The Bear That Gave Himself-----
As it was told to me, long ago, in the fall of the year, there was a man who became angry with everyone. This man left town,
stormed out across the fields and wandered far up into the mountains. Toward nightfall, the man realized he was lost.
The sky was overcast; no stars could be seen. Furthermore, the air was becoming increasingly cold. As heavy snow began to fall,
the man started to panic. Frantically looking for some shelter, he found the low opening of a small cave in the mountainside
on which he stood.
It was warm in the cave.... unusually warm. It was too dark to see anything, so the man crawled around, feeling the walls of the
cave to see just how big it was. As he got toward the back of the cave, the wall changed from hard rock to soft, warm fur.
"Oh no! There's a bear in this cave!" cried the man as he crawfished toward the door.
"It's alright," said the bear, "I won't hurt you.
You may stay here with me. It's a warm, dry place. There's plenty of room for two. You can stay all winter if you like."
So, the man stayed there, in the cave, with the bear. All winter he stayed. On sunny, warm days the man and the bear
roamed the mountainside, looking for food. The man got used to eating the same sort of food the bear ate: berries, acorns,
mice and grubs. On cold, rainy or snowy days, they stayed in the cave. Sometimes they talked quietly together.
More often, they just slept. The man got used to that too.
Then one day, the bear said, "Spring is coming. Soon, men will come from the town. They will find this mountain.
They will find this cave. They will find me inside this cave. They will kill me and drag my body out of the cave.
They will strip off my skin to make a warm covering for their children. They will cut up my flesh
to take back and feed their families."
"No Bear!" the man shouted. "This will never happen! We will leave this place! We will run! We will hide!"
"HUSH!" said the bear. "It will happen, just as I have said. I give myself freely, that the people may live.
And when the men come, they will want you to go back to the town with them. And you should go! It is time for you to be
reconciled with your people. But, before you leave this mountain; there is one thing that I ask of you."
"Anything, Bear," the man said. "You are my friend."
"Before you leave with the men," said the bear, "go to the place where they have butchered my body, and cover my
blood with leaves. Then, as you are walking down the mountain, look back over your shoulder. You may see something."
Spring came. Flowers bloomed. The trees began to leaf out. Birds were building nests. Animals were giving birth to their
little ones. It happened just as the bear said it would. One day men came to the mountain and found the cave.
They killed the bear in the cave and dragged his bleeding body out into the sunlight.
As the men were busy skinning and quartering the bear, the boys were busy exploring the cave. All of a sudden,
a boy shouted out, "There's another bear in this cave! No, no, it's a man!"
The man was pulled from the cave into the blinding sunlight. Immediately, the men recognized that here was their brother.
"We thought you were dead!" they cried, and they wept as they hugged him close. "You must come back home with us,"
they all said.
"Yes," answered the man. "I'll come with you, but first there's something I must do."
With that, the man went to the place where the bear had been butchered. Gently, reverently, he covered the blood with leaves.
As they walked down the mountain, the man glanced back over his shoulder. To his amazement,
he saw his friend the bear rise up from the leaves, shake himself and walk away.
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