Two friends were walking down a path in a big forest. The sun was starting to go down, and the trees were getting really tall and spooky. They were arguing about which way to go. One friend thought he knew a shortcut, but the other friend wanted to take the longer, safer path.
Suddenly, they heard a loud ROAR! A huge, grumpy bear stepped out onto the path right in front of them. Its teeth, big and sharp, were clearly visible.
The first friend got really scared and ran to a tall tree. He climbed up super fast and hid in the branches.
The other friend wasn’t as quick. The bear was too close! He knew he couldn’t run away. So he did the only thing he could think of: he fell to the ground and pretended to be dead. He closed his eyes, held his breath, and tried to be as still as a rock.
The bear came closer and sniffed all around him. It nudged him with its big nose, trying to see if he was really dead. The friend on the ground didn’t move a muscle. After a while, the bear seemed to believe him. It grunted and walked away into the trees.
The friend in the tree waited until he was sure the bear was gone. Then he climbed down, a little bit shaky. He went over to his friend, who was now sitting up and brushing leaves off his clothes.
“What did the bear say to you?” the friend from the tree asked, trying to sound brave. “When it put its nose to your ear, what did it whisper?”
The other friend looked at him sadly. “It didn’t whisper anything,” he said. “But I learned something. It told me, without saying a word, never to travel with a friend who leaves you when you’re in trouble.”