Liam the gnome loved mushrooms. He loved to eat them, create sculptures with them, and write stories about them. He even lived in a giant mushroom he had lovingly crafted into the perfect gnome home. And he showed off his mushroom garden to everyone who visited.
So, when humans found his forest and started stomping through it, heedlessly crushing everything—including his beloved mushrooms—in their path, he declared war.
Liam enlisted the help of the other forest denizens in removing the unwanted pests. After all, the forest was their home too.
Liam placed nettles in the humans’ path, though they weren’t very helpful, given that the big oafs were wearing shoes. The birds and squirrels were more effective.
The squirrels pelted the humans with nuts from high up in the surrounding trees. The birds dropped foul-smelling stinkhorn and…well…other things that shouldn’t be mentioned in polite company.
But the humans persisted in their journey through the woods. They made even more noise and started throwing nuts back at the squirrels and birds.
Undaunted, Liam visited his friend, Humbert. The bear opened sleepy eyes, let out an almighty yawn, then sat up, stretching.
“What is it, Liam?” Humbert asked. “You look upset.”
“I am upset,” Liam huffed. He explained his problem to the bear.
“Humans, eh?” Humbert said. “No guns or spears?”
“No, no weapons. Just big, clumsy feet.”
Liam didn’t mean any offense by the mention of big feet. And Humbert didn’t take any. His feet, though quite large, were anything but clumsy.
Humbert followed Liam to where the humans now were fast approaching the gnome’s mushroom home. “Wait here,” Humbert said, stepping past his friend.
Liam moved aside to let the bear lead, but he wanted to watch the humans get their comeuppance. He laughed with glee as Humbert charged out of a bush and down the hill, roaring at the top of his lungs.
The humans took one look at the bear, and all started to emit a high-pitched sound that hurt Liam’s ears. It was worth it, though, because they also turned tail and ran.
Liam thanked his friend and returned to his perfect little gnome home, promising himself that he would pick some berries to bring the bear as a thank you. For today, though, he settled into his favorite chair to watch the ladybugs play hide and seek in his mushroom garden. Tomorrow would be soon enough.
This story was inspired by the image, one of several such I created on Midjourney. It reads like a story for younger children, I think, but the subject matter is likely not appropriate for that age group. So I’m dedicating this story to the little kid in all of us.
Cute. I'll definitely stay "on trail" from this day forward 😁
We all need a kindly bear as a best friend!