The Bear Who Couldn't Get To Sleep

The leaves had long since fallen from the trees. The icy wind was blowing through the bare branches of the trees, bending them this way and that. The dormice and squirrels had hidden their nuts away here and there in secret stashes, and the hedgehogs were burrowing away under piles of colourful leaves.

Even the bear had filled up his belly for the last time and retired to his cave, ready to hibernate. It was already December, and the mornings were frosty, but so far there was no sign of snow in the forest.

The bear tossed from side to side. He closed his eyes and counted sheep. He counted to at least a thousand, but it didn’t help.

"I can't sleep without a proper blanket," he grumbled sadly. Now you’re probably wondering what kind of blanket a bear would have? Why, a blanket of snow, of course! Preferably enough to cover the whole cave.

He poked his nose out of the cave and sniffed, but he couldn't make out any hint of snow in the air. So he left the cave and went for a walk. "I'll go wherever my paws take me until I find a blanket," he said to himself. "At least if my paws get tired, I might sleep better."

The bear didn’t know which direction was which, but fortunately his paws led him northwards, and the further north he went, the colder the weather got.

After some time, the bear saw a big stone castle in the distance. A wooden sign by the side of the road read: Winter Kingdom, two days' journey on foot. "Winter? There must be snow there," the bear thought, and walked a bit faster.

He passed through a small village, where there were white…