On The Road
“I’ve never been on a ferry before, is it scary?” Bunny asked nervously. He tried to wriggle down into the bag a little more.
“You’ll enjoy it,” Boar said with a smile, “besides, I promise I won’t leave your side. It will be fun.”
The whistle blew and Bunny shuddered.
“Do you want me to tell you about having a cappuccino in Milan again?”
“I think that would make me feel better,” Bunny whispered. “It makes me feel better to know I’m with an experienced traveler like you.”
“Stick with me kid and you’ll be fine. So here I was in Milan, sitting on the table in a cafe...” he began. Bunny closed his eyes and listened to Boar’s tale of strong coffee and sweet pastries before boarding a train in Italy.
Bunny could smell the salt in the air and the rhythm of the boat was beginning to lull him to sleep a bit. Snuggling up to Boar he felt a little less timid. He woke up when he felt a gentle nuzzle on his ear.
“Open your eyes and take a look.”
Bunny saw the most amazing thing, In front of them was nothing like water. A bit of foam formed a line across the water, much the way he imagined lane markers in a pool would mark the shallow from the deep end. Here, the ocean was saying, “You’re entering the deep end. You must be on a boat this big to cross this line safely.”
The boat powered through the line past a pair of rocking buoys. On one side of the boat, Bunny could see the outline of the shore. Sail boats skipped across the choppy waves in the bright sunlight and hearty breeze. Greedy birds wheeled around in the air above them, circling slowly looking for food and crying out for a little attention in hopes someone would take pity on them and toss a morsel to them. The steady thrum of the engines drove the boat forward in the water towards a far point barely visible in the distance.
“I like the wind in my ears,” Bunny admitted.
“It’s a good day to be at sea,” Boar responded. “If it’s too much, let me know and we’ll sit inside for a little bit. The sun may feel a bit hot and there’s no shame in taking shelter.”
Bunny angled his face into the wind and let out a happy sigh. He felt free sitting on the railing with Boar a bit back from the nose of the ferry.
“I’m ready to go in Boar,” Bunny said finally when the sun began to feel a bit too warm on his face.
With a silent nod, Boar lead the way where they sat on a table while the woman sipped from her water bottle and drew in her book.
“I hope you’re enjoying the ferry Bunny,” she smiled before she went back to her drawing.
Looking over Bunny noticed she had drawn a sketch of him and Boar together. He liked the smile on his face. He noticed Boar was in a slightly defensive stance, shielding Bunny.
“Are you enjoying the trip so far?” Boar asked him.
“I am,” Bunny murmured, “traveling with a friend makes all the difference.”
Boar smiled to himself.
“Good, then you should be good if we stop for lunch after we reach the shore. I bet our humans can find a good salad for us.”
Bunny nodded. It wasn’t long before he heard the whistle blow again and he felt himself scooped up and put back in their bag with the sketch books and things. Once they were in the car, he took them out and put them on dashboard with the car bears. The car bears were a group of four bears: Always, Eggy, the Pirate Captain and Bruce. Bruce was a small tan bear with a heart in his hands, the Pirate Captain had an eye patch and big black pirate hate. Always was the largest, he was about the same size as Boar and carried a red rose. Eggy was small, like Bunny, and he was nestled safely in Always’ arms.
Bunny noticed there was a small window, just the right size for him so he could feel safe while enjoying the view outside pass by.
Eggy and Bunny spent a long time talking together as they were both a bit timid.
“Sometimes the Pirate Captain has a drop too much rum,” Eggy whispered conspiratorially to Bunny. “When that happens, he gets a bit gruff but otherwise he’s a perfectly splendid bear to travel with in the car. Bruce can get a bit emotional. Always is my best friend. He keeps me safe.”
“Boar is my best friend and he keeps me company so I won’t be so scared all the time.”
“It’s nice to have a friend like that, isn’t it.
“Perhaps we can travel together too for a little bit?”
“I would like that.”
Bunny looked back out the window at the big houses and green lawns as they traveled along the road. It wasn’t long before they stopped and he knew it wouldn’t be long before he would be scooped up and put into the bag with Boar.
“Don’t you want to come Eggy?”
“We’re good in the car. Don’t worry. This your adventure Bunny, not mine.”
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