The Bears on Hemlock Mountain

The Bears on Hemlock Mountain
By Alice Dalgliesh
Report by Jonathan Hinrichs

Once there was a boy named Jonathan. His momma told him to go over this mountain named Hemlock mountain to get a pot. So one day he did go to his aunt’s to get this big iron pot.

Some people said there were bears on Hemlock mountain, but his mother didn’t really think there were any bears.

His mother, when he was out of sight, started worrying and started baking cookies. She found herself saying a pattern in her mind: There are no bears on Hemlock mountain, no bears at all. No bears. No bears. No bears at all.

Jonathan got to the top of Hemlock mountain and he started munching on a cookie and threw out a carrot and bread crumbs for the rabbits and birds. And he threw out nuts for the squirrels. Then he started saying the same pattern as his mom: There are no bears on Hemlock mountain, no bears at all. No bears. No bears. No bears at all.

Then it started getting later and he started trudging down the mountain. Then he got to his Aunt Emma’s house and rang the brass door knocker. His Aunt Emma started coming to the door and then she opened it and said, “Goodness sakes Jonathan, why did you come here?” Then she let Jonathan in and she wondered why Jonathan had come. Then she asked if Jonathan would like some cookies. Jonathan started eating cookies and drinking milk and then fell fast asleep.

When he woke up he said goodbye and put on his muffler. When he had gone quite a ways he felt quite silly about himself because he had forgotten the iron pot. He started back and rang the brass door knocker again and his Aunt Emma opened the door and asked him what he had come here for. “My mother wants to use the iron pot.” Then she gave him the iron pot.

He started going home and when he got to the top of Hemlock mountain he got tired and sat on the big iron pot. Then he heard a big heavy Crunch, crunch, crunch. He started saying to himself right now, which was quite silly to say right now: There are no bears on Hemlock mountain, no bears at all. No bears. No bears. No bears at all.

Then the bears got closer and closer and he got under the pot so he had a little hide out. He started wondering if anyone was looking for him. He heard a crunch, crunch, crunch. He heard his father say, “Jonathan” he said, “Hello Pa!” Then he heard a voice say “Hello Jonathan!!!” The bears got tired of this and trudged away.

His father and uncles got to him and Jonahtan said, “There ARE bears on Hemlock mountain. There ARE bears on Hemlock mountain.” His father said, “Nonsense”. Then they saw the footprints in the snow. All the rest of his uncles went to look for the bears. Jonathan and his father heard a bang and Jonathan felt like they were going to have bear meat for dinner.