~~~~~~~ Instead of a rabbit hopping away, it was Henry, sitting off to one side, smirking at Bear. Bear relaxed. “Did you warn them off?” he asked. Henry just nodded, then patted his tummy. Bear settled back down on the meadow grass, then started a bit wh...
Bear came rumbling into the great room of the cabin, muttering to himself. He threw himself down on the rag rug in the center of the room, gave a huge sigh, and closed his eyes. Girl, who was making herself some lunch, said, “Is everything okay, Bear?” Be...
Bear and Girl were lying in the grass on the meadow outside the cabin, enjoying the warmth of the Summer evening and waiting for the stars to smile down at them. “Bear?” “Girl.” “Do you think there’s life on other planets?” “No way of knowing,” said Bear....
Bear had settled onto the rag rug in the great room at the end of the day and was starting to drift off to sleep, when he thought he heard something. He perked his ears up. There it was again. He lifted his head and turned towards Girl's room, and this ti...
It was a lovely day in the Rockies. Bear and Girl had broken their fast, and were sitting in their favorite places on the porch, watching the mountains age. There was a light breeze, and a leaf blew onto Girl's lap, where she sat on the rocking chair, wit...
~~~~~~~ Bear stopped, sat, and turned to look at her. “Okay, now listen to me, Girl, and listen carefully. Mother Nature is not a ‘person,’ she is a ‘Person.’ And you must speak of, and to Her, with respect, understand me?” Girl wasn’t quite sure what to...
~~~~~~~ “I’m sorry I shouted at you, Bear.” “I’m sorry you shouted at me, too, Girl.” She chuckled, crossing her arms on her chest, and leaning back on him. The two friends sat there, staring at the fire, and listening to the rain pounding on the roof ove...
~~~~~~~ He gently laid her on the bed, pulled the covers up over her, and said, very softly, “Good night, Girl. Nothing but good dreams, okay?” Her smile deepened, “Night, Bear. You, too.” He padded out to his place on the rag rug, slumped down on the flo...
~~~~~~~ She sighed. “I said I was nothing. I know that’s not true, but sometimes it feels that way. And I know what you’ve told me, about myself, and about how my presence has… well, you said I had saved you.” She turned towards him, “Bear, you’ve become...
~~~~~ Bear shifted his weight. “When I was a kid, we’d have fireflies every summer, sometimes for many nights. But as I got older, I saw them less and less frequently. As an adult, I didn’t even think about it – until one night, my wife, family, and I wer...
“Look, I know you’re all hot-to-trot on this crazy idea of yours, but just put a lid on it, okay? We’ve got real work to do without chasing ghosts.” “But Sarge, people have been disappearing every year! And they’re always…” He turned on me. “Listen, Minne...
~~~~~~~~~~ Bear chuckled. “And that’s how I get my supplies.” He sat back and looked at the Girl, waiting for a reaction. She giggled, then looked thoughtful. “But how do you get the money to order stuff?” ' ”That,” Bear said, “is another story for anothe...
Bear had settled onto the rag rug in the great room and was starting to drift off to sleep when he thought he heard something, so perked his ears up. There it was again. He lifted his head and turned it towards Girl's room, and this time heard it clearly....
When Girl awoke the second time, she stretched, then quickly got up. “Are you okay, kid?” Bear asked. Girl stopped, looked at him, and said, “Yes, but I really need to pee!” and hustled out of the store room. Bear gave his deep, rumbling laugh, then got u...
Girl watched Bear disappear into the woods and felt terrible about hurting him. Clearly, she had touched a deep nerve. She waited for him to return, even sitting on the edge of the rocking chair for a time. Finally, she sighed and went back into the cabin...
