Story Telling Time
The Adventures of Zori and Mandi
An Imaginative Story About An Unlikely Friendship
Part I — The Discovery
It was a hot Summer’s day. No one knew the exact date, but it was somewhere in the middle of Summer. The morning was busy in the forest. Every little critter and all the large animals got out to look for food and hunt for breakfast.
Zori was in no rush this morning. He had a good dinner in the evening and had some leftover honey and berries from the previous day. He could stay and linger some more in bed.
Zori is a bear, a fluffy, kind-hearted, and brown blue-eyed kind of bear. He loves life, taking baths in the river, and hanging out with his friends in the forest meadows. And, like any other bear, he relishes good food. The fish is delicious, especially when cooked in the oven, fruits are even better when baked into a cake, and the honey is best served one paw at a time.
As you might have figured out, we are not quite in our average neighboring forest. A little bit of magic flows through this part of the woods. Just the right amount, and although this might not be visible to regular humans, it is everyday life for all the animals living there. All the creatures can understand one another, have intriguing homes, and live calm and peaceful lives, most of the time, at least. Saturday morning markets and birthday parties are something else, but we will get to that.
The Intro
After the morning forest rush hour(s), the day starts to get hotter. It is certainly bearable in the forest, as the trees and altitude make life much better in the shade. However, after a good breakfast and a bit of hard work in the morning, most forest beings like to take a little break. Some go into their homes, others sleep hanging in trees, some go down the rabbit hole, others stretch out in the green grass. Humans call it “siesta,” but in this magical forest, it is called “chillean.”
It was now mid-afternoon, and after a lazy first part of the day, our bear decided it was time to go outside. Zori made his bed and opened the window to let some fresh air into the house. He then took a look around the house and saw that it needed a bit of tidying up. He washed a couple of dishes from last night’s meal and took a stroll with the broom around the house. And by stroll, I mean sweeping the floor, not flying around the house on a broomstick. It’s not Harry Potter you know.
Once the house was clean, it was time to get out of it. A quick look in the mirror to check for estranged hairs, and there was one that was standing up. The sink was a bit too far away, a quick licking of the paw aaaaand, that fixed it. Yey!
Zori was a tall brown bear, and he kept forgetting that when he got out on his two feet, instead of walking on his fours, he would always knock the doorbell with his head. Make no mistake about it, that happened again, as a large DIIIIIIINGGGG resounded across the house when he hit that large bell he had.
- Aaaaaahhhhh!!! My head! Every single time. Blasted doorbell. I forgot to move it again. I’ll do it when I come back from my afternoon walk.
Well, he was certainly awake now. All the Jingle Bells were singing in his head, right in the middle of Summer.
The Walk
Once outside and, although it was well in the afternoon and the middle of the forest, Zori noticed it was still quite hot. Luckily, he recently got a full-body haircut at his friend, Triso, the raccoon.
Triso was not a hairstylist or barber, but he had his way around scissors and shaving blades. For the last three years, Triso would take half a day to help his friend Zori get rid of the excess fur. In return, Zori would always buy something new and shiny from the market. The raccoon had an impressive collection of various coins and stained pieces of glass. Sometimes he would lose days on end trying to hunt down a new piece for his collection.
The bear had a walking schedule for each day of the week. Mondays were destined for finding honey pots. Tuesday was meant for exploring new bathing places. On Wednesdays, he would explore the berry fields. Thursdays were for fishing, and as he had fresh fish last night, it could only mean that today was Friday.
It was always exciting when it was a Friday because it meant he would go and explore a newer part of his environment. No matter how much he managed to explore, there was always a route he had not taken before. Friday was just the day for that.
The Misty Forest is vast and full of beautiful places. The forest is surrounded by a mountain range to the north. The sea is in the East, and there is a plentitude of lakes towards the South, as you can see on the map below.
Zori knew it was kind of late in the afternoon for a long walk, so he wouldn’t have time to go to the Wide Plains until the sunset, but he had plenty of time to reach one of the many smaller lakes that separated the Misty Forest from the Wide Plains. He just loved to put his feet in the water and enjoy the view, maybe even catch a fish or two, if the lake was feeling generous.
He would usually take a friend or two in his walks, but as today was a lazy day, he didn’t have time to ask anyone, so no company today.
Now, I don’t know if you know this, but brown bears such as Zori can reach speeds of up to 35 MPH, more than twice as fast as the average person, so, they can hustle if they want to. However, this was an afternoon walk, so there was no running involved. Moreover, our funky bear always walked with purpose, so there was no time wasted unless there was a reason for it.
Zori visited the lakes multiple other times, so he knew his way around this corner of the world, but today was going to be a bit different.
At some point in his journey, he decided to take an alternative route. Usually, to reach one of the lakes, he would just follow some of the rivers or creeks that flow into the lake he was interested in. Today he decided to take a more straightforward route and save a bit of time.
The Tree
After a little while and a thicket of trees, the forest opened up into a small meadow. Shade turned into Sun, and every blade of grass was glowing in the rays of light. The area was small, and you could see one of the lakes not far from there.
As Zori was looking at the lake, he noticed a small little tree somewhat in the center of that forest opening. He went a bit closer. What was that strange bush of a tree? It was barely Zori’s height, it had long shiny leaves, and it had a different scent that he’d come across before.
- What is this tree? It smells pretty nice, but does it not have any fruit?
He then spent a minute or so going around the tree, looking for any flower or fruit that could indicate the actual type of tree.
- What a curious thing.
Just as he said it, Zori heard a rustle coming from the little tree, he thought it was the wind, but after having another look, he could see a tiny, orange tint hiding behind the leaves.
It seemed like it was moving. Was there someone hiding and playing games.
-Hey! Who’s there, hiding in the tree? It’s me, Zori. You don’t need to be scared. You can come out and say hello.
No acknowledgment.
He then got his big bear face closer to the moving orange tint and pulled it right back out as soon it moved and touched his nose. So, it was a fruit. It had managed to get out of the leaves. It was round and big enough to fit in a human’s hands. It had an orange-green tint and a bit of shine.
- What is this strange fruit, and who pushed it out from behind the leaves?
- I’m a mandarine, silly.
- What’s a mandarine, and who said that?
- Me, the round thing that’s hanging here. I’m a mandarine said the fruit as it turned on the branch towards Zori and opened her adorable eyes.
-Hey, you!
-How is this possible? Fruits don’t speak. Said the magical bear that lived in a mystical forest.
-Well, I guess I do. You are actually the first thing I am talking to. What are you?
-Amazing! said the big fluffy thing, as he was still in awe.
-I am a brown bear. My name is Zori, and I live in the middle of the Misty Forest. I guess you live here too now, but how did you get here, and what is your name?
-Hmmm, I don’t know. My tree grew here, and it gave me life, so I guess that’s how I got here.
I don’t have a name. No one has called me in any way before. I can hear my tree’s thoughts, and he can hear mine, but I have never gotten a name. Maybe a name would be nice.
- Very well, let us find you a name. It was but a second, and the light bulb lit up in Zori’s head.
- I will call you Mandi. Mandi, the cute mandarine. That way, I will not forget what you are, and you have a cute name that you can use to introduce yourself.
- I like it. Heeey! My name is Mandi. Mandi, Mandi, Mandi.
The bear laughed as the tiny fruit kept repeating her new name to see how it resonated.
-How come you know how to speak?
-I just know, I always did. My tree taught me. How come you can speak?
-Interesting. Hmmm, I guess you have a point. I learned from my parents and friends. Now that I think about it, I think everybody in my forest can speak.
And what is it that you do all day?
-I talk to my tree and explore the world.
-How do you explore the world? You’re hanging from a tree. Can you fly or walk?
-Well, no. But I imagine myself going in all the places I see with my eyes and in all the places my mandarine tree tells me about.
-That’s nice, but that’s not actual exploring, is it? You are just imagining and dreaming things. Take me as an example. I scour the woods, mountains, and rivers, climb trees, look for berries and play with my friends. That is what an explorer does.
-I see. Maybe you could tell me about your adventures.
-I could, but wouldn’t it be better if you could see for yourself? Can you leave at all? I could take you with me.
-I never thought of leaving, let me ask my tree.
-Ok, I’ll wait. Just as the bear sat down on the grass to wait for Mandi to finish talking to her tree, the mandarine responded.
-Yes. I can go.
-That was fast.
-Haha. Yes, well, we don’t use words to talk, so I guess it’s faster. I can go as long as you bring me back every few days. I need to stay with my tree to get my energy. We can’t be apart for very long, or I’ll die.
-Wow, ok! That shouldn’t be a problem. I can bring you back whenever you want.
The mandarine was getting excited. She would now be able to see the world she had dreamed of for what felt like a very long time. Zori was also happy. He met a magical fruit that could talk and it seemed like he made a new friend.
-Zori, where are we going?
-To the lake down there, can you see it?
-No, the leaves are on the way.
-Okay, how do we do this then? Do I just pick you up?
-Yes, you can pick me up in your hand. Please don’t drop me. Please, please!
-Very well. Hop on then. I promise I’ll be careful. But how will you get your energy from your tree when we get back.
-My tree tells me not to worry, as he will be able to connect to me every time we get back.
-Oh, very well then. I seem to be learning a lot about magical mandarines today. Haha!
Zori reached out, Mandi quickly hopped into his hand. It was the first time the mandarine had ever left her tree. She could feel the connection to her “home” still there. It felt different, somewhat scary, but exhilarating at the same time.
Life is about having adventures and exploring the world. Once you go on your first venture, the addiction will kick in. You will be addicted to beauty and the world.
-Are you ready, Mandi?
-Yeees! I think so.
-Let’s go on our first adventure.
And so it started.
Catch the next part to see what mysteries lie ahead.
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