The tale of the mustachioed man

Part four

from last time: Wolf walked on. Just then, he got very hungry. He wondered if he would feel hungry while sleeping. Abruptly, he woke up. He walked into the kitchen, where his mother was weeping over an onion. Or maybe something else???

prompts: skeletal, lesson, vacant, award

“I had a nightmare last night,” Wolf told his mother. “I saw all sorts of strange things. At the end, just before I woke up, there was an enormous skeleton that was dancing and singing a terrifying song.”

“That is very symbolic,” said Wolf’s mother. “You should talk to the bears about it.”

“I can’t,” Wolf said. “If anyone catches me talking to the bears…”

“You have more courage than you think you have,” Wolf’s mother said. “You need to talk to the bears and then, you need to embark on your journey. The starfish will guide you to the King of the Animals. When you find the King of the Animals, you will find yourself. Ever since we came to the Land of the Humans, you have been lost. You went to school every day, but you didn’t understand the lessons until you got that one teacher who helped you look inward. Unfortunately, that teacher left because the people in charge were afraid of the things that she taught.”

“Yes,” said Wolf said. “I remember that the school was built really quickly and that the blackboard was misshapen and that the tables were built too quickly because there were no schools in the Land of the Humans. And that, the day the teacher gave us the essay to write about bears being able to talk was the day that nearly all the parents took their children out of school. They wanted the teacher to tell us every day to hate the bears because the bears were evil. They said that we had to learn that humans were made to dominate all other animals. I didn’t say anything. I wrote an essay and I gave it to the teacher, but she was gone the next day.”

“You still understand the bears,” Wolf’s mother said. “You will be in danger here. The Land of the Humans is becoming angrier and louder. You must go and find the King of the Animals. You are our last hope. I know that you don’t want that kind of responsibility because you are shy and you don’t see yourself as a leader, but this is your role. You are braver than you know, wiser than you believe, and you can do whatever you set your heart to do. All you need to do is to listen to the animals. As humans, we struggle to listen, but you have that gift. You must go to the zoo today to talk to the bears and to listen to what they tell you. And, after that, you need to begin your journey. I cannot travel with you, but, before you go, I will give you gifts that will help you along the way.”

After a long day at the zoo, Wolf walked home, taking a different route than usual. The bears had told him which route to take. They also talked to him about Baby Bear’s naming ceremony and that his new name was Bearnacle Bear.

“There is someone at a vacant building who wants to see you,” the biggest bear had said.

Just at that moment, one of the other zookeepers walked in and Wolf had to pretend that he didn’t understand a word that the bears had said.

“They do make a lot of noise,” the zookeeper said.

“Yes,” Wolf said. “Just like us, I guess.”

“Humans are a more important species than bear,” said the zookeeper. “If you were talking to them, I will tell and you will be in trouble. Talking to bears is treason.”

“Oh no,” Wolf said. “I never talk to bears.”

“I only listen,” Wolf thought.

As Wolf passed the vacant building, he felt fear, but he went in.

No one was there.

“Maybe this is the wrong vacant building,” Wolf thought. He walked away and headed home.

When Wolf arrived home, he saw his mother, holding some sort of trophy. It was very, very large.

“What’s that?” Wolf asked.

“I don’t know,” his mother said. “It was placed by the door. But I don’t know who placed it there.”

At that moment, Wolf and his mother heard a frantic knocking on the door. Wolf felt more fear. Loud voices screamed, but the words were impossible to understand.

“You’re in danger,” said Wolf’s mother. “Quick. Out the back door. Go look for the King of the Animals. You must go now.” Wolf’s mother handed him a bag. It was sealed closed.

“Don’t open this until you have left the Land of the Humans.”

Wolf slipped out the back door as the knocking on the front door became more frantic.

TO BE CONTINUED!

This story will continue in January, during the next Ultimate Blogging Challenge!