Oh no indeed! The little hut at the edge of Willowbend Forest was usually a place of warmth, laughter, and the wonderful smell of Mom Julla’s cooking. On most days, a bubbling pot sat atop the fire, sending spirals of delicious scent into the air. But today, something was different—very different.
BB, the tiny ball-of-energy baby bear, had spent the entire afternoon trying to keep up with the older cubs. He wanted to be big and strong like them, but his little legs were still wobbly, and his paws weren’t quite steady. As he hurried across the clearing, trying to show off a hop-skip step he invented, he tripped over a small tree root, rolled three times, and landed flat on his back with a soft thump.
He wasn’t hurt—just startled and a little embarrassed—but oh, the fall had made his tiny tummy rumble louder than thunder on a rainy day. BB sat up, rubbed his belly, and sniffed the air. Yes! There it was again: the smell of Mom Julla’s famous honey-berry stew. Warm, sweet, thick enough to coat a spoon, and absolutely perfect after a tumble.
But when BB wobbled inside, he found Mom Julla standing over the pot with her big wooden ladle… not sharing. Not yet, anyway.
“Mom Julla?” BB squeaked, looking up with wide eyes. “Baby hungry…”
Mom Julla didn’t turn around immediately. She was stirring the stew with the intense focus of someone solving a great mystery. The pot wasn’t bubbling correctly. The texture wasn’t right. And the honey berries—well, they were being stubborn today.
“Just a moment, BB,” she muttered, poking at the mixture. “Stew not ready! Needs patience!”
BB’s belly grumbled louder. It was so loud it echoed off the kitchen walls. He flopped dramatically onto the wooden floor, paw over forehead, making sure his sorrow was fully displayed. Surely that would get her attention.
But Mom Julla only sighed.
“Oh dear cub, you fell down again, didn’t you? And now you want stew right this second.”
BB nodded with the seriousness of a bear declaring important forest law.
So, Mom Julla scooped just the tiniest spoonful—barely a taste—and handed it to him.
One taste. That’s all it took. BB’s eyes sparkled like sunlit honey.
And finally, Mom Julla laughed, scooped a full bowl, and said, “All right, little hungry bear. You earned it.”
BB didn’t disagree. He just ate. And ate. And ate.Attach
