This is one of my all-time favorite stories, not just Escape Pod stories, but stories in general.
I'm sure a lot of it has to do with my love for Winnie-the-Pooh. And for those that don't know, Winnie-the-Pooh is the name Christopher Robin gave to Edward Bear. I went to bed holding a Pooh Bear as a child and I loved him. Sure I outgrew it, but have always remebered him fondly and loved the original Disney incarnation. I now read my children the original stories by A. A. Milne. They like them, but I think I enjoy them more. (In many ways, it seems the humor of the books was for adults anyways.)
Childhood memories aside, I think the story was very well done. It was told in a very whimsical way, despite the chilling reality of the environment, that stayed very true to Milne's style. Though this Edward Bear was very upgraded from the original (he was on a shapeship after all), the overall personality and simplistic nature of the child's toy remained intact.
The emotion, from beginning to end, was very real. From mourning the loss of the children to contmplating his own death, Edward, as always, is very simplistic yet poignant. I, along with Steve, was
affected by the telling.
I can understand how someone just looking for the adventure might not enjoy the story. To me, there was a deeper art to the storytelling--the way storytelling should be, where the the emotions don't nesecarily come in the words, but the feel of the words. The excerpt at the header is a perfect example of that:
“Do you know what’s happened to the children?”
Edward swallowed. Suddenly, he wanted to cry. “Yes. They’re…sleeping?”
He hoped and hoped and hoped and hoped, grimacing as he did. He looked around.
Makeshift beds lined the room. Small hands gripped blankets, small eyes stared at the ceiling.
“No.” The boy frowned. “They’ve died.”
“Because of Something Very Bad?”
“Yes. And I need you to be a Very Brave Bear. Can you do that?”
I love the capitalization of the terms "Something Very Bad" and "Very Brave Bear". Very true to Milne.
I also liked to innocence of Edward Bear shown in direct contrast to the bleak reality of the situation, yet you know that Edward feels the gravity of the events. Who else better to save the children?
CGFxColONeill referred to him as a psuodhero, and I guess thats true. But the important thing is that Edward acted, and he did what he could as a "bear of very little brain". In the end, it was enough.