The tale of the mustachioed man

part one

The pictures here are from days one through seven of Inktober. The prompts are moustache, weave, crown, murky, deer, earring, and starfish.

In the days when bears and humans spoke the same language, there was a boy who was best friends with a bear cub who was known only as Baby Bear. The boy and the bear shared a deep bond. They laughed together, swam in the ocean together, and shared everything together. When Baby Bear and his family were getting ready to travel inland to the place where Baby Bear would get his own name, the boy felt sad. He wanted to travel with the bears and stay with them forever.

“I am afraid,” the boy told his friend. “We shall never see each other again. All of the humans are leaving. We are going to live in the Land of the Humans. I was told the day will come when none of us will understand your language.”

“We will see each other again,” said Baby Bear. “I don’t know when, but I know that we will see each other again.”

That was years earlier, and the boy grew up and became a man. His hair receded and his moustache grew long and luxuriant. He looked different, but his heart was the same. He still understood the bears’ language, but, in that, he was alone. Everyone else could hear only grunts and roars. But the mustachioed man, whose name was Wolf, understood bears when they spoke. He understood other animals, including wolves. When he was a very small boy, he had a different name. When he told his parents what the wolves said, they renamed him Wolf.

Wolf’s parents knew that their son had a very special and rare gift. He was able to be friends with both humans and animals and he was a great interpreter.

One day, Wolf walked into the home that he shared with him parents. The smell of the house was still the same as it was when he was a boy who had just moved to the Land of the Humans. A cat ran up to greet Wolf. The cat purred and kissed Wolf’s face. He smiled at the little calico.

Wolf’s mother was busy weaving when Wolf walked in.

“How’s the zoo?” she asked without looking up.

“Not good,” Wolf said. “We were all told that the animals are beasts and that we are never to talk to them.”

“Oh,” she said calmly. “What are you going to do?”

“I will ask the bears when no one is watching. They are wise. They will tell me.”

“And you?” she asked. “Are you not wise, as well?”

“No,” Wolf said. “I am not feeling any wisdom.”

“I understand. Ask them how to find the King of the Animals, because the King can guide you to places you never thought possible.”

Wolf twirled his moustache in his hands and his mother smiled.

“I have a special crown for you to bring to the King of the Animals. It has magical jewels. If the animal you see really is a king, he will give the crown to his queen. You will know right away if you are in the presence of the King of the Animals.

“Once you have found your King, you are to travel with him on a journey that, at times, will be very hard. When you have completed your journey, you will find the wisdom that you have lost. When you were a boy, you had it but you didn’t know you had it. Your bear friend knew that you had it. You must seek him out, and he will help you find it.”

“Tomorrow, when you go to the zoo, make sure to cross a creek. It will look like no creek you have ever seen. It will be very murky. Watch out for the mud because you don’t know what’s in the mud. When you cross the creek, you may find courage in the waters.”

“Is there a bridge or should I take off my shoes and socks and wade through the waters?”

“No, you must not wade in your bare feet because the murky waters can be dangerous and can transform you into something… something… I don’t know what… but… something… Make sure to wear your wading boots. They will protect you.”

“All right,” Wolf said, adding, “But my wading boots have sprung a leak.”

“Then, after work tomorrow, make sure to buy a new pair to protect you from the murky waters. You can cross the creek on another day. It will still be there, and your courage will be there.”

“All right,” Wolf said.

The next day, after listening to the bears all day and pretending not to understand them, Wolf walked into town. He passed a building that had a stained glass window with the image of a deer. That image gave him hope. For him, it symbolized new beginnings, sensitivity, and intuition.

Wolf walked into a very small building, that was a place where crafts people gathered to sell their works. There were bookmarks, bracelets, cloth napkins, dishes, and other things.

“Oh, Wolf,” said the jewelry salesperson. “How is your mother? Will she be here soon to sell some of her cloth? It’s been a while since she’s been here, and we miss her.”

“I will ask her,” Wolf said. “She’s been very busy at her loom. I’m sure she would love to see you.”

“Give her this,” the jeweler said. “She will know what they mean.”

“May I pay you for those lovely earrings?” Wolf said.

“No, Wolf, you may not. Your mother will understand.”

“All right,” said Wolf. He put the earrings in his pocket and left the building.

Wolf then went to a shoe store, where he bought a new pair of wading boots.

Wolf took the long way home (aka the scenic route) just because he wanted to see the ocean. Whenever he walked by the ocean, he stared out into the distance, longing for his bear friend. It had been so long since they had been together. Wolf wondered if the bear would remember him. He hoped so because he thought about his friend every day. He wished that he could send telepathic messages to his friend, but his mother told him that he did not possess the gift of telepathy. She said it was a rare gift and was too powerful for most humans to handle so it was probably better not to have it.

As Wolf walked along the beach, he noticed a starfish sitting on the sand. It looked lonely and sad and a bit dry.

“Would you like me to throw you back into the water?” Wolf asked.

“I would like that very much,” the starfish said. “I feel dry.”

Later, that evening, Wolf gave his mother the earrings. She looked startled when she received them, but she said nothing. Wolf told her about the starfish.

“You have a new friend,” she said. “Your new friend will help you with your journey. I don’t know how yet, but you will know when it happens.”

(to be continued!)