Mayor Cuddle Bear won the election with great popularity, but his smart moves recently brought him a wave of support.
The development of the Lakeside District was a stellar hit. Calico Times published article after article praising the idea. Even critters who lived in town made the drive to see the new place. It was cozy, efficient, and a breath of fresh air for a long-forgotten patch of land. The grass was trimmed, and flowers were planted.
But Ava Cuddle Bear did not want to stop there. She imagined the Lakeside District to be so much more.
“Father, what about adding something for the little babies?” Ava asked the mayor over the telephone. "They’re a very energetic bunch, and I know they would love a place to play there.”
“What do you have in mind?” the mayor responded.
“Maybe a cute little park. You would not have to use too many materials. There’s already a couple of stumps of trees in the corner. Some extra string and planks would tie it all together. We could have a swing between the little trees, and we can make it totally safe.” Ava’s head was already bursting with fresh ideas.
“Yes, yes. I could make that work. Care to draw up some sketches again?”
“Yes!” Ava’s head frantically nodded. “But I think I may need to wait on that.”
“What’s the matter, Ava? Is everything okay?”
“Oh, yes. I just thought that maybe I should ask all the babies what they want in the park. It is for them after all.”
“Alright, sounds good. Take care of yourself, Ava.” With that, Ava’s father hung up the phone.
Ava proceeded the following two weeks with taking notes on all the babies in the countryside wanted. She started by asking the very babies living upstairs in the Nightlight Nursery.
“Pink!” Honey requested.
“Bridge!” Hopper pleaded.
“Swing!” Grace added to the pile of feedback.
“Spacious place to rest,” Henry asked.
Next up were the Chocolate babies, Breeze and Kabe. When Teri Choch came to her sister’s house for afternoon Tea and Treats with her children, Ava rushed towards the Chocolate babies with pencil and paper already at the ready.
“Babies, if you could design a park just for you two and all your other baby friends, what would you have in it?” she politely investigated.
“Cute design,” Breeze simply stated.
“Needs to be nice,” Kabe bluntly put. His sister usually did most of the specific talking for the two of them, and that was fine with him.
The next-door neighbors’ babies were also keen to add their own feedback.
“Something cool,” Olive said simply.
“A little birdhouse, pretty please,” Ginni said in ladylike fashion in her perfectly crisp golden yellow frock.
When Ava had collected all her polling information, she knew it was time to draw up a plan. Although she was decent at art, she did not have the necessary talent for this project.
“Bell, Bell, Bell!” Ava yelled while running up the circular stairs.
“What’s the matter, Ava?” Bell panicked.
“I need your help! We need to draw up a blueprint, and you’re super good at art!”
“Like last time with the lodge?”
“Yes, just like last time,” Ava said with a wide grin on her round face.
Before long, Ava had explained everything she had in mind to Bell. “According to my polls and notes, we need a pink color, bridge, swing, a spacious place to rest, a cute design, something cool, and a little birdhouse with a pretty please.”
“Oh my. Are you sure we can incorporate all of this?” Bell asked with a tint of worry.
Ava grew up in a family of politicians, community leaders, and well-spoken adults. She had learned a thing or two about inspiring pep talks.
“Bell,” she started. “It’s not a matter of can; it’s a matter of when. We’ll think of something. I know we will. The babies are counting on us!”
Right then and there, Ava and Bell sat down and pledged that they would not get up until they had come up with a satisfactory plan.
Ava explained her initial ideas, while Bell added on with her own interesting designs.
Two hours and five sheets of paper later, the two girls had a master blueprint (or as master as the drawing skills of a middle schooler could conjure up) that actually checked off all the requests the babies had given.
When Harlin Hopscotch came home from his job at the Toy Shop that night, Bell greeted him with his usual hot cup of coffee. If there was one thing easy going Harlin was particular about, it was definitely his daily cup of coffee. It had to be just the same everyday: fresh, hot, and smelling divine.
“Ahh, nothing like a day of habit. Nothing beats a hot cup of coffee at the end of a workday,” Harlin commented as he sunk into the soft couch.
Bell waited for her father to finish half the cup before telling him all about the plans she and Ava had.
“My, my. This looks like a good blueprint,” Harlin said in approval as he glanced over Bell’s notebook’s drawing. “You’re quite the little artist, aren’t you? Show this to your mother later. This looks amazing.”
“Thank you, and all we need is you to drive it to the mayor on Monday when you do the usual shopping.”
Heidi, overhearing the conversation from the Country Kitchen, yelled, “And don’t forget to buy more soap. We’re running out!”
Harlin immediately agreed, looking forward to seeing the latest developments made to the Lakeside District.
Before long, Mayor Cuddle Bear had the ignored clump of stumps in the corner magnificently transformed. The finishing project was a marvelous Baby Ropeway Park. Little, baby sized planks were hammered to the wood. A small, very low bridge connected two main stamps. One bright pink swing, fastened with white string, swung from one stump to another. To top it all off, a cute little birdhouse was fastened.
The brand-new Baby Ropeway Park was unveiled on a busy weekend with a top news story (that gave credit to Bell Hopscotch Rabbit and Ava Cuddle Bear for the original design). The morning the paper came out, the Deluxe Village House got very busy. First, everyone congratulated Ava and Bell. Then, Heidi served a scrumptious dessert-based breakfast in celebration. Soon after, Natalie Charcoal knocked on the door.
“I’ll get it,” Bell yelled aloud as she opened the door.
“Bell! Congratulations! I saw the story!” Natalie exclaimed.
“Oh, that’s great!” Ava replied as she overheard Natalie coming in.
“Ava, Bell, you should be so proud!” Natalie encouraged me. “I brought a free basket of Mason’s assorted breads to congratulate you. I hope you like them.”
“Oh my, that’s so kind of you,” Ava responded.
“Mason’s bread is always delicious!” Bell added.
The girls politely thanked Natalie for the praise and bread, almost blushing from all this attention they were receiving.
Two hours after Natalie’s quick visit, the phone in the Deluxe Living Room rang. “I’ll get in,” Bell said again.
“Hello?” the voice from the telephone asked.
“Hello? Is this Aunt Teri?” Bell asked; she always recognized her aunt’s voice.
“Yes, it is. This is your favorite aunt, Aunt Teri!” Teri proudly boasted.
“Aunt Teri, why are you calling?”
“To congratulate my niece and Ava! It’s not every day that critters end up in the paper. Unless you’re me, of course. Bell, we can be newspaper celebrities together! Think of that!”
Bell embarrassingly blushed. “Uh, it’s just a one-time thing, Aunt Teri. We probably won’t ever show up again. But thank you for the congrats, though. I’ll tell Ava you called.”
“Of course, you’re welcome. Take care of yourself and tell my sister I said hi.”
When all the sensation of the article had died down, the Hopscotch Rabbits decided it was time to check the place out themselves.
On a sunny afternoon, Harlin Hopscotch drove Bell, Ava, and all the babies in the Deluxe Village House to the new park. The babies could not believe their eyes when they saw the new park.
“Is that for us?” Grace asked, already giddy with excitement.
“Yes, you can all play. Now, go have fun!” Harlin laughed. He loved kids.
Quick as lightning, the babies ran to the park, playing to their hearts’ content. Before long, a second car pulled up. Teri Choch Rabbit pulled up to the park with her two babies, Kabe and Breeze, sitting in the back seats.
“Oh my! If it isn’t my favorite brother-in-law!” Teri exclaimed in an embracing hug with Harlin.
“My favorite sister-in-law!” Harlin replied back with a smile.
“What brings you here?” Teri asked.
“The same thing that probably brought you here, I’m guessing,” Harlin could not help but point towards a running Kabe and Breeze. The twins were eager to play in the park.
“The park?” Teri questioned whimsically.
“Yup, the park,” Harlin confirmed.
Pretty soon, the simple stumps had turned into an epic setting for some storyline game crossed between medieval era, tag, and hide and seek. Hopper was crossing with the little bridge. Honey was swinging on the pink chair. Henry happily explored the new ledges.
Ava and Bell were more than happy to notice their success. Felicia Tuxedo, the renter of the quaint flat overlooking the park, noticed all the joyful noise as well. She rushed to the swing and lowered herself to the ground floor.
“Ava, Bell, I saw the news. It was incredible. I really wanted to take up the story, but such big news does not go to a starting junior editor like me. Did you two come up with this whole thing?”
“Oh, it was just an idea. A lot of other critters helped out,” Ava modestly informed.
“She’s just being humble. Ava had a great idea!” Bell piped up. “Ava, take the credit,” Bell whispered.
Felicia overheard and agreed, “Yes, Ava, this was a great idea. If you two girls don’t mind, I have a small treat upstairs for the two of you. This place was getting too quiet and lonely. Now, I can look forward to hearing the happy chatter of babies so often.”
The girls nodded and received permission from Harlin. Together, the three of them hoisted themselves back up to Felicia’s lovely apartment. It was Ava’s and Bell’s first look in person at the new apartment. They had seen the designs and heard some details over the phone, but an in-person view could never be replaced.
“It’s so cute!” Bell complimented when she saw the interior!
“Why, thank you. I’ve only rented this place quite recently, but I love it all the same,” Felicia responded respectfully. “In fact, would you like a tour?”
“Yes, please!” the girls screamed in unison.
Felicia showed Ava and Bell her new home in detail from the rope bound ladder leading upstairs to the views from all the windows.
When the tour was done, Felicia led them back to the main room, where the stove and table were.
“And now, my treat for you will take just a little bit. Have a cup of milk while you are waiting,” the host offered. Halfway through their cups of milk, Ava and Bell saw their sweet treat: perfectly roasted marshmallows.
“Oh my, thank you, thank you, thank you,” Bell said with extreme gratitude.
“Why, of course. One of my favorite treats is milk and marshmallow combo!”
When the girls had finished eating and received plenty of praise from Felicia, they lowered themselves back down with the swing.
Walking back towards the park (where the babies were still indulging in very luxurious play), Ava turned towards Bell.
“I guess we pulled it off again. Am I right, partner?” Ava summed up.
“Agreed, partner. Another excellent idea put into action,” Bell replied.
The girls could not wait for their next big project. But, until then, they were happy to see the babies in the countryside enjoying the current one.
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