The Polar Bear’s New Path
The Polar Bear’s New Path
By Graham Tomlinson
Once upon a time there was a little Polar Bear who lived in the icy snowy lands of the north and when he was young the little bear used to follow all the other bears around as they went about doing their business of being Polar Bears. He watched them as they swam and ate and if he wasn’t very sure they would always tell him which way to go.
As the years went by and the little bear grew up he started having thoughts that he might not want to always follow the other bears. He began to wonder whether there could be other ways to get where he wanted to go but every time he started walking a different way the other bears told him that their way was the best way to go and that going the way our little bear wanted to go would only lead to trouble.
Every night as he went to sleep in his snow cave our bear thought about what he might find if he did take a different path and as he lay dreaming as he listened to the wind howling outside he became more and more sure that there must be more than one path to take and each night he felt determined that tomorrow would be the day that he ventured off to find his own new path.
The next morning our bear woke up and had a lovely breakfast of fresh fish and as the sun came up he pushed his nose out of his snow hole and set off on a new path. He hadn’t walked more than ten paces when from behind him he heard the growly voice of one of the older bears from the pack…
“Where are you going little bear?”
Little bear replied
“I’m going to find a new path and see if there’s a different place to play and catch food”
“Don’t be silly, you can’t go that way little bear” growled the growly old bear. “Follow me, I know the way to go and we all know that this is the right way because we have always gone this way before”
“But why can’t I go a different way today” our little bear said.
“Because it will end in trouble, now follow me little bear and all will be well” replied the old bear.
Little bear stood in the snow and looked at the old bear, he thought about what he had been told and he thought about his dreams and his own ideas and he turned around and walked his own way leaving behind him a new path in the snow.
