Once upon a time there lived a very small bear. One clear morning, he found himself on a shelf in what he later learned was a gift shop at Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The trek there had been long and arduous, and he had felt a little sick and a whole lot scared.. He had been packed in boxes with other bears - big ones that elbowed him out of the way, and small ones that were as frightened as he was. When his box was unceremoniously dropped on the floor, he quickly ducked his head to avoid the sharp box opener that ripped through the tape keeping the box closed. The young college-aged clerk grabbed handfuls of his companions and pulled them out of the box - he kept doing that until it was finally the bear's turn to be lifted up and dumped on a shelf with the other stuffed animals. What would happen next? Is this where he would be forever?
Later that day, a very tall man and a short woman with dark hair walked by his shelf. They stopped and looked at all of the stuffed animals. He knew he wasn't very special, that he looked just like the other small bears, but he liked these two people, and he hoped they noticed him. Amazingly, the woman picked him up. "Isn't he cute?: she told the man. The bear's heart dropped when she sat him gently back on the shelf, and walked away. He didn't know why, but he felt his heart break a little. "Come back!" he thought.
And then they did. The woman picked him up again, and said, "Let's get him. We'll take him with us, and take pictures with him in the park..
"Sounds good," said the man.
"Do you like this one?" she asked. Please, please please like me! the bear thought.
"Yes, he has personality." The bear's heart leapt. He had personality! He didn't know what that meant, but he was happy about it.
The college kid scanned the bear's tag at the check-out counter, and dropped him into a plastic bag. The world began to bounce as he was carried out of the store and outside. Outside!
The next thing he knew, the woman had pulled him out of the bag and sat him in a planter. She took his picture with a large camera and with her phone. When the man walked up, she said, "I think his name is Parker. Parker the Bear. Because he's from a national park."
He had a name! He had personality (whatever that was)! He was outside!
They walked to the car, and the woman sat him on the dashboard. Full of excitement, he watched the trees go by as they drove. There was sunshine, and shadows, Everything was green and beautiful. That very day, he stood on the Appalachian Trail, he climbed a mountain, and he saw a hotel room for the first time ever. He sat with the couple by the pool that evening, while the woman colored what she called card fronts, and the man listened to music. They talked to each other, and seemed to be very close.
In the couple of years after that momentous day, he had traveled with them everywhere, and he was in countless pictures. He saw more of Tennessee, a whole lot of West Virginia, lighthouses in Ohio. He flew on a plane to Orlando, and got to see where Mickey Mouse lives. He went to a place called Tuscaloosa several times, and learned to say "Roll Tide!" with Steve. A time came when there wasn't much travel, but he still went with Kim and Steve to what they called State Parks on day trips, walking on beautiful paths with them. One summer, he road in a caravan of cars to move their son Josh to a place called Henderson. Along they way, he saw mountains, deserts, prairies, windmills and fields. He got to ride in the moving van with Steve, and in the regular van with Kim. A cat named Percy, who seemed nicer than the cat who lived in their house (Sprocket) came with them on the long journey. The next year, he road in another caravan, moving their other son, Grant, to Lexington. It was a shorter trip, but just as exciting (this time with two cats).
When they were home, he lived in a tree - he was pretty sure it wasn't a real tree - high in the air. He was glad he was high up because the cat who lived there looked like he could eat Parker.
His heart was full. He loved Kim and Steve, and he thinks they love him, too. He helped them when they were a little sad because, they said, he reminded them to have fun. He hadn't felt special at all on the day he met them, but now he had a name, he had personality, and went with them almost everywhere they traveled. He even liked the cat from a distance. He was home and loved. He was Parker the Bear.
