The bears blocked the rails, seeing why people couldn’t stop crying. Ever since he was little, Dan Morris dreamed of becoming a train driver, and when his parents bought him Christmas gifts, they knew that the only thing that would make their boys happy was toy railroad. The boy was born in a town in Wyoming and was used to being one with nature. In the summer, the boy went to the forest to pick mushrooms and berries, and in the winter he went skiing or sledding. When Dan graduated high school, his parents had no doubt that their son would choose to study to become a train driver and would end up working on a railway.
The young man was mastering the new profession with such enthusiasm that he saw each new success and his own personal victory. Studying was easy for Dan, which greatly delighted his teachers and family. This really only happens when the person chooses to study something that they’re truly interested in, what they hope will become the work of their life. Finally, Dan’s most cherished dream came true. He became a train driver.
There are no words that could describe how happy and excited Dan was when he first stepped into the driver’s cabin. Of course, Dan first had to complete a long internship under the supervision of an experienced mentor who couldn’t stop marveling at the young man’s desire to learn all the intricacies of the profession.
Mom, dad, today I drove the train on my own for the first time, Dan said once, after returning home from work, the parents looked at each other without saying a word rushed to hug the beloved son deeply. They had no doubt that Dan would achieve his goal because he wanted it with all his heart and worked tirelessly for it. Over time, the determined young man turned into a real professional in his field, and the boss has always pointed to him as an example for everyone else.
Together with his partner, Dan transported valuable timber and minerals from one part of the country to the other, admiring the beauty of the places they passed on their route. By this time, the man was already married. Thus, every time his shift ended, Dan rushed home to hug his wife. The man knew that there would always be a delicious dinner waiting for him at home, prepared by his beloved wife. Days dragged on, and nothing changed in the life of the young couple except for Gloria’s ever growing tummy.
Dan went to work, and it seemed to him that there was nothing new left in the profession of the train driver that could surprise him. The young man couldn’t have known at this time how very wrong he was. One day, during a rather ordinary journey transporting a load of timber, Dan and his partner, Jimmy, witnessed a very strange incident that was happening right on the railway track.
Following an unspoken rule, Dan was intently watching the tracks ahead as he was driving the train, admiring the beauty of the surrounding views in the process, in order to get a better view, the man looked through old army binoculars once in a while, and he got them from his grandfather, who took part in the war in Vietnam. This stretch of the way ran through a particularly picturesque area.
The breathtaking landscapes delighted Dan and his partner, Jimmy. Suddenly, Dan noticed something strange several hundred feet ahead of him. At first, the man thought that it was just an optical illusion, but then he realized that it actually wasn’t. From a distance, the strange objects resembled a log or a medium sized Boulder. Nevertheless, when Dan looked closer, he was horrified to realize that it was a man.
The driver’s heart skipped a beat and his hand instinctively reached out for the brakes. The fact was that the man was lying on the wheels and was not moving, and Dan realized that something must have happened to her. But then his partner, Jimmy, screamed out in surprise and pointed towards the forest near the railway track. At least a dozen bears jumped out of there. The predators instantly surrounded the man lying on the rails.
Good God, they’ll tear him to pieces, Dan thought, realizing that the unfortunate man desperately needed someone to help him. However, to his sincere amazement, the bears surrounded the man and, having raised their heads up, began to howl loudly. What are they doing? Jimmy asked. However, Dan didn’t have an answer to his question, since he was also at a loss and had no idea how to act in a situation like this.
The man has had to experience coming across forest predators in his life, but never once did they behave in such a strange way. Dan pulled on the brakes, and the freight train with a load of timber, began to slow down, but still continued to move for a bit. And then something happened that surprised both drivers even more, making them believe in miracles. Look at that, he’s getting up, Jimmy shouted, pointing to the man, who lay unconscious and showed no signs of life until recently. Anne was now kneeling down.
Instead, Dan looked away from the dashboard and saw what his partner was talking about with his own eyes. Meanwhile, the man got up and staggered off the track. Maybe he’s drunk, Dan thought. But when the train moved a bit further and caught up to the stranger and the bears surrounding him, Dan realized how wrong he was. The man who fell on the tracks turned out to be an elderly Forester who probably got overtired from a long walk around the territory.
He had a backpack on his back and a case with a small axe that was hanging off his belt. Moreover, the man wasn’t the least bit scared of the bears surrounding him. On the contrary, he stroked and petted the Brown predators. Are you all right? Dan shouted anxiously, leaning out of the driver’s cabin.
The Forester smiled and nodded his head. And the bears won’t harm you? Jimmy asked, coming to his curiosity. No, they will not harm me. They are not predators, they’re my friends, the Forester answered with a smile on his bearded face.
The drivers simply looked at each other and shook their heads in response. Neither of them had ever seen anything like this in their life, so they simply couldn’t find the words to comment on what just happened. Thus, having waved goodbye to the Forester, Jimmy and Dan continued on their way, gradually accelerating the train to its regular speed. All the rest of their journey, the drivers could only think about the strange old man that they had met on their way. Eventually, the emotions from what they had saw had subsided and the men went back to being completely focused on their work.
And about two weeks after the incident, Dan was walking about the city and accidentally met the same Forester from the railway, the one who was surrounded by bears as if they were his domestic dogs. Dan immediately recognized the old man and greeted him warmly. Then hesitating for a second or two, Dan asked the elderly man to tell him about what had recently happened that day on the railroad tracks. As it turned out, the Forester’s name was Jackie Simpson and he considered himself a hereditary Forester. His father, grandfather and great grandfather had all worked in forestry, so Mr.
Simpson’s choice to become a Forester didn’t surprise anyone in the family. Hearing this, Dan nodded his head respectfully, since he always highly appreciated the people who guarded the natural resources of his home state. Mr. Simpson had held his position for at least 30 years and knew the area entrusted to him like the back of his hand. Once making a detour, the old man came across a young she bear killed by hunters.
Three Brown baby bears were clinging to a cold body. Realizing that the Cubs would simply die without a mother, Mr. Simpson decided to take them in. Thus, the old man buried the shebear under a century old pine tree, placing a huge Boulder on her grave so that the smaller predators wouldn’t tear her body to pieces. Then Mr.
Simpson took off his jacket, put the Cubs in it and carried them home in his makeshift bag. There, the old man fed the little predators porridge and even treated them to dog biscuits, which they really liked. Three bears lived with Mr. Simpson’s house for about six months. Then, when they got stronger and bigger, they went to live in the forest with their relatives.
Nonetheless, whenever the three predators came across the elderly Forester, they would always recognize him and even come close. Over time, the bears rescued Mr. Simpson and had their own babies, but that did not prevent them from being friendly and affectionate with the old man. And that’s exactly what happened that day. The Forester got high blood pressure from a long journey and fainted right on the tracks.
Fortunately, Mr. Simpson’s forest friends were nearby at the time so they could quickly come to his rescue. What you just told me is simply incredible. Dan was very impressed by the old man’s story. That’s not all that surprising really because animals they’re just like people.
They remember when they are treated well and always reciprocate explained Mr. Simpson shaking hands with the young driver. Later in life Dan would often recount this amazing story to his son Roger sitting in front of the burning fireplace on long winter nights. Every time the loving father would tell his son the story about the bears on the railroad, he’d think that it would live forever and when the time came, Roger would tell his son about it. Thanks for reading.