The Woman and the Bear
Sylvi quickly agreed. She was full of compassion and had never raised a child of her own. The bear filled an emotional void in her life. Sylvi named the bear Ruben and loved him deeply. For years she nurtured the cub and fed him as he grew bigger and bigger. "Look at how Sylvi loves that bear!" town villagers would remark.
After about four years, Sylvi suddenly grew sick with a fever. She could not leave her bed, and other villagers helped take care of the now fully-domesticated bear. At the same time, the hunters in the village had been struggling to find food. The village had become desperate and was beginning to starve. Some began to whisper, "We should kill Ruben and eat him."
Ruben could sense something was wrong with both his adopted mother and the village-people. He decided to do something. One day, Ruben snuck away from the village to look for food. As he was looking, Ruben noticed something strange: other bears! As he got closer, he began to communicate with them. He realized something amazing: these bears were his long-lost family! Ruben snuggled up to the bears with affection and explained what had happened over the last few years. He also told them about the current situation in the village. Upon hearing how kind Sylvi had been to Ruben, the bears agreed to help. They led Ruben to a secret lake, only known to bears and other woodland creatures. The lake was full of fish!
Ruben returned to the village the next day. Sylvi had been deeply worried about her bear, but had started to recover from her fever. However, hunger in the village had continued to worsen. Ruben communicated to the hunters that they needed to follow him. The kind bear led them to the secret lake full of fish. The village hunters caught hundreds of fish that day and returned to the village with joy. A great feast was held, and Ruben brought his bear family to the feast to meet Sylvi. Sylvi's kindness in raising Ruben had ultimately led to the saving of the entire village. Bears and humans continue to live in friendship in this region.
THE END
Author's Note: I started with the story "The Woman Who Had a Bear as a Foster-Son," which is part of the Eskimo Folk Tales unit. Story source: Eskimo Folk-Tales by Knud Rasmussen (1921). The story tells of an old woman who mothers a bear. I kept the basic premise the same, but changed the setting and created an entirely new plot with different events and a new ending.
Image Info: European Brown Bear. Source: Wikimedia
Derek,
ReplyDeleteI wanted to revisit your page because I think you are a very talented writer and I always enjoy your stories. This one did not disappoint either! I love the emotional connection you created between the characters; I could feel it as well. I love that Ruben had helped out the villagers as well even though they were going to turn against him - that was so kind of him! Overall, such a great story to read. Thanks for always delivering!
Hi Derek,
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of a bear named Ruben. It’s a great story with a nice, warm, fuzzy ending, which is sometimes just what we need!
Just a technical note: at the end of your second paragraph, the phrase “town villagers” is a bit awkward and redundant; perhaps “townsfolk” or “villagers” would be better?
Best,
Alby
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI love the concept of the story! I have not read the original, but I like the way your story fits together! It is almost as if you brought together the animal world and the human world in a story. I did feel bad for Ruben. I did not want him to be eaten and was glad when he was able to provide food for his human mother.