The Adventures of A.G. Bear

Book 3

CAT TALES
Chapter FLEA!

Amanda Grey
A.G.Bear's Friends

Isadora LeChat

Mrs. Duck

Chapter FLEA!

Amanda Grey and her family, and her three best friends, (A.G. Bear, Isadora LeChat and Mrs. Duck) were on their way to visit Amanda's Grandma. It was the first day of their journey.

Amanda's parents had decided to drive. They decided they would make it a leisurely journey, stopping anyplace along the way that might interest them.

A.G. Bear had been fairly bouncing with excitement. Miss Amanda's Mommy saw a sign that said "Antiques and Flea Market" and we're going to go look inside!

Flea Markets are filled to the brim with older, used things. Sometimes, wonderfully fascinating things! Mrs. Duck had told them.
No fleas? asked Isadora, glancing doubtfully at the store's interior.

No fleas! stated Mrs. Duck emphatically. She looked again. At least, I don't THINK so, Mrs. Duck murmered to herself as they pulled into the building's parking lot.

And so everybody had hopped out of the car.

Isadora Le Chat followed Mrs. Duck from the bright sunlight into the cool, semi-dark store and turned to the first aisle on the right, unlike Miss Amanda's family, who had chosen to walk down the first aisle on the left.

Mommmmm!! shrieked Isadora suddenly, as her eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light inside the store.

Isadora stood rooted to the spot, frozen with terror.

Mommmmmm! she screamed again.

Directly in front of her stood a huge, furry figure with snarling teeth, and sharp claws raised high in the air!

Isadora, dear, calm yourself, said Mrs. Duck, who had been more than a little startled herself, by the apparition of a huge, badly moth eaten old grizzly bear, who had probably been stuffed at least a century before.

For some totally unknown reason, the bear was wearing a hideously flowered Hawaiian shirt, a pair of wrap-around sunglasses, and a bright red Shriners fez, on which the word YEHA was spelled out in sparkling rhinestones. An old Nikon camera rested on the bear's belly, suspended from his neck by worn leather straps.



Isadora quickly regained her self-control, although her little heart was still pounding a mile a minute.

Just then A.G. Bear came through the door and bumped smack into Isadora.

Mommmmmmm!! Isadora howled again, and leaped three feet straight up into the air.


A.G. Bear's eyes opened wide and his jaw dropped a full inch as he looked up into the snarling visage of perhaps some distant, (albeit badly dressed) ancestor.

Isadora, who had landed in a crumpled heap on top of her friend, appeared to have a toe or two entangled in A.G. Bear's tongue.

My goodneth! That wath thertainly thcary, said A.G. Bear, with some difficulty.

Mrs. Duck reached down to help Isadora and A.G. Bear sort themselves out.

A.G. Bear was carefully attempting to remove Isadora's furry little foot with its soft pink toes and very sharp claws from the inside of his mouth.

Phittoooee! said A.G. Bear. Yuck! What did you step in, Isadora?

Are you quite all right, dears? asked Mrs. Duck with great concern. Now, now, there's nothing to be afraid of, she crooned as she patted them each on the head.

Goodness gracious sakes! said Isadora shakily, You don't suppose there's any more of that sort of thing around here, do you?

Probably not, dear, so we may as well go exploring, said Mrs. Duck, and promptly waddled off down the next aisle.

Isadora cast an uneasy backwards glance over her shoulder, giving the tiniest of little growls. With an indignant sniff, and mumbling something about reporting the bear to the fashion police, off she trotted behind Mrs. Duck, this time insisting that A.G. Bear walk in front of her .

Isadora glanced around, taking in the huge piles of what had to be the world's most amazing junk.

Where does all this stuff COME from? asked an incredulous Isadora, Who does it belong to, and how does it all get here?


A.G. Bear giggled at the look on Isadora's face. We all bring it, Isadora. It's sort of like this, he said, gesturing to a rather grimy scrap of paper taped to the shop wall, on which somebody had scrawled a poem, entitled, the...

Flea Market Rap

Someone's cleaned out the attic
Or emptied the garage
Though it often looks like trash,
Sometimes value's no mirage

First we sift it and we sort it
Then we offer it to you--
With a little bit of effort,
It's sometimes just like new!

If you'll take the time to browse,
We can promise you'll be WOWed!
It's a blend of new and old,
For you to have, and you to hold

If you'll walk through at your leisure
We're quite sure you'll find a treasure,
And we guarantee no fleas
(Although the dust might make you sneeze!)

Over here, glove, ball and bat
Over there, top hat and spats!
Find a Lionel train or,
Get all decked out for rain

Here's an ancient steamer trunk
That's still stuffed full of junk,
There's an autographed picture
Of your grandma's favorite hunk

Here's an oriental rug,
Want a plastic encased bug?
How 'bout a busted garden hoe?
Hey, here's a genuine Van Gogh!

From a monogrammed towel
To somebody's old stuffed owl,
You'll find everything from C-Clamps,
To alligator lamps!

Everyone has something,
With-which they don't know WHAT to do,
So they sift it and they sort it,
And they offer it to you.

Cars and trucks are overflowing,
Bringing wondrous things to view,
'Cause, everyone has SOMETHING
That's more interesting to YOU!

Got MORE junk than you can deal with,
Hey, WE know just what to do, by golly,
We.... PARK it...
At the Flea MARKET!

Well, that was actually quite interesting, said Isadora Le Chat to Mrs. Duck when they'd finished their shopping and had all gotten back into the car, each of them clutching small bags containing their new found treasures.

I really did have a good time at the Flea Market, after all, Isadora said in surprise.

Miss Amanda's Daddy had found a wonderful red caboose for his antique train set, and her Mommy was sitting in the front seat, smiling, as she admired an exquisitely beaded purse from the 1920's. Miss Amanda herself was happily shuffling her own treasure, an older, but perfectly good deck of cards, for the game "Go Fish".

Mrs. Duck peered with great interest into a tiny bag and carefully pulled out what was obviously one of her very favorite books .

What did you find at the Flea Market, Mrs. Duck? asked A.G. Bear.

Mrs. Duck held the cover up so they could see what she had found. It was "Make Way For Ducklings".

I thought I'd read it to Miss Amanda for a bedtime story, Mrs. Duck said with a smile.

What a wonderful find! said A.G. Bear.

And what a nice thing to do for Miss Amanda! Isadora commended her.

What did you get, A.G.? asked Isadora. A.G. Bear reached into his own little bag. He also pulled out a book.

Which one is it, A.G.? Mrs. Duck questioned him excitedly.

With a great big grin, A.G. Bear held it up for them to see.

It was "The Teddy Bears Picnic"!

I thought I'd read it to Miss Amanda for a bedtime story, explained A.G., with another, more self-conscious grin.

Exceptional find, A.G.! Isadora congratulated him.

Superb, and most thoughtful! agreed Mrs. Duck.

But what about you, Isadora? asked A.G. Bear.

Yes, Isadora, said Mrs. Duck. Show us what you found at the Flea Market!

Isadora, blushing slightly, reached into her own little bag and pulled out yet another well worn, but much loved old book . A very old book. Of Poetry.

What is it Isadora? queried Mrs. Duck and A.G. Bear in unison.

Isadora turned the book around so they could see the title on the front.

"Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats", read Mrs. Duck out loud. She took the book from Isadora, gently opened the cover and read, Written by T.S. Eliot in 1939.

Why, Isadora, Mrs. Duck exclaimed in surprise, reverently handing the book back to Isadora. You've found a true antique here!

I wanted to read the poems to Miss Amanda at bedtime, said Isadora softly. The book is really quite famous, she explained to A.G. Bear and Mrs. Duck. They made the poems into ...into...Isadora's voice trailed off shyly.

Neither Mrs. Duck nor A.G. Bear had read the book before and were puzzled as to how it could possibly be famous if neither of them had ever heard of it.

They made the poems into WHAT Isadora? demanded A.G.

Into a Broadway musical, Isadora replied, her eyes sparkling.

Mrs. Duck and Carmichael still looked puzzled.

But, began Mrs. Duck, I don't recall any Broadway musical named... and then she paused.

A.G. Bear shook his head, shrugged his little furry shoulders and finished Mrs. Duck's sentence for her..."Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats"...but then A.G. also paused.

A.G. Bear looked at Mrs. Duck. Mrs. Duck looked back at A.G. And then both A.G. Bear and Mrs. Duck looked at Isadora.

And Isadora started to giggle.

CATS! the two of them shouted in unison.
"Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats"that's the one they made into the musical!

Isadorrrrra, they wailed, You even found CATS!

At the FLEA Market!

Adventures of A.G. Bear
Cat Tales, Book 3- Chapter Flea!
By Cynthia Gurin - Copyright 1994 - 2023

Here are the A.G.Bear Books in order. Simply click on the name to go to that story.


Book I - Cat Tales, The Tea Party
Book -2- No Matter Where You Go, There You Are
Book -3- Chapter Flea
Book -4- Strawberry Fields, Wherever
Book -5- Night-Time Is The Time To Sleep
Book -6- Things That Go Snnaarrrrkk In The Night

Background: The Making of The Adventures of A.G. Bear


ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Cynthia Gurin lives in South Florida with her husband Bob, a quartet of cats, two dogs, a remarkably wise duck, and a teddy bear or two. She has achieved recognition in both the Miami Herald and The Wall Street Journal for innovative marketing techniques. She considers the Personal Ad, through which she met her husband, to be her most rewarding literary endeavor. She holds a senior corporate position in the real world. Send Mail to Cynthia Gurin

This author has other tales online at Bedtime-Story. See the Author/Illustrator Directory

CAT SOUP

We're invited for lunch,
Miss Amanda and me..
First alphabet soup,
then cookies and tea.
There's bowls full of letters
like A, B, and C,
This bowl must be mine
'cause it spells C-A-T


ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR: Jeff Meyers is a talented writer and a talented illustrator. Jeff makes his home in Ohio. He enjoys writing fiction for all ages and has been drawing and painting all his life. His artwork includes cartoons, illustrations, computer graphics, and still life drawings. When he's not working at his computer, Jeff enjoys spending time with his wife and three children. Jeff has wonderful examples of both his artistic as well as his writing talent on display throughout Bedtime-Story. Check the Author/Illustrator directory for a complete listing of Jeff Meyers work. Contact Jeff at Jeff@thejeffworks.com or visit his new website: The JEFFWORKS for Creative solutions to your communication needs.

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