THE ADVISOR

by

Barbara Sheridan

---

Early morning sunlight poked through the drawn velvet curtains that covered the large windows of the Oval Office as the President of the United States consulted with his most trusted advisor.

"You can't be serious, Ted. What you're proposing is out of the question." The President sipped his lukewarm coffee before continuing. "How could we possibly justify that sort of attack to the rest of the world?"

The advisor sat quietly on the brown leather chair, gazing across the paper-strewn desk of his friend. "I'm right about this, John. We must confront these people now; show them that we will not sit idly by and submit to their terrorism."

The President nervously tapped an ink pen on the desk. "How long have we known each other, Ted, fifty years or more?"

The advisor nodded.

"You know I've never liked violence, Ted. A great many innocent people will be hurt. Besides, this is an election year."

The advisor gritted his sharp little teeth. "What about the innocent people who have already been hurt and killed because of a few madmen?"

The President sighed. "You're right as usual, Ted, but I still don't like the idea of stooping to their level."

"After you've discussed this with the Secretary of State, you'll see that the only way to combat such people is to show them that we won't be bullied any longer." The advisor scratched his furry chin. "I've been involved in your political career from the beginning and I haven't been wrong yet."

The President nodded. Without Ted's help and advice he wouldn't be in the office now. He got up and came around to the front of the desk. He reached down and

gently lifted the small teddy bear from the leather He was saddened by the condition his life-long friend. The tawny plush fur was wearing thin, the limbs were beginning to sag, and the kapok stuffing shifted through the years, giving Ted a lumpy exterior."We have so many problems to deal with now, Ted; sometimes wish that I had never grown up."

The bear squeezed the President's thumb with his tiny plush paw. "No matter what happens, John, I'll always be here for you,"

The President smiled and kissed the bear's forehei. walked to the rear of the desk and opened the la,-; torn drawer. "I have to put you away now."

The bear nodded.

The President laid his trusted advisor on the velvet cushion then closed and locked the drawer. There knock on the office door. "Come in," the President said, tucking the drawer key into his vest pocket.

The gray-haired woman peered in, "The Cabinet members are here for the meeting, Sir."

The President sat behind his desk and gathered the notes Ted had prepared for him. "Send them in, please."

The End