Paul Bunyan & Me in Yosemite (Chapter Ten) Secrets

Secrets

        Early the next morning, Lucy woke up to the thunderous sound of a garbage truck dumping one of the large dumpsters of campground trash.

        She was immediately reminded of the bear cub that was trapped the day before, so she quickly put on her clothes and ran over to make sure the bear clips were put back. 

        She was thankful when she saw the clips were secure and no bears could be inside.        

        A familiar voice spoke to her from behind.

        “I already checked all dumpsters in your camp!” the voice called from behind.

        Lucy turned as fast as she could to find Paul Jr. standing there.

        “That was right out of the Jr. Ranger handbook,” Lucy told him proudly. “A good deed for today.” 

        “Yes, it was,” Paul Jr. replied with a big smile on his face.

        “Why are you up this early in the morning?” Lucy asked him. “Breakfast with the President is not for another three hours.”

        “I’m not invited to the breakfast, and my mom has a long list of things for me to do before leaving for Ireland this afternoon,” he replied.

        Paul Jr. looked down at the ground feeling sorry for himself.

        “They left me out of the Grand Canyon trip,” he mumbled.

        “That’s terrible, why can’t you come? asked Lucy.

        Paul kicked his feet in the pine needles covering the dirt.

        “My birth mom is in Ireland and I was told she needed me,” he explained.

        “Cheer up! It sounds fun,” she said cheerfully, trying to cheer him up.

        “My mother is a little boring,” he explained.

        Lucy was sad Paul Jr. was not going to the Grand Canyon.

        “How did Paul Bunyan meet a girl in Ireland?” asked Lucy. “She must be one tall momma.” 

        “She is tall when she wants to be, but that’s a long story,” Paul explained.

        “What’s her name?” Lucy asked.

        Paul was not in the mood to talk about his birth mom. He felt that he hardly knew her.

        “It is hard for some people to say,” he replied. “Her name is Bébinn.”

        Lucy tried to picture a woman named Bébinn. 

        “That is a very pretty name. Do you have a picture?” she asked.

        Paul felt embarrassed that he did not have a picture, and mostly because he could hardly remember what his mom Bébinn looked like.

        “This may sound strange, but I am not allowed to have or take pictures of either of my parents,” he whispered.

        Lucy giggled.

        “It’s not easy for weirdos like us who have strange parents,” she said hoping to make him smile.

        Paul started laughing.

        “My mom Bébinn is the strangest of all. Hopefully your family can come and meet her after the Grand Canyon,” he replied.

        “That would be fun,” Lucy replied. “Is Bébinn nice to you?”

        “She’s nice, but she has a huge hazelnut farm and she is hardly home to spend time with,” he explained.

        Lucy smiled and felt happy that Paul was willing to trust her with so much of his personal life.

        Paul Jr. began noticing how strange the animals were starting to act. Blue jays, squirrels, ravens, and even a few deer began getting closer to them.

        “This is kinda creepy!” Paul Jr. said pointing at a dozen ravens that just landed on the dumpster in front of them.

        Lucy was calling them on purpose using her mind.  She wanted to share her own secret with Paul Jr. 

        “If I tell you a secret, do you promise not to tell anyone?” she asked.

        Paul looked around at all the animals listening quietly.

        “I can keep a secret, but I think we have a few more ears that may not be able to,” he replied. “Did you notice that none of the animals are making any noise?”

        “That is my secret,” Lucy whispered. “I can communicate with animals.”

        Paul Jr. looked over at the squirrels that were getting closer and closer to his feet.

        “I did notice something strange between you and the bear cub the other day,” he whispered back to her. “I just did not know it was this cool!”

        “Do you want to see something else?” asked Lucy.

        Paul Jr. looked up at Lucy already impressed.

        “Go ahead,” he invited.

        Lucy knelt on the pine needles and dirt and closed her eyes. 

        For about a minute nothing happened until finally there was movement from every corner of the campground. Even more squirrels were running as fast as they could towards Lucy. They climbed down trees, out of holes in the ground and began getting a little too close to Paul Jr. 

        Paul Jr. scared away the ravens and climbed to the top of the dumpster faster than he thought was even possible.

        “That’s good enough.” Paul Jr. warned.

        Lucy started to laugh when she heard a voice calling from the bathrooms.

        “Luuu-cccy!!”

        It was her mom Tali, so Lucy quickly stood up and gently waved her arms at all the animals, sending them away. 

        “I’M OVER HERE!” she yelled back.

        “Come back and start getting ready,” Tali called back to her.

        Lucy helped Paul Jr. jump down from the top of the dumpster. 

        “I need to go,” she explained. “First, tell me what your dad is like. Lucas went to bed before telling me”

        “It is still hard to believe that Lucas is your twin,” he replied. “My dad is great.”

        “Lucas is a long story,” Lucy replied. “I can’t wait to meet the great Paul Bunyan.”

        “My dad is big but he is not scary at all.  He is the nicest dad a boy could have,” he explained.

        “Does he still love Bébinn?” she asked.

        “More than anyone could love someone,” Paul replied cheerfully.

        “Then they will be back together before you know it,” Lucy explained. “What time do you leave tomorrow?”

        Paul began walking home.

        “I catch the train from Sugar Pine with your family right after lunch,” he replied.

        Lucy was confused.

        “Don’t you need to fly to get to Ireland?” she asked.

        Paul stopped walking and smiled.

        “The Cannonball can get you anywhere faster than planes or boats,” he explained.

        “What’s the Cannonball?” she asked.

        “It’s the name of Casey Jone's train,” he replied.

        “Sounds impossible that it would be faster than a plane, but I guess anything is possible in our world,” Lucy said happily, before returning to her camp.    

Paul Bunyan & Me in Yosemite (Chapter Seven) River Rafting

River Rafting

        After breakfast was finished, Lucas made sure everything that carried a scent was put safely away, while Lucy helped Tali and John pump air into the river rafts.

        Lucas noticed the life vest he was going to use was meant for a baby. 

        “Wasn’t there a vest without a baby giraffe on it?” he asked.

        John looked over to explain.

        “It was the only one they had that will fit. Don’t worry! You’ll grow out of it before you know,” he replied.

        Lucas hated being so much smaller than Lucy. He remembered the time he had to wear a baby’s suit and tie just to go to a wedding.

        “I can swim, I don’t need a life jacket?” Lucas claimed.

        “Of course, you do! It’s the law,” replied John. “I am even going to wear one and I have been swimming for many years.”

        Lucas looked around hoping no one would notice him putting on the life vest. 

        “Dad, why would you need a life vest?” Lucy interrupted. “Didn’t you out-swim the daughters of Nereus and Doris?” she asked.

        Tali quickly turned to look at John, surprised at the stories that he had been telling.

        “John Henry!” Tali teased.  “What have you been teaching our kids?”

        John simply scratched his head feeling just as surprised as Tali.

        “I don’t remember telling that story!” he replied. “I bet it was Pecos.”

        Lucas forgot all about his life vest.

        “When do we get to see Pecos again?” he asked.

        “He will probably show up one of these days.” John replied. “You never know with Pecos Bill.”

        “Let’s get going to the river. The water is perfect,” Lucy insisted.

        As they walked towards the river, John noticed Lucas started looking out into the trees, expecting to see something.

        “What is it?” he asked.

        “Do you think we will see Paul Bunyan today?” Lucas whispered.

        John noticed how worried Lucas felt and stopped to take his tiny face into his hands. 

        “Paul Bunyan is the nicest giant you will ever meet,” he explained. “He is my good friend and probably can’t wait to meet you.”

        Lucas still did not feel much better.

        “I just want to be prepared so I don’t get too scared,” he replied.

        “That's perfectly normal, maybe later you can come with me to find him,” John suggested.

        Lucas felt even more nervous.

        “Today?” Lucas asked.

        “Yes, I need to go right after we finish our trip down the river,” John explained.

        Tali and Lucy were right behind them as they set their boats in the ice-cold water.

        Tali lifted Lucas up and gave him a big hug.

        “Ranger Pam says Paul Bunyan is excited to meet you!” she explained.

        “How does Ranger Pam know Paul Bunyan?”  Lucas asked.

        “Rangers protect more than just National Parks,” Tali explained. “Like your father, Paul Bunyan and his blue ox Babe are National Treasures.”

        Without a warning, Paul Jr. came running up to the family as they were getting into the boats.

        “Hey everybody,” he shouted.  “How far down the river are you going?”

        “Who are you?” Lucas interrupted.

        Lucy blushed nervously.

        “This is my friend Paul, the one who helped me this morning with the bear cub,” she explained.

        “Paul Jr.,” Paul Jr. explained.

        Lucas couldn’t help himself.

        “A boy who is a friend?” he began.

        “Please stop!” Lucy interrupted.

        Paul Jr. began to laugh.

        “Have you gone down the river?” Lucas asked Paul Jr.

        “Not this week.,” Paul Jr. replied.

        “Can he come with us?” asked Lucas.

        “He can if his Mom doesn’t mind,” John said optimistically.

        Paul Jr. jumped into the boat next to John.

        “She won’t mind, this is going to be amazing!” he said looking directly at John. 

        “I’m rafting with John Henry,” Paul Jr. whispered to himself.

        Lucas heard him perfectly.

        “Lucy told Paul Jr. that dad is John Henry,” Lucas complained.

        “It was my dad,” Paul Jr. interrupted.  “My dad told me.”

        John laughed.

        “When did you see your dad?” John asked him.

        Lucas and Lucy were beginning to feel left out.

        “We just had lunch,” Paul Jr. replied.

        John was relieved to have Paul Jr. around, just in time to meet Paul Bunyan.

        “Paul Bunyan is Paul Jr.’s dad,” John explained.

        Lucy slipped and fell off the edge of the boat into the freezing water.

        “What?” she asked sharply, trying to stand back up.

        Lucas started to laugh.

        “Why are you so small?” Lucas teased. “You were born small like me,” he said cheerfully.

        Paul Jr. laughed, feeling a little confused.

        “Why were you born small?” he asked Lucas.

        “That is something we are still trying to figure out,” Lucas replied.

        “Don’t worry about your height, just enjoy any normal time you have while you have it,” explained John.

        Paul Jr. looked over at Lucas and looked back at John with one of the happiest expressions he had made all day.

        “I still can’t believe I am rafting with the mighty John Henry,” he cheerfully whispered.

        John laughed, while Lucas grabbed one of his arms feeling proud to have him as his dad.

        “I love you!” Lucas whispered to John.

        “I love you too, son!” John Henry replied.

        Lucy felt confused and a little sad as they all pushed off into the middle of the river.  Sitting behind her mother, she helped paddle the boat in a straight line.

        The water was calm and it gave Lucy a few minutes to ask Tali a few questions. 

        “Is Paul Jr. going to grow tall like his father?” she asked.

        Tali turned to wink at Lucy.

        “Paul Jr. will be tall, but I think he would be much taller by now if he was going to be two hundred feet tall,” she explained.

        Lucy quickly felt relieved.

        “How tall do you expect?” she asked.

        “His mother is a mystery and it has been told that she can change her height to match the height of any giant,” Tali explained.

        “That’s cool,” Lucy replied.

        In the other boat, the guys were beginning to hit the faster current in the water. 

        Tali could hear John’s laughter all the way across the river as the boys tried to keep the boat from running into the bridge.     

        None of them noticed a very large person looking down at them from a cliff right below Half Dome.

Paul Bunyan & Me in Yosemite (Chapter Five) Elmer!

Elmer!

        As the sun was setting behind the tall granite cliffs surrounding the Yosemite Valley, Lucy snuggled up in a warm blanket while lying on the hammock.

        She had her pink flashlight in one hand and was writing songs with the other.

         Lucas helped John build a campfire to make s’mores.

        Campers in all the other campsites were returning from their different activities around Yosemite. Some were beginning to build fires of their own, while others were playing guitars and singing. Every camp was doing something different, as some people played games or started cooking dinner.

        Lucas could smell the different foods and campfire smoke from every direction.  The sights, the smells, and sounds were like nothing Lucas had ever felt before.

        John Henry took out his large hammer and carefully split some wood for the fire.

        “Why don’t you use an axe?” asked Lucas.

        John smiled and quickly put the axe away in his truck.

        “That old hammer is my oldest and most trustworthy tool. I just pull it out once and a while to remind myself of the battles we’ve fought together long ago,” he replied.

        Lucas would love to hear his dad tell stories about some of these battles, but went back to putting marshmallows on a stick for toasting.  Tali did not agree with some of the stories he told. 

        “I could live like this forever,” he told his dad joyfully.

        John laughed while picking up a stick. 

        “Hand me one of those marshmallows, would ya?” he asked. 

        Lucas tossed a marshmallow to John and watched him carefully poke the stick in one end.

        “It sure is a great feeling to be out in such a beautiful place, with the best views on earth,” John explained. 

        The campfire was now getting big sending smoke right into Lucas’s face.

        “I better move my seat,” he said. “I promised Mom I would never smoke.”

        John laughed when he noticed how serious Lucas was.

        “That was a great promise,” he replied.  This world has enough pollution already for us to go feeding even more into our lungs.”

        Lucas started to cough as the smoke from the fire began to follow him once more.

        “What’s wrong with our fire?” he asked. “It’s following me.” 

        As soon as Lucas moved his seat to the other side of the fire pit, the flames began to send smoke right to where he was.

        “I think the fire is in love with you!” John said, lowering his marshmallow into the heat.

        “I am starting to smell like smoke,” Lucas replied. “Mom might think I was smoking.”

        As soon as Lucas put his own marshmallow on a stick, the smoke went away.  

        “Why didn’t I think of that before?” Lucas asked himself.

        John just sat back and enjoyed the company of his little boy.

        Tali was gone, helping Ranger Pam with a presentation in the Lower Pines camp theater.

        Before any warning, an alarming cry echoed from the other side of the campground. 

        “EL-MER!” the voice called out.

        Lucas sat up quickly in his chair.

        Immediately another voice from the other side of the camp called out the same thing, only much louder.

        “ELL-MERRR!!”

        Now Lucy was the one to sit up in the hammock, putting down her Jr. Ranger book.  She waited to see what all the racket was for.

        “For Pete’s sake!” she thought. “I wonder if someone is lost?”

        Once again, more shouting returned, coming from everywhere. Even across the river.

        Lucas started to feel so excited about the shouting, he stood up and started skipping around the campfire circle. 

        “Hey John,” he called.

        John was just putting the toasted marshmallow inside a graham cracker with some chocolate.

        “Yes,” he replied.

        Lucas stopped skipping and began staring at the chocolate melting over the cracker.       

        “Why is everyone yelling for someone named Elmer?” he asked without taking his eyes off John’s s’more. 

        “Calling out for Elmer has been a tradition for campers here in Yosemite, ever since the 1960’s,” John explained. “Everyone who camps here shouts for Elmer when the sun is setting!”

        “Can I call for him?” asked Lucas.

        “Of course,” John replied. “This trip would not be complete without shouting Elmer.”

         Lucas took one last look at John’s s’more, almost drooling. Then he let out all the air he had in his lungs.

        “ELLLL-MERRR!” 

        Lucy came running over as fast as she could, almost tripping over the box of firewood.

        “What is your problem Lucas?” she whispered.

        Lucas shouted again before Lucy knew what hit her.

        “ELLL-MERRR!”

        John was laughing so hard, he almost fell to the ground as he watched Lucy take off running for the tent.

        “It’s okay!” he tried calling out, but it was too hard to laugh and breathe at the same time.

        It was too late.  Lucy was already in the tent and inside her sleeping bag before Lucas could yell it again.

        “This is great!” Lucas said, lowering his s’more cooker into the fire. 

        “Do you think we are going to see any bears?” he asked.

        John put the entire s’more into his mouth, closing his eyes in delight as the taste hit his tongue.

        “There is nothing better than a s’more by the campfire,” he said as soon as he finished chewing.

        “What about the bears?” Lucas reminded him.

        John wiped a little chocolate off his face before answering.

        “You only see bears in camp if you leave out food or anything with a scent,” he explained.  “I have seen a bear unzip a backpack just to eat a tiny tube of lip balm.”

        “Gross!” replied Lucas. “I tried a little taste of Lucy’s cherry flavored lip gloss and almost threw up.”

        “Bears love anything that smells. Even shampoo!” he explained.

        Lucas wanted to change the subject so he could eat at least one s’more.

        “Is Paul Bunyan really as tall as the Grizzly Giant tree, or was I just seeing things?” he asked.

        After Lucas had such a long day, full of new experiences and information, John was excited to talk about his friend.

        John looked over at Lucas, then he looked up at the top of the tree right behind him. 

        “Paul is about as tall as the tree behind you,” he explained.

        Lucas immediately turned around to look at the tree.  It was the tallest tree around. 

        “That’s really tall,” he said nervously. “How did he get that tall?”

        “He was also chosen by the Old Hara tree long ago like you were. But he did not keep his promise to protect trees. Instead, he found a job cutting down trees. With every tree, he chopped down he grew another inch,” John explained.

        “How did he ever stop growing?” asked Lucas.

        “It happened after he made a new promise to the Grizzly Giant and finally kept it,” John replied.

        John looked up at the trees and paused for a few seconds.

        “Paul has replaced every tree that he ever cut down, and has become one of the greatest protectors of trees the world has known,” John explained.

        Lucas yawned right after finishing his s’more.

        “I like that story,” he said feeling a bit sleepy.

        Lucy was finally out of the tent, now that the shouting for Elmer was over. She was hearing John and Lucas talk and was curious about what the trees wanted with Lucas. 

        “Why does the Old Hara tree and the Grizzly Giant need Lucas?” asked Lucy.

        John picked up a pinecone and tapped it upside down, over the palm of his hand.  Several flat shaped seeds fell out.

        John picked up a little dirt and placed one seed in the center. 

        “Here, I’ll show you!” he said, handing the ball of dirt to Lucas.

        Lucas took the dirt into his tiny hands, cupping it tightly so the seeds would not fall out.

        “What do you want me to do with it?” he asked while peeking in-between his fingers.

        “What do you think these seeds are good for?” asked John.

        “Seeds to grow a new tree,” replied Lucas.

        “Now picture in your mind, the seed that I planted in the dirt you are holding,” John continued.

        Lucas closed his eyes and saw the seed.

        “I can see it,” Lucas replied.

        “Now love it as much as you love the Grizzly Giant. Let it know how much it is needed here in Yosemite. Give it everything you got!” John said powerfully.

        Lucas began to picture the seed become a little tree out on the edge of the meadow.  He saw the sun come out and shine, giving light and life to the little tree causing it to grow taller than any other tree in the forest.  

        Suddenly Lucas felt a movement inside his hands as if a worm were inside the dirt John had given him.

        “I feel it!” Lucas whispered opening his eyes and hands to see if it was really a baby tree that was moving.

        “Look, a baby tree!” he whispered again, standing up to show them.

        Right then a huge group of campers shouted for Elmer all at the same time.

        “ELL-MERR!”

        Lucy immediately jumped, then plugged her ears.

        “Why do they do that?” she said nervously.

        Lucas smiled and found a large cup to hold the dirt with the little seedling.  As soon as the plant was safely put away he took a deep breath, sitting right next to Lucy, ready to call out for Elmer once more.

        “Don’t you dare!” warned Lucy watching him very closely.

        Lucas stopped just before yelling. Looking over at John he needed an explanation.

        “Who is Elmer?” he asked.

        John made sure Lucy was going to listen to the story.

        “It was told, that a young man named Elmer was lost over sixty years ago. He lived here in Yosemite with his parents who worked at one of the large hotels.”

        Lucy plugged her ears as more and more campers began yelling for Elmer again.

        John continued the story.

        “One day this little boy Elmer became lost around camp so the family began calling out his name.  As campers and hotel guests heard the shouting and understood a boy named Elmer was lost, almost every person in the entire valley started calling his name.  It did not take people long to find him unharmed.”

        “I like that story!” Lucy said. 

        Lucas just wanted to shout for Elmer once more.

        “Can we shout together?” he interrupted.

        “Wait, there’s more!” John said before continuing.  “Later, it is told that Elmer worked here in Yosemite Valley selling fresh fruits and vegetables to campers. People would shout his name just like today for him to bring over his cart.”

        Lucy relaxed a little as the echo of people yelling Elmer continued in the distance. Now she understood the reason behind the shouting.

        She felt almost as excited as Lucas now to call out Elmer’s name.

        “Let’s yell out his name on the count of three,” she insisted.

        John did not hesitate.

        “One, two, and three,” he began.

        “ELL-MERR,” all three of them shouted.

        Immediately another voice replied.

        “WHAAAT?,” causing all here of them to start laughing.

        “Someone needs to go over and tell that guy the story,” Lucy teased.

Paul Bunyan & Me in Yosemite (Chapter Four) Happy Isles

Happy Isles

        Lucas opened his eyes a few hours after fainting in the Mariposa Grove. He was left lying in his family’s hammock next to their tent that was already set up. He was surrounded by hundreds of beautiful trees much skinnier than the Grizzly Giant.

        The wind was blowing peacefully through the trees making a very soothing sound.  Lucas felt like he was in heaven as he listened to the rushing of the river in the distance.

        Right when Lucas noticed the swaying of the tall trees in the wind, his father John Henry came over, breaking him out of his spell.

        “Welcome back!” he said booming down at Lucas from above. His deep voice was familiar and his smile was a welcoming sight. 

        Lucas looked around the camp.

        “What did I miss?” he asked.

        John began pushing him in the hammock.

        “You lucked out, you missed the fun of setting up tents!” John replied.

        Memories of the Grizzly tree were still fresh in Lucas’s mind, especially his vision of Paul Bunyan.

        “Paul Bunyan is here!” Lucas blurted out nervously. 

        Lucy laughed as she peeked at Lucas and John through a window in the tent.

        “Lucas ate watermelon with Paul Bunyan,”  she teased.

        “Did I talk in my sleep?” Lucas asked. 

        “A little,” Lucy replied.

        Lucy quickly zipped the tent window closed and started to come out, while Lucas looked up at his perfect view of the mountain everyone called 'Half Dome'.

        Thinking of where Paul Bunyan might be, Lucas noticed the size of the cliffs around him.

        “This place has hundreds of places Paul Bunyan could easily use to hide without anyone seeing him,” he explained.

        “It’s nothing to worry about right now,” John replied, giving the hammock another push.

        “Can I have a turn on the hammock?” Lucy asked.

        Lucas carefully slipped out of the hammock and held it for Lucy to climb in.

        “Sure,” he replied.

        Lucy climbed into the hammock as Tali brought over a few folding chairs to sit and talk in.

        Lucas was not wearing any shoes and felt the pine needles poking through his socks into his feet. 

        “They are not very sharp,” he said moving his toes around.

        Before Lucas could go anywhere, John wanted to make sure everything was clear about Paul Bunyan.

        “Paul is my friend,” he told Lucas.

        Lucas looked oddly at John.

        “When was the last time you saw him?” he asked.

        “A few years before you were born!” John replied.

        “How long exactly?” asked Lucas.

        John thought hard for an answer.

        “It must have been around five years or so before you were born, when he left for Ireland on a secret mission.”

        “That sounds cool!” Lucas replied, still a little doubtful. 

        Tali was holding the backpacks for their trip to Happy Isles.

        “I met him!” Tali added.

        Lucy was beginning to feel a little left out.

        “Are you sure you saw Paul Bunyan?” Lucy asked.

        “Positive!” Lucas replied.

        “I am confused,” she continued.  “Dad is John Henry, I know that. Stronger and taller than anyone I know, but that does not explain how a man can grow to be two hundred feet tall.”

        Tali felt Lucy needed a mother’s view on the subject.

        “You remember seeing how little

Lucas was when he was born, right?” she asked.

        Lucy remembered the picture of Lucas in her birth mother's hand.

        “Sure. I guess that’s right,” she replied.

        “Anything is possible,” Tali explained. “Now let’s get going before they close the nature center.”

        As soon as everything was closed and locked up, they began walking towards the bus stop. 

        “Paul lives in a large cave several miles above Muir Lake, near a glacier,” explained John.

        “Why didn’t you tell us anything before?” asked Lucy.

        “We weren’t coming to see Paul,” explained Tali. “Not until his giant ox, Babe, cracked the Hetch Hetchy dam.”

        “When?” asked Lucy.

        Even John was unaware of this.

        “Yeah, when?” he asked.

        “I was sent the video this morning,” Tali explained. “It’s a good thing we were here right after it happened.”

        “What happened?” asked John.

        Tali shrugged her shoulders.

        “That is a good question, maybe you can help me find out,” she replied.

        “How does he keep from being seen?” Lucy asked. “I mean if he is two hundred feet tall?”

        “He was seen for the first time this morning,” Tali replied.

        She pulled out her cell phone to show them a blurry video of a large blue ox with its horn stuck in the dam.  A very large man helped pull it free before the video went fuzzy.

        “This is Paul’s blue ox, Babe. He was seen charging into the Hetch Hetchy dam yesterday,” Tali explained.

        “It looks fake!” Lucy noticed.

        “It’s not,” Tali explained. “The people who recorded this video had their camera taken away by police right after it was sent all over the internet.”

        “So, what happens now?” Lucas asked.

        “The government must protect Paul and Babe,” she replied. “Just like they always have.”

        “That’s good,” Lucas said.

        “Not really,” John interrupted. “Lucas and I need to meet Paul and discuss what needs to be done,” he explained.

        “So far people might think it’s a hoax like Bigfoot, but this video speaks for itself,” Tali explained.

        The bus stop to Happy Isles was not very far, but as soon as a bus arrived it was full of passengers, sitting and standing all the way to the front. With no room to even squeeze inside.

        “I guess we are walking,” Tali said happily.

        “How far?” asked Lucas, worried he still might not have the energy.

        “Only about half a mile,” Tali replied.

        Lucas was bummed about walking.  

        “I can’t believe how many people come to Yosemite!” he complained.

        “You are just tired,” John explained as he lifted Lucas up on his shoulders. “Just a little more walking today, then we will be back to rest in camp.”

        Lucy did not mind, she just smiled and continued looking for wild animals. 

        The nature center was not crowded at all, and it felt strange after seeing a bus full of people going this way.

        “Where did everyone go?” asked Lucas.

        Another person interrupted from behind them.

        “Most people skip the Nature Center and just go on hikes up the mist trail to see Vernal Falls,” she said cheerfully.

        Tali smiled recognizing her dear friend Pamahas. A very well dressed Ranger with Ranger clothes that were spotless. She had beautiful long black hair braided under a large Ranger hat.

        “Hi Pamahas,” Tali said turning to give her a hug.

        “Nice to see you, dear friend,” Ranger Pamahas replied.

        Ranger Pamahas went over to the kids who were waiting patiently.

        “You must be Lucy,” she said looking down at Lucas.

        “I’m not a girl.” he replied irritably.

        Everyone laughed until even Lucas did when he realized it was a joke.

        “I know,” Ranger Pamahas replied. “Just making sure you were paying attention before we go out into the woods.”

        “I always pay attention,” Lucas said standing straight up, looking around for anything he could use to prove it.

        “I believe you,” she replied.

        Lucy stood in front of Ranger Pamahas to get her attention.

        “I am Lucy,” she explained.

        Ranger Pamahas took her hat off to get a better look. 

        “What a beautiful girl you are,” she replied. “Why don’t you two call me Ranger Pam.”

        “That’s much easier,” Lucas replied.

        “I rather say Pamahas, it’s a pretty name,” Lucy explained. “Where does it come from?”

        Ranger Pam smiled.

        “It comes from right here!” she said pointing to the ground.

        Lucas looked for something special she might have been pointing at.

        “I don’t see anything,” he said scratching his head.

        “My name is American,” she explained happily.

        “What’s is your name again?” asked Lucas, thinking he heard her name wrong.

        “Pam-a-has,” Ranger Pam repeated.

        “It doesn’t sound American to me,” Lucas replied.

        Lucy began to understand.

        “She means America before it was even America,” Lucy explained.

        Ranger Pam reached out and gave her a big hug.

        “That’s right,” she said, making Lucy feel important.

        “Do you live here in Yosemite?” asked Lucas.

        “I sure do!” Ranger Pam replied.

        Lucas smiled feeling a little jealous.

        “You are so lucky. I have never seen any place like Yosemite before,” he said.

        “It’s because there is no place like Yosemite,” she replied. “Every National Park is unique and each has a reason to need our protection.”

        Tali had something to tell Ranger Pam, so she carefully interrupted.  

        “Why don’t you guys go and pick up a Junior Ranger handbook while we have a talk with Ranger Pam for a minute,” Tali suggested.

        Lucas took Lucy by the hand and started walking around the nature center. They saw many animals that looked real, even stuffed.  The kind of animals that lived-in Yosemite.

        A little farther away they found a real bear that was dead and stuffed, hanging from the branch of a fake tree inside the building. 

        Under it was a car door and a television showing a video of the bear when it was alive, breaking the window of a car.

        “This is a door like the one in the video,” Lucas said pointing to the door under the bear.

        The door had no window and was damaged and bent, just like the door seen in the video. 

        “How sad!” Lucy said almost crying.

        “The bear looks like it’s still alive,” replied Lucas. “It’s so small.”

        John came over noticing a tear in Lucy’s eye.

        “Time to go outside to visit the fen,” he said cheerfully, trying to avoid any tears.

        “What’s a fen?” asked Lucas.

        “The fen is a small patch of wetlands here in Yosemite.  It is a place bears love to visit so we need to keep an eye out and be safe,” John explained.

        “Maybe we will see this bear's family?” Lucas replied. “I want to see a live bear!”

        Lucy was still feeling sad.

        As they all walked towards the fen, Ranger Pam noticed Lucy’s sadness.

        “My grandmother’s name was Lucy,” Ranger Pam told her.

        “It was?” Lucy asked, finally smiling back at her.

        Lucy took Ranger Pam by the hand.  

        “It was her second name given by the government,” Ranger Pam explained. “She was called Pamahas like me before she was Lucy.”

        “I like Pamahas better,” Lucy said. “I wonder if I can change my name to Pamahas.”

        Ranger Pam pulled Lucy and Lucas aside for a minute, in order to explain something very important.

        “Pamahas means meadow, and as a Native American, the name is part of my heritage. It’s who I am, so never be ashamed of your name, or who you are. Both of your names have an even bigger meaning than you could ever imagine,” she explained.

        “Like What?” asked Lucy.

        “Your names mean Light or Light Giving. My grandmother taught me that,” Ranger Pam explained.

        Lucy was pleased with her name for the first time in her life.  She always felt it was a little boring.

        “I’m glad that I am Lucy,” she told Ranger Pam.

        “Do you have a last name?” she asked.

        Ranger Pam smiled.

        “I was an orphan like you two were before John and Talitha adopted you, only no one adopted me.  I’m afraid that I don’t have a last name to call my own until I am married, or legally take the name of my Grandmother,” she explained.

        “You don’t need one,” Lucy replied. “Pamahas is better than any first or last name.”

        “I think you’re right,” Ranger Pam replied.

         Lucas looked  around  the  fen  as  they

began to cross a wooden path over water. The amazing bugs and birds made him more excited than ever. He watched a bug flying right in front of him moving its wings a million miles an hour, and it did not move. It would lurch back and forth in a perfect line. 

        “That’s amazing!” he whispered to himself. 

        He thought of touching before Ranger Pam took him by the hand leading him deeper into the fen. 

        “Let’s get working on earning those Junior Ranger badges,” she said joyfully.

        “Great idea!” Lucy replied.