The Kingdom of Mangonel

As Buddy read about the grizzly bear he found himself thinking of what it might be like to be a bear. How wonderful it would be to roam the mountain forests and never be afraid because, as a grizzly, he would be the one in charge, he would be the king of the mountain. He thought, “Wouldn’t that be great? No more city smog and noise, no more rules and no more chores to do.” Then, he sort of mumbled to himself, “I wish I could be a grizzly bear, even if only for a short time.” Almost immediately, Buddy started to feel strange. His stomach began to feel jittery. His fingers and toes felt like they had fallen asleep; his head ached, and his skin felt like it was full of goose bumps. He looked at his hands and saw they were changing. There was a lot of hair growing all over his body, and his fingers were starting to look like paws. His nose and mouth really hurt, and when he reached up to touch them he found they were turning into a snout. Buddy became so frightened he fainted. Later, Buddy awoke from his faint. By now he had completely transformed into a bear cub. He was still under the bush, but he was now faced with what he was going to tell his mother when he got home. He tried to wish himself back to being a boy, but he remained a bear. Knowing there was nothing to do but to go home and tell his mom what had happened, he spread the leaves of the unusual bush, and climbed out from underneath it. Much to his surprise, he found himself not in his favorite park. He was confused and disoriented. What had happened, where was he? Looking around, Buddy saw that the land was not at all like his home. The ground was a different color, the trees were had square trunks, the sky was a darker blue, and the air smelled cleaner than his home near the city. Suddenly he missed home very much. He thought of his mom and hoped she would not be too worried about him. By now he knew he was far from home. He was frightened, and desperately wanted to find his way back to the park. “I want to go back home,” he sighed. Then in an even quieter voice he mumbled, “I’m sorry I ever wanted to be a bear. I wish I could go back home.” Buddy sat down and cried. Soon he realized that crying was not going to change anything. He was the man in his house and he needed to pull himself together and do something about the situation. He threw his shoulders back and vowed he would find his way home no matter what. Around noon Buddy grew tired. A bit frustrated, he sighed, “I sure wish those mountains were not so far away.” From nowhere came a deep, raspy voice, “Why are you wishing?” Buddy jumped and spun around to see who was talking to him. He was crouched and ready to defend himself, but nobody was there. “Who said that? Where are you?” Buddy asked. “Come out so I can see you,” he shouted. “Who am I?” asked the voice. “I am one of the many who make this forest. My name is Dex-exerankinter, but you may call me Dex. Where am I? You are standing beneath me,” the voice answered. “Now I want to know who you are.” Buddy still couldn’t see anyone, so he remained in a defensive position. Still he answered as calmly as he could, “I am Buddy.” Not really sure of what to say next he said, “UM…ER, I’m Buddy, Buddy Bear from Colorado. I wished to be a bear, fell asleep under a bush, and woke up here. I know that sounds strange, but that’s the truth.” “Not strange at all,” replied the voice from nowhere. “People arrive here in many different ways, but not often through the sort of passage you describe.” “Where am I?” Buddy inquired. “Can you tell me what has happened? How do I get home? And, again, where are you?” “Oh, my apologies,” came Dex’s voice from nowhere. “I am a Talking Tree in this Forest of Talking Trees. Not all of the trees in this forest can speak, but many can. Please turn around; your back is to me.” Buddy turned around. “You wish to know where you are…you are in the Kingdom of Mangonel, within the Land of the Talking Trees. You obviously know how you got here, but the going home is not so easy.”