Little Rimmer - Chapter Three

Henrietta flapped off into one corner of the shed, from which emanated a lovely orange glow. As he climbed up a haystack and peered over to see if he could see what this Dotty creature was, he saw this huge metal object that seemed to be sitting on four stacks of bricks. There were various chicklets running about beneath the rusty blue leviathan in a boisterous game of chase. Around the other side, he could just see Henrietta’s tail feathers peeking out and shaking excitedly as she chattered to an unseen creature, and sitting on the lid of this giant tin was a lantern which cast shadows on the back wall. Rimmer could see Henrietta’s shadow flapping around and getting all excited. He tried to make out the shape of the other creature, but it didn’t make sense to him. He stood captivated by the shadows, captivated by the way they interacted with one another, captivated with the way the light danced and the shadows made Henrietta look almost like a beautiful buxom lady. He was sure that the more he looked, the more the shadows were turning all sorts of wonderous colours. He strained his eyes and stuck his tongue out of one side of his mouth, as if it were going to help him discern what he was actually seeing with his own two little beady eyes.

Just then, Henrietta bustled up to him with a look of excitement on her face. ‘My, my, this is a turn up for the books!’ Rimmer grew acutely aware of the silly expression on his face and immediately stood to attention, feeling a little sheepish yet ready to obey instructions. She extended her wing around him and ushered him forth to meet Dotty. As they walked around the metal vessel, Rimmer got more and more frightened and hid his eyes in Henrietta’s warm fluffy feathers and covered them with a paw. He just couldn’t bear to look.

‘Come on, little seer, let me have a look at you,’ came the most soothing voice Rimmer had ever heard. He couldn’t describe it, but it was almost like singing, except not ordinary singing. It was almost as if there were two voices singing in perfect harmony together, one deep and resonant, the other sweet and lyrical. Rimmer took courage from Dotty’s comforting words, and peered out from under Henrietta’s wing. He stood there speechless as he saw one of the most beautiful and most frightening things he had ever seen.

Dotty sat on a wooly tartan rug spread out on top of a few bales of hay in one corner of the barn, just behind the rusty blue truck. She was poised and sophisticated, and her front two feet were placed together just so, in such a neat way that Rimmer could tell that she was a real lady. Her sleek black coat shone as if her very fur was alive, and her green eyes twinkled softly as she looked at him. As she spoke, Rimmer could see two long sharp teeth protruding from the top of her mouth, and he knew that this was a creature not to be messed with in the slightest. Dotty licked her lips and Rimmer saw her whiskers quiver, which make him take in a sharp breath.

‘Do not fear, little seer, I am not here to harm you’ she coaxed. There it was again! Thought Rimmer. She called me that before, what on earth did she mean? He took a tentative step forward and played with his hands behind his back. He couldn’t say anything, but just waited, as Dotty looked him up and down. He thought he even saw a hint of a smile as she began to speak.
‘We’ve been told about teddies like you,’ she purred, ‘but we never thought you actually existed.’
‘Like me? Are you sure?’ Rimmer was quite taken aback, ‘I didn’t know there were any more teddies like me!’
‘It is because you are a rare breed, young seer.’ Dotty sat down on all fours, tucking her front paws under her, looking like she was about to tell him something so important, you had to sit down for it. ‘There is a story,’ she began, ‘that tells of a little creature who possesses the ability to see things as they really are. These creatures are sent to us who are in great need at the time. So great is this need that you know you are in trouble if one of these creatures comes your way. Of course, we knew we were having a few problems, but we didn’t realise quite how bad things were! Your presence merely confirms our worst fears. Are you surprised?’ The question was directed at Rimmer, but he was sure that he wasn’t actually supposed to answer, so he just nodded his head, trying to recall all the adventures of the day so far.
Henrietta clucked at this point, and shuffled her feathers about, ‘Oooh little one, you’ve brought us despair and hope at the same time!’
Rimmer decided to sit down, because he couldn’t actually quite take in what was being said, ‘Miss Dotty, what exactly do you mean? I’m a little confused. Why do you keep calling me seer? What is that?’
‘One thing at a time, little bear,’ Dotty’s voice was smooth and calm, ‘Tell me something,’ she said, pointing a whisker in the direction of a group of quarrelling chicks in the corner, ‘What do you see?’
‘Two brothers. One looks up to the other one and wants to be just like him. They’re both going to be great watchmen one day.’ As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Rimmer was surprised at the speed of his reply! Where did that come from? How did he know that? Was it really him who was speaking?
Dotty just smiled, ‘Are you trying to tell me we’re getting excited for nothing, young man?’
‘ooooh!’ squealed Henrietta, ‘Its true! Its true!’
‘Stop flapping, Hen!’ Dotty chided, and turned to Rimmer who was staring at Dotty in disbelief, ‘I think you’re a bit new in the world, aren’t you, little one? I have a feeling I understand why you’re so perplexed. Do you think perhaps you’ve not realized that there was something different about you because you’ve had nothing to compare it to?’
‘Oh Dotty!’ Rimmer cried, ‘I never thought there was anything special about me! When I looked at my reflection in the pond, all I could see was plain old checked Rimmer. Everything else looked so glorious and solid and more real than in the here world!’
‘Calm down, darling!’ Dotty spoke and he was still. All the disappointments just hung in the air, waiting to be expelled, ‘Did you never think that when you looked at your reflection, it showed the opposite of what we see? You do understand that when we look at you, we see a glorious ray of hope? We see a little ted that is more real than anything we’ve ever seen before! Why, its no wonder Hen almost had a heart attack when she cleaned you up from all that mud! You are practically shiny!’
‘I am?’ Rimmer was quietly reflective.
‘Little Rimmer, seer of truth, be blessed! You’ve been sent to us for a reason, but before we get down to it, I think you’ve had just about enough for one day.’ Dotty instructed Henrietta to find him some lodgings for the night. ‘Try to get as much rest as possible, little one. You’ve got a long day ahead of you tomorrow.’
Rimmer sighed, and settled down in amongst Henrietta’s thirty four children.