Teddy has a minion!

Boo the Rabid Bear

Most people would agree that growing up in a circus would be difficult. Most people do not ever experience growing up in a circus. Unfortunately for Teddy, he was not most people.

From the tender age of 10 months, he was constantly exposed to the stuff that would give most kids, and even some adults, nightmares; clowns in bright garish colours, animals which could snap him like a twig, all sorts of human oddities and terrifying death-defying stunts. Children of circus performers are not supposed to be scared though and by the age of 5, it is common for them to have picked a specialty. Whilst his peers were constantly training and honing their skills, he became the odd one out who merely watched from the sidelines.

The thing with Teddy was that he just didn't fit in, though it wasn't through lack of effort! Try as he might to juggle a dozen knives, breathe fire or swing from the trapeze, he was never any good at it and it was becoming apparent to all around him that he had little aptitude for the performances. In addition to this, the mounting list of injuries he was acquiring through his attempts was startling and so it was agreed that he should become a back-up clown for the time being in an attempt to keep him out of harm's way whilst still letting him be a part of the show.

However this didn't satisfy him at all. Though he may not have been particularly good at any of the current acts, it didn't mean he wanted to be a back-up for one and so he set about finding something completely new.

He decided to start with something he was passionate about; Teddy was a dreamer at heart and painting was his favourite thing to do. One sunny afternoon when he was immersed in his painting, the back of his neck prickled as he felt someone watching him. Turning around he saw that Boo, the excitable bear who was too difficult for the animal trainers to work with, was staring intently at the strokes of his brush from his enclosure. He had never seen an animal focus like this, let alone Boo who was notorious for having a short attention span, but Teddy enjoyed the company and from then on decided that he would paint beside the bear.

Over the months that followed, the two became very comfortable with each other. Boo would wait each day for Teddy to come and paint and he would still watch as avidly as he did the first time. He soon began painting in the enclosure with the bear that had gone from alert and on edge to placid.

Eventually Boo would sniff the paints and put his paws on the palette, eager to join in and Teddy let him, feeling that none of his paintings were complete without his unique contribution. He discovered that the bear was calmed by painting and enjoyed getting his paws dirty to create a picture. Teddy was impressed by the sense of design and composure the paintings by Boo had and saw himself in the bear, for he too was intended to be a performer. It was then that he realised that he had found his talent, they both had.

Although Teddy wasn't cut out for the traditional acts of the circus, he found a friendship and a talent with the bear that nobody could tame. He is no longer a back-up clown and Boo is no longer misunderstood and feared. Teddy now sells art to the eager crowds who are enchanted with the idea of a bear who can paint and the young boy who tamed him. The pair of them have become the most talked about attraction there and who knows, they could be coming soon to a town near you!

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Art by Aesthete, Fender, Inwe, amnesic, Lapica, mmoollyy10, DaniDetachment, scorninc, Alaska and City.

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