Mother Bruce
by Ryan T. Higgins
Bruce was a bear who lived all by himself. He was a grump. He did NOT like sunny days. He did NOT like rain. He did NOT like cute little animals. Bruce only liked one thing—eggs! He collected them from all over the forest. But Bruce didn’t eat raw eggs like other bears. Instead, he cooked them into fancy recipes that he found on the internet.
One day, Bruce came across a recipe for hard-boiled goose eggs drizzled with honey-salmon sauce. So he went out to get the ingredients. First, he caught a few salmon. Then he collected honey from a local beehive. He liked to support local business. Last, he went to Mrs. Goose’s nest to pay her a visit.
At home, Bruce prepared the eggs for hard-boiling. But the first in his stove fizzled. So he went out to get more wood. When Bruce came back, he was met with an unwelcome surprise. MAMA! Bruce became the victim of mistaken identity.
Bruce wanted hard-boiled eggs, NOT goslings. He supposed he could settle for buttered goslings on toast…but for some reason, he lost his appetite. Bruce scooped up the little geese and stomped back to their nest…only to find Mrs. Goose had flown south early. Bruce left the goslings there anyway and went back home. But he was followed.
Bruce was very stern and said things like, Go away! And, I am not your mother! And also, I liked you better when you were eggs. Bruce could take it no longer and became EXTRA grumpy with them. ROAR! It didn’t work. Goslings always follow their mother, even if SHE is a HE and HE is a bear. Bruce was stuck with them.
He tried to make the best of it. It was hard work. As the seasons passed, Bruce watched the pesky goslings grow older. Then one fall afternoon, he saw other goose families flying south. Finally, he’d be rid of those geese, and he could take a long winter nap. Bruce explained migration. But they didn’t listen. Bruce needed the geese to leave. So he got creative. Nothing worked. The geese would not leave Bruce. Sigh…
So Bruce decided to pack some bags and take his geese into town. They boarded a bus…and migrated to Miami. Now every winter, Bruce and his geese head south together. They laze about at the beach in tacky shirts, sipping ice-cold lemonade, while Bruce dreams of new recipes—recipes that don’t hatch! Mama?
Bruce was a bear who lived all by himself. He was a grump. He did NOT like sunny days. He did NOT like rain. He did NOT like cute little animals. Bruce only liked one thing—eggs! He collected them from all over the forest. But Bruce didn’t eat raw eggs like other bears. Instead, he cooked them into fancy recipes that he found on the internet.
One day, Bruce came across a recipe for hard-boiled goose eggs drizzled with honey-salmon sauce. So he went out to get the ingredients. First, he caught a few salmon. Then he collected honey from a local beehive. He liked to support local business. Last, he went to Mrs. Goose’s nest to pay her a visit.
At home, Bruce prepared the eggs for hard-boiling. But the first in his stove fizzled. So he went out to get more wood. When Bruce came back, he was met with an unwelcome surprise. MAMA! Bruce became the victim of mistaken identity.
Bruce wanted hard-boiled eggs, NOT goslings. He supposed he could settle for buttered goslings on toast…but for some reason, he lost his appetite. Bruce scooped up the little geese and stomped back to their nest…only to find Mrs. Goose had flown south early. Bruce left the goslings there anyway and went back home. But he was followed.
Bruce was very stern and said things like, Go away! And, I am not your mother! And also, I liked you better when you were eggs. Bruce could take it no longer and became EXTRA grumpy with them. ROAR! It didn’t work. Goslings always follow their mother, even if SHE is a HE and HE is a bear. Bruce was stuck with them.
He tried to make the best of it. It was hard work. As the seasons passed, Bruce watched the pesky goslings grow older. Then one fall afternoon, he saw other goose families flying south. Finally, he’d be rid of those geese, and he could take a long winter nap. Bruce explained migration. But they didn’t listen. Bruce needed the geese to leave. So he got creative. Nothing worked. The geese would not leave Bruce. Sigh…
So Bruce decided to pack some bags and take his geese into town. They boarded a bus…and migrated to Miami. Now every winter, Bruce and his geese head south together. They laze about at the beach in tacky shirts, sipping ice-cold lemonade, while Bruce dreams of new recipes—recipes that don’t hatch! Mama?