Office Party
June 1938 Roy stepped into the back room of _The Thread Bear_. Marco was sitting behind the business desk, leaning back in his chair, paws clasped on top of his head. “Hey, your mom just called," the lynx informed his partner. “I was...
The Morning After (and the Night Before)
**September 1941** John woke with a low-grade headache, a sour taste in his mouth, and a sore feeling under his tail. He opened his eyes and found himself staring into the gray, furry armpit of a wolf. John's head was pillowed on the...
Lucky Seven
**March 1968** _An old G.I. custom long-rooted Is to entering fledglings well-suited. In every latrine A bright sign is seen: “Stand close, the next guy may be barefooted.”_ Tracy shut off the water, shook the excess from his...
Spin the Bottle
**January 2012** “Did Belinda tell you who else she invited?" Alex asked his friend. “Van and Mike will be there," Roy replied. He slowed the Prizm to a stop and flicked on the turn signal. “Yeah, but what about girls?"...
The Canyon
**July 1938** Hamilton was fighting hard to keep his tortured stomach under control. The bouncing of his uncle’s pickup truck over the rough gravel road had brought upon him a bout of carsickness the likes of which he’d never felt before in...
Lost in Translation
**August 1943** Private Carrara sat at his desk, translating his final document of the day. It was nothing more than a request for supplies, his third in a row. But it was standard procedure to translate every intercepted message, no...
Toy Box
**April 1968** Tracy entered the apartment grinning from ear to ear, repeatedly tossing a baseball from his right paw into the new baseball glove on his left. “Man, I just love playing catch! That was so much fun." Roy smiled at...
Double Feature
**May 1969** In spite of a long day at the Salvation Army Shop, Tracy’s heart was light as he climbed the stairs to the apartment he and Roy shared. The pain in his hip, which served as a constant reminder of his car accident, slowed him...
Dreams
**September 1967** Tracy waited patiently as Roy unlocked the apartment. He followed the big bear through the door, “Thanks so much for letting me spend the… Whoa!!! This place is huge!" Roy seemed a bit embarrassed. “Well,...
Brothers
**September 1917** With great care, the young bear cub scratched the letters into the fine grains of sand covering the surface of the playground. “Whatcha doing?" came a voice from behind him. The bear looked over his shoulder to see a...
In the Mood
**April 1959** Roy sat on his couch, bare feet up on his coffee table as he leaned back with his eyes closed. Stravinsky’s “Firebird” was on the stereo and nearing its rousing climax. He opened his eyes at an unexpected knocking on his...
Christmas Balls
**Christmas Balls** December 1972 Roy plugged in the lights of the Christmas tree and smiled with satisfaction as he backed his way out from underneath it on his paws and knees. “Okay, Babe, it's ready for the…" The bear turned and...