Once upon a time, there was a huge bear, it was bigger than a giant. Lived in a forest by himself, he didn’t have many friends as a lot of the other animals in the forest were scared of him. One day It was time for it to hibernate. So he set out to find some soft things in the forest to make its bed comfortable in its cave for his long sleep ahead.
The bear was in the forest, looking around for soft things when it came upon some lambs tongue. It took the lambs tongue back to its cave and laid it down by its bed, it was so soft, like velvet. But there wasn’t enough so the next day the Bear went looking in the same place again to find some more lambs tongue.
The next day, when the bear went to the forest, he came across a small mouse who was walking around in the forest. The bear said that he was looking for some lambs tongue, but the mouse said there are no lambs in the forest. The bear said good one because he thought the mouse was telling a joke. But it turned out that the mouse didn’t realise that the lambs tongue was a plant this little interaction cemented their friendship.
The bear also needed to find some seaweed and some nuts to take with him into his cave for his hibernation.
The mouse was able to help out with this, the most told him that and some seaweed by the ocean, and he could find some nuts in the local park with lots of trees. The mouse took him to those places and helped him collect the things that he needed for his hibernation.
The mouse was happy to make a new friend and asked if they could hang out the next day. But the bear explain to him that hibernating meant that he had to sleep for a long time. The mouse said “that is fine I can come back in a few days or a week.” But the bear explained that he has to sleep for a very very very long time more like six months. He said that the mouse will probably forget about him in six months.
The mouse asked the bear if he could come and see his cave anyway and the bear was happy that the mouse wanted to come and hang out with him. When it was time for the bear to start his hibernation, the mouse was very sad and said I will miss you bear, who will I hang out with while you are hibernating?
The bear said if you want to come back in six months time, I will be finished my hibernation and we can hang out then.
Over the next few months, the mouse carried on his life, going to the beach and going to the park until it was time to go and meet the bear in his cave. The mouse was very excited and put on his coolest outfit.
When the bear woke up, the mouse was there waiting in his cave for him to wake up. He had prepared all the bear’s favourite things, seaweed and nuts, and they were both really happy to see each other.
The End
Illustration by Rachel Stubbs