Dumfy the Comfy loved stories. He had been made specially for storytelling. His position in front of the fire, but not too close so as to discolour his smart velvet upholstery, was soft and warm and inviting.
Every evening after bathtime the two little children Frankie and Georgie would snuggle up on their mother Brenda's lap while she told them a bedtime story.
Dumfy would settle back, relax and luxuriate in the feel of the children stroking his large padded arms and the mother resting her head on his back as she hugged the children tight. Then she would tell a story, a different one each night. Sometimes there would be magic in the stories, different creatures, and faraway lands. Animals and flowers that could speak and fairies and pixies that lived in woods or gardens. Sometimes the stories would be about real children called Frankie and Georgie and the two children would squirm with excitement and giggle at the mischief their namesakes would do. Georgie spilling flour and milk over the kitchen floor and daddy skidding across clutching hold of the curtains and pulling them down. Frankie whizzing off on new roller skates and crashing into the garage door. Daddy breaking all the eggs and mummy making an enormous pancake. One thing the stories had in common was that everything turned out for the best, everything was alright in the end.
Dumfy's favourite stories though were the ones Brenda told at Christmas.
The winter months were bliss for Dumfy- The long dark evenings were perfect for story telling.
He knew that Christmas was getting near when the children started decorating the house and Brenda would make biscuits and cakes that spent a long time in the oven.
One evening the children came down in their pyjamas and dressing gowns and rushed to sit on Dumfy. To his surprise Brenda called out,
'Frankie, Georgie off upstairs now, I shall tell you your bedtime story in bed tonight. Daddy has got to make room for the Christmas tree because Grandpa and Grandma are coming to stay and we need to make room for their sofabed.'
Frankie and Georgie ran to Dumfy and stroked his soft arms. They were worn rather thin now and in the light from the fire he looked a little shabby.
'Good night Dumfy, see you tomorrow, ' they called and scampered up the stairs.
The next day the house was very quiet. It was the last day of term before the Christmas holidays and Frankie and Georgie had left in a flurry of excitement bearing gifts for their teacher and Brenda had gone to do her last minute Christmas shopping. It was a grey foggy day and the room was quite dark. Dumfy felt himself relax and a warm glow came over him as he thought of all the story telling during the Christmas holidays.
A jolt went through him and he shuddered as the back door was flung open and a gust of icy wind blew into the room.
Two men came in puffing and panting carrying an enormous Christmas tree and stuck it right next to him sprinkling needles onto his velvet seat.
One of the men shoved the tree so hard it pushed Dumfy out into the passage. He shivered and tried to shake off the needles.
'This must be the old chair that we've got to take away. Chap said they needed to make room for the new sofa bed. We can bring that in and set up the tree then load this old armchair onto the van.'
The other man came up to Dumfy and stroked his arm,
'Are you sure? It doesn't look that old, but I suppose once the sofa bed is in here there won't be room, so ok heave ho.'
Up into the air went Dumfy, carried on the men's shoulders and tossed into the back of their van.
He couldn't believe it. There was a mistake. Surely they didn't want to get rid of him? He might look a bit shabby, but they needed him.
He tried to manoeuvre himself off the back of the lorry into the road. He managed to shift his wooden casters over the edge off the van. The men came back dusting their hands , pushed roughly at the doors and climbed up into their cab. They were laughing and full of Christmas spirit, eager to be home and they didn't notice that the doors weren't closed. As they bumped along the road and swung round the corner Dumfy slid out of the van and rolled onto the grass verge. He rolled over and over down into a ditch and felt his arms grow sodden and heavy with the mud. He landed in a puddle, upside down with his wooden castors spinning in the air.
He heaved and heaved until he was the right way up and looked around him. He could see the cars passing by on the road above him. He wanted to go home and he wanted Frankie and Georgie to run to him and listen to Brenda's sories. There was a rustling noise from the undergrowth and a little furry rabbit scampered up onto his lap.
'Hello, I saw you fall off that van. What a tumbling you took, I'm surprised your stuffing hasn't come out, you must be very well made, last week a mattress fell off the roof of a car and it was feathers everywhere.' The rabbit stopped for breath, 'I'm Brown Person by the way. Pleased to meet you.'
The rabbit waved his paw and sat down.
'I'm Dumfy the Comfy, though you'd never think so now, who would want to sit on me. I live in a house with Frankie and Georgie and their mummy and dad and there must have been a mistake and now I'm lost. Brown Person is a funny name, you're not a person, you're a rabbit.'
The rabbit sat up and laid back his ears,
'I'm not a real rabbit, I'm a cuddly toy, but who would want to cuddle me now, look at me, all mangled from being out here in the rain.'
Dumfy sighed. There was more rustling from the bushes and a little Robin red breast appeared.
'What's all the noise ? Are you in trouble? I'm good at rescuing people and so tell me and I can help. '
Brown Person and Dumfy looked at the robin in awe, 'They have pictures of you everywhere in my house, ' said Dumfy. 'Everyone gets excited when the postman brings pictures of you.'
The Robin ruffled his feathers and puffed up his little red chest, it looked like a fire brightening up the gloomy day. 'I know they love me, especially at Christmas, one of my great great great great great grandfathers warmed a little baby a long long time ago, in a stable and they gave him a red breast as a reward and ever since I am a special bird.'
'That's a lovely story,' said Dumfy. 'I love stories, I'm a story chair where people tell stories. What's going to happen to me now, nobody will want to sit in me any more.'
The rabbit hung his head, 'Nobody will want to cuddle me'.
The robin flew up in the air and down again.
'I have an idea, tell me where your house is and I'll go and get them. Are there any trees or bushes or something so I can recognize it?'
Dumfy thought hard. 'There's a holly bush in the front garden with big red berries because they have brought some in for Christmas and there's a Christmas tree inside where I should be and there's a green car in the drive and a bicycle with a pink basket.'
The robin flapped his wings impatient to be off. 'Just don't move until I come back' he trilled.
Brown Person curled up into a ball close to Dumfy's back.
The day was getting dark and small white flakes appeared from the sky. Dumfy and Brown Person huddled together.
Back at the house Frankie and Georgie had come home from school and were sobbing fat tears as they discovered Dumfy had gone. Brenda was on the phone to the shop that had brought the table and the tree. ' I don't understand, 'She was running her hands through her hair. 'Why did you take the chair away and where's it gone? Yes I know I said make room for the table.'
She turned round to the children and put her arms round them. 'We'll get Dumfy back,don't worry.'
She looked out of the kitchen window and cried ' Look it's snowing! Snow makes everything alright, it's magic.' The children rushed to the back door and tilted their faces to feel the snowflakes which mingled with their tears.
Frankie called out 'Look there's a little robin, he looks like he wants us to follow him.'
Brenda came to join them. the little robin was flapping his wings and flying off then coming back and flying off again.
'Quick put on your coats and let's see what he wants.'
They huddled together holding onto each other to stop themselves from slipping and sliding and followed the little robin who kept swoooping and diving around them until they reached the ditch. There the robin stopped and hovered above Dumfy and Brown Person. Brenda and the children peered down and then shouted for joy as they saw Dumfy.
'It's Dumfy, it's him ! The robin knew where he was, it is magic. It's like one of your stories mum.' Frankie was laughing and crying at the same time and Georgie climbed down and picked up the little rabbit, 'Look Dumfy has made a friend. We can take him home too.'
Brenda called the shop and they soon returned with the van and loaded up Dumfy and said how sorry they were for their mistake.
When they were all home and Dumfy and the rabbit had been cleaned up, Brenda gave everyone a cup of tea and a mince pie .
The shop had sent a big box of Christmas decorations for the tree to apologize and that evening they all sat together in Dumfy even though he was still a bit soggy, with only the lights on the tree and listened to the adventures of Dumfy the Comfy. Dumfy puffed himself out, making himself as comfortable and soft as possible and sighed with happiness, he was not only a story chair but now there was a story about him.
