one of their favorite bears in all Bear Country. But today was different. For one thing, their stomachs were already growling, and Gramps was one of Beartownâs slowest walkers. If he walked them to the Pizza Shack, they might faint from hunger before they got there! For another thing, even supposing they didnât faint from hunger on their way to the Pizza Shack, what if Gramps invited himself to have lunch with them? After all, this was their very first day of summer buddyhood, and in that kind of situationâwell, twoâs company and threeâs a crowd, as the saying goes.
âBeautiful day, eh?â said Gramps as they began inching their way down the sidewalk. âWhat are you cubs up to?â
âPizza Shack,â said Brother. âWeâre starving.â
Gramps noticed that both cubs looked a little tense. They were staring straight ahead, as if they were afraid of what he might say next. He chuckled and said, âOh, donât worry. Iâm not gonna invite myself to have lunch with you. And Iâll only walk with you as far as Grizzly Avenue.â
The cubs relaxed.
âBet I know where youâre headed afterward,â Gramps said. âThe same place Iâm headed now. The Bearsonian Institution.â
Brother shook his head. âWhy would we want to go to the Bearsonian, Gramps?â he said. âWeâve been there at least a million times.â
âDidnât you know?â said Gramps. âThereâs a special exhibit on the Great Bear War in the Hall of Bear Country History. This week only.â
âWeâre going out to Birderâs Woods for a hike,â said Fred. âThen, if thereâs time, weâll play some catch at the schoolyard.â
âYou mean you came all the way downtown just to have lunch?â said Gramps. âThat seems kinda odd.â
âNo, it doesnât,â said Brother. âThereâs nothing to do in this town, anyway. Except eat pizza.â
âOr burgers,â added Fred. He had wanted to go to the Burger Bear for lunch, but Brother had held out for pizza.
âYou gotta be kiddinâ,â said Gramps. âWhat about takinâ in a matinee at the Bearjou Theater?â
âThe Bearjouâs an old dump,â said Fred. âIt doesnât even have cup holders.â
âAnd it never runs the kind of movies we like,â said Brother.
âSuch as what?â asked Gramps.
âSuch as weird sci-fi thrillers and creepy, disgusting horror movies,â said Brother.
âYeah!â said Fred. âLike Invasion of the Bruin Snatchers and The Eyeballs from Outer Space .â
âThank goodness for that,â Gramps muttered to himself. Then, to the cubs, he said, âI guess you have a real gripe there.â
âYou bet we do,â said Brother. âIâm tellinâ you, Gramps, this place is Dullsville. Right, Fred?â
Fred was about to nod in agreement, but suddenly he stopped walking and stared straight ahead. Somehow they had reached the corner of Bruin Street and Grizzly Avenue without noticing the long fence just across the street. âHey, thatâs new,â said Fred. âWhatâs it all about?â
The fence was painted in all kinds of bright, jazzy colors with the words: WATCH THIS SPACE FOR THE MOST EXCITING DEVELOPMENT IN THE HISTORY OF BEARTOWN!
âHmm,â said Gramps. âDonât know what itâs all about. But whatever it is, it sure doesnât look like it belongs in âDullsville.ââ
They crossed the street and sidled up to the fence. Brother peered through a crack, but all he could see was a bunch of building materials piled and stacked in various places. He turned to Gramps and said, âMaybe itâll be something really cool!â
But Gramps had already decided it wouldnât be. Gramps wasnât a big fan of change, especially when it happened in the town