The Bear in Storage
On removing what no longer deserves space
Today is the day Winnie the Pooh's creator, A.A. Miller, was born.
Like Pooh. teddy bears can be a cute source of comfort - or conflict.
Some things are meant to be contained
🧸🔒🕊️
That bear. Tousled brown hair that reeked of alcohol, scattered over the floor. The source of intermittent, needless angst in the Lee family for decades. SIbling rivalry. Accusations of bias.
It had been discussed forever, and divided a home it shouldn't have. It was never just a toy.
A brown polar bear.
Ben Lee finally had enough of drama, petty trifles, and discomfiting sarcasm.
Without anyone's consent or reopening arguments, Ben carried the bear with the care needed to handle a pipe bomb. He placed it in the storeroom, under lock and key.
Without explanation or thought for any nuclear fallout.
The home responded at once, with a peace that arrived almost too quickly.
But Peace became a permanent resident in the Lee family. Old tensions faded, blending into the white walls of the home. And the Lee family welcomed Him.
Silence doused the Lee dinner table. But it wasn't the silence of tension or dissent.
It was ordered quiet, one not fused with family drama.
Cecila, Ben's sister, nudged him quietly. "Those two - " she tipped her head surreptitiously to their parents - "would have split if that grizzly wasn't in storage."
The brown teddy had been the vessel of conflict and chaos. It bore the words that were blades and power it never should have wielded.
Ben nodded, watching his parents exchange huge servings of chicken and prawns.
The bear's angst remained contained, its symbolism undeserving of space.
Removal wasn't disposal - it was care. Peace hadn't come from complete understanding - perhaps it never would.
But distance had ended debate. Choice had invited its presence.
🧸🔒🕊️
Original story of Michelle Liew-Kwek Tsui-Lin. AI tags are coincidental.
For Mikeydred's January prompt:
My Socials
About the Creator
Michelle Liew Tsui-Lin
Hi, i am an English Language teacher cum freelance writer with a taste for pets, prose and poetry. When I'm not writing my heart out, I'm playing with my three dogs, Zorra, Cloudy and Snowball.
Keep reading
More stories from Michelle Liew Tsui-Lin and writers in Fiction and other communities.
The Devil's Cut
“Comrade, finally you’re awake.” The voice was smooth, sensual. A flickering incandescent bar was all that lit the white, sterile room. All Vladimir remembered was everything going black. He tried to move his arms and found them strapped to the gurney.
By Matthew J. Fromm5 days ago in Fiction
The Silent Symphony of Raven’s Peak
The winding road to Raven’s Peak was less of a path and more of a warning. Covered in a thick, suffocating mist that seemed to breathe with a life of its own, the trail led to a village that maps had forgotten fifty years ago. I, Oliver Vance, a journalist obsessed with urban legends, was determined to find out why an entire community had simply stopped speaking.
By Md. Rejaul Karim2 days ago in Fiction
Comments (2)
The line “Removal wasn’t disposal —it was care” is doing serious work. That’s the emotional thesis right there, and it lands beautifully. Loved it dear. 💖
Lovely. Choice inviting peace ❤️