The Real Charlie Bear

November 13, 1968

One day little Charlie Bear was out playing in the woods with his friend Mandy the mouse when Mandy said, “Let’s go visit my aunt who lives in Hawaii.”

Little Charlie thought that was a wonderful idea, ’cause he had never visited Hawaii. He told his friend that he had to ask his mother first. So the two little children ran up to little Charlie Bear’s house. When they burst into the kitchen, little Charlie said, “Mama, my friend Mandy the mouse wants to go visit his aunt in Hawaii. I don’t see why not,” replied Mama Bear. “You go upstairs and put on a clean shirt. And, be sure you comb your hair and brush your teeth.”

Little Charlie ran upstairs and it took him just a minute to get all cleaned up. He slid down the banister with his traveling cap in one hand and one for Mandy in the other. The two children went out on the front porch, put on their traveling caps, whirled around three times, turned two somersaults and there they were on the Island of Oahu in the town of Kailua.

The two children landed right on top of a coconut tree in Mandy’s aunt’s front yard.

When Mandy’s aunt Mella saw the two children scrambling down the coconut tree, she said, “What in the world are you two doing here?”

Mandy spoke up. “I came to visit you and I brought my friend little Charlie Bear from the Sierra Mountains. He has never seen Hawaii.”

Aunt Mella said, “Aloha, little Charlie.” Then she went into the kitchen and found a beautiful lei of baby orchids in the refrigerator. She put it around little Charlie’s neck and gave him a kiss on the cheek and said, “Aloha” again.
Hawaiian greetings for his first visit.

Mandy said to his friend, “Let’s go down to the beach and go swimming.”

They ran down the street and right onto the wide beach. Little Charlie said, “Ouch! My feet hurt.”

Mandy explained, “That’s coral. You have to be careful when you run over these sharp shells. There is really very little coral on the beaches but I guess we found a patch of it. Let’s swim out and see if we can find some fish.”

They swam in the wonderful warm water out towards the reef where the waves were breaking. Just before they got there, little Charlie looked down through the clear water to the bottom of the lagoon and saw an oyster that had its two jaws wide open. He looked carefully and thought he saw something shiny inside.

He said to his friend, Mandy, “I think I see a pearl in that oyster down on the bottom.”

Mandy said, “Let’s go down and get it!”

Both little Charlie Bear and little Mandy the Mouse dove down to the bottom. Just as they got there the oyster closed his jaws… but little Charlie knew just which oyster had the pearl. He picked it up and the two children swam back to shore.

They ran up to Aunt Mella’s house and showed her what they had found. Aunt Mandy took the oyster and with a special tool pried the two sides of the shell open. She cut the main muscle and found the pearl that little Charlie had seen.

She said, “Little Charlie, this is a beautiful pearl. It is not perfect, but its yours. You found it. I’m sure your mother will be very happy for you to take it to her.”

Little Charlie was so excited he quickly said, “Let’s take this back to Mama Bear!”

After a quick “Aloha” and a kiss on the cheek, the two little children put on their traveling caps, whirled around three times, turned two somersaults and there they were back in the forest at little Charlie Bear’s house.

They ran into the kitchen and showed Mama Bear what they had found.

She said, “Oh, my little bearkin, where did you get such a beautiful pearl?”

The children told her all about swimming out to the reef, and how Aunt Mella opened the oyster, and seeing the pearl inside.
Mama Bear was so excited she quickly showed the pearl to Papa Bear, who promised to have it set in a ring for Mama Bear’s birthday present.