One sunny day, I, Captain Cuddles, the bravest bear in the whole forest, was getting ready for a big adventure. My friends, Bella Bunny and Leo Lion, were waiting for me under the big old oak tree. Bella was hopping with excitement, and Leo was munching on some tasty grass.
“Are you ready, Captain Cuddles?” Bella asked, her nose twitching.
“Always ready for an adventure!” I replied, puffing out my furry chest. I had my explorer’s hat on and my trusty backpack filled with snacks and my favorite teddy bear.
Together, we set off down the winding forest path, singing our favorite songs. Suddenly, we heard a loud grumble that seemed to shake the leaves right off the trees!
“What was that?” Leo whispered, his fur bristling.
“A troll!” I answered loudly. Everyone knew that trolls loved to live underneath bridges and in the darkest caves, but there was one especially grumpy troll who lived in a cave right in the middle of our favorite forest path!
“We should darken his door and ask him what’s wrong,” I suggested bravely. My friends weren’t so sure. After all, this troll was known to throw stones at anyone who passed his way. But I didn’t let their frightened faces spoil my courage.
“I’ll show that old troll a thing or two!” I cried and marched off in the direction of the noise.
As we approached the troll’s cave, it got darker and dirtier. “Hello! Double trouble! I’m just passing through,” I said, and knocked on the door.
Instantly, there came a growl, a thump, and a crash, and all the rocks in the mountains seemed to tumble down the dry old chimney.
“Who’s banging on my door?” a friendly voice roared out. “All sorts of animals pass and repass my cave, but never knock in this unpolite way.”
“It is I, Captain Cuddles, with my friends Bella Bunny and Leo Lion,” I answered, trying to sound as if this were a totally unimportant business.
“And what do you want, old Captain,” answered the troll, peering out from his cave.
“We’ve come to ask you,” I began, “what made you so grumpy this day?”
The troll threw back his head and laughed till his long white beard shook and danced.
“Wasn’t that a joke?” he exclaimed. “No one has asked me that with such a grave face since my merry cousin, Bigfoot, came down from his hills.”
“Is Bigfoot your cousin?” I asked, for I had never heard of him before.
“Yes, and a rare good fellow he is, skipping about from one rocky hill to another. Last night he came and joked with me for hours by the light of the moon when all my work was done. Of course, this is always my busy time, and you’ll excuse me if I was a bit grumpy before breakfast until my work was done.”
“Well, perhaps you haven’t heard what has been going on ever since daylight. I can tell you the animals of the forest are all a titter and a laugh about your cousin turning his nose up at the henroosts and asking me to give him a dozen eggs to carry to his family up in the hilly countries above here.”
“The scarce things would our breakfast be,” I went on, “if one hen laid eggs for all Bigfoot’s family. He’ll do better taking half cakes and dry bread in the future from me upon his journeys up and down. If the hen sits in the nest from day to night, she only lays one measly egg. The poor things can’t live. And we animals will have no breaksfast.”
“Why not give him a dozen of your breakfast cakes made of swine’s blood and fine flour?” said the troll, “as I mean on eating up to make my breakfast. It surely will be more nutritious than the hen’s eggs?”
Now, this seemed such a good idea that I just laughed outright. Before any of us quite knew how it happened, our good neighbour the troll was in a roar of laughter, while we threw back our heads and laughed with all our hearts. It did seem such a good expensive breakfast for any down-right brisk meat-eater.
We’re joestive chums, in good season and out of season. I’m glad I had an adventure well worth telling without any more cock and bustle. So there was old Captain Cuddles’ breakfast held over till the next evening by two jolly good fellows, the troll and very earthly Bigfoot.