The Tale of the Three Bears

Once Upon a Time, deep in a forest green, there lived three very spoiled -but loved black bears.  The largest of the three was named Brer Bear.  He was gentle by his nature, slow in his movements, but quick to observe and size up all the coming and going-ons of his territory from his favorite  abode.

Brer Bear - taking it all in

Brer Bear's favorite pastime was showing up for feedings.  He was a true crowd pleaser, and would often demonstrate the importance of good table manners and etiquette for all those who happened to pass by.

In a class all by himself

With all his social graces and charming disposition, Brer Bear still could not attract the attention of Lady Huff 'n chuff -the lovely cinnamon black bear he had known since his earliest childhood years.  She seemed to enjoy tormenting and teasing Brer Bear -especially during the months of May and June.  Every year it was the same, she'd parade about before his gaze, emitting the most alluring perfume, 'eau de cinnamon buns' -their eyes would meet, he'd follow her about, with his head in a cloud- only to be rebuffed and distanced by her backward glare and loud chuffing -it was too much to bear.  

Lady Huff 'n chuff

Being the true gentleman he was, Brer Bear settled into a routine of acceptance and understanding -after all, with 6 feedings a day life was good and he had few complaints.  


All was well for a few blissful months until his human caretakers decided to liven things up in his world.  Their idea of instant energy and motivation for greater activity came in the form of a small, 12 pound bear cub.

After 3 weeks of being contained away from the adult bears, the face to face introduction occurred.  Brer Bear, being both a curious and kindly sort, went over to investigate and introduce himself to this newcomer.  Oddly enough, the puny character ran right up a tree -coming down only to pick at the left-over food and then run right back up again.  It would be months before Mr. Mischief would work up the confidence to pester Brer Bear and Lady Huff 'n chuff and instill new life into their mundane existence.  

But once the games began, they were on-going & packed with trickery.  On land, Mr. Mischief could climb over, under, and around Brer Bear -and in the water, he perfected  scenes from "Jaws" with the ducks, taking time to occasionally splash his senior friend on the shore, hoping to entice Brer Bear in for a swim.  

Four years later, he still continues to endlessly invent games for both his own amusement, as well as for the amusement of all the guests who enter their home.

Such is life in the forest these days -two good friends who run circles around each other, and Lady Huff 'n chuff -who now has her hands full.

Lesson learned:

Accepting someone else's differences can sometimes allow for mismatched characters to  become the best of friends