The Mayor’s Bear always has pride of place in the Town Council Chamber, sitting high up on a small shelf overlooking the meeting table. Roxie had placed Strumbold there after she had brought him back from the charity shop.
Afterwards, with everything else happening and her worries about the chain, Roxie quite forgot about the brief conversation she had with Strumbold. Indeed, if she did recall it, it seemed like a dream to her. “Seriously, stuffed bears don’t talk!”, she had reasoned with herself.
But Strumbold had been watching, listening and thinking about everything. Remember Strumbold is a magimistical bear. Strumbold knew about the lost chain. He knew about what had happened to Roxie after she had admitted to losing it. And Strumbold knew that he had to help her. He was just pondering how to do this.
A few days later, the Town Council held its special, extraordinary council meeting. All fifteen councillors, including Roxie, arrived looking very serious. Cllr Pompous McDoom probably looked the most serious of all.
Roxie opened the meeting. There were no apologies for absence (every councillor was there) and there was just one more item on the agenda:
“This council notes that the Town Mayor has lost the Chain of Office. This council notes that this Chain of Office is over one hundred and twenty five years old. This council notes that in all that time, no previous Mayor has ever lost the Chain before. The council notes the extreme concern expressed by our townsfolk about this loss. This council resolves to ask the Mayor to consider her position.”
Roxie knew what this meant. They were asking her to resign. They could not make her resign but they could make their views and disappointment very clear. Painfully clear.
The room stayed very silent, everyone was waiting to see what Roxie would do. Her head was bowed, as she struggled to think of what to say.
And then Roxie heard a low, woody voice “I think there is a way I can help you to find the chain. Be courageous. Be confident. You are a great Mayor and you will leave your mark on this Town”
Roxie looked up with start. The other councillors all looked startled too. “Sorry” she said, “did somebody say something?” The looks of startle changed to looks of concern (except Councillor McDoom who was still looking like a dark rain cloud). Nobody else had heard anything.
“Town Mayor, are you alright?” inquired the Town Clerk, over his thin, round spectacles. “No one else has spoken.”
Roxie took a breath and made one of the bravest decisions of her life. “OK, I know what you are all thinking. And I know what you want me to do. And trust me over the last few days, I have been on the edge of giving everything up… Mayor, Town Councillor, the whole shebang! I am desperately disappointed in myself and I feel like a complete fool. How could I lose the Chain of Office!?!”
All the other councillors were now leaning forward, waiting to hear what she said next.
“In four days time, at precisely 11.00 in the morning, it is the annual Teddy Bears’ Picnic in the park by the river. It is an event that I know that everyone in the town looks forward to, especially the young children. It’s that time of year when everyone feels so happy to be a part of this town. And I want to be there, as Mayor, to welcome everyone. And I want to promise them, as all previous mayors have done that everyone can be healthy, wealthy and happy in this town, our beautiful town. And I will be there as Mayor to do this. And if I have not found the Chain by then, I will resign the following day.”
The room went quiet. The other Councillors looked from one to the other. There was some shrugging of shoulders, some raised eyebrows, some sucking of teeth and some deep sighs… Cllr McDoom looked at no one and no one looked at him.
“I propose the motion is put” thundered Cllr McDoom “does anyone second me?” And nobody did. That was the end of the meeting and all the Councillors left the room.
“I’ll lock up” said Roxie to the Town Clerk. He left too.
So Roxie was left all alone. Well, not quite alone. “You better have a very good idea, Strumbold. Because right now, I have run out of gas.”
“Come back tomorrow morning” whispered Strumbold with his low woody voice. “We’ll find the Chain in time.” His eyes twinkled at her.
Roxie locked up leaving Strumbold in the dark. “Trouble is, I am not sure how” he whispered to himself… Somehow, he was going to have to make Roxie remember what had happened.
Roxie remembers
Roxie arrived fresh and early at the Town Council Chamber. She hoped it was not too early but then thought: Strumbold is a stuffed bear and he probably doesn’t even have breakfast! But Roxie had had a good night’s sleep, the first in a long while. Somehow, and she didn’t really know why but she trusted Strumbold. She trusted that he would be able to help her.
Carefully she took Strumbold down from the shelf and placed him in front of her. His eyes twinkled.
With a deep but optimistic sigh, she said “Well Strumbold, here we are, where is the chain?”
Strumbold paused a while and then he asked a couple questions and patiently waited for Roxie’s answers.
“Firstly” he said, “do you know the last time that you had the chain?”
Roxie thought about this. She had of course, gone over and over this question. So many times. But when she had done this it was more to do with where the chain might be rather than simply thinking of the actual time.
“Well it was three weeks ago. I came back one evening after opening a new clothes shop in the town. I had on my best black long dress which I hung up next to my sewing corner. I had noticed a small bit of the seam needed fixing. I knew I had my chain then. And that was the last time. Three days later when I went to look for it, it was gone. It wasn’t in the special drawer I was carefully putting it each time after I had worn it.”
“I had to play the annual skittles competition in the market square without it. Nobody noticed as everyone was too busy drinking wine and beer, talking about their holidays and their families. I spent hours and hours the next day looking for the chain. It had to be in the house. Somewhere! It had to be there! But it wasn’t.”
“Secondly'' said Strumbold “who and what left the house during those three days? Think carefully”
“I went to work of course, and the children went to school. I have already hunted through all the bags and rucksacks, and all the clothes worn by everyone. Every pocket, every zip has been searched several times.”
“Did anything else leave?” insisted Strumbold.
Roxie sat back, with her hands over her mouth and looked at the ceiling. Quite a few minutes passed. “It wasn’t rubbish day during those three days and any way, I already checked through the bins. Nothing. Nothing else left the house. Oh Strumbold, I have been over and over this in my head so many times. My hands are almost in blisters with all the searching I have done. So many times. So many times! Can’t you use some magic or something!?” Roxie plunged her head into her hands.
Strumbold just looked softly at her. “Anything else?”
Roxie looked at him and almost scowled with frustration. That same question again! But she knew he was trying to help.
And just then, she remembered...
“Well, I did send a parcel to my brother in Scotland for his fiftieth birthday. Sadly I could not get to his birthday party tomorrow, it is just too far to go. So I made him a special quilted cushion with pieces of material to remind him of our childhood together. There is a piece with a swing that looks like the one we used to play on, and another bit with a cat that is identical to the one we had growing up and, oh, lots of things. It is really special and he will love it.”
Strumbold’s eyes twinkled.
Roxie looked back at him.
Suddenly her mouth went dry. And the tips of her fingers tingled a bit. “Oh no!” she exclaimed. “Oh no, no, no, no, no…! The chain is in the cushion isn’t it? What am I to do?”
“I’ve never been to Scotland” said Strumbold, humming an old Scottish folk song.
Go to part six
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