Disclaimer:

I am not Else Holmelund Minarik or Maurice Sendak. I don't know them and I am not part owner to the rights to their works. However, I do have the right to write a fanfic about their works; works such as the esteemed cartoon, Little Bear. So to all of the people who will have a problem with this story, I say to you, grow up. It's just a fanfic.

Much has changed since I've left the woods of Bear Country to traverse the world for enrichment and enlightenment. I decided to return to these woods for I've been feeling awfully nostalgic. I have longed for my old pond and lily pad for some time, now. But all as such was necessary if I am ever to expand my mind and soul. As I write these memoirs I hope to relinquish all I have learned since I've been gone. These woods are apart of me as well. I shall start with my encounter with Little Bear who I've met on the way back home.

I needed to acquire a boat heading towards the woods I am so familiar with. I was in Greenland when I've decided to come home. At the pier I was looking for a captain who would ferry me back to Canada. I came across the S.S. Winter. The boat's captain was a fisherman. Well, the correct terminology would be fisherman bear. It was Little Bear. I had nott recognized him at first glance. He was wearing a blue vest and an even bluer captain's hat.

"Greetings, Little Bear," I said to him with sudden happiness.

"Why, ahoy, there," he said to me in a confused matter. "No one had called me that for 12 years. Do I know you?"

"Forgive me. It has been some time since we've departed from each other."

"Wait…Frog!? Frog it's been ages! How are you?"

He has now realized who I am. He asked me aboard his vessel.

After battening down the hatches and other nautical chores in which I was not familiar with, we went into the captain quarters to have soup and tea. He began to tell me his story of when since I've took my leave.

Not much changed immediately. I still played with my friends, I still lived with Mother Bear and Father Bear, and Emily still went to school in the fall. For a while things still were the same ol' same ol'. But years progressed and things started to get a little more interesting.

This was the first time I ever heard Little Bear pronounce the word "interesting", in-tres-sting instead of in-ter-rest-ing as he always said as a child.

My main focus was Emily. I stopped spending time with Duck, Cat, Owl, Hen, No Feet, and Mitzi. We still would play together but not as much as me and Emily did. I had these unexplainable "feelings." I told Mother Bear and Father Bear about it and they said maybe it would be best for us to not be around each other so much. I took their advice and did just that. But that was when things got complicated.

A couple of years later, Hen disappeared all of the sudden. Word got around the woods and we were all looking for her. I went looking for Hen one day by myself. I was searching in some bushes when I found Lucy, Emily's Doll. I grabbed her and looked around. Emily was searching for her Doll. I thought she must have lost it when she was looking for Hen. I called out to her and she came running to me. I gave Lucy to her and stepped back to take a look at Emily. I have never seen her look so beautiful in my entire life. She looked gorgeous. She was older with a more mature physique. I haven't seen her in a while and she grew…up! It was awkward at first but we got around to saying hello to each other. Eventually we started looking for Hen together. Unfortunately, we found her. Well, we found her severed head, anyway, and other remains. We held a funeral. Owl gave a touching eulogy. We buried her at what used to be her home. We tore it down and turned it into her tomb. No one took a thing from her home. Cat was especially sentimental that day. After everyone left her grave he was the only one there. Me and Emily wanted to go to Hop Frog Pond after the funeral. But I remembered Father Bear needed my help with some house work. So Emily suggested we go that night, and I agreed. When night came I snuck out to go meet with her, but she met me at my front gate. From there we raced to Hop Frog Pond. Once we got there we just sat at the banks with our feet in the water. She asked why I stopped seeing her. I couldn't really tell her why. I was nervous. I told her that didn't matter now because we are together again. She didn't ask about the sudden separation anymore. We got in the water after that. She took off her dress and boots and got into the water with me. I was stunned by her body. I felt different. But I tried to ignore it and started splashing water on her. After a while we stopped and stood together in the water. She told me that the water was beautiful and I agreed. That's when we danced. I was so happy with her. I was…falling in love with her. We stopped and gazed into each other's eyes. I said her name once and she quickly said she had to go. She grabbed her clothes and ran home. I just stood in there alone staring at the water.

We still saw each other but never alone. She started avoiding me and it bothered me. It was driving me crazy. One day I walked up to her and asked her in front of our friends why was she avoiding me. She told me I was scaring her. And that's when I told her I loved her. She was speechless and walked away. I haven't seen her in a while since then. Everyone went to their homes after that. I was left alone again.

"Little Bear, I'm sorry that happened to you," I responded.

"Sorry for what?" he responded back. I then looked around the quarters for anything out of the ordinary. I caught a glimpse at Little Bear's wedding band. I could tell then that the story was far from over.

"Excuse me, Little Bear. How rude of me," I apologized. "Please continue."

Well, around my seventeenth birthday Father Bear asked me to work with him on his fisherman's boat. I was so excited. We worked all season and we would always bring home a large catch. We earned enough money to build additions to our home. My mind was free of Emily and the feelings I used to have for her. When I came home I went to see my friends. Owl became a well-known scholar and published twelve books, three of them novels. Despite his wealth he still lives in his tree. We realized that Duck was mentally…ill. Cat became a photographer. Ever since Hen's death he's turned to drugs and alcohol. Mitzi helps Cat with photography. She's a nature illustrator. Mother Bear has not changed one bit. No Feet, Moose, and two of the Otters had died, or rather killed. Hunters have moved in. But we have settled an agreement with each other. We suspected that one of them were the ones who killed Hen, years back.

One summer Emily came back. Everyone went to see her besides me. I was fishing one day at Hop Frog Pond, knowing I wouldn't catch anything. I heard a voice addressing me. It was Emily. I was bitter and responded very rudely to her. She told me she didn't blame me for acting that way. That is when she leaned against my back hugging me. She missed me so much. I stopped acting so bitter and apologized. Weeks later we began spending more time with each other again, just like old times. The years have been kind to her. She was stunning. She told me she was going to stop going to school and she would be moving back to Bear Country to live in the woods. I was so happy when I heard her say that. I would be able to spend time with her forever, I thought. But there was more to that. She wanted to move in with me. I told her that we would have to get married in order to do that. She looked at me and said "why don't we?"

A week latter we got married. I built a house for us between her late Grandmother's cabin and me and my parents' home. I also built this fishing boat by myself. I make a steady income. Emily is a teacher who teaches out of her Grandmother's cabin. She is the first certified teacher in Bear Country. Our marriage was the first interspecies marriage between human and animal in the world. Owl published the story in the local paper. The photographs where done by Cat, of course. That was about five years ago.

"Truly wonderful," I said to Little Bear.

"Yes it is," he responded reaching over to grab a toy train.

"I see you still play with toys."

"I do sometimes but this one is for my daughter."

I almost didn't catch myself gaping when I heard him say that. I thought it would be impossible for a mere human to beget the child of a bear from her womb.

At any rate, we've now arrived at the docks where our woods are not far away. Little Bear owns three work horses and two stables; one located by his house and one conveniently located by the docks. We rode a gorgeous Standard breed to the woods.

***Author's Desk (12/2009)***

I love Little Bear so it was important that I made this story as professional and enjoyable as possible. This had to be my Magnum Opus. I think I did a good job but not a lot of people know where to find this story (no traffic). I would like to continue if I got some more readers. I might just continue it for my sake.

I think the angle I'm approaching this story is creative. Frog seems to be an appropriate vehicle for the storytelling part of this story.

***Author's Desk (06/2012)***

Thank you everyone for reading the story. I am glad and really shocked that you guys are enjoying it. It's a bit tongue in cheek at times but you seem to have gotten around it. I'm gonna bring this story to a close before the year is out. I find that as a writer you will always edit your works and that's what I'm doing now. After editing I'll continue with the next chapter.

***Author's Desk (09/2012)***

So I'm still editing this story! A writer will never be satisfied until the piece is completely finished and so with this story I will edit it until it is perfect! I'm actually just getting ready to close this story and I will do that soon. The next chapter will be posted in a few days.