Gerbon and the Bear

A bear will fall from the sky when the first tooth is placed upon the hand of Gerbon.

This is not a prophecy, but rather a folktale from the Hmong people of Southeast Asia. The story goes that a young boy named Gerbon was out playing in the forest when he found a baby bear. He took the bear home and nursed it back to health. Over time, the bear grew big and strong, and became like a member of Gerbon's family.

One day, Gerbon's father went off to war and never came back. His mother died soon afterwards from grief. Gerbon was left all alone in the world with only his bear for company.

The two of them did everything together and were always there for each other during tough times. Eventually, Gerbon's hair started to turn grey and he developed wrinkles on his face. The once tiny bear had also grown into a massive adult animal.

While they were out walking together in the forest, the bear put its paw on Gerbon's shoulder and said "I will always be here for you, no matter what happens." With that, it placed its tooth on Gerbon's hand as a symbol of their bond.

The next day, as predicted by the folktale, a large black bear fell from the sky and landed right in front of the midwife's house. The midwife was so startled that she dropped her baby, who was none other than Gerbon.

The folktale concludes with the moral that "a true friend is like a tooth: they may not always be there, but when they are, they will never let you down."

Jonathan read this last passage and could hardly believe his eyes. A true friend is like a tooth? What an odd thing to say. He wondered if there was any hidden meaning behind the words or if they were just meant to be taken literally. He thought about his own friends and whether they would be there for him if he ever needed them. He hoped that he could be as good of a friend to them as they were to him. And, it's true, a tooth is a pretty solid and reliable thing. He chuckled to himself at the thought and went to bed, feeling grateful for the friends he had in his life.

He woke up in the middle of the night, startled by his dream of losing his teeth. He sat up in bed, clutching his pillow to his chest, and tried to calm his racing heart. It was just a dream, he told himself. But it felt so real. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen to his friends. He didn't know what it was, but he had a bad feeling about it.

He got out of bed and paced around his room, trying to think of what he could do. He couldn't just sit around and wait for something bad to happen; he had to do something to prevent it. But what?

He went to his desk and pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. He started writing down everything he could think of that might help him figure out what was going on with his friends. He listed their names, their birthdays, their favorite things... anything that might give him a clue as to why he was having this dream or what it could mean.

When he was finished, he looked at the list and sighed. It wasn't much, but it was all he had to go on for now. He would have to find some way to talk to each of his friends and see if they were okay; maybe then he would be able to sleep again.

The list had these names and their occupations on it:

- William: Gerbon's father, went off to war and never came back
- Mary: Gerbon's mother, died soon afterwards from grief
- Bear: Gerbon's friend, a large black bear

Jonathan went back to sleep, and was transported to the forests of Asia. He saw Gerbon playing with the bear as a child, and then watched as the events of the folktale unfolded before his eyes. He saw Gerbon's father go off to war and never return, and his mother die from grief soon afterwards. He saw Gerbon take in the bear and raise it as his own, and then watched as the years passed by and they both grew old together.

Finally, he saw the moment when the bear put its tooth on Gerbon's hand and said "I will always be here for you, no matter what happens." With that, Jonathan woke up from his dream.

He knew what he had to do now. He had to find a way to talk to each of his friends individually and see if they were okay. Maybe then he would be able to figure out what was going on with them and why he was having this dream.

He called Mary on the phone. She answered, and was angry with him for waking her up. He apologized and told her he needed to talk to her about something important. She asked what it was, but he said he couldn't tell her over the phone. He promised he would come over to her house in the morning and explain everything then.

He hung up the phone and called William next. William answered, and Jonathan could tell he had been crying. When Jonathan asked what was wrong, William told him that his wife had just left him and taken their son with her. Jonathan offered to come over and talk to him, but William said he didn't want to burden him with his problems and hung up the phone.

Jonathan was about to call Bear next, but realized that Bear didn't have a phone. He would have to go visit Bear in person if he wanted to talk to him.

So Jonathan got in his car and drove to Mary's house first. When she answered the door, she looked surprised but happy to see him. He explained that he'd had a dream about losing his teeth, and woke up feeling like something was wrong with his friends. He showed her the list he'd made of their names and occupations, and asked if she knew anything that could help him figure out what was going on or what the dream could mean.

Mary thought for a moment before answering. "I don't know why you're having this dream," she said finally, "but I think it might have something to do with your father."

Jonathan frowned; he wasn't sure what she meant by that."What do you mean?"

"Your father always wanted you to be a tooth doctor," Mary explained gently."And I think maybe part of you is still trying to become one."

As Mary talked, her facial features slowly became more hairy, her ears larger, and she morphed into the Bear. Jonathan gasped as he realized that his mother had been the Bear all along.

"But why?" Jonathan asked, still in shock."Why would you want me to become a tooth doctor?"

"Because," the Bear said, "a tooth is a very solid and reliable thing. And I knew that if you became a tooth doctor, you would always be there for your patients and friends, just like I'm always here for you."

With that, the Bear hugged Jonathan tightly before disappearing back into Mary's form. Jonathan was left standing there in shock, trying to process what had just happened.

He thanked Mary for her help and promised to keep in touch before leaving her house. He got back in his car and drove to William's house next. When he knocked on the door, William answered it with a tired-looking face but brightened up when he saw it was Jonathan.

Jonathan explained what had happened with his dream and asked if there was anything going on in William's life that could be causing it. William told him about his wife leaving him and taking their son with her. He said he was struggling to deal with it but was getting through each day one step at a time. As he talked, his eyes filled up with tears but he didn't look away from Jonathan or try to hide them; it was like he needed to get everything off his chest.

Jonathan felt terrible for not being there for his friend when he needed him most but promised to support him from now on. They hugged each other tightly before saying goodbye and Jonathan went off to find Bear next.

Jonathan knew Mary was not really Bear, that it was just his mind playing tricks on him again. He knew that to find the real Bear he would have to go back to the forest where he found him as a child.

He walked through the forest, calling Bear's name, until he finally found him sleeping in a cave. He shook him awake and Bear looked up at him in confusion. Jonathan explained what was going on and asked if there was anything Bear could do to help him figure out the meaning of his dream.

Bear thought for a moment before answering. "The only thing I can think of is that maybe your dream is trying to tell you that you need to let go of your past and move on with your life."

Jonathan frowned, not sure what Bear meant by that. But before he could ask, Bear continued speaking.

"You've been holding onto your father's memory for too long," he said softly."It's time to let go and live your own life."

Jonathan nodded, understanding finally dawning on him. He thanked Bear for his help and they hugged each other tightly before saying goodbye. Jonathan felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders; he knew now what he had to do.