The Little Bear Who Kept Sighing

Deep in the forest stood a great big oak tree.

On the oak tree was a little round door—that was Chestnut's Pharmacy.

This afternoon, the sun was warm, and the breeze was soft.

Chestnut stood behind the counter, counting the candies in a jar.

"One candy, two candies, three candies..."

Thump... thump... thump...

A little bear walked in, slowly, ever so slowly.

He walked right up to the counter, and flopped down on top of it.

"Siiigh—"

It was the longest, longest sigh.

The little bear's name was Bobo.

"Bobo, what's the matter?"

"Chestnut... playing with blocks is no fun."

"Throwing my ball is no fun."

"Drawing is no fun either."

"Siiigh—"

"I don't want to do anything. But I really, really want to do something."

Chestnut said softly, "When your heart feels empty and sleepy, and all you can do is sigh and sigh—"

"That is called being bored."

"Yes..." Bobo mumbled. "I'm so bored."

"I'm so bored, even my sighs are tired."

Chestnut pushed up his round glasses.

"Hmm... let me think..."

He turned around and looked at the jars on the shelf.

"Aha! This jar right here!"

Chestnut climbed up his little ladder, reaching way up high for a rainbow-colored jar.

"Bobo, hold the ladder for me, please!"

Bobo lifted his head, slowly, ever so slowly.

"Oh... okay..."

He stood up, slowly. He walked over, slowly—

The ladder wibbled and wobbled, wibbled and wobbled—

"Whoa-oh-oh-oh!"

CRASH!

Down the ladder Chestnut slipped, landing right on his bottom.

Rainbow candies rolled everywhere.

Red ones, yellow ones, green ones, blue ones, rolling and rolling, rolling and rolling.

"I-I'm fine. A pharmacist must stay calm."

Bobo's eyes followed the candies, round and round.

He crouched down and picked them up, one by one.

"Siiigh—" He still let out a sigh.

Chestnut took one candy from the jar and placed it gently in Bobo's big paw.

"This is the Rainbow Seek-and-Find Candy."

"Fun things, you see, love to play hide-and-seek."

"Once you eat it, you'll find out where they're hiding."

Bobo looked at the candy. It was covered in tiny little dots—red, yellow, green, and blue.

Bobo put the candy in his mouth.

First it was sweet, like strawberry. Then it was sour, like lemon.

Huh? Every bite tasted different.

He sat on the little chair, thinking and thinking, thinking and thinking...

The sun shone in through the window.

On the floor were little spots of light, shiny and bright.

The wind blew through the leaves—swish, swish, swish—

And the little sun-spots danced across the floor, hop, hop, hop.

Bobo watched them, and his eyes grew wider and wider.

"Huh?"

Bobo reached out to catch a little sun-spot.

The sun-spot hopped onto his paw—and hopped away again!

"Got it! Huh? It got away!"

He chased the sun-spots, crawling this way, crawling that way.

"Hee hee, there you are, hiding right here!"

Bobo was laughing.

Bobo looked up. There were rainbow colors on the wall!

The sun was shining on the glass jars, and red light, green light, and blue light had all run up onto the wall.

Bobo put his paw right in.

"Wow! My paw turned red!"

"Now it's green!"

"Now it's blue!"

Suddenly, Bobo understood.

"The fun things didn't go away."

"They were just hiding!"

"When I was flopped down, I couldn't see them. When I looked up, there they were!"

"When I get home, I'll build a little house out of blocks, so the sun-spots can play hide-and-seek!"

"And if my ball rolls into the rainbow light, what color will it turn?"

Bobo ran back to the counter.

"Chestnut! Your candy is magic! I found so many fun things!"

"Did you now?" Chestnut asked with a smile.

"Who do you think found them—the candy, or you?"

Bobo tilted his head and thought for a moment.

"It was... me! I found them myself!"

"That's right," said Chestnut.

"Next time you feel bored, remember to look up, look around, and have a little search."

"Fun things love to play hide-and-seek."

"But Chestnut, you fell off the ladder just now. Does your bottom hurt?"

"I-I'm fine. A pharmacist must stay calm."

"Next time, I'll wait until you're holding the ladder tight before I climb up."

But Chestnut's cheeks turned pink.

The sun went slowly down, and the sky turned a warm, cozy orange.

Bobo bounced and skipped out of the pharmacy.

Crunch, crunch, he stepped on the fallen leaves.

"Huh? Stepping on leaves is fun too!"

Chestnut watched him go, and pushed his crooked glasses back up.

Then he turned around and put the rainbow jar back on the shelf.

Who will come knocking tomorrow, I wonder?