it was cold.
the wind was coming off the river from one direction and off the lake from another.
it is cold as hell, said baby bear.
it is not cold in hell, goldilocks corrected baby bear, it is hot in hell.
it is cold as something then.
try the south pole. or the endless void of the universe.
all right, it is that cold then.
you know, goldilocks, mama bear interposed, we are getting a little tired of you always correcting us, just because you are supposedly human and say you had a certificate from the university attesting that you were educated.
i am sorry, goldilocks replied contritely, i meant no harm, i was only making idle conversation.
everything you do and say is idle. maybe if you put that so called human brain to use, you could come up with something to feed this fire, which could use some serious feeding, mama bear retorted tartly.
and something to eat too, papa bear added gruffly.
i did have one idea last week, goldilocks said. as you recall, nothing came of it, but at least i was trying.
and you are implying we are not trying? mama bear shot back.
actually i do not recall what the good idea was, said papa bear. my brain is not what it used to be. why don’t you refresh my memory?
she stole some books from the library, baby bear said, and took them to methuselah’s book store but he wouldn’t give her anything for them, remember?
not even a lousy dime, goldilocks added bitterly.
hmm, said papa bear, was that because he knew you stole them from the library?
no, he just said they were trash, and would take up space and nobody would give him a penny for them.
just the kind of nonsense you would expect from somebody a thousand years old, mama bear added.
i got an idea, said baby bear, it just came to me like a flash of lightning.
let’s hear it.
baby bear turned to goldilocks. could you steal some more books?
sure, all you want.
you can just walk out of the library with them?
no, these aren’t books on the shelves. these are down in the basement, where they are going to throw them away. but the basement door is loose, and it is child’s play to get in and help yourself.
then, baby bear asked triumphantly, why can’t we just get some and feed the fire with them?
mama bear and papa bear and goldilocks were struck dumb.
baby bear, you are a genius!
thank you. now we just have to figure out how to find some food to cook over the fire.
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