Girl had found the boxes of books from the storeroom to be a treasure trove. Bear had long forgotten they were there, although he, too, had plundered their wealth when he was a boy, then discarded them when he reached his late teens. Girl was distinctly older than that but found that reading them let her pretend she was a child again, and rediscover a time when life seemed simpler, fresher, and more promising. As such, sh...

“Bear…” Bear lifted his head from the rag rug in the great room, but said nothing, then put his head down again. “Bear!” Sighing, he got up. It was a cold, wet, windy day: dull, drab, and bone-chilling, and all Bear wanted to do was to lie by the fire. But no; Girl had to go exploring the cabin. He padded around, looking for her, and finally found her at the back of the storeroom. “What,” he said, sounding annoyed. “Bear,...

~~~~~~~ Girl woke in the night, needing to get up and pee, but feeling as if the blanket had gotten particularly heavy on her legs. She started to get up, only to find Henry curled up next to her legs in the bed, with her original blanket drawn most of the way over him. She carefully extricated herself from the bed, walked quietly to the bathroom, then returned – and found Henry occupying the top of the bed again. She chu...

~~~~~~~ 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 when Henry climbed up and made himself at home on top of him. Girl giggled as quietly as she could – but Henry lifted his head, looked at her – and winked. Bear lumbered co...

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?” Bear ignored her. She walked gingerly over to him and stood nearby. “Bear?” “WHAT?” he shouted. Girl jumped back. This was most un-Bear-like behavior. “I’m sorry, I didn’t...

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. “Yes, I know that, silly. But do you think so?” There was a long pause, then, “Oh, well, probably.” Girl giggled. “Will they be as…interesting…as you and me?” She asked....

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 time heard it clearly. He lumbered up and padded quietly down to her door, then stood and listened. The sounds were…intermittent. It almost sounded as if she were talking t...

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, with her feet on the seat, her knees up high, and her chin resting on them. She smiled, picked up the leaf, and looked at it. "Bear," she said. His head swiveled towards her...

~~~~~~~ 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 do, but realized that, for once, Bear was completely serious. Finally, she nodded, and said, “I promise, Bear.” “Good. Now, it’s starting to get dark, so let’s get back t...

~~~~~~~ “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 overhead. They were at peace. Even with each other – for once. It was a lovely feeling, for both of them. The next day was a quiet one. They didn’t want to venture too far o...

~~~~~~~ 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 floor in front of the fire, heaved a deep sigh, looked into the flames for a while, then closed his eyes, and slept. It had been a very good day. When Girl awoke, it was twi...

~~~~~~~ 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 very important to me, and not just because you’ve saved my life at least twice. I worry about you, more than you may realize. “What you were saying about purpose – I get...

~~~~~ 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 were staying at a campsite in…um…rural Pennsylvania, I think it was. And there they were. “I hadn’t thought about fireflies in years at that point. But all of a sudden, I fe...

“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, Minneapolis-fancy-pants POHL-leece man! This is N’Oleans,” he said, deliberately emphasizing his Louisiana accent, “and people disappear here all the fucking time! Especially...

~~~~~~~~~~ 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 another day. But if you think about it, the answer should be fairly obvious. And no,” he held his paw up. “I’m not going to discuss it, so don’t go asking the questions I know...