HOW CHIPMUNK GOT HIS STRIPES And BLACK BEAR LEARNED HUMILITY

We should always listen to and observe the animals of the field and forest very carefully for there are many wise lessons that we can learn from them. This is the legend of the bear and the chipmunk. It has been passed down from generation to generation since the days of the ancient ones. Here is a lesson we should always remember.

One day a very large black bear was ambling through the forest rolling over huge logs and knocking over stumps to find food to eat. He ate the bees honey and ate a whole colony of ants and then he destroyed the home of Mrs. Rabbit and her five bunnies. They ran for their lives and hid among the brambles at the edge of the forest. They were all much to small to stop the big black bear and he only laughed at them when they pleaded with him to stop. No one in the entire forest was as strong or clever or wonderful as bear and he bragged and boasted about it day in and day out. He boasted to all the other animals of the forest and laughed at them, making them feel small and weak and not very smart. Bear boasted that no one in the entire forest was a brave or strong or clever as he was.

Bragging is a very foolish thing to do. When we boast too loudly and exaggerate the truth it often only takes a little thing to come along that will bring you down to size and make you realize you are not as wonderful, as strong or as clever as you think you are.

The tiny little chipmunk saw all this and it made chipmunk very sad. Chipmunk decided that something had to be done about Black Bear.

Chipmunk heard bear coming through the forest bragging as usual and sending all the other animals scurrying out of his way. On most days chipmunk would have ran and hid too, but not today.

As Bear came into the clearing where the little chipmunk was sitting on a rock in the sun he heard Bear singing about being the largest, strongest most clever animal in all the forest.

“Good evening, Bear,” Chipmunk said, trembling just a little.

“What do you want? Get out of my way,” the black bear growled as he turned over the rock that Chipmunk was sitting on.

Chipmunk scurried off the rock just in time and ran to a tree and out onto a branch. He chattered nervously down at Bear.

“Oh you are very big and strong and clever, Mr. Black Bear. Everyone in the forest is afraid of you. No one wants to be your friend. Doesn’t that make you feel bad?”

“No, why should it? Of course not,” Bear growled. “Who needs friends when you are as big and strong and clever as I am.” Bear laughed at Chipmunk for asking such silly questions.

“Oh,” said Chipmunk still sitting on the branch above Bear’s head. “Well I suppose someone as big and strong and clever as you are doesn’t need friends. You certainly are very, very strong. I could never move that rock like you just did.”

“Of course you couldn’t,” Bear laughed as he gobbled a paw full of juicy beetles he’d found hiding there.

“I was wondering,” Chipmunk chattered from the branch.

“Wondering what?” Bear interrupted the little chipmunk. “You chatter too much. Go away before I decide to have a tiny little chipmunk for dinner too.”

Chipmunk trembled but he stayed on the branch and didn’t back down. “I was wondering, Mr. Bear, since you are so clever and strong is there anything you can not do?”

“Of course not,” Bear boasted. “I am the biggest, strongest and most clever animal in the whole forest. There is nothing, nothing I can’t do including eating you.” Bear swiped at the branch but missed the chipmunk. Chipmunk had leaped out of Bear’s reach and was now sitting on a branch much higher up in the tree.

“I was wondering,” Chipmunk continued to chatter nervously, “if you are so very strong and clever and there is nothing you can’t do, Mr. Bear, I was wondering, can you stop the morning sun from rising?”

Without thinking about what he was saying, Bear answered in a big loud voice, “Of course I can. I am the biggest and strongest and most clever animal in the whole forest. There is nothing I can’t do.”

“We’ll see” said the chipmunk, “we’ll see.” Chipmunk knew that only Creator had the power to stop the sun rising or setting and Bear should have known that too but Bear bragged and boasted like he always did.

Chipmunk scurried down the tree trunk and ran as fast as he could to the rock beneath the big oak tree where Chipmunk had his home.

“I am the biggest, the strongest, the most clever animal in the whole forest,” Bear growled angrily, realizing he had been tricked by a tiny little chipmunk. “There is nothing I can’t do, Chipmunk, there is nothing I can’t do.”

“We’ll see,” Chipmunk called back as he dashed inside his house and curled up in his nest to sleep.

Bear didn’t know what to do. He paced around the clearing and mumbled and grumbled to himself. “I’m a clever bear,” he thought. “I can think of some way to stop the sun. I am clever and strong and brave.” Bear of course knew he couldn’t stop the sun rise. No one but Creator had the power to do that but he had to think of some way, some way to make it seem like the morning sun had not risen over the mountain top.

Finally as the night grew dark and the moon rose high into the sky and the stars peeked out Bear sat down to wait. He wished he had someone to talk to but Bear had no one. Even wise old Mr. Owl and Sir Clever Fox stayed away from Bear. Bear didn’t have a friend in the whole forest and he suddenly felt very lonely and wished he hadn’t been so mean to all the other animals.

Bear wished now he hadn’t boasted and bragged so much and had never said there was nothing he couldn’t do. He sat there all by himself facing east and waited through the long night. He thought and thought. If only it would be dark and drear and rainy and none of the animals came out of their homes to greet the day, maybe he could convince them that the sun had not risen. Bear knew he could not stop the sun and morning would come and the sun would rise just as it always did. He hadn’t fooled anybody. He had only been fooling himself. When morning came all the other animals would be laughing at him. This made Bear feel very sad but he was also angry that he had been so easily tricked and by a chipmunk no less. Right now, Bear thought, he could sure use a friend, but Bear didn’t have any.

Bear sat all through the night mumbling to himself, “The sun will not rise, the sun will not rise. There will be no morning. The sun will not rise.”But the moon began to set and the sun began to rise just as it always had done.

“Stay behind the mountain, sun. Sun do not rise. Sun, do not rise.” Bear growled angrily but he could not frighten the sun. Morning came and the sun rose bright and the forest was filled with sunshine and light.” Bear hung his head in shame.

Chipmunk came out of his house and began scampering around in the beautiful morning light, now and again he stopped to nibble on a seed or a berry and all the while chipmunk sang his one little tune over and over again. “Look at the beautiful sunshine. The sun is stronger than Bear. Look at the beautiful sunshine. The sun is smiling everywhere.”

Suddenly Bear reached out and swiped at the little chipmunk, trapping the chipmunk under his paw. “And you have seen your last bit of sunshine little chipmunk. I think chipmunk for breakfast would be very good.”

“Oh please Mr. Bear. I’m sorry. I was just teasing you. Please don’t eat. me. I was only teasing. Mr. Bear, you truly are very big and strong and clever but no one can do everything, no one but Creator. I’m sorry, Mr. Bear.” Little chipmunk was very afraid.

Bear was still very angry about being tricked by the chipmunk and said, "Perhaps I cannot stop the sun from rising, but you will never see another sunrise," and he clamped his paw down so hard on the little chipmunk that Chipmunk could barely breathe.

“Please Mr. Bear, allow me to say one last prayer to Creator before you eat me, just one last prayer.”

“All right, one prayer, but make it quick,” Bear growled.

“Please Mr. Bear,” the little chipmunk cried, can you lift your big strong paw just a little so I can pray. I can barely breathe.”

Bear lifted his paw just a little but it was just enough for Chipmunk to wiggle out from beneath it and make a dash for home.

Bear growled with rage realizing that the chipmunk had tricked him again. He ran after the chipmunk and just as chipmunk dashed through his doorway Bear took a vicious swipe at him. Bears claws left three deep scratches down Chipmunk’s back that healed into long white scars and this is how the chipmunk got its stripes and Bear learned a lesson in humility.

From that day on Bear has no longer bragged and boasted about being the biggest and strongest and most clever animal in all the forest. The sun still rises every morning and Chipmunk and Bear share the berries and seeds which Bear thinks are much more flavorful than any tiny chipmunk might be.