The Retelling of the Legend of the Sleeping Bear
By Diane Zolman
Tim and Ned were best friends who live near the beautiful shore of Lake Michigan. They both had just finished fourth grade at Glen Lake Community Schools. Tim lived in a cabin on the lake and would often have Ned over to his house to play volleyball on the beach. Both of them loved to be around the water. Often they would take walks along the beach and play in the cold, lake water.
Most days when they would hang out, it was a contest to see who could jump the farthest in the sand.
Both of them loved to watch the sun go down and tell stories around the campfire with Tim's dad and mom, Mr. and Mrs. Olsen and his smaller brother, James. They made smores and laughed about what had happened that day. Everyone enjoyed the campfire talks, even Duke, the famly dog lay stetched out by the campfire waiting patiently to hear the family stories for the day.
One afternoon, the campfire talk was especially interesting.
Tim's dad ask the boy's, "Have you heard the story of The Legend of the Sleeping Bear?"
Tim said excitedly, "Yes, Mrs. Bender read this story to us in class." Ned quickly agreed too.
"This is a very old story and has been retold for many years. Would you like me to retell the story?," replied Mr. Olsen.
"Yah" they both said together. "This will be the best campfire story ever." Tim announced. So Mr. Olsen continued, "The story begins a long time ago when the woods here in Leelanau county had..".
"Oh I know this part," interupted Tim. "It was before the lumberjacks had cut down the trees" "Yes." replied Mr. Olsen patiently. "Long before sailors sailed the seas in wooden ships." He continued. Mr. Olsen explained the history as if it had just happened yesterday. Ned and Tim listened intently as they nudged themselves into a comfortable spot in the sand close by the fire. The night air was beginning to chill and the fire was burning down to red coals. Tim got up to poke the fire. He knew this was going to be a long story and he wanted to keep the fire going. So he threw another log on the fire and it began to crackle. "There," he said, just as his dad was explain that the mighty water in this story was Lake Michigan. Tim nestled back into his comfortable spot in the sand while Mr. Olsen continued the story.
"The story takes place," Mr. Olsen explained, "long ago before the Native Americans planted long rows of trees and before pioneers planted their gardens. It happened long before the lumbermen cleared the tall trees of the forest and before sailors came across the great fresh waters in wooden ships. "
"In a forest near Lake Michigan's shore lived a bear family."
Ned pipped up. "Mrs. Bender said they were black bears too."
"Thats right." said Mr. Olsen. "With shiney black fur and big round eyes. "
Tim stopped his dad, "I think she had a cub too. Didn't she, dad?"
"Yes Tim," Mr. Olsen assured him, "Only this momma bear had two cubs and they lived very comfortably in a den in the forest surrounded by buttercups and bluebells."
"Every morning momma bear and her cubs would flounder through the forest with the birds whisling and chirping in the air. In a distance you could hear the branches of the trees swaying gently in the wind while leaves rustled here and there."
Tim leaned over to Ned and whispered, "That's kind of like the forest here." Ned shook his head yes.
Mr. Olsen continued, "When the bears were thirsty, momma bear took them to the stream that rippled through the forest and taught them how to drink. Off to the side across the stream was a deer leaning in to get a sip of water. Scampering over on the left bank was a racoon watching as they all took a drink from the cool stream of water. Momma bear made sure that her cubs were taken every afternoon to the lake shore where herring gulls swooped down to snatch up fish from the water. "
"Oh and dad," interupted Tim, "This was Lake Michigan, right?"
"Yes Tim," Mr. Olsen quickly replied back. "It was here where the bears would romp and play in the sand chasing the herring gulls over head and stopping to dip their paws in the Lake side water."
In the evening, momma bear led her cubs safely back to the den for the night. . When they awoke the next morning momma bear was alarmed.
"She could smell smoke. When she turned to look around, in the distance was a raging fire. It seemed to be coming towards them." Tim and Ned listened even more intently as Mr. Olsen continued. "In the forest you could hear popping and snapping sounds where huge limbs from tree were breaking and falling to the ground. Momma bear stood up tall, on her hind feet and smelled the air. She knew they were in danger and she had to think fast about what to do. The sky was filled with smoke and the big orange flames were coming closer. She had to do something quickly. "
"Animals were fleeing the forest and momma bear knew they needed to run too. Deer leaped into the paths ahead. Racoon and many of the other forest animal ran wildly through the forest. But where would they go, thought momma bear. Just than, momma bear thought of a plan. She told her cubs to follow her. They were going to a place for safety. And the cubs tried hard to keep up with momma bear. They ran as fast as they could towards the lake to escape the flames of the forest."
They ran and ran as fast as they could until they reached the sandy shore of Lake Michigan. The water looked rough that day, but momma bear knew this was going to be their only choice for safety. So she told her cubs that they will have to swim as hard as they can across this big lake. She turned before they jumped in and told her cubs that she loved them very much. And then they leaped into the cold rough waters and began to swim.
As they swam, momma bear look back to see that her cubs were still behind her. She spotted them on glance in the distance struggling to keep up. Momma bear feared they would get too far behind. So she called for them to swim with all their might.
Not a word came from Tim and Ned as they listened carefully to the next part of the story that Mr. Olsen was about to tell. Mr. Olsen tossed another log on the fire to keep it going and then continued.
Still the bears swam and swam. As it got dark, momma bear looked back and she could not see her cubs. All night they swam until finally momma bear could see the morning sky begin to gleam across the waves of the lake. In the far distance there was the shore. It was all she could do to muster up her last bit of strength to get to the shore.
Finally momma bear reached the shore exuasted and hardly able to move. She turned to call for her cubs but they were nowhere to be seen. She called and called for them and still there was no answer. Tired from the swim, she wondered up and down the shore line for a long time, hoping she would see a glimpse of her cubs or hear them call back to her. Still she saw nothing. No sound came from the across the water, but the sound of the rushing waves echoing in the distances.
Momma bear climbed to the tallest spot on the hill. She looked as far as she could look over the deep blue waters, but there was no sign of her two cubs.
Momma bear waited and waited, night after night. When the sun would set, she lay on the hill watching over the waters for her cubs.
She called for them. Day and night she waited, calling to her cubs and hoping they would call back to her. Night time fell and still there was no sign, only the sounds of the birds flying over head and the waves rushing to the shore.
Soon the leaves began to turn and the air became cold. Yet, momma bear waited, and waited.
Winter came, and momma waited, but there was no sign of her cubs.
There on that hill momma bear waited and waited while she slept in her sorrows. Year after year she slept, and the strong winds of mighty Lake Michigan swept blankets of warm sand over her keeping her safe.
So the legend goes that over time the spirit felt momma sorrows and blew huge gusts of winds throughout the mighty waters, raising the two cubs from the depths of the cold, cold Lake to make them into beautiful islands. Now the spirit of the sleeping bear can watch over her cubs and they can rest in the warmth of the sun.
As Mr. Olsen told the last part of the legend, he glanced over to see the boys facing towards the waters, their eyes gazing into the night sky. By now, only a little heat radiated from the small coals of the fire. Tim looked over to his dad and said, "Every time I hear that story, I still wonder." Ned quickly reply, "Oh Tim, its just a legend. That doesn't mean its true." "I know," Tim interupted, "but there is something that makes me want to believe it." "Ya, your right." Ned said. Then Mr. Olsen said, "Thats the meaningful part that lives on and on from generation to generation. It lives on through the beauty of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore."
