The Land of the Flowered Bed Encounters the Doldrums
The creatures in the Land of the Flowered Bed were bored.
Actually, they were more than bored.
They were terribly, horribly, absoultely bored.
The worst kind of boredom there was.
“There must be something we can do,” Hairy suggested brightly. “Bake some cookies, maybe?”
“I’m tired of cookies,” Cookies grumbled, crossing his wings. “Let’s do something else.”
“How can you be tired of cookies?” Pumble asked, aghast.
Crumbs stared at him in horror.
Even the Cookie Stealing Bunny glared at him.
“The last thing we need to do is eat because we’re bored,” Cookies said sternly, frowning. “We should do something more constructive. Something to improve our minds.”
“I always eat when I’m bored,” Pumble informed him, nibbling on a cookie. “It’s the best way not to be bored. I also eat when I’m happy, sad, delighted, angry, excited…there’s always a reason to eat!”
“And it shows,” Cookies muttered, eyeing Pumble’s large belly.
“Ok, cookies isn’t right then,” Hairy interrupted quickly before they could argue again. “Shall we watch a movie?”
“That’s even worse than baking cookies,” Cookies griped.
The seals clapped their tails and chittered. Hairy shook his head. “I don’t think you’re old enough for that one yet.” The seals pouted, thumping their tails against the floor.
“What about going shopping?” Ladybug suggested.
Everyone looked at her with identical masks of horror.
“Hiking?” suggested Miss Moose McKinley, drooling slightly at the thought of tasty pine needles to much on.
“Oh good gracious, no,” Pumble said flatly. He had to eat another cookie just to block out the terrible thought of hiking.
“Swimming?” Sandie suggested, looking hopefully at the Ducks in the Spa.
“There’s no room!” the first duck cried.
“You’ll never fit!” the second duck shrieked, on the edge of hysterics.
“I’m afraid quarters are a bit tight,” apologized the third duck.
“It’s too cold, anyway,” Ladybug mummured, shivering at the thought of wearing a swimsuit in February.
“I could tell a story,” Augie suggested, who loved telling stories.
“If I want to read a story, I’ll read a book,” Cookies snapped.
The seals perked up. They loved being read to.
“Then what do you want to do?” Augie asked, annoyed no one wanted to hear his stories.
“I have no idea!” Cookies snarled. “Do you?”
Augie shook his head. The rest of the animals shrugged. Everyone collapsed into a glum silence. Picking at the carpet, they all stared down at their toes in a fog of misery.
“What’s wrong with us?” Hairy cried, waving his arms in the air. “We shouldn’t be depressed! Why, we just had a wonderful holiday season! There must be something that we’ve been just dying to do! Go to the park? Go Under the Land of the Flowered Bed? A trip Outside, perhaps?”
All he got in response was a few mild tail wags from the seals and a sea of frowns. “What is wrong with you?” he asked, exasperated.
“They’ve been visited by the Doldrums.”
Hairy whirled around to see one of the Flying Pigs perched behind him, munching on some grass. “The doldrums?”
“The Doldrums,” the Flying Pig corrected. “Until they shake the doldrums, they’ll be trapped in a dull existence of lethargy, apathy and endless grey days.”
Hairy shook his head. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“They’ll be boring, lifeless lumps,” the Flying Pig translated. “No one will want to do anything, but everyone will be bored and tired of being bored. They’ll sit and whine and complain, depressed and too miserable to move off the couch.”
“That’s terrible!” Pumble cried, popping another cookie in his mouth. “How do we escape it?”
“You must go to the Doldrums,” the Flying Pig replied.
“How does one go to the Doldrums if we have the Doldrums?” Hairy asked.
“The Doldrums is both a place and a condition,” the Flying Pig answered. “To get rid of the condition, you must travel to the place to return it.”
Cookies rolled his eyes and huffed into his feathers. “And where are the Doldrums?” he asked.
The Flying Pig shrugged. “You’ll have to go ask King Baylor of the Stickhorses. He’s the only one who knows.”
Hairy got to his feet. “Then we’ll go ask!” he cried. “Come on everyone, let’s go!”
The creatures of the Land of the Flowered Bed jumped to their feet, hurrying after him. For no one wanted to be stuck with the doldrums.
To be continued…
To read about how the Land of the Flowered Bed began, check out my book here!
Stay tuned, Invisible Friends! We have a week full of whimsical fun coming up!
February 6th, 2010 at 3:37 am
HAHAHA that was AWESOME! I love it. Crumb is so freakin’ adorable, I just want to squeeze him. Oh, and the Ducks in the Spa…unbelievably cute!
You are one creative stuffy toy mama. Great story!
Happy Saturday to you!
February 6th, 2010 at 3:55 am
SO cute! I love it. I can’t wait to read more and check out how it began. Visiting from SITS.
February 6th, 2010 at 4:23 am
Waiting impatiently for directions to the Doldrums!
February 6th, 2010 at 5:57 am
Love it!!
But not The Doldrums, lol!!
February 6th, 2010 at 8:16 am
Aww, the doldrums! Adorable! I love it!
February 6th, 2010 at 8:19 am
We were just talking about being in the Doldrums yesterday!
Love all the toys!
February 6th, 2010 at 8:28 am
So cute! Our stuffed animals reenacted the story of Hercules this morning
February 6th, 2010 at 8:44 am
Looking forward to King Baylor of the Stickhorses response…I could stand to escape from the doldrums myself!
February 6th, 2010 at 8:49 am
Adorable! We have the doldrums here too, I think it’s the yuckety weather!
February 6th, 2010 at 9:17 am
Hope they find something fun to do!
February 6th, 2010 at 10:16 am
Your critters should head up DC way, where we have almost 3 feet of snow to shovel! All except for the cookie-stealing bunny. He might get lost in the snow…
February 6th, 2010 at 10:35 am
Yeah. I’m pretty sure even our snow bunnies are snowed in around here…
February 6th, 2010 at 10:52 am
So amusing and fanciful post!
February 6th, 2010 at 10:54 am
Fanciful = full of fantasy
February 6th, 2010 at 11:21 am
I completely sympathize!
We now have over two feet of snow, so sadly I’m shoveling instead of being bored. It’s terribly sad.
February 6th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
That was great! I loved all the little stuffed-animal pictures.
xoxo
FashionEye
February 6th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
its good to visit you again..
i was in india all this time and had loads of fun…
February 6th, 2010 at 12:51 pm
It must be so must fun in your house!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
February 6th, 2010 at 12:51 pm
much fun, much fun.
February 6th, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Fun Saturday story! Those creatures are too cute!
February 6th, 2010 at 8:16 pm
Oh I love Pumbles! I’m afraid I share too many of his thoughts and unfortunately am beginning to take his shape…can’t wait to see how they shake those Doldrums!
February 7th, 2010 at 7:22 am
Tired of cookies???? Yikes. That IS the doldrums all right. But I think I would stay away from the doldrums. Nothing good could come out of a trip like that!
February 7th, 2010 at 9:51 am
Yup, sometimes I think I have been visited by the doldrums myself..
February 7th, 2010 at 10:21 am
So THAT is how to get rid of the doldrums. I’ll have to remember it the next time they visit me.
Cookies is so cute, even with his bad attitude.
February 7th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
I am also aghast that anyone could be tired of cookies…LOL! Hope you’re having a really nice (and not boring) weekend!
February 7th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
Can I come to? I have the winter doldrums!
February 7th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
Here’s hoping they can escape the doldrums soon!
February 7th, 2010 at 2:44 pm
I love that flying pig.
February 7th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
So the dog is real, right? How funny that he wanted to be part of the fun.
February 7th, 2010 at 6:30 pm
Little Zoe is hooked…she can’t wait to hear more about the doldrums
February 8th, 2010 at 8:02 am
It’s nice to see the actual inhabitants of the Pond in their own adventure.
I’d say I have a lot in common with Pumble the Bee, including the belly.
February 8th, 2010 at 9:53 am
Tired of cookies. Take his Temp!
February 8th, 2010 at 10:18 am
Next time they’re bored how about some yoga?
February 8th, 2010 at 10:34 am
I just love those critters. every time, they make me smile
xoox
kHm
February 8th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
I am so glad I am not the only one who plays with her stuffed animals.
February 8th, 2010 at 9:31 pm
Your post reminds me that I need to pick up a copy of “The Phantom Toll Booth” and read it to my kids.
February 8th, 2010 at 10:27 pm
I know lots of people who need to know how to get rid of the Doldrums!
What a delightful read.. can’t wait for the continuation.
February 10th, 2010 at 4:53 pm
This is pretty much the cutest thing I have ever seen… Thanks for visiting my blog, I will be sure to stay tuned. My students would really like this story.