A Beary Scary Cemetery

Sandy is on the hunt for more maple leaves today... which takes him to the old cemetery.

There are some old headstones and some sunken areas with no headstones... but Sandy is focused on finding leaves!! He doesn't really notice that the sun is going down and it is getting darker.

With some coaxing, Mama fluffs up the maple leaves into a big pile around Sandy... and even adds some more as he giggles in the middle of the pile!

That was fun!! Too bad Jerry and Ben aren't here to take part in the fun! Wait a minute... who is that off in the distance??

It's a doll! Sandy stands stock still... a mish-mash of horror movie bits floating through his head. Sandy doesn't watch horror movies (nor does Mama)... but there are some names that float to the surface... something about a scary doll named Chucky who rides around in car named Christine with a dog named Cujo... or something. Sandy has already seen Cujo's footprints (he thinks) so... this must be the Chucky doll.

Mmmm... does she look scary or not?? She does have a teddy bear in her arms... is he a victim?? A hostage in her diabolical plot to lure another bear closer?? The little bear does look kind of friendly though...

Sandy dithers between (a) running screaming in the other direction, (b) climbing up Mama's leg and hiding in her backpack so that she can run screaming in the other direction (faster than a little bear) or (c) gathering his courage together and going up to say "hello"...

Sandy settles on going up to say "hello". He has been in a few cemeteries before and has never met a doll before (maybe Sullivan has - as he has visited way more cemeteries than Sandy). After a few awkward moments and some foot shuffling on Sandy's part, he flat out asks her what she and the little bear are doing in a cemetery all by themselves!

Well, it seems that they are guarding the grave of a young girl named Evelyn who died at the age of 5, in 1930. Sandy can't quite count that far back but Mama says this little girl died before Gramma was even born (which means that is a beary long time ago!). Someone must still remember her though and has left a doll and a bear to keep her company. Which is beary sad and touching... but not beary scary!