half-page (#2048)

                           Song of Bear
     
       "Well, I don't either," she snapped, "I don't know if it's
     somethin' in our eyes, or our heads, or our bellies, or what.  I
     only know that it's got somethin' to do with the light, and
     since everybody around here goes to bed at about the same
     time, and gets up at about the same time . . . do you under-
     stand how and why the geese go south?  Then why do you
     have to understand this?"
       She puttered around the kitchen for a few minutes, sucking
     her lip, making tsk-tsk noises with her tongue, shooting
     sideways looks at me, and then she smiled and sat down at
     the table with me, and took my hand.
       "Used to be women weren't allowed to go up the mountain
     durin' their time.  Because of the bears.  Bears got big sharp
     noses, and they'd smell the blood of Womantime, and think
     it was a female bear, and try to mate.  Prob'ly didn't intend
     any harm, but bein' hugged by a big male bear is a good way
     to wind up in bad shape.  So the waitin' house was always
     protected from the bears, and women stayed out of the
     mountains."
       "There was a young woman who obeyed all the laws of
     cleanliness, and never went to the hills durin' her period, and
     did all the things we're supposed to do, but got loved by a
     bear anyway.  What it was, the bear saw her, and just fell in
     love.  Just as soft, and sappy, and foolish as anybody is when
     love lightin' hits her.  The bear figured the young woman
     would be afraid, so it hid in the bushes and never tried to
     touch her or speak to her, it just watched.  Watched with its
     little round eyes, and shook with love.  Watched the young
     woman fishin' and watched her gatherin' berries.  Watched her
     walkin', and watched her laughin' for days.  Shakin' with love
     and feelin' there would never be any hope for this love."
       "Well, one day the young woman came back from gatherin'
     food and she stopped at the freshwater pool and took a bath.
     Stripped off all her clothes, walked slowly to the pool, and
     swam around a bit.  Stood in the water halfway up her legs and
     bent over to wash her face.  Lay back in the water and wash-
     ed her hair.  Stood up with her hair drippin' wet down her
     back, and rubbed her body with soft sand, and twisted this
     
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