Mutual understanding

A man is tired of his work and now lies on the sofa. He keeps his eyes closed to allow them to rest a bit. The world's noises and roaring sounds from the streets begin to fade away while the man's mind is slowly falling asleep. While he sleeps, the voices of true sleep thunder into the room.

All the bears that have been sitting on the sofa, seek their way to the man. The calm and peaceful togetherness make them feel happy.

A white-nosed black bear has pressed itself in the man's arms. With its ears curiously pricked up, it listens to the snoring voices the man utters. Finally, it raises its nose and responds to the man with a chary growl. The man reacts to the growl by changing the tone and rhythm of his snoring.

The bear and the man keep on growling and snarling in turns. The other bears are listening to the chat, looking at the man with a smile rippling on their snouts.

The man wakes up rested. He rubs all the bears between their ears and starts to tell them about his dreams. Without noticing it, he speaks in bear language.

Read the original story in Finnish