Bear Attack!

It was a pleasant, sunny day in August in a coastal village in New Brunswick,

Canada. Damian and Danny both 16, decided to go for a walk on one of the
woodland trails near the village. The thought of danger on that trail never
crossed their minds, but within minutes they found themselves in an unusual
and terrifying three-hour ordeal!

Life is often like that, isnt it? Things seem to be going quite smoothly, but
then suddenly, without warning, there is a serious accident or disease which
changes everything. Gods Word, the holy Bible, says in Proverbs 27:1 Boast
not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.

Very soon Danny and Damian saw an osprey nest in a tree in a blueberry field
and stopped on the trail to look at it. They became aware that everything was
strangely quiet too quiet. When they looked around, there, about 30 feet
behind them, was a large, black bear! It gave the boys quite a start, but they
werent too afraid because they had read that black bears were shy and
passive. They began to slowly walk away.

Suddenly the bear charged them! The boys knew there was no chance of
outrunning the bear, and due to a recent forest fire there were no trees to
climb. They hit the dirt and played dead, tucking in their arms and legs. They
desperately hoped the bear would lose interest in them and go away.
However, for some unknown reason, this bear was not reacting like most
black bears.

He circled the two boys, sniffed them, reared up, whacked the bushes beside
them, and even bit Damians shoe. After a while he seemed to lose interest in
them, so the terrified boys made a dash for freedom. But this sparked the
bears interest in them again, and he chased them. The bear was about to
them, so they wisely played dead again.

Once more the bear circled them, then reared up on his hind legs. The two
friends, frozen with fear, could hear his heavy breathing. Time seemed to
stand still, but in reality several hours passed. The bear was in no hurry.

What followed was the worst part of all. The bear sniffed Damian and then
Danny. Going back to Damian he pushed his snout in Damians ribs and tried
to roll him over. Damian braced himself. Back to Danny again. The bear pulled
off his boot, licked his leg and heel, and then bit Dannys heel! After licking
Dannys toes he bit into the big toe! He licked Dannys elbow next, and then
decided to chew on the rubber boot for a while. Then he went back to Damian
and bit him in his back parts, then to Danny, biting him in the same place.

Just when the boys thought he was retreating again, the bear decided to
circle them another time. He pulled off Dannys other boot and chewed on it.
Finally, the bear retreated.

The two injured boys scrambled to their feet. They figured the bear might
chase them again, so they ran as fast as they could to the end of the trail.
They ran to the first house they saw and, thankfully, found the front door
unlocked and ran right in. The angry bear, close behind, ripped clothes off the
clothesline and tore the screen on the neighbors back door. But Danny and
Damian were safe at last!

PORTUGUS
Atacados Por Um Urso!

Era um agradvel e ensolarado dia de agosto em um vilarejo na costa de New

Bruswick, Canad. Damian e Danny, ambos com dezesseis anos, resolveram
dar uma caminhada em uma das trilhas da floresta prxima aldeia. Nunca
lhes passou pela cabea que pudesse existir qualquer perigo em andar por
aquelas trilhas, mas no demorou para que se achassem envolvidos nas mais
aterradoras trs horas de suas vidas.
Geralmente a vida assim. As coisas parecem estar bem tranquilas at que,
de repente, sem nenhum aviso, acontece um acidente srio ou surge uma
doena grave que muda tudo. A Palavra de Deus, a Bblia sagrada, nos diz
em Provrbios 27.1: No presumas do dia de amanh, porque no sabes o
que ele trar.

Logo Danny e Damian encontraram um ninho de guia-pescadora sobre uma

rvore em meio a um campo de amoreiras, e pararam para observ-lo. Eles

notaram que tudo estava estranhamente quieto quieto at demais. Quando

olharam para trs, a menos de dez metros deles havia um enorme urso
negro! Aquilo causou um imenso susto nos rapazes, mas no tiveram muito
medo, pois haviam lido que os ursos negros costumam evitar as pessoas.
Eles comearam ento a se afastar vagarosamente.

Mas, de repente, o urso comeou a correr em direo a eles. Os rapazes

sabiam que impossvel se escapar de um urso correndo, e bem no lugar
onde estavam no havia uma rvore baixa onde pudessem subir. Valendo-se
de um ltimo recurso, usado por caadores em situaes semelhantes, os
dois se jogaram no cho e fingiram estar mortos, encolhendo-se para
protegerem os braos e as pernas. Eles esperavam desesperadamente que o
urso perdesse o interesse neles e fosse embora. Porm, por alguma razo
desconhecida, o urso no estava reagindo como a maioria dos ursos negros.

Ele andou ao redor dos rapazes, cheirou-os, ergueu-se sobre as patas

traseiras, deu tapas nos arbustos que havia atrs deles, e at mordeu o
sapato de Damian. Depois de algum tempo, j parecia ter perdido o interesse
nos rapazes; foi o suficiente para que os dois sassem em disparada,
tentando fugir. Mas aquilo despertou novamente o interesse do urso, que
passou a persegui-los. O urso estava quase alcanando os dois, quando
novamente resolveram fingir que estavam mortos.

Mais uma vez o urso andou ao redor deles, e voltou a se erguer sobre as
patas traseiras. Os dois amigos, petrificados de medo, podiam escutar a
respirao do urso prximo a eles. O tempo parecia haver parado, mas na
verdade algumas horas se passaram. O urso parecia no ter pressa.

O que se seguiu foi a pior parte. O urso cheirou Damian e depois Danny.
Voltando para Damian, enfiou seu focinho por debaixo do brao do rapaz e
tentou vir-lo de barriga para cima. Damian ficou firme, todo encolhido. O
urso voltou-se para Danny. Arrancou sua bota, lambeu sua perna e calcanhar,
e ento mordeu o calcanhar de Danny! Depois de lamber os dedos do p de
Danny, deu uma mordida em seu dedo! Ento passou a lamber o cotovelo
de Danny, e resolveu mastigar um pouco a bota de borracha. Voltou-se outra
vez para Damian deu-lhe vrias mordidas nas costas e ndegas, fazendo o
mesmo com Danny.

Quando os jovens pensaram que o urso estava desistindo outra vez, ele
resolveu voltar a andar ao redor dos rapazes novamente. Arrancou a outra
bota de Danny e a mastigou. Finalmente o urso se afastou.

Os dois rapazes, feridos, puseram-se em p. Achando que o urso poderia

voltar a persegui-los, correram o mais que podiam at o fim da trilha. Foram
em direo primeira casa que encontraram e, felizmente, a porta da frente
estava destrancada. Nem bem haviam entrado, chegou o urso feroz,
arrancou as roupas do varal e rasgou a tela que havia na porta dos fundos.
Mas agora Danny e Damian estavam a salvo!

The Stairs

When I was growing up, we lived in a little house with a full basement. Mom
made the basement cozy with a rug covering the concrete floor and a couch
and chair that we could play on. My brothers and I played down there a lot,
and that was where we kept most of our toys and the things we treasured.
We went up and down those wooden stairs many times, and after a while
they began to look pretty scuffed and scruffy. Mom decided she was going to
paint them. That was in the days before quick-drying paints came into use,
and it would take a full day for the paint to dry.

A couple of hours before Mom began to paint, she told us to bring up

anything from the basement that we would be wanting during that day.
Think hard, she said, and be sure to bring up everything you might want to
play with.

The three of us I was 10, my little brother Robby was 6, and my big brother
was older than I all scrambled downstairs and gathered up our prized
possessions. Then Mom painted the stairs.

It wasnt long after she had finished that I remembered something else I
needed. Yes, I really needed it! It was very important, and I needed it right

now!

I went to the top of the stairs and studied them. My legs were long, and I was
pretty good at going down four steps at a time. So I thought, If I hold onto
the banister, Ill only need to touch the very edge of three steps. That would
leave only three tiny marks in the fresh paint. Mom likely wont even notice,
I told myself. So I went down as I had planned.

I looked back at the stairs. Not very obvious, I thought, quite pleased with
myself.

I found my forgotten treasure and returned to go back up the stairs. Whoops!

Coming down had been one thing; going up would be quite different. Its
difficult to jump up stairs. I looked around at the basement windows. They
were much too small to crawl through. Why didnt I think of this before?, I
scolded myself.

Now, with my treasure in my hands, it would be harder to balance on the

edge of the steps. But I couldnt stay in the basement all day. There was
nothing to do but climb those freshly painted stairs.

By the time I reached the top, my shoes were sticky with paint and the marks
of my climb were left very plainly behind me. I took of my shoes and ran to
my bedroom where I buried myself in the bedcovers and waited. I was sad
and sorry that I had messed up Moms paint job.

Tears were already trickling down my face when I heard my mothers voice.
Robby! Why did you go down those stairs? she asked my little brother
angrily.

I didnt, Mom, he answered. But since Robby always seemed to be getting

into trouble, Mom didnt believe him. And then I heard Robby crying as she
began to punish him.

Oh no!, I thought. I cant let Robby take my punishment thats not fair! I
ran out of my bedroom, crying, He didnt do it, Mom. I did! Its all my fault.

PORTUGUS
A Escada

Quando criana, morvamos em uma pequena casa com um grande poro.

Mame tornou o poro confortvel com um tapete que cobria todo o cho de
concreto e uma poltrona e cadeira com as quais podamos brincar. Meus
irmos e eu brincvamos muito l embaixo, e era ali que guardvamos a
maior parte de nossos brinquedos e as coisas que eram valiosas para ns.
Subamos e descamos aqueles degraus de madeira diversas vezes, e logo
eles comearam a ficar bastante gastos e sujos. Mame resolveu pint-los.
Isto foi na poca antes que existissem tintas de secagem rpida, e levaria um
dia inteiro para a tinta secar.

Algumas horas antes de Mame comear a pintar, ela nos disse para levar
para cima tudo o que estava no poro que pudssemos querer durante o dia.
Pensem bem, ela disse, e certifiquem-se de trazer para cima tudo aquilo
com que iro querer brincar.

Ns trs eu tinha 10 anos, meu irmozinho Robby tinha 6, e meu irmo

mais velho era maior que eu descemos aos empurres e juntamos as coisas
de que gostvamos. Depois Mame pintou a escada.

No foi muito tempo depois de ela ter terminado que me lembrei de algo
mais de que precisava. Sim, eu precisava mesmo daquilo! Era algo muito
importante, e eu precisava j!

Fui at o topo da escada e analisei os degraus. Minhas pernas eram

compridas, e eu era bom em descer quatro degraus de cada vez. Assim,
pensei, Se me segurar no corrimo, s vou precisar tocar a beiradinha de
trs degraus. Isso s deixaria trs pequenas marcas na tinta fresca. Mame
provavelmente nem perceberia, pensei comigo. Ento desci a escada como

tinha planejado.

Olhei para trs, para os degraus. Nem dava para perceber, pensei, bem
satisfeito comigo mesmo.

Achei meu tesouro esquecido e virei-me para voltar a subir a escada. pa!
Descer era uma coisa; subir seria bem diferente. difcil subir uma escada
pulando degraus. Olhei as janelas do poro. Eram muito pequenas para
passar por elas. Por que no pensei nisto antes?, censurei a mim mesmo.

Quando cheguei ao topo, meus sapatos estavam grudentos com a tinta e as

marcas de minha subida ficaram bem evidentes atrs de mim. Tirei meus
sapatos e corri para meu quarto onde me enfiei sob as cobertas da cama e
esperei. Estava triste e arrependido por ter estragado a pintura de Mame.

As lgrimas j comeavam a escorrer por minha face quando escutei a voz

irada de minha me. Robby! Por que voc desceu a escada? perguntou
brava a meu irmozinho.

Eu no desci, Mame, respondeu ele. Mas j que Robby parecia estar

sempre se metendo em confuso, Mame no acreditou nele. A escutei
Robby chorando quando ela comeou a castig-lo.

Oh no!, pensei. No posso deixar Robby levar meu castigo no justo!

Corri para fora de meu quarto, chorando, Ele no fez isso, Mame. Fui eu!
tudo culpa minha.