George Junior's story

Synopsis of yesterday's episode: The sea voyage continues. Sweet Suzie Bear describes life on the sea in her journal. She enjoys swimming with dolphins and she wonders at the flying fish that are attracted to the ship's lights.

From the journal of George Junior: When I was ten years old, my dad and I got lost at sea and were rescued by Bearnacle Bear. My dad had just started working as a fisherman and he wasn't very good at steering his boat. So we got lost and we drifted aimlessly until the bears rescued us. It was an amazing experience because my dad was a prison guard and Bearnacle had been kept in the prison for, I think, two years. My dad said that he was very mean when he was a prison guard. After Bearnacle ran away, my dad understood that he had treated Bearnacle and others badly. He said that he did not like the person whom he became and he tried to change himself so that he could share kindness with others. He learned how to catch fish so that people could eat and be well fed. My dad talked about "paying it forward," but I never really understood. I think that it means that, if someone does you a favor, you do the same favor for a third person, preferably someone who doesn't expect it.
Anyway, my dad and Bearnacle ended up by becoming good friends. After Bearnacle brought us safely back home, he stayed with our family for about a week. He told us story after story about the sea, and my dad was happy that he had become a fisherman.
Being on the bears' ship after we were rescued was a real adventure for me. I was so happy to be there. I got to see every part of the ship. My favorite part was the galley, where all of the food was made. I was permitted to help prepare the food. That experience changed my life. Until then, I never thought of anything besides skipping rocks on the water and throwing snowballs and chasing my cousin through the house. After that, I thought about food. I thought about cooking food and baking food and I became a cook, sometimes in a restaurant and sometimes in ships.
My dad and I were happy to be invited to come on the bears' voyage to visit the Land of the Giants. My dad said that we can learn a lot from the bears. My best friend among the bears is Sweet Suzie Bear. She found art in the Land of the Humans and I found cooking on the bears' ship.
I spent the morning looking at a few of the paintings that Sweet Suzie Bear has made on her various sea voyages. But now, I'm going to go bake a really big cake because dinner will be our last meal aboard this ship.
Early tomorrow morning, we will land on the shores of the Land of the Giants.
I've never seen a real giant up close. I've heard the legends of Big Foot. I don't know whether to believe them or not. I'd rather just see the giants for myself.
Off I go. The cake won't bake itself.

Tomorrow: The Bear Ship arrives at the Land of the Giants, where everyone and everything are really large. A special meal is served, followed by entertainment (storytelling).