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...

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. He lumbered up and padded quietly down the hall to her room’s door, then stood and listened. The sounds were intermittent. It almost sounded as if she were talking to so...

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 up, unbolted the front door, and trotted out into the woods. Shortly thereafter, both friends were reunited, refreshed, and ready for the morning. Girl made some breakfast...

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, fixing some breakfast for herself. Once done, she returned to the porch, settled on the rocking chair, and waited, knowing that there was nothing else she could do. Som...

Girl was rudely awakened by a massive BLAM and an incredibly bright flash of light. She jerked upright, hand to her mouth, quivering and afraid. She was confused as to where she was, having been ripped from a sound sleep. Her head whipped around, quartering the room, looking for something familiar and not finding it, her heart beating furiously. Another blinding flash and crash of thunder shook the cabin, and she shrieked...

Bear and Girl had hiked up the ravine as Bear wanted to show her the waterfall. The spray from the falls made the glade seem foggy, with clouds of mist rolling through all the time. It made the air cool and the glade refreshing, plus there was a rainbow. It was one of Bear's favorite spots. Girl found a convenient rock and sat down, contemplating the glade, the mist, the rainbow…and her newest, but perhaps, most important...

The days passed in lazy friendship, while Girl’s bruises and aches slowly started to heal. Finally came the day when she was tired of behaving sensibly, and hanging around the cabin all the time. No matter how entertaining – or infuriating, or amusing – the Bear could be, she was aware that the world around them was beautiful, and she was seeing only the part she could witness from the cabin’s porch. So, they began a seri...

When Bear returned from getting his lunch and marking the boundaries of his territory, Girl was again asleep in the rocking chair. One hand was trailing down the side, her head lolled against a shoulder, and she was drooling slightly. He stopped to look at her, and again shook his head. “Poor kid.” He gently picked her up and carried her into the great room of the cabin. She stirred, smiled, leaned her head against his ch...