The boy & the bear
On the bank of a river, a group of children were tending their cows. It was the monsoon season and all of a sudden, a furious current of water developed. Because it was a fast current, one bear, which slipped into the water, was drawn into the midstream and was being carried away. One of the boys looked at the floating mass and from a distance, it appeared to him to be a bunch of blankets floating in the water. He said to his companions, “I shall jump into the water and get the bundle of blankets out.” So, he jumped to the water.
With the mistaken idea that it is a bundle of blankets, the boy embraced with his hands the bear. Then, the bear also embraced him with its own hands. However much the boy tried to excruciate himself, the bear did not leave him. It held fast. The boys on the shore shouted, “Oh, my dear companion, leave the bundle and come away.” The boy in the water, struggling to escape, cried out, “Though I want to escape from it, it does not allow me to escape.”
Questions:
- What did the boy see on the river?
- What did he do?
- What advice did his companions give?
- What happened to the boy?
Source- Stories for Children-II Published by- Sri Sathya Sai Books & Publications Trust, Prashanti Nilayam.