Play Me, I'm Yours!

Charles and Chance with Sebastian in front of Union Station in T.O.

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road in Olde Sandwich Towne with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

 Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. Chance is so newborn he doesn't even have a tail or any teeth! He just drinks chocolate owls' milk. We get it at Mac's. I look after Chance. He's a handful!

I'm five, you know. I go to the Scruffy Maple Day Care Centre on Sandwich Street.

Know what? Sometimes we go to Tranna. We ride on VIA Rail to get there.  It's pretty far from our house. The train stops at Union Station. That's under the CN Tower, you know. When we got off the train, there was a pretty blue piano on Front Street right in front of Union Station.

Play Me, I'm Yours

 Sebastian  plays the blue piano. He knows lots of songs. He lets Chance and me sit on top and listen to him play. He's pretty good you know. Lots of people come to listen. I'll tell you a secret. I think Sebastian is a prince.

Sebastian is a very good piano player. I bet he knows all my favourites.

Sebastian lets me and Chance play the piano with him. Sebastian has an important job. When he plays music, people feel good. I could be a pianist when I grow up. Music makes everyone happy.

 Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed.

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be kind to friends and neighbours. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can go to Union Station and play the piano with our buddy Sebastian! Okay! Over and out!"

Home, Home on the Train--VIA Rail Train 79

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. I look after James. James was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Sparkle Road is next to Sandwich Street. That's in Olde Sandwich Towne. I ride my blue bike up and down Sandwich Street and ring the bell. I holler, "Look out! Blue bike coming through!"

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. He can't talk, yet. He doesn't even have any teeth or a tail. He  drinks condensed owls' milk. Chance makes little squeaky noises when he's happy and little squawky noises when he's hungry or his diaper is full of poo. Chance climbs way up high on things and can't get down. I have to get him down. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful! 

Know what? Chance and me are at Union Station. That's a really big building in TO. Trains live at Union Station.  Toronto is a really big city. James says it's the biggest city in the country!

There's a sign that says Union Station is 100 years old. Wow! That's older than me and Chance put together and I'm five! I bet James is older than Union Station. He is so old he remembers the invention of Saran Wrap. That is really old.

We had fun in Toronto. We did all kinds of fun things. We went to Chinatown. We went to Kensington Market. We went to Jane and Finch. Jane and Finch are streets, not people. James got some T-shirts. Bear cubs don't need T-shirts. We get to run around bear naked. That's a pun, you know.

We rode the Rocket in TO. That's the subway's name.  James says all good things must come to and end and now it's time for us to go home. We go home on the train. We get to ride on VIA Rail, today. Chance and me  l-o-v-e VIA Rail. know where VIA Rail goes. It goes all over Canada. VIA Rail goes to Windsor. That's where we live! Windsor is our home! Know what? Windsor is the centre of the known universe and the nicest part of Detroit, you know.

We wait for the train in the Panorama Lounge. It's a very nice place to wait. It's for business class.  Miss Kim is the boss of the Panorama Lounge. We like her a lot. She always scoops us up and holds us. She kisses our noses and tickles our tummies and says, "Hello my handsome bear cubs! How are my sons of Windsor? How are my Princes of Ontario?" Miss Kim always gives us apple juice to drink. I drink mine right out of the box. I have to use both hands 'cuz I don't have thumbs--yet. Chance has to have his apple juice put in his bottle. We l-o-v-e Miss Kim. She has a very important job, you know. Miss Kim's job is to make travelling more fun, you know.

When I grow up I could work for VIA Rail. Chance would be my helper.  We are a good team. I  would stand at the counter. I know what to say to the travellers. I would use my best VIA Rail voice and I would smile and say, "Bonjour, Good morning. May I help you? Est-ce que je peut vous-aidez?" Then I would help passengers get to the right trains. I would give all the boys and girls apple juice. If they got too loud I would politely remind them to use their inside voices.

We get on the train when Miss Kim says, "All Aboard! Tout a bord!" We ride on Train 79. Train 79 stops in Oakville, Aldershot, Brantford, Woodstock, Ingersoll, London, Glencoe, Chatham and then we stop in Windsor. That's the end of the line. That's our house.

We put our suitcases away on the shelf and then we sit down in our seats. I like to sit by the window. When the nice conductor comes we give him our tickets. We play Snakes and Ladders while we wait for our dinner. Snakes and Ladders is my favouritest game in the whole wide world, you know.

When we're done playing Snakes and Ladders we get ready to eat. The food on Train 79 is yummy. We get hot towels for our faces and then we eat. We're getting pretty hungry, now. I'm as hungry as a bear! The food comes on real china and we eat with real silverware, too. After we eat our food we get Belgian chocolates for dessert. Then it's time for us to take a nap. I curl up on James' lap but Chance always climbs inside the paper bag for his nap. He's just a wee little cubby. He doesn't know any better.


Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Wake up my handsome bear cubs? Wake up my Sons of Windsor? Wake up my Princes of Ontario? That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. I'm a pretty tired bear cub. I'm all tuckered out. I want to get tucked into my own little bed with my Bob the Easter Moose sheets and sleep all night. I bet I dream about Miss Kim and riding on Train 79!


This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Pick up trash and garbage. Then you can eat Smarties and drink root beer. Oh! Wait! Come over to our house and play with us! We can ride on Train 79 together! Okay! Over and out!"

We Love VIA RAil!

Hi. I'm Charles the Bear Cub. You know me. I live on Sparkle Road with my buddy, James. He's really old. He was the second Canadian to get off Noah's Ark, you know.

Oh. Wait! Chance lives with us, too. He's a newborn cubby someone left in a basket on our doorstep. He's a wee little thing. I look after Chance, too. He's a handful!

Know what? We're at Union Station in T.O. That's a nickname for Toronto. Toronto is a great big city. It's the capital of Ontario and Ontario is in O Canada, our home and native land.  We had fun in Toronto. Now we're gonna ride home on the train. It will take us to Windsor. Windsor is the centre of the known universe and the nicest part of Detroit. Know what?  The train has a name. It's name is VIA Rail. VIA Rail goes all over Canada and to the Knighted States, too. The best part is VIA Rail comes all the way to our house!

This is our buddy John. He works on the train. He smiles at everyone and makes them feel really special. I could work for VIA Rail,  you know. I can say, "Would you care for a snack?" I can say, "Would you like a beverage before dinner?" John asks people if they would like to read the Globe & Mail or the Toronto Star. Those are newspapers.

John's job is very important. He looks after the people on the train so they don't get cranky. Cranky people have to take naps.  Really cranky people have to sit on the Time Out Chair AND take naps. Don't be cranky on the train, okay?

We get to ride up front. That's nice. Some people ride Coach. That's behind us. I think some people have to ride Baggage. That's way at the back of the train.

John gives us chocolate milk to drink. I l-o-v-e chocolate milk. It's yummy and that's one of the four food groups in the Canada Food Guide. Chance likes chocolate milk, too. He drinks chocolate flavoured condensed owls' milk. I know where condensed owls' milk comes from. It comes from condensed owls. I get to eat a whole meal. That's 'cuz I'm five and I'm pretty grown up, now. The food on VIA Rail is really yummy.

Look at Chance. He's being silly, you know. John gave me a serviette for my meal. That will keep me from getting all covered in food in case I spill some. I put the serviette in my lap. That's good manners. Chance put the serviette over his head. Now he thinks he's invisible 'cuz he can't see me. I can still see him! I can see his feet! He's underneath the serviette. I pull it off of him and shout, "Boo! Boo! I see you!" Chance makes little squeaky noises when I pull off the serviette. That means he's happy. I'm lucky to have a little brother.

Oh. Wait! Did you hear that? James is hollering, "Where are my handsome bear cubs? Where are my Sons of Windsor? Where are my Princes of Ontario? It's time to pre-board the train so we can go home.

That's me! Charles! That's Chance! We're handsome bear cubs. We're Sons of Windsor and Princes of Ontario! We gotta go find James so we can get our ears tickled and our noses kissed. We wanna go home so I can ride my blue bike with the Canada flag on it and climb the sugar maple in the back yard and dig some really big holes, too!

Chance and me know how to use the telephone to make reservations at VIA Rail so we can go to Toronto or Cornwall or Montreal or even to your house!

This is me, Charles the Bear Cub saying, "Be good citizens. Be nice to John on the train. If you are nice and polite, he might give you Smarties and chocolate milk. Oh! Wait! Come get on board VIA Rail with us! We can ride home together! All aboard! Tous a bord! Okay! Over and out!"