Embedded Files
A Story based on the story of Hagar in Genesis
Beth and Bunnykins
Beth and Bunnykins
Being Five
Being Five
Mummy walked into the living room and stopped.
Mummy walked into the living room and stopped.
Something was wrong.
Something was wrong.
Bunnykins was underneath the coffee table.
Bunnykins was underneath the coffee table.
Beth was sitting in the corner of the room.
Beth was sitting in the corner of the room.
Neither of them looked very happy.
Neither of them looked very happy.
“Beth?”
“Beth?”
“Yes, Mummy?”
“Yes, Mummy?”
“What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing.”
Mummy looked at Beth.
Mummy looked at Beth.
Then she pointed at Bunnykins.
Then she pointed at Bunnykins.
Then she pointed at Beth.
Then she pointed at Beth.
“Then why this?”
“Then why this?”
Beth looked down at the floor.
Beth looked down at the floor.
“Evelyn.”
“Evelyn.”
“Evelyn? Your friend at school?”
“Evelyn? Your friend at school?”
Beth nodded.
Beth nodded.
“She’s already five.”
“She’s already five.”
“I know.”
“I know.”
Beth sighed.
Beth sighed.
“She knows everything.”
“She knows everything.”
Mummy tried very hard not to smile.
Mummy tried very hard not to smile.
“What does Evelyn know?”
“What does Evelyn know?”
“She says that when you’re five, you’re too old to have toy rabbits.”
“She says that when you’re five, you’re too old to have toy rabbits.”
Mummy looked at Bunnykins under the coffee table.
Mummy looked at Bunnykins under the coffee table.
Then she looked back at Beth.
Then she looked back at Beth.
“And you’re nearly five.”
“And you’re nearly five.”
Beth nodded sadly.
Beth nodded sadly.
“So I thought I should practise.”
“So I thought I should practise.”
“Practise what?”
“Practise what?”
“Not having Bunnykins.”
“Not having Bunnykins.”
Mummy was quiet for a moment.
Mummy was quiet for a moment.
“And how is the practising going?”
“And how is the practising going?”
“Not very well.”
“Not very well.”
“I see.”
“I see.”
“I miss him.”
“I miss him.”
Mummy looked underneath the coffee table.
Mummy looked underneath the coffee table.
Bunnykins seemed to be looking back.
Bunnykins seemed to be looking back.
“And how long has Bunnykins been under there?”
“And how long has Bunnykins been under there?”
“Nearly ten minutes.”
“Nearly ten minutes.”
“That long?”
“That long?”
Beth nodded.
Beth nodded.
“It’s horrible.”
“It’s horrible.”
Mummy reached underneath the table and picked Bunnykins up.
Mummy reached underneath the table and picked Bunnykins up.
Then she sat on the sofa.
Then she sat on the sofa.
“Come here.”
“Come here.”
Beth climbed up beside her.
Beth climbed up beside her.
Mummy put Bunnykins into Beth’s arms.
Mummy put Bunnykins into Beth’s arms.
Beth immediately gave him an enormous cuddle.
Beth immediately gave him an enormous cuddle.
“That’s better,” she whispered.
“That’s better,” she whispered.
“Beth,” said Mummy, “Evelyn may be right about Evelyn’s family.”
“Beth,” said Mummy, “Evelyn may be right about Evelyn’s family.”
Beth looked worried.
Beth looked worried.
“But she isn’t right about ours.”
“But she isn’t right about ours.”
“She isn’t?”
“She isn’t?”
“No. You cuddle Bunnykins. I want to show you something.”
“No. You cuddle Bunnykins. I want to show you something.”
Mummy got up and left the room.
Mummy got up and left the room.
Beth waited.
Beth waited.
A moment later, Mummy came back carrying something behind her back.
A moment later, Mummy came back carrying something behind her back.
“What is it?” asked Beth.
“What is it?” asked Beth.
Mummy sat down.
Mummy sat down.
Then she brought out a teddy bear.
Then she brought out a teddy bear.
Beth stared at him.
Beth stared at him.
He was very old.
He was very old.
His fur was thin in places. One ear bent slightly differently from the other. His paws were worn, and he looked as though he had been cuddled thousands and thousands of times.
His fur was thin in places. One ear bent slightly differently from the other. His paws were worn, and he looked as though he had been cuddled thousands and thousands of times.
“Who’s that?”
“Who’s that?”
“This,” said Mummy, “is Teddy.”
“This,” said Mummy, “is Teddy.”
“Your Teddy?”
“Your Teddy?”
“My Teddy.”
“My Teddy.”
“You had him when you were little?”
“You had him when you were little?”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
Beth examined Teddy carefully.
Beth examined Teddy carefully.
“He looks very old.”
“He looks very old.”
“Thank you,” said Mummy.
“Thank you,” said Mummy.
“I meant Teddy!”
“I meant Teddy!”
“So did I.”
“So did I.”
Beth giggled.
Beth giggled.
“Did you cuddle him when you were four?”
“Did you cuddle him when you were four?”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
“When you were five?”
“When you were five?”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
“Six?”
“Six?”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
“Seven?”
“Seven?”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
Beth thought she had spotted the flaw.
Beth thought she had spotted the flaw.
“But you’re a grown-up now.”
“But you’re a grown-up now.”
“I am.”
“I am.”
“So you don’t cuddle him anymore.”
“So you don’t cuddle him anymore.”
Mummy looked at Teddy.
Mummy looked at Teddy.
Then she gave him a cuddle.
Then she gave him a cuddle.
Beth stared at her.
Beth stared at her.
“You do!”
“You do!”
“Sometimes.”
“Sometimes.”
“But you’re really old!”
“But you’re really old!”
Mummy raised an eyebrow.
Mummy raised an eyebrow.
Beth quickly corrected herself.
Beth quickly corrected herself.
“I mean… really grown-up.”
“I mean… really grown-up.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you.”
Beth looked at Teddy.
Beth looked at Teddy.
Then at Bunnykins.
Then at Bunnykins.
Then at Teddy again.
Then at Teddy again.
“So when do you get too old for Teddy?”
“So when do you get too old for Teddy?”
Mummy smiled.
Mummy smiled.
“I don’t.”
“I don’t.”
“Never?”
“Never?”
“Never. I’ll never be too old for Teddy.”
“Never. I’ll never be too old for Teddy.”
Beth looked down at Bunnykins.
Beth looked down at Bunnykins.
A few minutes earlier she had thought she knew exactly what was going to happen.
A few minutes earlier she had thought she knew exactly what was going to happen.
She would turn five.
She would turn five.
She would be too old for Bunnykins.
She would be too old for Bunnykins.
And that would be that.
And that would be that.
But now Mummy had shown her something she hadn’t known.
But now Mummy had shown her something she hadn’t known.
There was another way for the story to end.
There was another way for the story to end.
Beth squeezed Bunnykins tightly.
Beth squeezed Bunnykins tightly.
“Did you hear that?”
“Did you hear that?”
Bunnykins’ floppy ears gave the tiniest little wobble.
Bunnykins’ floppy ears gave the tiniest little wobble.
Beth smiled.
Beth smiled.
“Good.”
“Good.”
Mummy smiled too.
Mummy smiled too.
“Feeling better?”
“Feeling better?”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
“And what about Evelyn?”
“And what about Evelyn?”
Beth thought for a moment.
Beth thought for a moment.
“She’s still five.”
“She’s still five.”
“She is.”
“She is.”
“And she still knows everything.”
“And she still knows everything.”
“Of course.”
“Of course.”
Beth cuddled Bunnykins.
Beth cuddled Bunnykins.
“But maybe she doesn’t know everything about us.”
“But maybe she doesn’t know everything about us.”
Mummy laughed.
Mummy laughed.
“No. Maybe she doesn’t.”
“No. Maybe she doesn’t.”
Beth settled back against the sofa, with Bunnykins safely in her arms.
Beth settled back against the sofa, with Bunnykins safely in her arms.
“I’m glad.”
“I’m glad.”
“So is Bunnykins, I expect.”
“So is Bunnykins, I expect.”
Beth nodded.
Beth nodded.
“I don’t think he liked practising either.”
“I don’t think he liked practising either.”
Want to read more?
Want to read more?
If this made you smile, you might want to meet Beth and Bunnykins in their books - find out about them here
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