Ursamer (Treasury Of Feel-Good Stories Book 2)

Book summary

"Ursamer" tells the captivating story of a young girl and her extraordinary puppy, exploring themes of communication and environmental awareness. As they embark on a journey filled with wonder and challenges, they strive to convey a crucial message about climate change. This touching narrative, perfect for children aged 8 and above, not only entertains but also gently educates about the importance of listening to our planet's needs.

Excerpt from Ursamer (Treasury Of Feel-Good Stories Book 2)

The girl appeared. She just appeared! Certainly she wasn’t there just one moment ago.

She appeared to the lady who was homeless.

But, this was the lady's bench. Her tiny little piece of the park. So, homeless she was not. Not quite.

She was hot and wished the breeze would pick up. Instead of a breeze, a small child had blown in. A strange looking little girl, even by New York standards.

And dressed for winter! How could she stand it? But the child did not seem to mind.

The lady sat up on her bench. It was getting harder to do without help. But she managed, and felt a small tickle of pride at that. Small things matter a lot when you have no home. Counting your meager blessings becomes an art form.

“Hello, dear elder,” the child remarked. She didn’t say more, not at first. Her people took their time about most things.

“Hello to you,” the old woman of the park bench replied with a smile in her voice. Children seldom stopped to speak with her and often tormented her. But this girl looked different. And, she smiled back.

It was only then that the homeless woman noticed the child had a sled, of all things! Central Park was great for sleds, but not in summer. And, upon that sled were a puppy and a huge chunk of ice, which was not doing at all well under the circumstance of a muggy August day. She decided not to allude to these things and asked the little girl’s name.

“My name is Uŕsamer.”

Here was a lovely girl of perhaps eight or nine with deep brown eyes and a radiant smile. The old woman wondered where she'd come from. There were all kinds of people in New York, of course, but not so many like this girl.

And her clothes were strange! Yes, that was it! Eskimo clothes! Rather, Inuit.

How odd, the woman thought. It’s hotter than hell’s handrails today.

She replied, “That’s a pretty name. Mine’s Granny. Well, not really, but everyone calls me that.”

Uŕsamer struggled with the little English she knew. But managed, “I greet you, kindly Grandmother. My dog, Nuga. Is there any food he could eat? Nuga grows and grows. Nuga always hungry. Is there somewhere I fish for him?”

No one in their right mind would eat any fish that came out of the East River, Central Park Pond, or anywhere else around here. But as luck would have it, Granny had just finished her morning rummage and had scrounged some trashed burger bits.

The child smiled. Her dog hopped down off the sled and gobbled up the food.

Uŕsamer moved closer to Granny’s face, intending to rub noses, but the woman backed away.

Not so long after the first Covid tsunami, she thought. What a horrible time that was. Nature sure is angry with us.

The lady had survived by grabbing all the edible rubbish she could and crawling into an unused subway tunnel. It was tough down there, and she couldn’t wait to get back up to the surface. But that was another story, and Granny didn’t wish to burden the child with it.

Uŕsamer did not approach further, but her face showed confusion. And hurt. Luckily, the puppy clambered up to Granny and licked her face in thanks. Nuga had very good manners. And that broke the ice, so to speak. Now, Uŕsamer regarded the block of ice she carried on her sled. “Ice melting, kindly Grandmother! Bears in sea!”

“Eh? Oh yes, dear, I know. Where do you come from, by the way? Aren’t you hot in those furs? And, aren’t you hungry?”

“No, I fine, thank you. But need find great place where make great changes. Ice melting, Grandmother!”

“Great place? Great changes?” What’s this little girl so desperate about?

“Hmm, perhaps you mean the United Nations?”

“Is great place?”

“Well, yes, I suppose so.”

“How we get there?”

“Well, it’s a bit of a hike, dear. How did you get here, anyway?”

Uŕsamer was about to answer when two big men, dressed alike in dark blue, began walking towards them.

Uŕsamer drained some ice into a cup and offered it to the woman on the bench. “Here, Grandmother. Thank you for good help.”

Uŕsamer’s dog growled as the men in blue came closer. He was pretty sure they would not understand.

Uŕsamer, Nuga, sled, ice – all faded fast, white into the hot air.

***

“Hey Eddie, look at this,” the chief officer remarked.

“Looks like sled tracks, Sarge. Weird. Who'd bring a sled out here in the middle of summer?”

“Probl’y some nut,” Sarge replied. We get all kinds of ‘em, don’t we?”

Eddie winked knowingly at Granny as his boss began to move off.

When his partner wasn't looking, Eddie slipped Granny a donut. Granny gave the rookie cop her very best smile. She knew her gift was equally important.