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Gustav and I were fishing in a lake.

Suddenly Gustav whispered:

`I think I saw a crocodile...`

`Can`t be` I said. `Crocodiles live in swamps. You aren`t afraid of crocodiles, are you?`

`Well... Yes, they can bite...`

`But you`re a bear, strong and ferocious!`

`What`s ferocious?` asked Gustav.

I scratched my head.

`Hmm, ferocious means wild!`

`I hope crocodiles know that` said Gustav.

We continued to fish but couldn`t catch anything but boots.

Finally I said:

`Good thing I brought lunch!`

But the smoked fish I had placed under the tree was gone!

`Did you eat the fish, Gustav?`

`No, I was always here, fishing,` he answered.

`Someone ate our fish...`

`What if it was the crocodile?`wondered Gustav.

`Well, I think we`d better return home for lunch.`

As we later found out, the fish had indeed been eaten by a crocodile. And being a smart crocodile he thought:

`Instead of crocodiling around I'd better follow those two, perhaps they have more fish!`

He followed us home.

But for lunch there was just a vegetable casserole.

Still the crocodile didn`t give up. He hid in the garden, and waited while we were taking a nap.

After our nap we went to the beach, to catch fish.

On the way Gustav kept saying:

`I think I saw a crocodile....`

It was only when we arrived at the beach that I saw the crocodile who was following us.

From afar I asked him:

`Did you eat our smoked fish?`

The crocodile started to shed tears:

`I`m sorry. I`m a hungry crocodile. I lived in a swamp until it ran out of fish. Then I moved to the lake and now it has run out of fish too...`

Pointing at Gustav I warned him:

`Stay away from us, or you will be attacked by a ferocious bear!`

The crocodile stepped back.

`I don`t want any bear trouble! I just want to catch fish.`

And he hid under the dunes.

The crocodile ended up moving to the beach. He now catches enough fish and isn`t hungry anymore. Sometimes we see him when we go to the beach.

But he stays away from us, for he is afraid of bears.

Perfume

When searching for food Gustav often finds funny things.

One day he found an old scroll.

He read it to me:

`It was written a long time ago. See the claw marks? Earlier bears had stronger claws.`

`Yes, they didn`t stuff themselves with marshmallows like you do,` I said.

`But I still have a great nose. And this scroll has a great recipe for perfume.`

`Perfume?`

`It says here, perfume for young, active salmon.`

`Why would a bear perfume the salmon?` I wondered

`So that the salmon smells better, of course.`

`But how can you get a salmon to try that?` I asked.

`Easily` said Gustav.

He went to the river and put up a sign.

I could hardly believe my eyes when just minutes later the first candidate appeared.

Gustav greeted him:

`You`re very lucky to apply for this job. Some bears come here just to eat salmon. But I`m an honest bear.`

`What kind of testing are you into?` asked the salmon.

`I`m testing a new perfume for young, active salmon like yourself,` answered Gustav.

`You give testers free food?` asked the salmon.

`Yes, all you can eat. And you won`t be eaten. You have my bear word!` promised Gustav.

Gustav brought this salmon home and placed him in a large aquarium. It was built like a water park and even had a slide.

But as soon as I appeared the salmon started to make a racket.

`That`s a fish-eating bird! He catches us with his beak!`

It took Gustav a lot of effort to calm down the salmon. And I had to stay well away from the aquarium.

Gustav mixed apples, honey and oil and perfumed the salmon with that. To me it smelled like pickles.

The salmon ate as much as he wanted. So soon he got lazy and would hardly move a fin.

`This is not an active salmon anymore...` sighed Gustav.

I had to put that lazy salmon in my beak and take him back to the river. It was a waste to let go of such a chubby fish, but Gustav had given his bear word we wouldn`t eat him ...

We had many more candidates, all of them hard-boiled. As a pelican I can tell you that salmon is a difficult fish to work with. One of them even bit Gustav`s paw.

The stress with the salmon only ended when Gustav created a new perfume, using honey and bear`s garlic. We called it `Wild Bear`.

This bear perfume is very good against fleas and ticks. It smells nice and we always use it when we go camping.

Donkey Wisdom

On a chilly night Gustav slept with bare paws and got a cold. 

In the morning, when we`re hiking, Gustav`s stuffy nose misguided us. We lost our bearings and wondered into a desert.

We ran out of honey and out of water. Good thing there are no fleas or ticks in the desert, for we also ran out of the perfume against them.

Our food was running low too.

Suddenly Gustav jumped up:

`Look, there`s a marshmallow tree!`

`It`s a cactus,` I replied. I tried one of the fruits:

`I`m not sure if these are marshmallows...`

With his cold Gustav couldn`t tell the difference neither. He smiled:

`Marshmallows are good against colds...`

And he ate a tummy full of them.

Tired from walking under the hot sun, we rested by the cactus.

After a while Gustav looked at me and asked:

`Who are you?`

`I`m your friend, Ted Pelican!`

`Oh, you`re a Telican...`

`A pelican Gustav!`

`Who is Gustav?`

`It`s you. You`re Gustav, a bear!`

He flapped his front paws: `If I`m a bear, why can`t I fly?`

`Bears can`t fly, they run,` I answered.

Gustav tried to run but he was too weak and fell.

`I can`t run. So, I`m not a bear. I`m not a telican neither... I must be a fish. Better jump into the water!`

I shook my head:

`There`s no water in the desert.`

Gustav scratched his head:

`This is the reason for this confusion!` 

Then Gustav said:

`But there`s hope. I see a swarm of bees!`

I looked up:

`No, it`s a mountain in the sunset.`

Then Gustav got worried:

`Now there is an animal eating the sun!`

It was a donkey. I talked to him.

`Can you please help us? We`re lost! We want to leave this desert and return to our mountain.`

`It`s a long hike... And the bear is not well...`

`He has a cold and got worse after eating the fruits of a big cactus,` I said.

`Why did he eat that?` the donkey asked.

`They looked like marshmallows.`

`Not all that looks like a marshmallow is really a marshmallow!`

`I see you`re a wise donkey,` I said.

`What about if you carried my friend on your back?`

`I was waiting to hear that!` brayed the donkey. `Just because I have long ears it doesn`t mean I should be carrying heavy weights. I`m a donkey but I`m smarter than a horse. I`m even studying to become a doctor.`

`Well, here you have a patient.`

`But I specialize in thistles and cacti. Why don`t you carry the bear in your beak?`

`I`m weak from hiking in the desert and I don`t know the way.`

`Then I will carry the bear, `sighed the donkey. `But just this time!`

With the help of the donkey we returned home sound and safe.

The donkey passed his exams and became a doctor.

He has since taken care of many thistles, cacti and bears.

And we never forgot the donkey`s wise words:

`Not all that looks like a marshmallow is really a marshmallow.` 

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