A LAZY BEAR
By Natalia Martin
Bear had been told by multiple people, multiple times, that he needed to be more conscious. That he needed to stop being lazy and do the right thing, even when it was easier to take the wrong path. An uncountable amount of times, Bear had been lectured by his family and by his friends about the importance of discipline and cleanliness, and after a long time of contemplating their words and meditating on the deep and powerful meaning behind discipline, Bear decided that he needed to change. What was this change, exactly? He needed to stop thinking about those meaningless things and focus on continuing to live a lazy life! Why would he ever need to be more disciplined when his life was so easy already? He was told many times. But it wasn’t until Bear saw for himself what his actions had done that it was time for some change.
Bear’s home was perfect. The trees surrounding his lush clearing seemed to reach the sky, and the rivers were always overflowing with fish. There was a terrific amount of shade for Bear’s frequent naps, and the temperature was always just right.
One day, Fox came by the clearing and was startled at the sight of Bear throwing a plastic candy wrapper in the river. Fox stared at Bear, waiting for him to say something, but Bear was unaware of his own harmful action. Finally, Fox spoke up. “Bear, don’t throw plastic in the river! You can harm or even kill the creatures that live in it!”
Bear groggily looked over at Fox and replied with a goofy grin, “Oh, you silly animal. This little wrapper won’t do anything. It’s so small compared to the river, and I’m sure the fish won’t even notice it.” Bear went back to lazily scratching his back on a tree. Fox shook his head and breathed an exasperated sigh. With one last glance at the river, with the bright red wrapper floating away slowly, Fox turned to face the vast forest in which his modest home rested.
“One day, Bear,” Fox muttered, “you will learn to care.” He slunk away to his hut, pondering the effect of Bear’s actions.
The sun rose bright and early the next morning, making the surface of the river gleam like a mirror. When Bear went to have breakfast, he noticed that there were very few fish in the river. The fast-flowing water, which normally held an abundance of leaping salmon, was now unnervingly silent. The splashes made by the fish were gone, and the only sound that could be heard was the soft whooshing of the water. “Where did all the fish go?” Bear wondered. Puzzled, he decided to go find Fox in the woods. Bear started his trek toward the thick, lush forests where the trees grew close together as if they were whispering secretly. On the way to find his pal, Bear got sleepy and resolved that he would take a nice nap next to a big, shady tree. He settled down and felt his eyelids droop and his mind start to shut down.
When he awoke, it was late in the morning and the sun was glimmering through the leaves. He yawned and blinked at the brightness. When he finally adjusted to the light, he saw a group of about twenty squirrels munching on the wrapper that he threw in the river the day before!
“Hey,” Bear yawned. “I don’t think that’s good for you.” The tallest squirrel glanced over at him and laughed in a high-pitched giggle.
My book is called Bridge of Starlight. It’s a book about a normal girl, Charlie, a bit paranoid, whose whole world is thrown into a frenzy in one afternoon. As if the people she loves being abducted isn’t enough already, she finds herself in a secret magical organization that reveals hidden information to her. And her whole life changes. Just like that. Soon, she finds herself thrown into a conflict that she didn’t know about until that one fateful afternoon. And the question is: Will she succeed alongside her friends? Or will she suffer the consequences? My book is called Bridge of Starlight. It’s a book about a normal girl, Charlie, a bit paranoid, whose whole world is thrown into a frenzy in one afternoon. As if the people she loves being abducted isn’t enough already, she finds herself in a secret magical organization that reveals hidden information to her. And her whole life changes. Just like that. Soon, she finds herself thrown into a conflict that she didn’t know about until that one fateful afternoon. And the question is: Will she succeed alongside her friends? Or will she suffer the consequences?
The tall squirrel replied, “Come on, what’s so bad about it? We found it in the little stream that leads out of the river. It was big enough for everyone, and it was delicious!” All the other squirrels murmured in agreement. The mindless babbling was interrupted when a tiny, plump squirrel at the back of the group started to cough. The others made way for the little one, who began to breathe in shuddered, ragged bursts.
He looked at his parents with big, scared eyes. Suddenly he stopped. “Mommy,” he wheezed, “I- can’t-br-eathe…” He fell to his knees and clutched his throat. Instinctively, all the squirrels rushed into a panicked frenzy. Bear pushed through the mob toward the tiny squirrel and scooped him up in one paw. Carefully, cautiously, Bear managed to pull the wrapper out of the little squirrel’s throat. Breathing heavily, the little squirrel was lowered down to the ground by Bear’s immense paw. Although it lasted only a minute while the small squirrel recovered, it felt like an eternity. The squirrel’s
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father cried, “Oh, Randy, thank goodness you’re safe!” He looked over at Bear, and with face full of respect, told him, “Thank you so much, mister. Thank you for saving our son.” Randy’s mother nodded.
Randy jumped up and gave Bear’s leg a squeeze. “Thank you,” he whispered, tears welling in his and told the way. As he walked in the direction of Fox’s hut, could hear getting fainter farther and farther.
he could see the shape of it but found himself completely disoriented. Frantically, he whipped his head around, trying to make out a sign of Fox’s hut, but was met with only the monotonous shape of dozens of ominous trees. For the first time, Bear felt fear.
His heart pounded in his chest. His breathing intensified. He wondered if he would ever get out of the shadowy woods. In an instant, the trees were now tall, looming figures that seemed to be reaching toward Bear. Each sound was now a whisper from the trees, beckoning for Bear to come closer and never come out of the thick maze of branches and leaves. Bear tried shaking the thoughts out of his brain, but couldn’t seem to get rid of the eerily real presence of the trees. He wandered around, not paying attention to how long he had walked until he realized he had been walking in circles for hours. He was seeing the same bag caught on a branch, the same can of soda on the ground, the same straw stuck in a bush.
Bear was lost.
He sat down in a patch of grass and cried. He cried because he was scared. He cried because he had done bad things that he hadn’t even realized would cause harm. He cried because he knew he would never see his friends again. The tears streamed down Bear’s face as he allowed all his feelings to flow out of him. There was no going back home.
Bear was on the brink of giving up when he heard a faint cough so quiet that it could have been mistaken for the calm whooshing of the wind. Bear wiped his tears away and perked up his ears. Another cough. A flicker of hope sparked inside Bear as he walked in the direction of the noise.
He walked some more until Fox’s hut came into view. Relief washed over Bear like a wave over the sand. Shrouded in fog, the rugged outline of the hut stood before him.
Bear peeked inside and called, “Fox?” He entered the hut. He heard another weak cough and traced it to the bedroom. He almost gasped out loud as he saw Fox in bed ill, looking worse than he ever had. Bear’s heart dropped to his stomach at the sight of his friend appearing so frail and feeble.
“Bear,” Fox whispered in a hoarse voice, “I ate something when I was hunting. I swallowed it before I noticed it was plastic. I became very sick and—” He was interrupted by a heavy, raspy cough that pained Bear almost as much as it pained Fox. Once Fox regained his breath, Bear knelt at his side.
“Oh, Fox,” Bear cried with grief, “I this happened to What unfortunate times.” holding them back. One now realized he had harmed. Just like how his friend had been harmed.
Fox chuckled weakly. indeed. But this will always keep the nature thoughts, even when the consequences,” you came to see me river? Or rather, the nodded. “Yes, I noticed “Did you notice the
And Bear, looking back at that morning when he had paid no attention to the wrappers, did believe, with all his heart, that he had hurt the river. He knew how much destruction and devastation he had caused. But the feeling that overcame the rest was a deep, passionate emotion of regret. He regretted throwing that wrapper in the river. He regretted being so careless and lazy about where he left his trash. He regretted causing Randy and Fox’s suffering. And now, with the realization smacking him in the face like a burst of cold wind, Bear thought about all the other creatures and plants he must have hurt without even giving them a second thought.
Just when Bear thought he would never see his best friend again, he heard some scuffling outside the hut, and when he peeked out the door, he saw some hikers trekking by. An idea struck him like lightning. Determined, Bear hurried back to Fox’s bedroom and gently scooped him up in his arms. Carefully, Bear lowered Fox down where the hikers could see him. At first, the group of four hikers walked right past, appearing to pay no attention to Fox. Bear’s spirits sank. He did his best to reassure Fox and tell him that it would be okay, but truly, Bear had a hard time believing that himself.
An hour passed, and then another, and then another. Three hours had gone by, and by then, the sun was beginning to creep down, just as Bear’s hope was. He was in a state of despair that he had never experienced before.
Shuffle, shuffle. A light sound of human feet crunching on leaves.
Shuffle, shuffle. It grew louder.
The hikers were back!
Bear leaped to his feet with more speed than he ever had and placed Fox closer to the edge of the trail, where it would be impossible to miss him. One of the humans pointed Fox out and shouted something unintelligible.
Just as Bear had hoped, the humans saw Fox’s limp body and called some rangers. It seemed like forever before the team arrived, lifted Fox onto a small bed, and carried him into a car. Bear watched wistfully as the car drove away. He watched until it was barely a tiny speck in the landscape.
He had been staying strong for Fox, but now, sitting in the woods alone, he let out his sadness. He no longer stifled his tears, his grief, or his pain. He no longer choked back the regret. Yes, he could cry. Yes, he could sit there and feel angry at himself. But in the midst of his emotions, Bear felt something begin to build inside of him. But it wasn’t fear, sadness, or guilt.
It was determination.
The feeling grew and grew until it culminated into a commanding force no longer driven by self-pity or regret, but rather by an unstoppable desire to repair what he had damaged. Bear felt compelled to make up for his wrongdoings and to heal the ecosystem he had harmed. He made a silent vow to do everything he could to fix his mistakes.
My book is called Bridge of Starlight. It’s a book about a normal girl, Charlie, a bit paranoid, whose whole world is thrown into a frenzy in one afternoon. As if the people she loves being abducted isn’t enough already, she finds herself in a secret magical organization that reveals hidden information to her. And her whole life changes. Just like that. Soon, she finds herself thrown into a conflict that she didn’t know about until that one fateful afternoon. And the question is: Will she succeed alongside her friends? Or will she suffer the consequences? My book is called Bridge of Starlight. It’s a book about a normal girl, Charlie, a bit paranoid, whose whole world is thrown into a frenzy in one afternoon. As if the people she loves being abducted isn’t enough already, she finds herself in a secret magical organization that reveals hidden information to her. And her whole life changes. Just like that. Soon, she finds herself thrown into a conflict that she didn’t know about until that one fateful afternoon. And the question is: Will she succeed alongside her friends? Or will she suffer the consequences?
Bear stayed in Fox’s hut for a full day after he had been taken to the hospital just in case the rangers released Fox near there. The next day, around the same time they had taken Fox away, Bear heard a revving sound approaching. When Bear saw the rangers’ car, he jumped in anticipation. The door of the car opened up and two humans dressed in green uniforms put down a cage from which Fox meekly stepped out. Bear could hardly contain his excitement! Once the car pulled away, Bear came running toward Fox and enveloped him in a gargantuan embrace.
Fox laughed. “What a bear hug,” he managed in a strained voice as Bear squeezed him tight. “Don’t break all my bones just after I’ve gotten out of the hospital!” Bear gently set Fox down and apologized many times for not listening to him sooner. “Bear, it’s okay. I forgive you.” Bear almost got teary again. What an amazing friend Fox was! There were no words to describe Fox’s infinite forgiveness and wisdom. Together they set off to Bear’s clearing as the sun began to lay down sleepily on the horizon.
are thrilled to introduce you to our newest published author, Sloka Edara! Sloka recently published her book, Bridge of Starlight, through our Fresh Ink publishing program. In Ink, youth authors with a completed of a novel are mentored through a chapter-by-chapter revision process. At the of the through the ink-and-paper hands and share with other readers!
“The forest no longer seems creepy,” Bear thought. “It was never really the forest itself that was scary. It was my emotions.” He had those burdensome feelings behind. They would not be a heavy weight on Bear any longer. they were passing through the forest, they heard some There they Randy caught through the into Bear’s arms. “Bear!” he shouted happily.
“Hello, Randy,” Bear said, “This is Fox, a friend of mine.” Randy greeted Fox and jumped from Bear’s arms to the floor, laughing. Bear gulped and looked around as he realized that he had to confess something to the squirrels. Bear cleared his throat to obtain everyone’s attention. “Everyone,” he announced, nervousness hanging in his voice, “I am the one who made Randy choke. That was my wrapper that you all found in the river.” A gasp rose over the crowd of squirrels. “I am so, so sorry, Randy.”
“I know,” Randy proclaimed, to everyone’s surprise. Then he turned and spoke to the whole group. “And I forgive him. Do you know why? It’s because I might have been a victim of his actions, but Bear saved me, and he will not be known as an enemy. At least not by me. He is a hero because he recognizes his mistakes and fixes them.” The squirrels looked at Randy with admiration as if he had introduced them to the concept of sugar. As if they needed more energy. They almost cried at knowing that a squirrel so small could make a protest so big. Randy gave Bear a hug and he and his group of squirrels joined Bear and Fox on their way to the clearing that Bear called home.
From that moment on, Bear was known as a hero and a protector. He stayed true to his word and helped the environment and his friends. As of that day, Bear, Fox, and the squirrels lived in the sunny clearing. There, the grass was greener and the trees surrounding it stood taller than ever before. The river was restored and the forest grew clean. They lived in an area of peace.
With the help of his friends, Bear learned how to be conscious of the nature around him. He never left his trash on the floor. When he could, he reused things and picked up the litter he saw, even if it wasn’t his. Bear finally saw the value in being disciplined, a lesson the people surrounding him had been trying to teach him for a long, long time. After a while, Bear remembered something that Fox had said, and he realized that Fox had been right. He chuckled quietly at the memory. “One day, Bear, you will learn to care.” Fox’s words rang in his thoughts. The words that Bear had so casually brushed off, the words that he had paid no attention to. The words that had brought him on a journey of sadness, but had led to understanding and happiness in the end. Then, looking back at all the knowledge he had gained and the emotions he had experienced, Bear knew what he had learned to care for. He had learned to care for the environment and everything in it because it was his home. The home that we all share, the home that we all love, the only home we have. The home that brings us life.