Frankie Bear never thought when he waded out into the salt water that the events that followed would ever happen. Frankie figured he would have a saltwater fish for lunch and then take a well-deserved rest. It was not to be!

 Frankie Bear felt the water dragging on his fur. He was used to hunting in streams and lakes, but Frankie Bear wanted to try something new. If the fish were in the streams heading for the sea, it only made sense that he could find all kinds of them in the ocean. He would probably need a big net to collect them, but he could do that another day.

 Today he was tired and his eyes were getting heavy and numbness filled his body. Frankie Bear was a good fisherman, because no sooner did his eyes see the silver flash, than he had swiped and snatched up a big, juicy fish. Lunch was just seconds away.

 It was this tiredness that didn't make him 100 per cent alert, but it was a complete surprise when a big splash of water covered his head.

 "Drop that fish, that is my great-uncle Theodore," said a dolphin named Splashy.

 "He doesn't look like a relative of yours," said the bear, holding onto the fish.

 "He has my eyes, don't you think?" asked the dolphin.

 Freddie Bear looked Uncle Theodore face to face. "This is the craziest thing I ever heard," said the bear, dropping Uncle Theodore into his mouth and swallowing in one gulp.

 "So much for Uncle Theodore. He was very tasty!" said Frankie Bear, rubbing his belly.

 "That's what you think," said Splashy Dolphin, who immediately butted his head into the bear's stomach. Up came Uncle Theodore, who landed in the water and instantly swam away.

 "That was my lunch, thank-you very much," said the bear, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

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 "That was my great-uncle, thank-you very much," said the dolphin.

 Freddie Bear immediately made another swipe, bringing up another fish.

 "I suppose this is your sister?" he asked.

 "No, in fact, that is my great-aunt Victoria," said the dolphin.

 "Isn't there a fish I can eat?" asked the bear in desperation.

 "I think you should become a vegetarian. You could lose a few pounds as fish are full of oil. Oil is a no-no to any diet plan," suggested the dolphin.

 Freddie Bear had enough and turned to leave the water. "I suppose, if I found a can of tuna in a hunting camp, that is a relative too?"

 "Yes, Uncle Charlie ended up in a can of tuna," said Splashy Dolphin.

 Freddie Bear knew where there was a big bunch of juicy berries. Surely it had no relatives that would cause him any problems.

 Question about the story: What did the dolphin say the fish were full of that was a no-no for a diet plan?

 Send answers to Storytime, c/o Verna Dunlop, RR#1, Moser River, NS BOJ 2KO or e-mail the answer to the question to vernadunlop@yahoo.com. Prizes will be sent to those sending in the answer.

 Winner: Josie Rafuse was sent a prize to her home in Lunenburg County.

posted on 02/09/10