When I was a child we lived a small rural section of Pennsylvania. It wasn't uncommon to hear of bears, wolfs, and other animals running wild through the woods that were close, but yet at a distance. One neighbor two houses away had a bear that would come through their garden almost every night. I can't remember if they ever seen it or not, but I do remember that I would see it several times in my life.

This bear was about 4 foot tall when it was sitting down and it had little beadie eyes. It would stretch out its legs and paws, just like we would with our legs and arms. Not a sound would it make, but it would sit in the corner of my room almost every night. The room was always dark and I would wake up from a dream and there it would be sitting in the corner just waiting for me. I dared not to move for fear it would eat me alive. I would lay there in bed trying not to make a sound and would even hide my face under the covers so that I could breathe. Slowly I would move my hand closer and closer to the table lamp that was on my dresser next to my bed. I would eventually get enough courage up so that I could turn that light on.

Suddenly without warning the light came on and the bear was gone. Now you will probably laugh when I tell you the rest of this story. A child's imagination can cause quite a stir when it is very active. What was a bear in the dark was actually a cradle that was standing on end so that the four legs were facing out. On top of the cradle was a quilt that was black with blue trim. But to a child like me, my imagination seen that bear that Dad had been talking about and it was in my room.

I have thought of this often over the years and wondered how could I have thought over and over it was a bear, especially when after the first time I knew what it really was. My only explaination is that I was just a child.