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she took a bus. She had to buy a ticket,
but she had no money. She'd never needed money before.
"Well, I'll let you off this once" said the bus driver "but the next time you get on public transport, remember, it costs money! Whether it be a bus, train, tram, pretty much anything that has wheels, even if they don't turn. Of course I'm not including, your parent's or your friend's cars in all this. Mind you, I can include taxis, they expect fares for their service. And rightly so. Off you go now, and sit at the back, it's less bumpy down there".
Colorin made her way to the back and took a seat by the window. She couldn't see much, the bus went past everything so fast.
At the next stop, A passenger got on. Although Colorin had very good eyesight, in some lights she could see better than others
from where she sat now, she could just see an outline.
It was clear to Colorin, this passenger knew about paying fares, and had money ready to buy a ticket.
The outline, began to waddle-roll, to the back of the bus, and then sat down beside Colorin.
"whew! These bus trips get me all wound up" said the stranger. " It gives me a squiggly feel in my tummy. I get the feeling it does the same to you. Am I right? By the way, my name is Mr Haironed, just Haironed, to my friends, and to my very best friends it's plain Ed. You can call me Ed. What's your name?"
"Colorin. This is my first time on a bus, didn't know I had to have money for a ticket. How did you learn about it?'
"Well, I lived with a family who travelled by bus all the time, and that's how I learned. But don't worry, there's much better ways to travel, such as walking! It's my favorite thing. I only got on the bus because I was lonely". Haironed's shoulders slumped a little as he said this. "I have to say, I'm often lonely. It's because I can't keep up. I take ages to waddle-roll my way along, and so I get left behind. Oh well, enough of that. As I always say, 'don't sit and get fat, go for a walk, or talk to the cat.' To Colorin's alarm, her new friend began to laugh and roll so hard, she feared he'd fall off the seat. He suddenly stopped.
"I tell you what, Colorin, let's get off at the next stop and walk! we can see things that way".
"Haironed" said Colorin, "I'd love to get off and walk. I got on to do something different, but I wasn't enjoying myself one bit, until you got on".
Colorin stood up and followed Ed to the exit. Her floating colors of greens, reds and silvers spread out.around her. The bus wheezed to a stop. Ed let Colorin go first, he had quite a bit of trouble, organizing himself to waddle -roll, his way, down the two steps. "I can get up steps alright, but getting down is another story. It's because my feet, and hand's are like small rubber balls, that's why I've got a waddle-roll, walk". As Ed said this, he rolled off the last step onto the gravel road. He lay there laughing and rolling. "Oh Haironed, are you alright? Are you hurt?" But Ed lay there laughing until tears rolled down his cheeks. As suddenly as he'd started to laugh, he stopped!
"I'm perfectly OK, Colorin, I have to take myself in hand at times, I'm inclined to find myself, so funny, it can make me cry. I must say Colorin, it wasn't until I fell, I realized just how beautiful your colors are."
"Thank you Ed. I love my colors, but as they float all around me, unless I gather them in, no one can get near me, and that, leaves me lonely". Ed rolled himself up to standing position, and said, "Can't you keep your color's wrapped tight around you all the time, like you had them on the bus? Then people would always be able to get close?"
"Ed I tried that, but then I wasn't me. When my color's can float wherever they like, I feel free. I don't mind gathering them to myself for a little while, but not all the time". "Hm" said Haironed, "I'd say we both have the same problem, even if for different reasons. Let's move along slowly and think about all this; tell me, are you lonely all the time or just sometimes? Ha! ha! the same as me, just sometimes. I'd say we need to work out, how, not to be lonely, when we don't want to be". Colorin said, "Yes!! That's exactly what I think! And also, Ed, to work out what we can do,when we are lonely. Something we'd like to do, whether a friend was around or not. But how can we make all that happen and still stay the way we really are? I mean, I have to pin my colors almost out of sight, and then I feel so dull, you say, you get left behind because your walk is slower than whoever you are walking with.What's the answer"? Colorin waited for Ed to say something.
"Am I walking too fast for you, Haironed?'" "Not at all Colorin. I was noting how your color's make me feel warm as well as cool. I like the feeling." Now it was Colorin's turn to laugh. "And Ed, I like your waddle-roll way, of walking, it gives me time to look at the things around me" Ed took a deep breath, he always did that when he was doing serious thinking. "You know, I'd say, when we are with people who don't mind the way we are, then we can truly be, who we are! What do you say to that Colorin?" "I say, you're right Ed".
The new friends decided they'd best turn back, as they has gone quite a way already. They strolled along and told each other about their lives and about the things that had happened to them,. "The fact is, we are definitely different and we can't deny it" said Colorin. "Nor would we want to deny it" said Haironed.
When they reached the spot where Colorin, had got on a bus earlier, for the first time, which was, as Ed explained, also the stop he usually got on as well, unless he walked on to the next stop, which he often did.They said a happy goodbye to each other and made arrangements to meet, at the bus, stop the next afternoon at two o'clock.
(to be continued)
Trish
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