Leave Me Alone

• Beau Petersen, Grade 6
• Short Story
• 2021

A slow, yet calming sunrises, and the bears awaken from their slumber. “It’s hibernation day.” Announced one of the bears. All the bears jump up in desperation as if it were Christmas. But like all sleuths there is one that… struggles.
In the rivers of Canada, two very responsible bears made a cub. They could immediately see that he was going to be a handful, but he belonged to the family now. The worst thing he does is that he doesn’t get his own food and plus he eats with a dreaded sound of his slobber rubbing against the scales of the fresh fish, and disgusting fish guts plop onto his expanding belly.
“Jake get out here,” exclaimed Blenda.
Jake was still in bed with his butt up, he moves around.
“Do you have breakfast on the table?” he said urgently.
“Son, you're so fat I think you could last years without eating.” sighed Blenda.
Jake ignores his mother and crawls to the table, He sat down, and his parents were watching bear TV, Jake checked what day it was on the calendar. Then he suddenly realised what day it was... hibernation day!
This is the worst day in the world of days for Jake, but bears say “you love eating fish why this the worst day?”
“The eating part is fine it’s getting it.”
“I know it is hibernation day, but we thought today instead of getting ready for the winter we would teach you how to catch fish first,” Dad said hopefully. Without saying anything Jake understood and they went out to the lake. Jake was awestruck with all the fish around him.
Jake bent down and saw the fish, maybe this was not as hard as it was. He snapped at one, missed it, he tries again this time he goes deeper and misses. He gets back up infuriated that he can’t catch one he decides to go and walk home then dad says. “Son we have a tool to help you out,” he said cheerfully.
It was a pole and one end was thick other thin, there were holes starting a few centimetres off the end of the stick. Through the holes was string almost as graceful as silk. At the end of the stick there was a spinning object with a handle that held the string. At the other end of the contraption a glistening silver hook.
“It’s called a fishing rod,” whispered Mum. Dad grabbed the fishing rod and flung the string into the Stream, seconds later it got taught he pulls the catch back with the handle and out comes a beautiful salmon.
Jake was gobsmacked he must try. He took the fishing rod and threw the line into the stream in an instant he caught something he pulled back to catch his prize. Jake was so focused and using so much strength, he was determined to get this fish and flung it in the air out came a sparkling fish.