by Theresa Davis

Many years ago in a tiny village nestled in a valley, there lived a little boy named Jonathan. From every window in his house, he could look up at the great mountains that towered over the village.

Jonathan’s beloved grandfather lived in a little hut halfway up the mountain. On warm, sunny days Jonathan would climb the steep trail up the mountain to visit his grandfather. Together they would sit in the flower-filled meadows, or climb the peaks to see the hawks soaring high above. Sometimes they would lie on their backs in the soft grass and tell stories until the afternoon sun hung low in the sky. Jonathan loved his grandfather very much, and liked to be with him more than anyone else in the world.

Jonathan was very proud of his parents, who were the healers for the village. His father was a kind doctor who knew much about helping people get well. His mother was a sweet, caring woman who collected the herbs that grew wild at the edge of the forest. Sometimes Jonathan helped her gather the plants. His mother used the herbs to make teas and medicines to help those who were ill.

One night, Jonathan’s family was awakened from a deep sleep by a loud banging on the door. A large man burst through the door, carrying his sick daughter. She was a little girl Jonathan had played with many times in front of the market stands while their mothers shopped. But now she was so sick that Jonathan hardly recognized her. Jonathan’s mother and father rushed to care for the sick child.

Within minutes, others began arriving at the doctor’s house. Everyone soon realized that many of the townspeople had been stricken with a terrible illness. Jonathan’s mother immediately set to work cooking herbs to make a special medicine. She found one particular plant that seemed to help the sick people.

As the hours went on, more and more people became sick. Soon Jonathan’s parents used up all of the special herbs his mother had collected. The boy’s father said, “Jonathan, we need you to go out of the village and into the forest to collect as many of the special herbs as you can. Come back quickly, as there are many sick people in the village who need our help.”

Jonathan felt very important as he slipped his mother’s woven basket over his arm. He ran out of the village as fast as he could go. Right at the edge of the forest, he found the plants his parents had described to him. He was very happy that he was going to be able to help the townspeople.

Quickly, he began picking the plants, and soon his basket overflowed with healing herbs. As he was glancing about to see if there were more herbs within easy reach, he felt someone or something watching him. When he looked up, his heart began to pound with fear, for before him stood an enormous bear with very sharp teeth and big sharp claws. The bear looked Jonathan up and down, as if to say, “How many bites could I get out of you?” and then, quick as a flash, took a swipe towards him. Jonathan closed his eyes and prepared for the worst.

He felt a big “Whoosh!” of air, but that was all. He opened his eyes in time to see the huge bear grab the basket of herbs and lumber quickly off into the forest. Jonathan was so shocked that at first he couldn’t even believe what had happened. He was certainly glad the bear hadn’t eaten him! But now he needed to collect more herbs as fast as possible, before the bear had a chance to return! He took off his jacket in order to begin filling it with healing plants, but to his dismay, he discovered that there were no more of the special herbs to be found. He had picked them all!

When Jonathan realized that the bear had stolen the very last of the herbs, he became angry. “Why would a bear want to take herbs?” he wondered aloud. “I need those herbs to save the lives of all the sick people in the village!” He spent nearly an hour wandering around the meadow, desperately searching for another patch of the special herbs. But there were none to be found. At last, he realized that he would have to go after the bear.

As Jonathan walked deep into the forest, a chill went down his spine. The forest was filled with shadows, and it had a damp, dark smell that felt strange to his nose. He felt colder and colder as he walked farther into the forest. He followed the path along the edge of the stream, and suddenly he saw an enormous paw print in the wet earth. It was the bear, all right!

Everything inside Jonathan wanted to run back to the village, but instead, he grabbed a big stick so he could protect himself. He tried not to think about the bear’s sharp teeth and claws, but sometimes he couldn’t help himself as he continued through the forest.

When he had walked so far and looked so long that he was about to give up, Jonathan spotted a tiny red bird. The bird chirped and seemed to say, “Follow me! Follow me!” So Jonathan followed the little bird, and soon found himself at the mouth of a cave. There were many large paw prints at the mouth of the cave, and Jonathan knew he had found the bear’s home.

He waited outside, listening for any sound of the bear. After hearing only silence, he decided to take a look inside the cave. Once his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he spotted his mother’s woven basket on the floor, with his mother’s special healing herbs still safely inside. The bear must have brought it back to the cave and dropped it. Jonathan didn’t waste any time. He reached down to grab the basket. Just as he was lifting it, he heard an enormous growl behind him. The bear had returned to the cave, and now Jonathan was trapped!

The boy froze in fright, dropping his stick in his panic. The bear growled again, just inches from Jonathan’s face. Then it walked around him, further into the cave. For the first time, Jonathan saw two little bear cubs lying on the floor of the cave. They looked very sick and weak, and lay listlessly on the soft dirt, not even looking up to greet their mother as she nudged them gently.

At last Jonathan understood that the bear meant him no harm, but only wanted to help her babies. He bravely looked right into the eyes of the mother bear, and grabbed the basket of herbs. He pulled out several of the plants and broke them into little pieces. Gently, he pried open the jaws of the bear cubs, and placed pieces of the herbs in their mouths. He tickled their throats to make them swallow. The bear softly growled, seeming to understand, and did not interfere. Jonathan hesitated, wanting to be sure the cubs would get well. Once again he stuffed their mouths with healing herbs, and this time the cubs began to chew on their own, as if they knew this was what they needed to grow strong and healthy once more.

Jonathan knew that time was running out for the sick people in the village. Glancing one last time at the mother bear and her cubs, who looked at him gratefully with their big, black eyes, he left the cave, the basket held tightly in his hand. He raced through the dark woods, through the grassy meadow, through the village, and back through the door of his house.

His mother looked relieved to see him. “We’ve been so worried!” she cried as she hugged him. “You’ve been gone for hours!”

“I ran into some trouble, but I made it,” Jonathan replied. “Here are the herbs you need.”

“You’re just in time,” said his father, as he began preparing the herbs. “Why don’t you go help care for the patient in the back room?”

Jonathan walked to the back of the house and saw his dear grandfather lying in the bed, looking pale and weak. “Did you get the herbs, Jonathan?” asked the old man softly. Jonathan nodded and smiled. “I knew you would do it,” whispered his grandfather.

“When you’re feeling better, Grandpa, I’ll tell you the whole story,” said Jonathan, as he held his grandfather’s hand.

Jonathan knew that his grandfather and the little girl from the market would get well. He knew there would be plenty of herbs to help all of the sick people of the village. He knew that two little bear cubs in the cave in the forest would be all right too. And he felt warm and happy inside because he had been able to help.

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