Nathan & Amanda

                                                    Nathan & Amanda

                                                    By Daryl Campbell



         Nathan and Amanda were curious brown bears. It had been three days since they saw the boy with the squeaking duck and they wanted a turn to play. Today was the day. Amanda knew this as she watched the car drive along the country road. The house was  empty and all they needed to do was get in.

         “I’m not sure we should do this, Amanda.” Nathan said as his little sister checked the doors and windows.

         “They’ll be gone all day,” she answered. “I bet they’re off to do one of those human things.”

         Amanda made her way around the house. The doors and every windows she could reach were locked. She was worried that she wouldn't be able to play with the duck today, but then she saw something promising. Above the back porch was a window that swung as the wind blew against it. Her pointed teeth shone when she opened her mouth wide in excitement.

         “Up there!” Amanda pointed. “We need to climb to that window!”

         “It’s a long way up.” Nathan said.

         “I can do it if you give me a push.” She'd already climbed onto the porch's railing.

         Nathan got on the rail behind Amanda and lifted her. She grabbed the roof with her claws and pulled herself up. Nathan grabbed the roof too and hopped up.

         “Easy as pie,” he said. “I still don’t think this is…”

         Amanda ignored her brother and turned to the window. It swung out and up and she was through it before Nathan got there. He lifted the window and looked in. His sister was in a large tub in a room full of bright colors: yellows, blues, reds, and greens. Amanda jumped out of the tub and headed to a sing that hung on the far wall. She picked up a squeaky, yellow duck and lifted it for her brother to see. She squeezed and listened as it spoke in quick peeps.

         “It’s here, Nathan!” she exclaimed.

         “We need to be careful. We don’t belong in here without permission.” Nathan told her.

         “Don’t be silly. We‘ll clean up and they won‘t even know we were here.” Amanda held the duck over her head.

         “I don’t know about this,” he said as he climbed through the window and onto a chair next to the tub.

         Amanda held the duck and investigated everything in the strange room. In the far corner was a red boat with an orange sail. On a shelf along the wall across from her was a purple bucket and bottles filled with colored water. Nathan too, searched the room. He managed to open one of the bottles and took a drink of the green water. It was horrible, tasted like the flowers his mother fed him when he was a small bear.

         Amanda turned one of the dials on the end of the tub and water poured from a long neck that stretched out over it. The water scared Nathan and he dropped the bottle. It spilled across the floor.

         “Give me the blue one.” Amanda pushed a rag into the hole at the bottom of the tub.

         “I don’t think we should…”

         “They won’t even miss it,” she told her brother.

         Nathan gave her the bottle of blue water and watched as she emptied it in the water. It smelled like blueberries and started to bubble. Amanda put the duck on the chair and clapped.

         “We ought to give ‘em something since we’re using their stuff,” Nathan said.

         “I guess,” she answered, “but what?”

         “I’ll get some of those white and brown pinecones near our cave. They can eat them.”

         “That’s perfect.” Amanda nodded.

         “Stay here.” He stood on the chair, careful not to step on the duck, and pulled himself through the window. “Don’t get in trouble while I’m gone.”

         Amanda laughed.

         Nathan went from the house, up a short hill, and through a stretch of woods to where the pinecones were. He found what he needed in a thick tree. He climbed the tree, used his weight to break the branch, and came back down. Nathan returned to the human's house quickly, not gone nearly long enough for his sister to get into trouble.

         Nathan heard Amanda singing before he opened the window. His sister danced in the tub while bubbles and water poured onto the floor. He hurried through the window and dragged the pinecone limb in behind him.

         “Amanda!” he howled. “Amanda, turn the water off!”

         She turned the dial as quick as she could. “I wasn’t paying attention. I didn’t see how high it was.”

         Nathan put the tree limb across the sink on the wall and shook his head. Human things were on the floor and water was everywhere. The duck was safe on the chair.

         “We have to get this cleaned up.” Nathan told her.

         “I’m sorry, Nathan. We can get it clean before…”

         The sound of the human’s car scared both bears.

         “Out, Amanda!” Nathan ordered.

         Amanda got out of the water and on the chair. She bent down and squeezed the duck before she climbed out the window. Nathan was right behind her. The two bears went across the roof and down the back porch. They made their way to the safety of the nearby woods and headed home to eat lunch.