Today’s prompt was to answer questions that you, my wonderful readers, ask over and over again.
I have to admit that no one has asked questions, but several readers have expressed a fondness for Bearnacle Bear and his friends. So, today, I am going to tell you how the steam punk bear became mangled.
One day, the steam punk bear decided to go for a walk in the woods.
“Are you sure you want to do that?” asked his mother.
“Yes,” he said. “I want to go visit Bearnacle Bear. He said that his grandmother just got a new honey pot, and that she was making all sorts of treats.”
“How are you going there?”
“I am walking through that forest over there! Maybe I will see Bearnacle and his human friend.”
“Well, be careful. There were some shrubs who said that they had grown extra long thorns because they wanted to catch something or someone.”
“Uh oh,” said the steam punk bear. “I don’t like thorns. They’re very pokey and not nice.”
“No one likes thorns,” said his mother “That’s why I am reminding you to be very careful in the forest. Because the shrubs are grabbing anything that moves. They said that they want to get the energy of animals that move. I don’t know why.”
“Okay, I will be careful.”
But the steam punk bear forgot to be careful. He started dancing down the trail and singing until, all of a sudden, he fell over a shrub and got tangled in the thorns.
“Ouch,” the steam punk bear yelped. He tried to get away, and one of his arms fell off in the struggle.
“Whatever shall I do?” asked the steam punk bear.
“That arm is mine,” roared the shrub.
As the steam punk bear screamed, a mouse jumped out from underneath the shrub.
“I will get your arm!” squeaked the little mouse.
“No, it’s mine!” bellowed the shrub.
“You’re very noisy and not very nice,” squeaked the mouse.
“I’ll show you not nice!” squawked the shrub.
Just then, the mouse grabbed the arm and ran down the trail, with the steam punk bear running after the mouse.
“I wish I could run,” said the shrub with a sigh. “Moving creatures have all the fun.”
Just then, the mouse and the steam punk bear ran into another shrub, which cackled wickedly.
“I’m even more mangled,” said the steam punk bear.
“How will we fix that?” asked the mouse, which was pulling thorns out of the steam punk bear.
“I don’t know, but night is falling and we are in the darkest part of the forest. Should we go to that house over there?”
“The one that’s standing on chicken legs?” asked the mouse.
“Yes, that one.”
“That’s the home of Baba Yaga. She is a famous witch. Be very careful,” said the mouse.
Just then…
(to be continued)
