Dolores Smith and the Birthday Bear (short story)

was the fourth story in the anthology The Perennial Miss Wildthyme.
== Summary ==
Every year on her birthday, Dolores Smith sees a strange monster with a glowing eye watching her from the park opposite her house. On her tenth birthday, she wishes for a friend to come with her to confront the monster once and for all. What she gets is a stuffed and hung-over Panda.
As Panda attempts to get his wits about him, Dolores relates her past experiences with the strange creature.
== Characters ==
* Iris Wildthyme
* Panda
* Dolores Smith
== Worldbuilding ==
to be added
== Notes ==
* The character of Dolores Smith was based on Dennison's late grandmother, Joan Dolores Smith Husson. She, too, was a ballerina, and her birthday was on July 11.
* In the lead-up to the 2017 convention (Re)Generation Who 3, a reading of the story by Kara Dennison herself was released on her official YouTube channel.
== Continuity ==
* The Celestial Omnibus was destroyed in PROSE: A Grove Invisible.
== External links ==
* Interview with writer Kara Dennison on Dolores Smith and the Birthday Bear
Category:The Perennial Miss Wildthyme short stories
Category:Stories set in 1999
Category:Stories set in Samhain
Category:Short stories with audio readings