(For my granddaughers, Anika Joshi and Meena Delacroix.)

My wife, your Grandma, left the back door open and then, drove off. That’s the door leading to the backyard. There are lots of trees, including fruit trees, and also bushes, in the backyard. Right behind the backyard is a steep cliff covered with tall brambles. Behind the cliff, I don’t know what there is. Could be the forest, with tall redwood trees. Maybe, it’s a very thick forest. Maybe, it goes a long way, right into the hills where wild animals roam.

I walked up the stairs to the upstairs. Sure enough, there was a bear in my room. I was not scared at first because he wasn’t a very big bear. He was barely bigger than I, in fact, that bear. The bear looked tired, worn out, as if he had been traveling for a long time. I was thinking he might be all the way from the mountains of North Africa, a Berber bear, so to speak.

The bear became frightened because he was not expecting me, I guess. Quick, quick, he hid under the bed. Only a little bit of his big bare bear bottom was showing and you could barely see it.

Fast, I pushed some heavy suitcases full of gold against the sides of the bed so he couldn’t get out from underneath the bed and bite me, or even scratch me. (You never know, with bears. Any one bear could be in a real bad mood at any time, especially if he has not eaten anything except a couple of Twinkies.)

I am going to feed that bear a few spoonfuls of honey and a little bottled water every day until he learns to behave hisself (or is it himself?) It’s only going to be a little of each because I don’t want that bear to make big bear messes under my bed. Do you know what I mean?

Bears are stubborn but I am pretty sure that after a few months, he will learn good manners. By that time, it will be winter and the nights will turn cold. I will be glad to let the bear sleep next to me on my bed. Nothing is warmer than warm bear fur on a cold night.

First, of course, I will teach the bear to brush his teeth because I hate bad breath in the dark. And then, he will have to wear pajamas to bed because I can’t bear a bare Berber bear.