The Adventures of Mr. Teddifer

The Wizard's Daughter

In a small lonely cabin on the edge of the big dark forest, there lived a little girl and her daddy. The cabin was covered in faded red paint and you would often see a column of smoke rising from the little chimney. This was in a time before electricity, so they had to heat the cabin using firewood. The little girl's daddy was a lumberjack with a big beard and big strong arms. The kind of arms that can give bear hugs and lift little girls far into the air.

Other than being Daddy's workplace, the big forest next to the cabin was also filled with mystery. There were stories about elves and wizards living deep inside the forest, stories that daddy would tell the little girl every night. After the story, the little girl would hug her favorite thing in the world, her stuffie called Mr. Teddifer. He was a little brown teddy bear. But he was no ordinary teddy, he was a magic teddy made by the elves of the deep forest. Every night when the little girl and her daddy fell asleep, Teddifer would wake up and watch over the girl while she slept, making sure that nothing bad happened to her. When the girl woke up, he would fall back to sleep on the spot.

Teddifer opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. It was dark outside. He turned around and looked at the little girl, taking deep breaths as she had just fallen asleep. Today was the day for his big adventure. For some nights now he had been making plans, after he heard a story told to the little girl before bedtime. The story had told of something that had given him hope. Hope that had let to determination and in turn into action. He wanted to tell the girl how much he loved her before he left, but they had never been able to speak a word to each other. He hoped that one day they would. Filled with determination, Teddifer kissed the little girl's cheek and jumped down from the bed. After some climbing and prying, he made it out through the window.

The small path down to the forest's edge was made out of soft gravel. It felt funny under his feet as he had never been outside before. A cold breeze passed and he tightened his little red scarf. The night got even darker inside the forest. Under the big oaks, the stars and the moon could barely be made out through the twisting branches and leaves. Making his way past rocks and roots, he ventured forth. He didn't know the way but somewhere inside him he knew that he was heading in the right direction. The sound of oak leaves rattling in the cold breeze almost sounded like a whisper, urging him onwards.

Through a clearing in the woods, the full moon could once again be seen clearly. Mr Teddifer looked around and scanned the tree line on the opposite side. On a tall branch two bright yellow eyes looked back at him. He froze as the big owl swooped down towards him. But there was nothing to fear, for this was a friendly owl.

"Greetings little furry thing. I don't think I have seen one of you in this forest before. What kind of an animal might you be?", the owl asked, looking down at him from a nearby branch.

"I'm a teddy... bear.", he answered shyly. This was the first time he had ever talked to anyone so it all felt a bit new and awkward to him.

"I have met a lot of different kinds of bears in the forest, but never a teddy bear. What is a teddy bear doing in the big forest this late at night?." the owl continued.

"I overheard a story about a great wizard that lived in a tower on top of a mountain, deep inside this forest. The story told of his magic. I'm on an adventure trying to find him, hoping that he can somehow make it so that I can stay awake during the day."

"A bear who can only move around during the night. Are you sure teddy bears aren't related to werebears?" the owl shuckled. "I know of the wizard you speak of. Or maybe its more accurate to say that I knew about him. He passed many years ago."

Teddifer looked down at the ground defeated, not sure what to say or do. Was this all for nothing then?

"Keep your chin up little teddy. All hope is not lost. The wizard's daughter, Shandra, has taken his place in the tower where he once reigned. Although not as powerful as her father, she has some magic power yet. It would be a very long walk for a little bear. If you jump on my back, I'll fly you there."