Exclusive new Paddington story from Michael Bond to read to kids

ONE night, many moons ago, the ocean liner S.S. Karenia left the Peruvian port
of Lima in South America and set sail for Europe.

There was nothing unusual in that, for it was a regular crossing carrying as
many passengers as it could take, along with a full crew to look after their
every need during the voyage.

However, on this particular occasion, unbeknown to the Captain, they had a
stowaway aboard. He had been smuggled onto the ship at the very last moment
by his aunt, and he was hiding under a sheet of tarpaulin in one of the
lifeboats.

“Now, promise me you will write,” she said, as the liner’s siren gave an
impatient wail that echoed round the harbour.

“I promise to write as soon as I get the chance,” said the bear.

“I’ve filled your suitcase with jars of marmalade for the journey,” said his
aunt. “And I have paid one of the crew to make sure you never run short of
drinking water.”

While she was talking she tied a large label round her nephew’s neck. “I’ve
knotted the string twice over,” she said, “so it shouldn’t come apart. But
you may find it very useful, so do take care of it.”

“Thank you, Aunt Lucy,” said the bear, raising his hat. “You are very kind.”
He would have preferred cocoa, but he was much too polite to say so.

In any case there was no time for more as the gap between the Karenia and the
quay began to widen and his aunt had to make good her escape by sliding down
a rope.

She only just managed to avoid falling into the harbour and by the time she
had righted herself a wall of darkness separated her from the lifeboat.

She wiped away a tear as she waved a last goodbye into the pitch black night.
“I hope I’ve done the right thing,” she said, when she arrived back at the
Home. “It feels as though I have lost a part of myself.”

“Of course you’ve done the right thing,” said the oldest inhabitant. She
stopped knitting and set her rocking chair in motion to emphasise the point.

“This is no place for a young cub full of the joys of spring. That bear needs
to go out into the world. We shall hear more about him before the year is
out… you mark my words.”

“I wish I’d given him a good book to read,” said Aunt Lucy.

“You will need one yourself by the time the Karenia reaches the end of its
journey,” said another bear.

“It’s always worse for the one who stays behind,” she added.

And she was right, for Aunt Lucy soon lost count of the number of raffia table
mats she made while she awaited news. Luckily it was the tourist season, so
they soon disappeared from the stall permanently outside their building.

Then one day a postman arrived brandishing an envelope, the front of which was
festooned with blue labels and strange-looking stamps.

It was addressed to Aunt Lucy, c/o The Home for Retired Bears, Lima.

By popular request, Aunt Lucy dropped the table mat she was working on and
began reading the contents of the letter out loud to the other bears.

to the other bears.

Dear Aunt Lucy,

She began, before pausing for a moment as the next word seemed to have been
crossed out for some reason.

“I eggspect expect this will come as a great surprise to you, but not only
have I arrived in England, but I have an address!

“I’m staying at number 32 Windsor Gardens and it isn’t at all like the Home
for Retired Bears. You may not believe this, but it’s very near the
Portobello Road, which you have often talked about when you suggested I
might like living in London.

I have been taken in for the next day or two by a nice family called the
Browns, but I’m hoping it will be much longer than that because I am very
happy here.

I have my own bed, so I am on my best behaviour, which isn’t easy because I
have already flooded their bathroom by mistake and a lot of the water went
through their downstairs ceiling.

The trouble is I’m used to sitting in a puddle after it rains and I had never
been in a bath before. Luckily the drips landed on their two children,
Jonathan and Judy, who came to my rescue.

“But then, as I said to Judy when I first arrived, ‘Things are always
happening to me. I’m that sort of bear.’

“In fact, it is Judy who is typing this letter because she noticed straight
away that my spelling isn’t very good. Also, using Mr Brown’s computer isn’t
easy with paws as I can’t help touching several keys at the same time.

This is an example of what happens when I try to type the letter ‘i’ uhiyg…
!”

Aunt Lucy held up the letter for the others in the room to see.

“I find using a pencil to poke the keys is the best way to do it,” she read.
“But that takes much longer.

“I wrote several letters to you while I was in the lifeboat on the way over.
That took even longer because I used marmalade chunks instead of a pen, so
the writing wasn’t very clear. I put them one by one inside the empty
marmalade jars, screwing the tops on tightly before throwing them into the
sea. I expect they might turn up one day, but you won’t have missed much if
they don’t.

“All I could think of to say was, ‘I hope this doesn’t find you as it leaves
me,’ and there aren’t any signposts in the middle of the ocean so, as I had
no idea where I was at the time, they aren’t very interesting.

“Jonathan is sending this note by something called Air Mail, so you will get
it as soon as possible. I will write again tomorrow because I have another
big surprise for you. Love from PADDINGTON.”

Aunt Lucy had trouble with the last word. “I don’t know what that means,” she
said, “but someone else has added a bit more at the end.”

“Hello Aunt Lucy,” she read. “And a big hello to everyone else in the Home for
Retired Bears. We have been hearing all about you. Don’t worry. We will look
after him and the odd job man is already working on the ceiling. Judy.”

As she reached the end all the other bears applauded.

The sound was not unlike the gentle lapping of the sea as it entered the
harbour, for paws are not really meant for clapping.

“If only my nephew could hear it,” thought Aunt Lucy. “He would be pleased. I
must send him a postcard straight away.”

Love from Paddington