs all the time.

On top of worrying about how to make ends meet that winter turned out to be particularly harsh. Both children needed warm clothes, and she spent long nights sewing for them. The little money she had went for extra firewood and food. And Christmas was approaching fast. Poor grandmother was very sad. She knew she could prepare a special dinner for the the twins, but there was really no money left to put any presents under the tree. Every night as she sat sewing she racked her brain, thinking of ways to raise a little cash for presents. She had already sold everything of value; there was nothing left. What could she do?

Then, one cold morning as she walked to the village store to deliver a basket of eggs she almost tripped over something lying on the ground. It had snowed overnight, and now the ground was covered by a thick, heavy blanket. She almost lost her balance trying to keep her eggs from rolling out of the basket.

Then, looking down on what at first she took for a branch, she saw something yellow sticking out of the snow. Curious, she bent over. Imagine her surprise when she pulled out a yellow teddy bear. Well, she imagined his colour more than she could tell from looking at his mottled, mud-caked, sodden fur. Nevertheless, it was a teddy bear that someone had discarded or lost. She felt a wave of excitement. She knew that a good wash and brushing would revive him and make him nearly new. Perhaps it was the answer to her prayers.

Then, since she was an honest person she thought of the child who could have lost the toy, and knew she had to find the owner. After shaking off some of the mud she put the bear in the basket and went to the village store.

It was just a small village so everybody knew each other. Surely it would be easy to find the owner of the bear. She exchanged eggs for other food supplies, and then asked the store keeper, Mrs. Rose, if she had heard of a missing yellow teddy bear. 

Mrs. Rose slowly shook her head while staring at the mangy toy. Surely someone had thrown it away. She assured the grandmother that it was quite alright to keep it if she so desired. Mrs. Rose knew how frugally the family lived. But the grandmother insisted on putting up a sign on the store notice board about the bear. Together they decided that if no-one came forward within a week she would keep it.

In the meantime, she would take him home and clean him up. Of course the grandmother secretly hoped that nobody would claim the bear. And she did not show it to the twins.

That afternoon, while Penny and Jim were playing outside — or rather, fighting as usual — the grandmother took a pail of warm sudsy water and started to scrub the bear. As the dirt fell off its beautiful, slightly curly golden fur started to appear. She changed the water several times until it stayed clear, then she squeezed the water out of the teddy with her hands and rubbed it with a towel. Now she had to find a safe place away from prying eyes to let him dry completely. She decided her kitchen pantry was the safest place, and since it was usually quite empty the children had no interest in it. 

Every day she would check if it was dry, and on the fourth she took a brush and comb and started to fluff up its fur. He was far more beautiful than she had imagined. The fur was silky, and of the most striking golden yellow. It had expressive brown eyes, a dark red nose, and his mouth that looked to her as if it had a light smile to it. The ears were round, the overall look was one of great kindness.

The grandmother gave him a big hug. She had always liked teddy bears as a child, but had never seen a more beautiful one. Surely some child would come forward to claim such a beauty. The thought made her sad, but her good nature also made her proud to return the bear to its owner all clean and fresh.

In the meanwhile the week came to an end. She was ready to go back to the store to sell more eggs. But this time she had more than eggs in her basket, and walked more slowly to the village. The bear was covered with a cloth, and she was sad as she walked. She dreamed of watching Penny and Jim finding the beautiful bear under the Christmas tree. True, it would have been one present for both of them, but maybe it would have taught them the art of sharing.

With a heavy heart she stepped into the store. Mrs. Rose was busy with a customer and did not pay attention to the grandmother at first. Then, when the other person left, she greeted the old woman with a warm smile, and informed her that nobody from the village had come forward to claim the toy. She had even inquired personally with each person who had come to the store. The bear was not from the village. Someone passing through must have thrown it away. Mrs. Rose was adamant: the bear now belonged to its finder.

Well, the grandmother’s secret wish had come true. She was overjoyed. 

Christmas was now only a few weeks away, and the children would soon start their school holiday. That meant they would spend more time at home, and finding a good place to hide the bear was important. The grandmother put him in a brown potato sack and leaned him against the pile of wood for the fireplace. A perfect hiding place.

She had warned the twins for some time that this Christmas was going to be a lean one, and not to expect any toys. Nevertheless, the house started to take on a holiday mood, with the scent of cinnamon and spice. There was little of anything, but she managed to bake cookies and cakes that she stored in old paint cans.

One cold morning just a few days before Christmas the three went into the forest to pick a tree. Jim pulled their wooden sled. The children kept choosing the biggest tree, but finally they settled for a fine small one. It took some time to cut it down with the old saw.

On their way back they were all happy singing Christmas songs and pulling the sled.

To be continued…