slammed the door, muttering, “Stupid chiseling rat! Why didn’t he say that all the car needed was some water in the first place? Coulda saved me a fortune.” He started the car and roared away. “Alls I gotta say is that this map better be worth all this trouble.”

Near Manitoo Springs, Coloradio
6:30 PM

The grey Chevrolette wound its way through the snow-capped Rock ‘n’ Roll Mountains. The road, which had been carved out of the face of the mountain, was sandwiched between a sharp, rocky precipice to the right and fragrant fir trees to the left. Rolling grey cumulonimbus clouds overhead indicated an approaching thunderstorm.

As the car came around a bend in the road, a large, luxurious hotel nestled on the side of the mountain loomed before them. Its light stone walls stood out like a beacon against the dark forest.

“Wowzers!” Baloo gave a low whistle. “Would ya take a look-see at that fancy-pants palace?”

“It’s bigger than the high school and elementary combined,” Kit added.

“I can’t see!” Molly cried. “All I see is Mom’s hair.” She leaned over the front seat to get a better look at the hotel. “Wow! That’s like Cinderella’s castle. What is that place?”

“A hotel, I think,” Kit said.

“Can we stay there, Mom?” Molly asked, holding Cassie up to the window so that she could see the hotel.

“No, honey. I’m afraid it’s too expensive for us.”

“Aw, who wants ta stay at a ritzy place like that? I’d feel like a plane who’d lost its props,” Baloo said. “We gotta find somewheres where you don’t gotta worry ‘bout which fork goes with which food.”

Watching a shining green Rolls-Boyce turn off the road in front of them onto the hotel’s driveway, Rebecca sighed wistfully. For a second, she wished that she was an occupant of that Rolls-Boyce.

They drove for a few more miles until they encountered a sign by the side of the road that said: Crazy Caleb’s Cozy Cabins. The sign, as well as the cabins themselves, could have used a fresh coat of paint.

“Cabins, huh? Now this is more my style,” Baloo said, pulling the car onto the gravel driveway.

“Unfortunately,” Rebecca murmured, remembering the posh hotel.

One glimpse of the cabins and Rebecca was against staying there. They looked like rundown shacks to her. She swore that she saw a pigeon fly from one of their windows. “This wasn’t on the schedule.”

“We ain’t goin’ by the schedule anymore, remember?” Baloo said, looking with approval at the cabins.

“Baloo, let’s to go a motel in Manitoo Springs.”

“Where’s your sense of adventure, Becky?”

“I left it at home along with your common sense,” she snapped.

“Aw, you’re always puttin’ too much on appearances. I bet they’re better on the inside. C’mon, kids.”

Everyone got out of the car, except Rebecca. She remained in her seat, her arms crossed and mouth set resolutely.

Baloo opened her door and offered her a hand out, smiling.

“We’re not staying here. I don’t want my children sleeping in a fire trap, Baloo,” Rebecca said, disdaining his hand.

“Rebecca, be sensible, will ya? It’s gettin’ dark an’ gettin’ sorta stormy.” As if to corroborate his statement, a thunderbolt crashed across the sky. “There ain’t a town for miles. Do you want yer kids ta sleep in the car instead?”

Rebecca shook her head stubbornly.

“It’s gonna get real cold an’ wet up in these mountains tonight, Becky, an’ we didn’t bring the campin’ gear.”

She still wouldn’t budge.

Baloo tried another tack. He whispered in her ear, “Them cabins got chimneys; I bet they got fireplaces. After the kids are in bed, we can curl up in front of the fireplace. Just us two. Whattaya say, sweetheart?”

Rebecca’s frozen expression thawed slightly. She thought that he must have been really desperate if he was trying the romantic approach. “Oh, all right, but there better not be any rats in there.” She took Baloo’s hand and got out of the car. They all walked towards the ramshackle office.

Inside, a scruffy bear dressed in a cowboy outfit was leisurely smoking a pipe with his size thirteen cowboy boots propped on the desk. He tipped his ten gallon hat back on his head and sat up when the five bears filed in. A big, toothy grin spread across his face. “Howdy, folks. Welcome to Crazy Caleb’s Cozy Cabins. What can I do ya for?”

“We’d like ta stay the night,” Baloo replied, affectionately squeezing Rebecca’s paw.

Rebecca murmured irately, “Crazy Caleb’s Cozy Cabins. What a name! We’re crazy for staying here.”

“How much do one of your cabins go for?” Baloo inquired, hoping that it wasn’t too much. He didn’t feel like hearing a big ‘I told you so’ from Rebecca.

“Well...” Caleb took a puff of his pipe and blew a smoke ring at the ceiling, sizing them up. He charged rich people extra, but this family didn’t look wealthy, so he stated the usual fee. “Ten buckaroos a night for a two-bed cabin.”

“Sold.” Baloo smiled at Rebecca, who, frowning, retrieved the money from her purse.

“Here ya are, folks.” Caleb handed Baloo a key. “Cabin number three, an’ have a nice stay.” He returned to his comfortable position.

As Baloo opened the door of cabin number three, Rebecca cringed, waiting for something furry or slimy to emerge.

“This is neat!” Molly exclaimed. She took Cassie by the hand and led the toddler in to explore their home for the night.

Rebecca’s eyes flew open. The small cabin did indeed seem nice. Two queen-sized beds with dark green blankets, a fireplace with two comfortable-looking easy chairs before it, a little table with folding leaves and two straight-backed chairs. Before the fireplace was a bearskin rug. It didn’t smell musty or smoky. There wasn’t a single cobweb or spider in sight.

“Told ya it’d be a-okay, Becky,” Baloo said with a smug smirk. “Can Ol’ Baloo pick ‘em or what?” He plopped into one of the easy chairs with a sigh of contentment. The chair creaked and groaned and before he knew it the seat had sagged to the floor so that Baloo’s arms and legs were sticking up in the air comically.

Rebecca laughed at his stupefied expression. She gently tweaked his nose. “You can sure pick them, all right.”

Kit assisted his father out of the chair by tugging on his arms. They both plopped on the floor with an “Oof!”

Rebecca opened the door to what she thought was the bathroom. It turned out to be a closet, empty save for a few clothes hangers. She spun around, looking for another door. There was only the two - the closet and the outside door. “There’s no bathroom!”

“Sure there is, Mommy!” Molly pointed out one of the rear windows. An outhouse was a few yards away.

“Baloo...” Rebecca murmured through clenched teeth, hands on her hips.

“Hey, I didn’t know,” he said helplessly. “The price was right.”

“We couldn’t have gone to a motel instead? A motel with running water and electricity. No, we had to rough it in this...this shack!”

“At least we’re inside, Mom,” Kit reminded quietly. “And it’s starting to rain.”

Baloo flashed an appreciative smile at his son. “Yeah, we’re all in out of the rain,” he echoed, wrapping a placating arm around Rebecca’s waist. “An’ we’re all together. That’s what’s important, honey.”

“A bathroom is important,” Rebecca murmured sullenly.

“I’ll get the fire started, then it’ll seem cozier in here. Remember, we got a date for tonight.” Baloo kissed his wife’s cheek, prompting a reluctant smile from the bearess.

Later That Night
2:00 AM

Rebecca floated down the red-carpeted staircase at the posh hotel, a striking vision of loveliness in her best pink gown. Her hand lightly caressed the solid gold banister as she looked down into the chandelier-lighted ballroom below. Suddenly, she turned and called up the stairs, “Baloo, hurry up, or we’ll be late for dinner!”

“Be right there, Becky!” A loud thundering met her ears, almost as if a herd of elephants was dancing overhead. From the top of the stairs, Baloo said, “Check out these threads, honey!”

What she saw made the bearess want to weep. The big bear was wearing a loud Hawaeean shirt as well as a straw hat. An orange life preserver was around his ample middle and he carried a set of bongos.

“Is this gonna wow the rich folks or not?” he asked loudly, making everyone in the ballroom stare at them. “It is time to party!”

“Oh, Baloo!” Rebecca exclaimed, watching helplessly as he pounded out a jazzy rhythm on the bongos. Tears of frustration and embarrassment flowed down her cheeks.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

Icy cold raindrops splashed on Rebecca’s face, waking the bearess from her dream.

“Oh...of all the dumb luck!” she mumbled. “I knew it! I knew it! I knew this cabin was a bad idea.”

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

A rivulet was now running down her cheek, down the pillow, making her hair wet.

“Baloo!” Rebecca hissed.

The big bear smiled in his sleep and wrapped an arm around Rebecca, hugging her closer.

“Baloo! Wake up, you dumb bear!” She pounded on his chest.

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