The Chipmunk and the Bear

Inspired by Chipmunk and Bear, written by Joseph Bruchac, located in The Boy who lived with the Bears and other Iroquois stories.

A time of day when all animals talked to each other free

There was one called Bear whose arrogant nature exceeded all for he thought he could do anything being the biggest in the forest and everything went his way all the time fine

Chipmunk being a prickly smart little one said with a snide spiteful grin you can’t you can’t do everything with a hidden challenge trumpeting loud wide

Bear looked down his supercilious nose with smugness pride and said I can do I can do anything I wish

Chipmunk looked at Bear with deliberate spite and said you can’t tell the sun to not come up in the morning and went on I bet you can’t control it

Bear being a thought of clear and easy to read said that’s what I’ll do and I will guarantee it will not rise for I will pray pray and chant and chant high and low high and low

Chipmunk skeptical and one of the skeptics said I will watch and see with a smile of surety and malice that he will fail and turned his face away for Bear to not see

Diligent and watchful Bear and Chipmunk sat side by side with Bear chanting under his breath I command the sun to rise not to rise not for I Bear command it so

Sitting by his side Chipmunk smiled sly and said with rhythmic chants the sun will rise anyway anyway anyway ha ha ha ha ha ha for he thinks he is all that

Chipmunk watched Bear chant harder and harder facing the direction the sun rise rise and the harder he chanted the more Chipmunk amusement grew and he started to laugh laugh laugh harder and harder as it rose irregardless

Bear feeling aggravated sore threatened Chipmunk with death of quick for his mockery hurt him through and his rage burned hot to be ridiculed fool

Chipmunk understanding his own plight thought fast as lightening quick of a way to defuse with groveling whines said with all manner of sweet platitudes to free his way to gain safety quick

Bear’s conceit and arrogance proved his own undoing and lifted his paw briefly and Chipmunk dove free but did not escape the claw marks down his back and aged grey white down his back from fright and from this time all

Chipmunks have white strips down their back to remind them never mock never mock an unknown source

By

Felicia McCaw