Image description: A colourful, hand-drawn illustration shows a jungle clearing where all seven Wombles and all seven Care Bears stand facing each other, ready for a friendly showdown. On the left, the Wombles are lined up, each with their own distinct hat and outfit — Great Uncle Bulgaria with his tartan scarf, Orinoco looking slightly sleepy, Tobermory in his workshop gear, Madame Cholet in a chef-style outfit, and the others in bright caps and waistcoats. They appear determined but curious. On the right, the Care Bears stand in a neat row. Tenderheart Bear is at the front with his red heart symbol. The others include Funshine Bear with a sun, Good Luck Bear with a four-leaf clover, Cheer Bear with a rainbow, Grumpy Bear with a rain cloud, Share Bear with lollipops, and Harmony Bear in calming purple. They look cheerful but focused. In the background, green jungle trees and palm leaves surround the clearing under a bright blue sky. Across the top of the image, large yellow and black text reads: THE WOMBLE IN THE JUNGL
Chapter Eight – The Final Round
The jungle clearing had never seen anything like it.
Seven Wombles stood on one side — dusty, fluffed-up, slightly dishevelled but proud. Seven Care Bears stood on the other — sparkling, smiling, and just a little bit glitter-stained from earlier rounds.
Between them, a silence hung in the air like mist. The parrots didn’t shout. The frogs didn’t cheer. Even the capybara sat up straight.
Because this wasn’t a face-off anymore.
Something was wrong.
The jungle itself — the vines, the trees, the roots — had gone quiet. The colours were duller. The leaves drooped. And a faint, strange hum vibrated through the ground like a grumble from below.
Great Uncle Bulgaria tapped his stick. “That’s not natural.”
Tenderheart Bear nodded. “Something’s out of balance.”
From deep within the jungle, a low crack echoed — followed by the collapse of a tree, not from age or wind… but from the weight of rubbish below it.
A forgotten dump. A hidden pile of waste, leaching into the roots. Old tech. Plastic nets. Broken toys. Unloved things.
Tomsk frowned. “That weren’t us.”
Grumpy Bear muttered, “Definitely not us either.”
Suddenly, they all turned — not on each other, but toward the mess. No more rounds. No more versus. Just one task now.
Clean it. Together.
Wellington opened a map of the jungle’s underground roots.
Harmony Bear sang a soft tune, waking sleeping vines to help lift the junk.
Tobermory and Good Luck Bear built a conveyor belt from banana leaves and a trampoline.
Cholet and Share Bear turned broken food trays into feeding stations for the animals.
Orinoco teamed up with Funshine to spread hammocks made of reused parachute silk for jungle critters needing naps.
Bungo ran litter logistics with Cheer Bear, sorting every item into colourful bins labelled “Reuse,” “Recycle,” “Repurpose,” and “Ridiculously Sticky – Handle With Care.”
Tomsk and Grumpy Bear took the heavy lifting — hauling, hammering, huffing, but always nodding in respect.
And at the centre, Great Uncle Bulgaria and Tenderheart Bear stood side by side, leading the final charge.
It took hours.
It took heart.
But by sunset, the jungle breathed again.
The vines sparkled. The flowers unfurled. Even the frogs wore little hats made from bottle caps in celebration.
A great cheer rose through the canopy. The parrots whistled a seven-note fanfare.
And in the middle of the clearing, a brand new sign stood tall, carved into a slab of fallen tree:
“Cleaned With Care. Repaired With Respect. By Wombles & Bears United.”
They all stood together — fourteen creatures, two tribes, one purpose.
Tenderheart raised a paw. “We came to challenge you.”
Bulgaria smiled. “Turns out, we just needed each other.”
And under the mango moons, they shared snacks, stories, and laughter — not as opponents, but as friends.
Later that night, with the stars blinking softly above the treetops, the jungle creatures gathered one last time around a campfire made of driftwood and glowing mushrooms.
They didn’t speak much. They didn’t need to.
Because what they’d done mattered.
Not just the cleaning. Not just the teamwork. But the act of caring — in different ways, from different hearts, for the same world.
The jungle would remember.
So would the Wombles. So would the Care Bears. And maybe — just maybe — so would we.
Blind Man Makes 