The Bear

Imagined Fears

A friend of mine went camping for the first time. The site was in the woods among tall trees and a stream nearby.

It was perfect.

After a meal cooked over the campfire my friend watched the sun go down and listened as everything grew quiet in the evening air.

The birds settled down and there was nothing to hear but the wind in the leaves. Soon the solitude and calm had a magic effect and my friend settled down to sleep.

Sometime in the night, my friend was wakened by a noise outside.

Not being an experienced camper, all the food had been left outside and a bear had smelled it, was digging through the packages, ripping open the plastic bags and rummaging through the backpack.

My friend lay there in the darkness, terrified to make a sound in case the bear heard.

The noises outside got nearer and louder. My friend spent the whole night straining to hear every sound and expecting the bear to tear the tent open any moment.

Morning came and my friend crawled out of the tent only to discover that a squirrel had been searching through the wrappings in the night.