Week 1 Storytelling: Two Travelers and a Bear

Author's Note. Two Travelers and a Bear follows two characters who are on a journey and encounter a bear. One of the characters leaves the other behind and climbs a tree. Meanwhile the other character decides to play dead to avoid the bear's attack. It seems to have worked as the bear leans down to the character on the ground and then leaves. As the man in the tree comes down, he asks his friend if the bear said anything, as it seemed to him that the bear had whispered something. His friend answers that the bear advises him against being friends with someone who would abandon him in a moment of danger. The story ends with the statement that "misfortune is the test of true friendship." I decided to write my story detailing the journey of the two men before their encounter with the bear.

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One sunny Sunday morning, Jacob awoke with a sense of purpose. Today was the day. The most important day for his business. Jacob worked in collecting ancient, antique jewelry. He had gotten an exceptional deal on a beautiful pearl necklace that was at least 300 years old and had stayed in a  well-known family from generation to generation. As the last surviving member of the family, the seller, named Mr. Williams, wanted to give it to someone who would appreciate it and ensure its safekeeping. Jacob was just the man he was looking for. In order retrieve the necklace, Jacob would need to travel about half a day to the town of Burrowsville. 

Brimming with anticipation for the day ahead, Jacob rose from bed, got dressed in his finest clothing, and left his house on horseback. As he made his way through his town of Aglo, he stopped for a bread roll with strawberry jam to satisfy his hunger before he started his strenuous journey. As he was eating his breakfast, his friend Aiden bid him a good morning. They exchanged pleasantries and caught up on what they had been doing in recent weeks. Jacob told of his intent to travel to Borrowsville and retrieve the necklace. This peaked Aiden's curiosity. He inquired if Jacob would be against him joining in on his expedition and if he could help him. Jacob was more than willing to accommodate his friend and welcomed him with open arms.

A half hour later, Jacob and Aiden began the arduous trip to Borrowsville. Jacob could not contain his excitement. This is what his business needed. This was the spark that would propel his business to be well-known in his town. While Jacob was busy musing about his bright future, Aiden had other ideas. He had recently suffered great losses in his line of work. He was getting desperately close to bankruptcy. As though the sky opened up and a light shown brightly, he found the answer to his problem in Jacob. He decided if he could get Jacob to allow him to join him on the trip, he could somehow take the necklace and sell it for a large sum of money. With that, he would be saved and avoid dreadful bankruptcy and debt.

A few hours into their trip, they stopped again and ate some of the snacks they had packed beforehand. They were enjoyed the serene nature surrounding them when all of a sudden heavy footsteps were heard. Although it took the men a few minutes to discern the source of the sound, their horses' keen ears identified something alarming. Frightened, the horses tossed their head, stomped, and suddenly ran away. The men perceived something was dreadfully wrong but quickly realized that their only chance for a swift escape, their horses, had just deserted them. 

As they looked around, they suddenly spotted a big, brown bear. Aiden, fearing for his own personal safety, decided to climb to a tree a few feet away to avoid contact with the large beast. Now having absolutely no one, Jacob had no choice but to rack his brains for some sort of information on survival. He quickly remembered reading somewhere that playing dead in front of a bear might help spare one's life. With nothing to lose at this point, he quickly dropped to the ground and lay motionless. With bated breath, he waited for the unavoidable confrontation with the beast. His breath sped up and his pulse quickened as he realized the bear's footsteps were getting closer and closer. He suddenly felt the animal's breath on him. Back in the tree,  hidden between branches and leaves, Aiden spotted the bear getting near Jacob, leaning closer and closer to his friend's face. The bear lingered for a few seconds before deciding it would continue on its trek through the woods. 

Two Travelers and a Bear, illustrated by Milo Winter (Wikimedia Commons)

Aiden jumped down from the tree to find a very bemused-looking Jacob. As they both tried to grasp what had just happened, Aiden suddenly recalled something. 

"Jacob, did that bear do anything to you? It is as if had whispered something?"

Jacob appraised his friend for a minute before answering, "yes, it did."

Aiden's curiosity was piqued by this point. "What did it say then, might I ask?"

Jacob, with a stunned expression said "why, it told me that I should be careful when choosing friends. I need to be wary of those who might abandon me in times of danger."

After Jacob had revealed what the bear had said, both men reevaluated their situation. Aiden realized he had made a grave mistake, not only in abandoning his dear friend in a time of danger, but also risking the loss of a beloved friendship over the mere issue of money. Jacob, after listening to the bear, had realized he should be more cautious of who his acquaintances were and whether they had his best interests at heart. Jacob and Aiden silently conveyed their feelings to one another and decided to return home for the day. Mr. Williams would have to wait until the men set off the next morning to pick up the necklace, with renewed, pure intentions and a stronger, trustworthy friendship than they began with. 

Bibliography. This story is based on the fable "Two Travelers and a Bear" in The Aesop for Children book, by Anonymous, illustrated by Milo Winter (1919). Link to online source.