.

Marva and Barney were going to be going into hibernation for the first time since the cubs moved into their own dens. Marva was not looking forward to the foraging that always preceded their winter nap. looked up from her computer. 

Marva: Dolly just sent me information about the best place to go this winter.

Barney: What do you mean by go away this winter? We hibernate. All we need to do is make sure we’ve eaten enough and have enough covering to stay warm.

Marva: Don’t be so old-fashioned. Everyone is going to lodges for the winter now.

Barney: Who is everyone? I don’t know anyone who is leaving the neighborhood for hibernation.

Marva: Well, Dolly’s cousin Ellie is lodging, and so are all her friends.

Barney: Isn’t Ellie the one who thought it would be a good idea to build hives so she could raise her own honey?

Marva: It would have been a good idea if she hadn’t had the hives so close to the den. Who would have thought those cute little bees could be so violent? She still has scars on the side of her nose. Besides, this is different.

Barney: So what’s her brilliant idea this time?

Marva: Come over and look at the pictures. It really looks nice. It’s called Forest Dreams.

Barney: It looks like some kind of barracks.

Marva: No, silly. There’s a main room and hallways going out in a bunch of directions to the sleep rooms. The main room is where you eat until you’re at hibernation weight. Then you go to one of the sleeping dens for the winter.

Barney: That looks like our den. Why do you want to spend money to go someplace that’s just like home?

Marva: It’s like our place, but without all the work. It would be a treat.

Barney: Why are the ads full of rabbits? I don’t want to sleep with a bunch of rabbits. They don’t hibernate.

Marva: That’s the beauty of it. The rabbits do all the work for us. They gather the honey, nuts and berries. They even have fish and insects to eat. It’s an all-you-can-eat buffet. Then they clean while we sleep. There’s more food to get us started in the spring.

Barney: I don’t know it seems kind of silly to me. Bears have been hibernating for years without the help of rabbits.

Marva: Wouldn’t it be nice to just show up and get all the food you want rather than needing to fight other bears?

Barney: I guess. If it’s really what you want to do, we can try it.

Barney and Marva arrive at Forest Dreams, and register for their room. They hear a loud, angry bear at one of the desks.

Barney: My goodness. He really doesn’t sound happy. I wonder what’s wrong.

Marva: I think I heard something about sharing space. I wonder if he didn’t get the room he wanted.

Clerk: Unfortunately, he didn’t read the agreement. It says that in case of overbooking, we reserve the right to make you share your space.

Marva: For the entire winter?

Clerk. It usually happens if we have two single bears taking up two of our sleeping pods. There’s plenty of room for at least two bears in each of the pods.

Barney: Thank goodness there are two of us.

Clerk: That’s correct, we won’t be putting anyone in with you unless there’s an emergency. Have you read the rules for staying at Forest Dreams?

Marva: I read what’s on your website.

Clerk: Then you’re aware that once you’ve moved into your pod, you are not allowed to leave Forest Dreams until the end of the winter. We lock the doors on November 15 and open them on March 15.

Barney: Isn’t that a little early for a full hibernation? Can we stay longer if there’s still snow?

Clerk: Unfortunately, the building is used in the summer as a camp for humans. We need to clean it thoroughly between groups. They really don’t like the old fish smell.

Barney: How long does the all-you-can-eat buffet stay open?

Clerk: It’s pretty much until we run out of food. It depends on the clientele. Generally the honey and fish are gone pretty quickly. But we usually have enough insects and nuts to last until everyone is asleep.

Barney: What if I want a mid-winter snack?

Clerk: We have a fully stocked granola bar all winter.

Marva: And in the spring?

Clerk: We send you on your way with a basket of goodies. All bear-approved.

Barney: I guess we better get eating.

Come back in the spring, when we’ll find out whether Barney and Marva enjoyed their stay at Forest Dreams.

Pictures courtesy of Google Images