The Bears on Hemlock Mountain

Since his aunt does not know why he has visited, she does not wake Jonathan, and he keeps sleeping. When Jonathan finally wakes up, he realizes how late it is and rushes off to get home. Once he has walked for a while, he remembers why he went to his aunt’s house—for the big iron pot. Feeling silly, he returns. Aunt Emma gladly lends him the pot but is concerned to see Jonathan leave on his own since she believes that there might be bears on the mountain.

As Jonathan climbs the mountain, retracing his steps through his footprints in the snow, it begins to get dark. The forest is soon very dark, and he hears branches cracking and owls hooting. He continues to tell himself that there are no bears on the mountain. As Jonathan rests and talks to himself, he sees two huge figures moving toward him. He quickly digs into the snow and lays the pot over himself to hide.