An Owl and a Bear Have Tea

 In the middle of a tree's trunk there lived an owl. Now, many owls are old or wise or both. This owl was neither. In fact, she was just a kid owl living in a tree because her mum and dad had flown away long ago. The kid owl was rather good at getting her own food, and a bit clever at turning her back and blending in with the tree trunk to avoid bears and scavenging crows and that kind of thing. But she wasn't wise.

    In fact, she was so unwise that one day, when the owl was feeling dreadfully lonely, she invited a passing bear to tea.

    Owl tea is basically bark and few leaves soaked in water (not that different from human tea), and the bark smells kind of good, so the bear agreed to come to tea — though there was a peculiar glint in the corner of the bear's eye. The owl, being unwise, didn't notice the glint. 

    Balancing the tea on the edges of the tree and offering a few acorn biscuits, the bear and the owl had tea together.

    And then the bear did a very bear-like thing.

    'I think I'll eat you now, little owl,' he said.

    'Ah,' said the owl. 'I should have seen this coming. Is there anything I can do to convince you otherwise?'

    The bear thought it over.

    'I don't think so — I'm still hungry, you see.'

    'Ah,' said the owl again. There was nothing for it. Just as the bear lunged, the owl leaped off the branch and took flight.

    And just like that, the owl started to become wise.

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