Online:Breton Bedtime Stories (Loose Page)

First, the bear clawed at the tree. Then, he roared at it. He bit its bark and chewed. Yet the princess stayed safe, laughing all the while.

Finally, the bear sat back on its haunches and spoke. "Why do you fear, little girl?"

The princess shouted down, "Because you'll eat me, silly bear!"

The bear just shook its grizzled head. "I do not eat children. Come down, and we will play a game."

But the princess was too clever for the crafty bear. She knew it was a trick. "Come up here, if you're so eager for a game!"

The bear grunted. It began to climb.

<A handwritten note is scrawled in the margin of the page.>

Bring your mother to the ruins. Open the door as we discussed. Hurry, Visanne. It is the only place we can be safe. I love you.

— R