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| Flanked by his buddies after Moonie's fall, when the light bothered his eyes |
Moon Pie fell
off the back of the couch when he was about a year old. He liked to climb up
and look at the streetlight outside the living room window—he thought it was a
star. Specifically, his star …. but
he is a polar bear and they are loaded
with ’tude. One night, he was perched in place atop the back cushion and from
the corner of my eye, I saw him tip toward the window …
Why do these
things always happen in slow motion? I started moving as soon as I saw him
tilt, yet I knew going in that he was going down and sure enough, he executed a
perfect somersault and disappeared before I was fully out of my chair.
Whump!
When I got to
him, he was spread-eagled on his back, thoroughly winded and staring up at me
from glazed eyes. Of course nothing was broken, but I was certain that he’d
given himself a concussion—a certainty that remains to this day.
He’s always been
a sweet little guy, cuddly and loving as few of his compatriots are. The other
bears—even his paunchy older brother, Jarkko—watch over him as if they know
he’s had a head injury and has special needs. I dunno. If he hadn’t whacked his
head that night, he might not be so loving and good-natured (I repeat, he is a polar bear), but I see him wake up every
day with bright eyes and all sorts of enthusiasm … and I envy him.
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