Sitting on a branch swinging his legs, Baba winked a shiny blue eye. He reached over and patted Johnny on the spot where the boy was likely to pay for his pranks.
"I think we've done it this time," Johnny whispered. "I hope it's not just another spanking." Johnny spoke with deep feeling. He had had three spankings in three days.
The little bear looked sadly down his blue muzzle and made an odd deep clicking noise in the back of his throat.
"Sure," Johnny said, as if answering the bear's clicks, "I want to go to the planet-fall, but we just can't."
The bear clicked again.
"I know," Johnny went on, "I know the earthies would give you chocolate. Besides I was going to have a job." Johnny's eyes began to shine with tears he wouldn't let come. For the first time he would have been working on the rocket field with the men instead of being on the sidelines watching with the women and little kids.
The little bear patted him on the shoulder and clicked in low tones.
"All right, I won't be sad if you won't." Johnny shook the tears away and tried to make a joke. "Gosh, Baba, you talk funny since you know what." Johnny screwed up his face. "You're such a mushmouth now I can hardly understand what you say."
Baba stuck out his long blue tongue.
This was Johnny's first secret. His little bear could talk!