My tale's slightly dark, a little weird and mysterious...but it is safe for all ages, so there's no need to be concerned.
A weird but hopefully interesting tale...It involves mostly Gusto and Gruffi and Cassandra, a new gummi bear of my own making (don't worry, she doesn't overshadow too much the original and best characters [Gusto and Gruffi, in my opinion] of the series), and later on Calla and Sunni have a very special cavalry come to their aid (Calla and Sunni end up saving some people, not the other way around). Art, sorcery, and our most beloved dreams are explored in this story, which I hope you'll enjoy. (This is my first G.B. fanfic, and is so far only about four short chapters long. The fourth chapter is really a rough draft and therefore is not up yet. The story is unfinished as of yet, so more chapters will be forthcoming...slowly, as I think of things to add to the story and edit it--these things inevitably take time if they're to be of any quality. At least, I hope I'm giving out a quality piece of writing. ^ ^)
At night, outside of Gummi Glen on a well-hidden hillside, Zummi was looking at the stars for his star charts through his telescope, while Sunni looked on in wonder (Cubbi was asleep at home.). Gusto was painting the starry sky and dark countryside--a romantic scene; by candlelight the colors were dimmer and softer for the painting and the painted stars seemed all the more luminous. Sunni asked Zummi what he thought the stars really were. Before he had a chance to answer, someone from the shadows interrupted him.
"They are all the bears who have gone on before." It was a lady bear's voice. Zummi said, "Why, that was what I was about to say...at least that's true according to some ancient Gummi legends. Later our scientists and the Great Book revealed that the stars are faraway fireballs. But who are you?" The stranger stepped out from the darkness of the surrounding trees and underbrush and into the dim moonlight.
"My name," she said in a smooth voice," is Cassandra." She was a glen-type gummi bear, slightly plump and wearing a long maroon dress with long puffy sleeves. She had lilac-colored fur and gazed upon the astonished group with violet eyes flecked with bright green. Cassandra had too much make-up on and some golden jewelry--rings, bangles, and earrings. She wore beautiful maroon silk slippers and had some of her wavy strawberry blonde hair spilling out wildly from the round jeweled cap she wore, which matched her dress and shoes. Around her waist she had tied a braided, golden cord, to which was attatched a small black silk pouch filled with something.
"Wow!" exclaimed Sunni.
"You're beautiful-I have got to paint you. Stand over there by that clump of flowers!" Gusto in his usual overly friendly manner greeted her. She proudly and obediently walked over to the flowers as if she had known Augustus for years, while Zummi introduced himself, Gusto, and Sunni.
Zummi questioned, "Where are you from? You're free to stay with us here in Gummi Glen if you wish." Gusto vigorously mixed the new colors on his palette to match precisely his new subject's tones. "I'm sorry, but I really can't seem to remember where I'm from; just who I am. But, I would be glad to stay...thanks."
Sunni listened with concern and thought perhaps she had been abandoned or shipwrecked (although Cassandra's clothes certainly didn't look like they were tattered) or had injured her head to be so amnesiatic. Sunni was about to ask Cassandra if something had happened to her when Zummi told her to come with him to the Glen. "We need to ask Grammi to prepare our new friend's room and an extra seat at the dining table."
"But what about Gusto?"
"Don't worry, Sunni. He'll be alright. Remember he was alone on that island for twelve years and he lives by himself now behind his waterfall. He'll be fine." Gusto, so engulfed by his art, didn't even notice them as they left.
As soon as he finished painting, which didn't take long, Gusto showed his masterpiece to Cassandra. "It's glorious," she praised,"...but I need to show you a subject even better to immortalize."
The young artist suddenly felt awed by her adulation and was determined to follow her to this place of which she spoke. "Are you too tired to do another painting?" she asked gently. "No, no. I could paint forever with the inspiration you've given me. Where are we going?"
Without realizing it, he had already started to follow her into the dark woods without his painting materials. "You'll see." Almost in a trance, he silently walked with her, each step becoming more and more dreamlike. They finally came to a rocky ledge with the English Channel buffeting the clefts far below them. The full moon's hauntingly beautiful light illumined the ledge, silhouetting the two figures.
"Augustus, you painted all this! This is your work."
"It's...it's magnificent...I never knew I could paint something to look this real."
By now, Gusto was completely in a trance, simply believing everything she said.
"You can become a part of your masterpiece and live forever, if only you'll try."
"But how...?"
"You must become part of your painting...this painting, now, by jumping into it."
"Oh thank-you..."
She stood well behind him, looking on in satisfaction at her fatal sorcery.
He was about to take that final leap, when Zummi, Gruffi, Grammi, and Sunni worriedly came up the ledge. "Gusto! Cassandra! What's going on here? Why didn't you guys stay put? We thought you had been kidnapped!" Gruffi yelled. At that moment, the teenage bear came back to his senses and quickly backed away from the edge. "What happened?" he asked weary and confused. "That's what we'd like to know!"exclaimed Zummi.
"I'm not sure," Cassandra lied in a sleepy tone. "Oh, Gusto and I are alright. I'm sorry...I guess we just both had a little sleepwalking incident." "Well, at least you're both safe,"said Grammi warmly. "Let's just get back home." As they walked back, Sunni watched the new bear with a mixture now of apprehension and confusion. Gusto still seemed unaware of what had almost happened to him. "Why doesn't he rush on to get his canvas and stuff ? He'd never forget those things. He looks so tired all of the sudden."
Gruffi made sure Cassandra was out of earshot when he whispered to Zummi,"We need to talk when we get back about her." He motioned his head slightly towards Cassandra. "Something weird is going on and I don't trust Miss New-Bear-Out-of-the-Blue to be so innocent."
The end of Chapter 1...
The Gummi Bears all belong expressly to Disney, etc. (not me). All rights reserved.
Please note: I don't own these characters, etc. I just did some fan pages of them. No copyright infringement intended; all images and text are fanworks and not the original licensed works. This is just a creative bit of my own fan writings. The writer of this story, if requested to do so by the owners of said characters, etc., will gladly take down this page and all of its contents. Permission pending. I'm in the process of trying to ask them for their o.k. I am begging and hoping for no lawsuits here. (Me being the unfortunate victim of Murphy's Law...)