95. A Lucky Day

Frederick and Theodore stood quite still on the path and looked across the water to the grassy patch on the other side of the lake.  The lake was small so they could see clearly and the smiles on their faces grew bigger and bigger but they did not say anything, just watched carefully. There in the  grass next to the water was a magnificent black bear.  "This is our lucky day,” Theodore thought to himself, "maybe he was hoping to find a fish and I do not think the ranger would mind him catching one!"  The bear looked at the two visitors standing on the trail path. Theodore and Frederick could hardly believe their good fortune.  After some time the bear turned around and went back into the forest, stopping to eat a few wild berries on a shrub first and Theodore and Frederick started back to the rest camp to be in time for the bus.  They walked quietly as before, enjoying the sweet sounds of a tinkling stream, birds twittering in the trees on both sides of the trail and thinking about their amazing stroke of luck to see a moose and a bear on the same day.