Story Shorts: Adventures at Merry Creek with The Bear and Trout

Raina and Porter circa 2012 in Canyon Creek where we watched the fish swim under our horses years before this day.

Welcome to Story Shorts, where I construct an arbitrary piece of varying length and theme that lets me scratch my creative writing itch and allows me to pretend I am an author! Any one want to edit or illistrate this story someday? Enjoy <3

To have an adventure at Merry Creek, you must be at Merry Creek. Sometimes an entire adventure can happen just getting there!

Today is one such day.

Clancy, a strong boy with cinnamon toast-colored hair and dark eyes, was very proficient at loading the truck and trailer. He knew that if he planned and packed well, he would be ready for any extra adventures that might happen along the way.

Those unexpected adventures that had a way of happening were often more extraordinary than any arranged.

That day's adventure could begin with the big red dually truck and long silver livestock trailer loaded!

Trusty Rusty, Clancy's dog, rode at the ready in the back of the truck. He was quite tall and trim, which made him fast, and the color of hot cocoa when the mini marshmallows melted and swirled around the steamy mug.

In the trailer were two horses. One was honey-colored with white patches that looked like continents on a world globe, his name was Boe. The other was a rich brown with a black mane and tail and a big white circle between his large brown eyes, his name was Porter.

Saddles, bridles, hay, and water buckets for Boe and Porter were packed neatly, along with a giant box filled with yummy food and cooking supplies for Clancy and his companion.

As a boy who grew a little bit bigger each day, Clancy was still not quite big enough to drive the truck yet. But adventures are always best shared, so he was okay with his Marma taking him on adventures!

Sometimes the way to Merry Creek was straight. Sometimes it was slow and curvy. The High Road was straight and fast with all its cars and trucks. They looked for huge dump trucks today.

The curvy roads were far more exciting. Each bend revealed something new.

Now they bumped along on a gravel backroad. Very tall trees lined their way through the thick forest of Merry Creek. They swerved this way and that way. Clancy watched chipmunks race their big red truck and long silver trailer.

They rounded a particularly tight curve and couldn't believe their eyes! Marma locked up the brakes, the trailer threatening to jack-knife as they slid to a stop on the loose gravel. Right in front of them was the biggest, blackest bear either one of them had ever seen!

The bear was on her way to Merry Creek too. Almost being hit by such a big rig scared her. As soon as she could contain her fright, she turned away from the truck and ran into the forest.

"Careful, Marma! Don't want to hit a big hungry bear!" Clancy warned.

Once at Merry Creek, they started a fire. Over the crackling blaze, they cooked up sausages and flipped sizzling pancakes. This meal would fill them up for a big, long adventure! Clancy sent links and pancake frisbees flying into Rusty’s mouth, so he was full too.

They rode their horses past tufts of red Indian Paintbrush and little spires of purple lupine flowers. The shade from tall ponderosa pines with red and black bark kept them cool. As they followed the trail, the horses brushed up against manzanita bushes and bows of fragrant fir trees.

Soon the sound of Merry Creek filled their ears. They trotted Boe and Porter the rest of the way, eager to reach their destination.

They rode right into the rushing creek. After such a long trail, the horses enjoyed the cool water that soothed their feet and knees.

"Hope we don't see that bear." Clancy said as he looked around. She might not be too happy to see them after they had almost hit her!

Clancy looked into the creek, watching how the water made it look like the rocky creek bed was moving. Rays of sunshine glinted on the top of the rapids, blinking so brightly that Clancy had to squint.

Suddenly he realized that something was moving in the creek!

"Clancy, look in the water! Bull Trout!" Marma pointed down at the rapids.

There were dozens of them. No, hundreds of them! Ruddy and wriggling upstream, fighting the current.

Clancy watched as they darted through the horses' legs and swam under their bellies. Did the horses know?

Just then a big one, longer than Clancy's arm, swam right into Boe's hind leg. Boe didn't know it was just a harmless fish, for all he knew it was a huge, hungry creek monster ready to gobble him up in one nasty bite!

Boe leaped into the air with Clancy riding high on his back! He let out a yelp as he tried to pull up on his reins to stop Boe from bolting out of the creek and into the forest.

Just as Boe came plunging back into the water after his giant ballerina leap, they all froze as they heard the most fierce noise they'd ever heard before.

It was the deepest, loudest, wildest grrr-growl ever!

The bear had gotten to Merry Creek, and she was not happy to be scared by them again!

She was hungry after such a long run and fright, and now she couldn't even catch a fish for her lunch. She was scared when they had almost hit her with a big truck and trailer, and she was scared to see them now, but her fear had turned into frustration. She was angry!

On Merry Creek's bank, she stood on her thick, muscled hind legs and let out another wild roar at the horses and riders.

She loomed over them, frightening them so much that they couldn't dare to move. How would they get out of this scary adventure?

Rusty came bounding into the creek, barking as loudly and ferociously as he could muster. He stood between his family and the bear and gave another heroic bark before turning his attention to the creek. Plunging his nose into the creek he searched the water. The bear, horses, and riders watched curiously as he put his head deeper and deeper until his eyeballs were even under the water.

If they weren't all so scared, they'd have laughed at the spectacle!

With a jerk of his head, Rusty reared out of the water with a giant red bull trout flopping in his jaws! He bounded out of the water, up the bank, and tossed the succulent fish to the bear.

The bear came down off her hind legs and sniffed the fish. She was very happy to be offered such a tasty peace offering. She crunched the trout in her massive teeth and turned away to go eat her tasty treat alone.

Rusty had saved them and made the bear happy.

He caught them another big trout that they took back to their camp. Marma cooked it over the fire, and then they devoured it for dinner as they told stories of their adventures that day.

About Merry Creek

This is another story I drummed up early in the morning while the house was silent and the world outside was still dark. I have more editing and tweaking as the beginning doesn’t line up with the rest of the story for me, but I would rather share it than sit on it!

Clancy’s imagination fully inspires it. Every day we pretend to camp at a place he made up called Merry Creek. We cook eggs or pancakes over a fire and then go on adventures before returning to camp at Merry Creek.

This fictitious creek reminds me of my adventures with my mom on horseback along Canyon Creek. We really did have huge fish swimming around and under us, as we watered and crossed the creek. We never ran into a bear while riding, but I have been with my dad when a bear came running across the road in front of us on our way to camp.

I include our old dog, Rusty, as a way for him to live on. I call myself Marma to have my mom in the story since that was one of our nicknames for her.

Clancy is a passionate storyteller and listener; to lace in stories from my childhood is a real treat. I hope someday we can ride into Canyon Creek and see these fish as I did with my mom and horses.