Kintaro and the Bear Cub

High on the slopes of Mount Ashigara, where the cedar trees stood close together and the moss was soft as a green blanket, there lived a boy named Kintaro. His hair was long and black, and he wore a red haragake, a little cloth bib tied around his belly. The people in the valley called him the Golden Boy, because he was strong and warm as the sun itself.

Kintaro had grown up alone in the forest with his mother, and the animals of the mountain had become his best friends. The deer with the soft eyes came when he called. The monkeys swung down from the branches. The hares hopped out of the ferns. And the bear, big and shaggy, let him stroke her fur as if she were a pillow.

One morning, when the mist still lay like a soft quilt over the forest, Kintaro walked along the stream with his little axe over his shoulder. He was going to gather chestnuts for his mother. That was when he heard a small sound behind a rock. It sounded like someone sniffling, very quietly.

Kintaro set down his axe and peeked carefully behind the rock. There sat a bear cub, so small he could fit between two ferns. His fur was brown and ruffled, and tears glistened in his eyes. A chestnut shell had stuck to his paw, and he did not know how to get it off.

'Don't be afraid,' said Kintaro softly, and crouched down. 'My name is Kintaro. May I help you?' The cub blinked. He had never seen a boy before, but the voice sounded kind, so he held out his paw. With careful fingers, Kintaro eased the spiky shell away. The cub drew his paw back and licked it.

'Where is your mother?' asked Kintaro. The cub looked all around and suddenly seemed very small. He gave a thin little squeak. Kintaro understood. He knew the language of the animals, because he had listened to them his whole life. 'You're lost,' he said. 'Don't worry. We'll find her together.'

Kintaro opened his little basket and took out a chestnut he had already gathered. He cracked it with his fingers, for he was strong as ten boys, and shared the meat with the cub. The little bear chewed slowly and closed his eyes in pleasure. When he had finished, he pressed his nose against Kintaro's knee.