Why Bears are the Worst

Lily didn’t like bears.

She wasn’t really sure why. She’d never met any personally, and didn’t really know all that much about them. But something about their big, bulky bodies and their beady little eyes made her nervous.

Her little brother, Owen, on the other hand, loved bears. He had a whole collection of teddy bears that he played with regularly, making them growl and fight one another. He would even pretend to be a bear himself sometimes, roaring and curving his little fingers into sharp claws. Whenever he did this, Lily would cover her ears and go hide in her room. Little brothers could be so weird sometimes.

Lily’s father thought her bear phobia was hilarious.

“What did those bears do to make you dislike them so much?” he would tease her. “Did they steal your lunch money at school? Or maybe it’s because they always cut in line? Do they leave their shopping carts in the middle of the parking space at the grocery store?

Lily rolled her eyes. “No, Daddy, that’s silly.”

“Is it because they chew with their mouths open, and never brush their teeth? Do they have poor dental hygiene?”

“I don’t know.”

“Maybe they sing too loudly with the radio. And they never pick up their dirty clothes. And they insist on dabbing all the time, even though it’s soooo last year!” Lily’s father was clearly enjoying himself.

“I like bears!” Owen chimed in. “They go RAAAAWWRRR!” He growled ferociously, and Lily jumped in alarm.

“Stop, Owen, that’s not funny!” Lily scolded. Owen laughed, and their father grinned at the two of them.

“Do more, Daddy!” Owen cheered. Dad laughed and added, “Maybe they lick all the frosting off your birthday cake before anyone even gets a piece!”

Lily sighed, trying to ignore her brother and father. She couldn’t explain it. She just didn’t like bears. Why couldn’t they just accept that?

As she turned and walked to her room, she thought she caught a glimpse of a furry face in the window. When she looked again, it was gone.

Probably just my imagination, she thought, and headed off to bed.

***

The next morning, when she woke up, she couldn’t find her dad anywhere. She looked in his room, the kitchen, the garage. She even checked the backyard, but he was nowhere to be found.

Owen came out of his room, blinking sleep from his eyes. Lily turned to him and asked, “Owen, where’s Daddy?”

Owen looked around, confused. “Dad?” he called, but there was no response.

They searched high and low, but there was no sign of him. It was like he’d vanished without a trace!

As they checked the backyard once more, Owen spotted something in the mud. “Lily, look,” he pointed. As she looked more closely, Lily realized there was a paw print in the mud. It was too big to be a dog or cat, though. What could it be?

“RAAAWRRR!” Owen roared, placing his tiny hand in the imprint. Lily gasped, realizing her brother was right. This paw print belonged to a bear.

The furry face she’d glimpsed last night! There must have been a bear in the backyard! Did it overhear her father joking about why bears were the worst? Did it kidnap him as payback?

Lily’s heart was pounding, her breathing coming fast. What should she do?

She felt a tug on her sleeve. She looked down to see Owen’s big blue eyes, looking up at her. “Get Daddy!” he insisted. He pointed toward another paw print, a little beyond the first one they’d spotted.

The bear had left a trail.

Lily’s mind whirled. She couldn’t do this alone! She needed help! But her mom and older sister were out of town. It was just Lily, Owen, and Dad at home together this weekend. There was no one else here to help.

Except Owen. He was still so little, though! What could he do?

What can I do, for that matter? Lily thought. I’m just a little kid myself! But she knew she had to act, and she had to act fast.

“Grab your shoes,” she instructed Owen. “We’re going to get Daddy.”

***

They followed the trail for what felt like hours, going deeper into the woods behind their home. Sometimes they lost the tracks, and had to search around before they were able to pick the path back up. Fortunately, they went in a fairly straight line.

Eventually, they came to a warm-looking cave. A soft light shined from inside, and there were curtains hanging over the entrance. A mat in front had the words, “Wipe your paws, please.” Flowers had been planted to either side of the cave mouth. Overall, it was a strangely welcoming scene.

Lily gulped, too nervous to move. The paw prints led directly into the cave.

“Daddy!” Owen cheered, and raced for the entrance. Lily tried to catch him, but he was a little too quick. He ran through the curtains and into the cave.

Lily crept in quietly behind him, shaking with fear. She didn’t like bears! How did she end up in this situation? This was crazy!

Taking a deep breath, trying to calm down, she peeked through the curtain. A large bear was standing upright, looking down at Owen, paws on hips. Owen was staring right back. Her father sat at a round table behind the bear, looking pale and alarmed.

The bear growled quietly, a low rumble of sound.

“RAWR,” Owen growled right back. He looked over at the entrance, and waved Lily inside. “Lily, come!”

The bear looked up, making eye contact with Lily. She shivered. The bear waved one paw toward her, almost… welcoming?

“The bear says come!” Owen repeated, impatiently. So, Lily slowly walked into the cave, crossing to sit by her father, wanting to check that he was all right.

“Wait,” her father said, bewildered. “Owen, what do you mean ‘the bear says?’ Do you understand what the bear is saying?”

Owen nodded, grinning. “I talk bear! RAWR, RAWR!”

The bear looked thoughtful, then answered in a long string of grumbles and growls. Owen looked over at his family, and told them, “The bear is mad.”

Lily stood up, trying to look braver than she felt. “It’s my fault, bear. You heard what my Dad was saying last night, didn’t you? But he was joking! He didn’t mean any of it. He was just teasing me because… because…” Her knees were shaking. She took a deep breath, then admitted, “I’m scared of bears.”

The bear made an indignant snorting noise.

“It’s not your fault!” she tried to explain. “You haven’t done anything to me! No bear has done anything to me! I just get nervous. You’re all so big, and with such sharp claws…”

The bear growled, and Owen translated. “The bear says ‘thanks.’”

Lily’s eyes widened. Of course! Bears are supposed to be big, with sharp claws! It had taken it as a compliment! Maybe honesty was the best policy.

She cleared her throat, and continued, “You all have such thick, fluffy fur, like you can handle any kind of weather. Your eyes are such a deep black color, you have an amazing sense of smell, and your teeth are like knives!”

The bear looked very pleased by her words.

Feeling a little braver, Lily continued. “Now that I’ve seen a bear in person, I can see that all of that was true! But it was no reason for me to be scared. And my dad knew that. He likes bears! He was just making up ridiculous jokes to try and help me see that I was being silly. Bears are actually very cool animals. So, please don’t blame him. It was really all my fault,” Lily finished.

The bear looked at Lily for a long time, then reached out, and patted her gently on the head.

Owen beamed up at his sister. “He likes you!”

The bear moved around the table and patted Dad on the head, too. He smiled shakily, and thanked the bear.

Growling mildly, the bear held out a piece of honeycomb towards Lily. Owen translated, “Want a snack?”

Lily gave a startled laugh, then shook her head. “That’s so nice of you, but no, thank you. I think we need to get back home. It’s been a long day.”

The bear gave a comforting “mrowr,” then patted each of them on the head once more. Owen hugged the bear’s large, furry leg in farewell. “Bye, bear! See you later!”

The bear waved goodbye to the family as they headed out, and soon the cave was lost in the trees behind them.

“Thank you for coming to rescue me, kids,” Dad told them after they’d walked for several minutes. “I didn’t know what I would do when that bear carried me away. It sat me down at the table and was making all kinds of terrible growling noises, but I had no idea what any of it meant, or what to do. You two really saved the day!”

Dad looked down at Owen and ruffled his hair. “Also – when did you learn to speak bear, buddy?? That was amazing!”

Owen grinned and made his little fingers into claws. “RAAAWRR!”

Dad put his arm around Lily. “You were so brave in there, Lily-girl. I’m so proud of you. I know you don’t like bears.”

Lily smiled. “I have to say, Dad, now that I’ve met one… maybe they aren’t so bad after all.”

“Bears are the best!” Owen cheered.

“Why are they the best, Owen?” Dad laughed. “Is it because they help old ladies cross the street? Do they donate their change to charity? Maybe they sneak into your room and make your bed for you while you’re at school?”

“Or maybe,” Lily added, “They invite you into their homes and offer you honeycomb. Maybe they forgive you when you say things about them that aren’t very nice. Maybe they’re patient with silly dads, and noisy little boys, and scared little girls.”

“Maybe,” Dad agreed. Lily reached up to take his hand, and the three of them walked home together, safe and sound.


The End