The cubses meet a fish on their camping trip

Well, Med Tiger was right that the cubses were camping, but it was not all brick and concrete ... a pond was involved, and to the cubses' horror, they learned that some cruelty was afoot with the nice fish that lived in that pond. The cubses were down at the pond's edge, wondering what Spotty was up to and missing him, when a fish swam over to them and explained the problem the fish were having.

"There is this awful thing called fishing," the fish explained, "and you would think from the name that it means fish having fun, going about their fishy business and doing fishy things ... like swimming and sometimes jumping ..."

The cubses leaned in close.



"It is not that AT ALL," continued the fish. "Big creatures called homans or whomins or something like that go into that shop over there and buy something called bait. They put it on a sharp hook and put the hook in our pond. A lot of us are onto this trick. We swim in the opposite directions when we see little tastey morsels just hanging around looking innocent. But many of the younger fish, secially the babies, fall for the trick. And some of our elders who have failing eyesight and can't make out that there is a thin piece of plastic string attached to the nibble ..."

"Why on earth are humanses doing this?" asked Arunacub. "What is the trick FOR?"

"They think it is great fun!" said the fish.

"FUN?"

"Yes, well, you see, the gullible fish swallow the bait ... and then get dragged up out of the pond into the air where they can't breathe. Then there is often lots of cheering and shouting of CAUGHT ONE! and HOW BIG and such."

Tirucub paced back and forth in distress, hearing this. "Do they not understand the fish are Bhagavan?" he asked quietly.

"Then what?" Arunacub dared to ask the fish. "What happens next with this "FUN"?"

"In this pond, the hrumins have to throw us back in ... some ponds they take us away and ... and ... and ... eat us. But here that is not allowed. They drag the hook back out and they are supposed to put us back in so someone else can have the fun of doing it all over again. But the shock of being in the air, and the ordeal of having the hook pulled out ... some of us die. Specially the babies. Other have to carry on life with the sorest throat you can imagine."

The fish looked back up and saw only two cubs were listening. "Sorry if I upset the littlest," he said kindly.

But Omcub was dashing to the store. He saw the sign.



And there below were the stacks of bait. By some fluke Arunacub had found a huge wad of money earlier when they were walking. Omcub ran back and got Arunacub and Tirucub. They bought all the jars of bait.

When they got back to the pond they gave all the jars to the fish.

"You give them to your friends directly, " Om said. "We don't want them to get careless about eating floating bait."

"Thank you!" said the fish, and he called his friends for a little feast.

All that weekend, people came to the shop looking for bait.

"Sorry, fresh out," the owners had to keep explaining.

Some humans tried to fish without bait.

The cubses watched from the shore. None of the fish fell for the unbaited hook. They were busy having their feast on the other side of the pond and talking about the cubses who had listened to their plight with such compassion.



Mysteriously, all attempts to order or find or bring in more bait for that pond failed, from that day on. Bait suppliers did not answer their phones. People bringing their own bait lost it on the way to the pond. The shop owners always forgot the reason for their outing when they went out to buy a new supply.

Never again was a fish caught there. Over time, the stories got more and more dramatic about what sorts of creatures had lowered things into the water, and why. Fish told their their children, and the children told their children, and all would swim in circles of relief that those days were long past.

(post mostly by omcub)