Sam was cross. Mum had finally put her foot down about the state of Sam’s bedroom, and demanded that she Tidy Up.

Sam wasn’t a naturally tidy person. She reckoned that if you put things down where you’d used them, they’d still be there when you wanted to pick them up again.

The worst bit of the room was the toy cupboard. For several weeks - even months - each time Mum had demanded a tidy up, Sam had opened the cupboard and thrust in anything she found lying around the room. Now it had reached crisis point. The cupboard wouldn’t stay shut: it was wedged closed with an old pair of trainers. If you moved the trainers, the door would swing open, and Something would land on your head. Sam had narrowly missed a couple of nasty accidents, when heavy items with sharp corners had come cascading down on top of her!

So now it was Tidy Up day: a wet Saturday, so Sam wouldn’t feel she was missing out on anything else. Mum had supplied two large boxes: one for rubbish (to go to the tip) and one for jumble (to go to the next church sale). Items to be Kept were being piled on the bed.

Inside the cupboard, the toys were trembling anxiously. Who would end up in the rubbish box? Or at the church sale? One or two older dolls and cuddlies hadn’t been out of the cupboard for years. Surely Sam wouldn’t want to keep them?

Right at the bottom of the cupboard, tucked into a corner, with his nose in a pile of dust, was Sam’s old Bear. He was as old as Sam herself, and had not worn half so well. Sam still had all her fur (in those places where little girls should have fur). Her ears were still firmly attached, her nose still straight and she wasn’t losing any stuffing. Poor old Ted was in a bad way.

Sitting in pride of place on the pillow on Sam’s bed was Bella. She was Sam’s newest doll, brought by an auntie from America. Bella was genuine porcelain, dressed in satin, silk and lace. She had the bluest eyes, the most delicate golden curls of hair and a little fluffy toy poodle under her arm. Sam was very proud of her, and kept Bella on her bedside table.

The chore of working down through the cupboard went on. Sam was astonished at how much rubbish there was - old drawings, paintings, scruffy bits of paper, and empty bags. She didn’t remember putting any of them in there.

Sam was amazed at how much jumble there was - games, books and jigsaws she had long since grown out of and would never play with again.

The dolls and cuddlies waited, hardly daring to breath, as Sam reached each one of them in turn. Each was found, dusted off and greeted. Sam seemed to have forgotten many of them were there. She smiled in delight as she found them, and added them to the pile on her bed.

At last the cupboard was empty - or was it? Was there something down in the dust in that darkest corner? She reached down, as far as she could, and felt something furry. Her fingers closed round and arm - or was it a leg? She pulled, and there was Ted - one ear loose, nose askew, bald patches where he had been hugged and kissed so much, and stuffing seeping gently from stretched seams.

"Oh Ted!" cried Sam with joy. She brushed some of the dust from him, kissed his cockeyed nose, and promptly sneezed.

"You’re going to need a bit of looking after" she announced, and gently placed Ted among the things on the bed.

In next to no time the job was finished. The cupboard was cleaned out: the toys and games replaced neatly on the shelves; Dad carried away the box of rubbish; Mum removed the box of jumble. Sam was left, looking at her collection of dolls and cuddly toys.

"I’m so glad to have found you all," she declared, "that before anyone is put away, we’re going to have a tea party!"

Sam spread a big checkered cloth on the floor as a tablecloth. She set out her best dolls' tea-set, with real china plates, cups and saucers, and metal knives and forks at one end. She set out her second best dolls' tea-set, with plastic plates and cups in the middle. Then she made some extra plates out of cut out bits of paper for the far end.

Sam went off downstairs to find some Tea Party food. The toys began to take their places around the ‘table’. Bella slipped from the pillow. She seated herself by the fine china, in the place next to where Sam would sit. One by one the others took their places - jostling for the good china, the plates and so on.

By the time Ted had climbed off the bed (taking care not to leak stuffing on the duvet) all the places were taken. Gently easing his old and aching legs onto the floor, he sat at the very bottom, without even a paper plate. He didn’t mind. He was just so very grateful to be there at all. He had expected to be carted away with the rubbish. After all, who wants and old, battered leaky teddy bear?

Sam came back, and looked at the party. She put down the crisps, sandwiches and cakes in the middle of the tablecloth. She gazed around at how the toys had taken their seats, and then sat herself down by the only Real Plate on the cloth, with a Real Glass of Lemonade. At her right hand was Bella, at her left a fairytale Barbie.

Suddenly Sam frowned. She got back up again.

"This isn’t right" she muttered, and crossed the party room. She picked up Ted.

"Oh No!" thought the bear, "She’s changed her mind.... rubbish tip here I come."

But Sam carried Ted back to the head of the table. She removed Bella from the place of honour, and seated Ted there. Sam couldn’t hear (though the other toys could) as Bella raged and fumed at being moved. Worst of all, she was taken down to the far end, and seated where Ted had been Bella was outraged.

Ted sat, almost dazed in wonder, at the head of the table. Sam shared her food with him from her own plate. She seemed so pleased to have found him again.

"Dear old Ted" she said. "I’m sorry you’ve been stuck in the bottom of the cupboard for so long. I will get Mum to mend your ear, your nose and your seams. And when we’ve got the dust out of you, you shall sleep on my pillow. You’re my special Bear!"

Ted wished he were one of the clever dolls who could say something - or cry real tears for joy. He could hardly believe what Sam was saying. And was so happy to be loved. Despite his wobbly ear, wonky nose and leaky seams - despite all the dust! - he was Sam’s Special Bear

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Worry is a heavy load, but a kind word cheers you up (Proverbs 12:25)

All Worry's stories are copyright by Rev K Smith (cos bears can't hold copyright) but permission is granted for use in a non-commercial setting.