Adventures of Bear & Dragon 2

By Chris Carmines

The further adventures of our heroes on their second visit to Shropshire, Wales, Stonehenge and the Yorkshire Dales.  Filled with magick, wisdom, relevance and surprising links to Arthurian legend.  Can be read aloud for younger children, will inspire the imaginations of older ones and delight adults too.  Introduces The Stuffed Animal Conspiracy - a new call for Kinship and Hope in our troubled times.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WiseChoice Books
• Release date: Jun 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9798215842010

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

as told by Little Bear (to his friend)

This was our second trip to Britain and I was most excited, you see.  I’d dreamt of Mist Giants and Dragonstone, of a time from long ago, in a place Celtic people kind call Cymru (‘kim-ree’) – that’s Wales to you and me. 

The magick folk promised a wondrous story they’d tell.  Yet first something I must do.  I must return to them and bring my people friend with Yorkshire the dragon too.

One day a deep breath I took, for if you remember, I am now only stuffed.

Will you take us to Wales?  I know what happened before the King they call Arthur came.  I’ll tell you about Mist Giants and Dragonstone – oh, and Tree Folk too.  I’ll show you, really, I can.  Please, take me and Yorkshire too.  I blurted all at once to our people friend Christine.

Yorkshire and she stared; perhaps I’d popped another seam.  I played stuffed again.

Well, if it’s a new story you wish to tell Little Bear, of course we’ll go, Christine said, still looking a bit oddly at me.

Yorkshire flapped his wings.  Arthur indeed.  Like to tell the simple stories I see. he joked with me.

Well, once again I’d spoken before thinking through what I was about to do.  Oops!  Sometimes I feel too much; it bubbles up.  Even though I’m only made of orange foam, I must speak up, you see.  Sometimes it surprises even me.

I’d dreamt of Dragonstone.  What people folk now (and once upon then) call the Grail.  It was once a Magick Cauldron, you see.  Anyway that’s what got me all excited.  It woke me, shook me and out my request popped.  It shocked even me.

No matter, they love me I know.  They packed my cold weather clothes, took me on a plane and off to Britain we flew.  We were going to Cymru, just for me!

Little Bear we’ll be in Wales for a month, then up to the Yorkshire Dales.  We’ll get there for little dragon’s birthday (Halloween) and this year we won’t miss the train. Christine told me.

I blinked; it was true.  That train, which the movie folk call the Hogwart’s Express, runs until October’s end.  We’d be on its last scheduled trip onto the moors, stopping at a place the movie folk turned into Hogsmeade.  We were having a treat with make-believe.

This was going to be our Grand Birthday Adventure.  On September’s end at Stonehenge (Christine’s B-Day) we’d be, then on to Cymru for me (October first), then off to York and into the Dales on Halloween (Samhain to Celtic beings) for my little dragon friend. Whoopee!  This would be fun.  

Lucky we’re born close, huh?  Otherwise this’d take us months! Yorkshire observed.  

Yes.  We three are very lucky indeed. I answered.

CHAPTER TWO

We arrived first at Salisbury.  The moon was full.  Next morning was Christine’s birthday and back to Stonehenge we had to go.  Do you remember I told you (in our first Adventures ...Book 1) how bluestone holds the memories of old?  We three needed to hear from them again.  Why?  You’ll see.

This time we walked.  Well, we were carried in our red backpack by Christine from Salisbury to Stonehenge.  In procession from old Sarum we marched, just