Foreword: The boy's account mentioned in this story mirrors what happened to me many summers ago. I wrote this as a form of self therapy. I have never gotten over what I witnessed. Despite my family's efforts tragedy was not avoided. The Care Bears and Care Cousins can now help me in a way Humans couldn't. Yes, Hillary and Emily were real Pigs.
True Heart decided to take a break to give her eyes and fingers a rest. Oopsy had been careful not to disturb her. Now he feared he had done just that as the teakettle whistled incessantly. He had tripped trying to get to it. Now as he untangled himself from a chair True Heart took the kettle off the stove.
"Oh good, I was hankering for some Tea" said True Heart. Oopsy sighed. He had made his Mate happy after all. Even better the sleeping baby Cute Heart had slept through the noise. As the couple sipped Tea together Oopsy asked "so what are you reading and working on that is so important?"
Now it was True Heart's turn to sigh. As a True Heart it was her duty to keep Care a Lot history alive. Some of the documents and diaries entrusted to her care were thought provoking. Some recalled joyous times of Bears and Cousins past and present. Others sad or tragic events. For some odd reason Humans often assumed Care Bears were immortal. As any Care Bear will tell you immortality is reserved for The Supreme Being, Deities such as Mother Star, and the Angels. Care Bears and Care Cousins do live much longer than mere Humans. However all must someday pass on through to the other side.
True Heart's face took on a serious look. "I was reading from True Heart the First's Diaries. She had to make new ones for every year in Care a Lot and The forest of Feelings. She knew that as the first Care Bear ever her life experiences should be well documented. The first Care Cousin, Noble Heart Horse, also. There are so many things she wrote of that interested me. As you and I well know not all Caring Missions go as planned."
"One passage in particular caught my interest. As I read it I could easily picture in my mind her story. Here, listen as I read it to you." As Oopsy listened to his Mate he too began to picture the story in his mind. Being younger than True Heart made the story more poignant to him. What if True Heart were to pass away before he? The thought was unbearable. What of the future when neither was alive?
Someday Cute Heart may read about the Step Bears who ended up raising him. A Care Cousin Horse raised by two Bears. But that was nothing compared to what the first Care Bear and Care Cousin Horse raised. Their prodigy now filled Care a Lot and The Forest of Feelings. So in awe and reverence Oopsy imaged in his mind True Heart's words. An epic story of Love between two friends. Their story was Care a Lot's story too. A story forever old, forever young.
It took thirty Human years for Hugs and Tugs to reach ages equivalent to that of Human tweenies . As they finally faced puberty their Step Parents faced many new challenges. Boys will be boys and girls will be girls. Those Cubs and Kits who were not related by blood who had already reached Puberty and beyond were now bearing their own babies. Even the once maligned Beastly had found favor with not one but two Care Piggies. One, Treat Heart, was his first Kiss. The other, Sweet Treat, became his Mate. How ironic that he would sire three little Care Piggies.
True Heart had marveled at how cute three little Piggies could be after baby sitting them. The next day she kept remembering how fun it had been to clean up three squealing piglets. How quiet the boy had been compared to his two sisters. Most astonishing, that a former beast like Beastly could become an amazing Father. It gave True Heart hope that a great future lay ahead for Care a Lot. However like most Beings the future is not ours to see.
The first True Heart and Noble Heart started out not knowing just what powers a Care Bear or Care Cousin could achieve. They and their adopted Cubs, Kits, etc. would discover their Tummy Tags had immense potential to affect the world and others around them. How a Care Bear Stare or a Care Cousin Call could be used offensively or defensively. Later Bears such as Surprise Bear and Secret would even discover they could make use of multiple Dimensions. Dimensions many others could hardly imagine or understand. Even some Humans would be hard pressed to understand them.
Despite the many obstacles they faced the first Care Bear and Care Cousin finally reached their ultimate goal. They had successfully raised their unique step children. Like true parents they had consoled and comforted them in bad times. Congratulated and celebrated in good times. They did have help from True Heart's Mother, who became the second Care Bear ever. Grams Bear would soon find herself a busy Bear. Also a much beloved one.
The ever expanding world of Care a Lot would soon impinge into another land. The Land Without Feelings was inhabited by loathsome creatures. Just like the Care Bears the Care Cousins discovered individually unique powers. Using these they had transformed the Land Without Feelings into the Forest of Feelings.
Together Bears and Cousins would defeat or pacify their enemies. Whether it was the Purple Pie Man, Cold Heart or No Heart the Care Bears and Care Cousins prevailed. Some of their former foes even joined in the cause of caring. Much of what happened got chronicled in True Heart's diaries. Eventually they would evolve into the first Book of Caring. Soon the book became a multi volume collection. One of which the latest True Heart was reading to Oopsy.
Sadly the day had finally come when the first True Heart had to take over for her mother. So True Heart became the second Grams Bear. Eventually another True Heart would become the Grams Bear. Now her daughter was a True Heart. In the Care Bear world there must always be a Grams Bear, a True Heart, Noble Heart and so forth.
There must always be Caring Missions. Many were joyful successes. However some were sad or tragic. Which tore at the Heart of any Care Bear or Care Cousin. One of which the current True Heart had found tragically touching after reading of it.
True Heart the First had assigned Treat Heart Pig to console a Human male who had a long festering heartache. The female Care Piggy had been chosen as the man's family had raised several Pigs over his lifetime. He always liked working with the young sows. He found such female pigs as cute. Giving them names such as Hillary Ham Hock and Emily McSwine. So he had quickly recovered his wits when greeted by a Care Piggy.
He also had a unique gift which also helped him to accept Treat Heart for what she was. He had gone through several out of body experiences. During some of these he had experienced some scary things. However he had also experienced some amazing things. He knew there were intelligent Bear like Beings out there. So an intelligent Pig like Being was no real surprise.
As he and Treat Heart interacted he soon felt comfortable enough to bare his Soul to her. He had grown up near a lake. His family's home was across a rural road from the lake. One day the then ten year old heard a car tear into the driveway. A teen aged Boy had drowned and the driver needed to summon an ambulance. The family let him use the phone and told him to go back to the drowning victim. They would guide the ambulance to the correct landing on the forty acre lake.
The boy and his brothers waved down the ambulance which seemed to take forever to arrive outside their home. They told the driver to follow their Parent's waiting car. It was exciting yet troubling to have an Ambulance with flashing lights following close behind as the Father drove as fast as he dared on a dirt road. Then a field road to the lake shore.
Despite everybody's efforts the drowning victim could not be revived. It was an event that would forever affect two families. The victim's, and the family that had brought the ambulance to his aid.
Eight years later the boy Treat Heart was assigned to help walked from one swimming hole to another. There were several college aged males there. Also several girls the boy was familiar with. They were classmates of the boy's fifteen year old Sister. One of which the boy was quite fond of. Although they would never date each other they became friends. As they talked they were disgusted to see that someone had broken the chains which held the three piece public wharf together.
One section had grounded ashore nearby. Another had floated way down the western shoreline. Another section was just a short ways down the eastern shoreline. That section was now occupied by the three college aged males. Who were jumping on and off in attempts it to splash each other. They were also shaking and moving it to make it hard for each other to climb back on.
The girls commented on how bad the young men were acting. Their eighteen year old friend commented that he would not swim there. That part of the shoreline had fallen submerged trees one could get hurt on. Also there were blood suckers that liked that particular area. So the girls left. The eighteen year old boy then began to walk back home. Just as he reached the tarred road two of the other young men had run up to him. "Oh my God, we can find him" one man had gasped.
"Who can't you find" asked the eighteen year old. The other young man gasped out a name and said the missing man had dived in had not come back up. The looks on their faces and the sound of their voices were proof they were not joking. So they were led into the eighteen year old boy's home where they phoned for help. This was back when very few people had cell phones. They hoped the family's landline would become a lifeline.
When the ambulance finally arrived no one had yet located the missing man. Finally a pickup truck tore into the dirt road near the waiting ambulance. A Police Diver jumped out already in a wet suit. In just a few minutes after diving in he accomplished what the others there hadn't. He brought the victim up. The color of the victim's bare limbs were a purplish blue as he was loaded onto the waiting stretcher. Then he was loaded into the ambulance. After working on him for a few minutes the ambulance tore off for the nearest Hospital, which was seven miles away.
The boy who had tried so hard to help turned away and left before any one could thank him or ask for his name. He just wanted out of there. So sad to once again witness the tragic end of a life. Haunted by the memory right up to the day Treat Heart had tried to console him. She felt so touched she just had to repeat the tragic story to True Heart and Noble Heart. Now many years later it was read by another True Heart to Oopsy.
True Heart the First had expanded the story when she entered it into the first Book of Caring. She added the touching scene which occurred after Treat Heart informed she and Noble Heart of her Caring Mission's results. That led to a life changing moment for the first Care Bear and Care Cousin. Which True Heart had added to her diary's entry. It was True Heart's account of a heart to heart talk between two old friends. Her account touched the heart of the latest True Heart.
After listening to Treat Heart's report a now troubled True Heart asked Noble Heart to take a walk with her. They paused by the colorful arch that spanned the Rainbow River. There they talked of the Caring Missions which had gone awry over the years. Not all attempts to help others or to do good succeeded; and not just for Care Bears and Care Cousins. The Human Treat Heart had tried to console was a prime example.
Death is always stalking the living. There are not many things which last forever. "The wish the Great Wishing Star granted me included many wonderful things" True Heart had said to Noble Heart. "I was told by her that myself, you, and our descendants could expect very long lives. But immortality is not ours to have. It is really going to hurt when we Care Bears and Care Cousins have to start burying or cremating our own kind."
Noble Heart then stared into True Heart's now teary eyes. "Yes, it will hurt" said Noble Heart as he rubbed her back with his fore hoof. "However life must go on for the living. Just as the boy Treat Heart spoke to learned. He did not want to be thanked for trying to help. He would much rather wish that none of it had ever happened. We can wish that we can avoid death and tragedy. However death and tragedy will find us and the ones we love. Falling tears are shed by one and all who have a heart. Even those who are thought to be heartless will shed tears. We learned that when dealing with No Heart. The Wizard we thought heartless could feel remorse. To this day Hugs goes teary eyed when she recalls the day No Heart found her lost and alone."
"She said tears ran down his cheeks as he picked her up. 'Oh gees, I hope you are not hurt' he had told her as he checked her out. Also when she told him he was a better baby sitter than Brave Heart. Tears of joy are so much better than tears of sadness. Even for someone like No Heart." The two old friends now looked deep into each other's eyes.
True Heart sighed. "We have lived lives which should please The Supreme Being. I always find it odd how many names Humans have for God. I am sure we Care Bears and Care Cousins have Souls just as Humans do. Since we have led good lives I am sure our Souls will be allowed to exist on the other side. If I get there before you I will be waiting to greet you as you crossover."
"If I go first I will wait for you" said Noble Heart. "Then together we will get to see the other side of forever. When we live among the Angels we can romp together like youngsters. Then together we will be forever young."
The latest True Heart sighed as she looked at Oopsy. Oopsy had a look of awe and reverence on his face. "Wow" said Oopsy. "Now I know why you were so into reading today. That story is more than fact. It really is the story of those who care. Caring despite life's heartaches and disappointments. Gees, the other side of forever. Forever young. Let's promise each other that we too will try to meet up on the other side."
True Heart wrapped her arms around her younger Mate. "We sure will" said True Heart. "I have heard it said that even the old will one day be young again. Just not in this lifetime. Wow, we may end up being the same age on the other side."
After they unwrapped their arms Oopsy reached down and picked a diaper off the floor. "What if we ended up this young" he said.
True Heart giggled. "Oh Oopsy, I guess one of the Angel Grams Bears will take care of us."