I’m an unfriendly bear.
It’s not a nice characteristic, but that’s how I am.
By the time I’d cleared away all the things that Kimbleton Tardigrade had left out all over the floor, and scraped out the last helping of a cake-and-krispie pudding (it tasted fine once I’d removed the outside layer), and listened to my favourite music rather loud with my feet on the table, I’d remembered some of the advantages of living alone.
Not that it wasn’t lovely to have Um and the Baby living here. I’d give anything to have them back.
Oh dear, I do miss them.
And Kimbleton was very good company. A lively person to have around.
But it is nice to be selfish sometimes, and not to have to mind my manners.
By the stage of maturity of the pudding, I guess I must have been asleep for a number of days, if not weeks. I expect Kimbleton has moved on somewhere else.
They’re a keen traveller.
The first time I met them was at the seaside, but they’ve been all over the place.
It was last autumn. I was sunbathing on a sandy beach, and suddenly I opened my eyes to find a tardigrade looking down at me.
I was startled at first, but they soon put me at my ease.
They found me some new tent-poles, and made a tasty seaweedy sauce to go with the old ones (the poles were celery). A very practical sort of chap.
But now that they’ve moved on, I’ll get back to my old solitary life.
It’s quiet. And slower than when there’s someone else to stir things up.
I might do a bit of yoga. Or practise my Welsh. Or possibly bake something tasty.
Perhaps I’ll make a list of things to do.
BBRRRRRRRING!
Oh, there’s the doorbell. It could be the postman. Or little Strawberry bringing me some gooseberries.
No. It’s Kimbleton back again.
Oh my goodness. I hadn’t realised that Kimbleton hadn’t been vaccinated yet.
Being elderly and vulnerable, I’d have been more nervous about having him to stay here if I’d known.
All’s well that ends well, I suppose.
I hope Kimbleton will be gentle. I don’t much like having things stuck down my throat or up my nose. But it’s in a good cause.
Here goes. Open wide.