No Strings Attached: Quorn

fell beside a pile of decaying bricks. The rain renewed its efforts to soak his whole body as he lay there. To his horror he realized he could not stand up. It was too late for him. He had gone as far as he could.

"What was that?" said the man.

Sue-Marie looked where the man was pointing.

"I thought I saw a rabbit."

Sue-Marie picked her way over to the broken wall.

"It might have been injured?" she said.

Then she stopped. Amazed. She could not believe what she was seeing.

"What is it?" the man asked.

"How did . . .?" said Sue-Marie.

The quorn felt hands, firm and gentle, lifting him up out of the wet grass. He heard Sue-Marie's voice, speaking softly in his ear. Secretly, like she used to speak when she was only six.

"Hello Mr. Pudge. I don't know how you managed to survive, but its good to see you again. I missed you most of all."

The man came over to see what Sue-Marie had found.

"It's my teddy bear!" she said, "I thought I'd lost him forever!"

The quorn tried not to smile as he went back to the car in Sue-Marie's arms.