Winter had arrived and it started to snow. All the leaves were completely covered with snow.
Seeing this, little Deru bear was scared.
“Papa, what will happen now? It is very cold here. Where will we stay?” asked Deru.
Deru had accompanied his father, Bholu, who was visiting a friend Motu, the polar bear. They had woolen coats, scarves and gloves and were looking for Motu’s house.
“Deru, we will reach there soon,” Deru’s father tried to comfort him.
“But Papa my feet are sinking in this snow, and I can’t walk. My shoes are full of snow. I am feeling hungry, too. I am unable to see any pond where I can catch some fish,” Deru cried.
Suddenly, his eyes fell on a frozen pond. There was a small hole on the surface and some fish were swimming there.
Deru, without a second thought, jumped. Although there were fishes in the water, they were swimming beneath the frozen layer, causing Deru to get hurt.
“Son, be careful. Our destination is close. Look Uncle Motu is coming,” said Bholu pointing to the big, white bear running towards them. Motu patted Deru on his back, but Deru did not smile. He was in a sour mood, as he had hurt himself on the ice.
“Where will we stay? There’s so much snow.” Deru whined.
“In a snow house called the igloo,” said Motu laughing and the three walked off.
“Won’t we shiver in the cold?” Deru asked tearfully. They had reached around the house made from snow, which had a small door. The three entered the house.
“Oh! It is not cold here!” Deru was surprised. “Why is this house not cold even though it is made of snow?”
“Son, because the construction of this house is like the concave lens. The heat from the lamps inside strike the walls.
The warmth is trapped inside instead of going out. This keeps the house warm,” Motu explained.
Deru was relieved. He was happy to finally find a warm house.
“Uncle, I am very hungry,” Deru said.
“Come, let’s catch fish,” said Motu said taking his snow cart.
“There is no pond here. The fishes are swimming in the water that is covered with a layer of ice. How will we catch the fish?” Deru asked Uncle.
Motu explained. “Come with me. I will show you how we can catch the fish.”
Deru was about to leave but suddenly stopped.
“No, Uncle! I will not come, my feet will sink in the snow. I am unable to walk,” Deru said sadly.
Motu took out his sledge and said, “You can sit on this. Now, let’s go.”
“But it has no wheels.”
“Don’t worry son! My friends will move it. You need not to walk.” Then they got out.
Motu’s friends helped pull the cart. Soon they reached a pond where they found many fish swimming beneath the ice. Motu kicked the ice and it broke after a tries, causing the fish to jump out.
“Oh! This is how the fishes are caught!” Deru said surprised.
Deru caught many fish and everyone had a hearty meal. Now he was enjoying himself. After eating the fish, they went for a drive. The snow cart raced along the ice. They saw many spots, snow-covered trees, houses and even an apple orchard. All the houses were igloos. They came home after seeing many beautiful sites.
“Uncle you catch fish every day in this cold after so much work,” said Deru, removing his shoes.
“We don’t work the entire year. We polar bears eat and roam for most of the year. The rest of the year we sleep,” said Motu.
“Why?” Deru was surprised.
“We spend some months sleeping to escape from the cold. It is called hibernation,” Motu said.
“The long hair on our body protects us from the cold. In the summer months, we store enough fat in our body so that we do not have to worry about the winter months. We sleep most of the time to conserve energy. This is the lifestyle of polar bears,” Deru was listening carefully to Uncle Motu.
Though both were bears there was a vast difference between the two.
“It seems that both are created to suit the environment they live in. My friends will be very surprised when I tell them about all that I have learnt,” Deru said.
The next day, Deru wanted to go for a drive again and wouldn’t sleep, as he was enjoying listening to Uncle Motu talk.
“Son, won’t you sleep?” asked Motu.
“Uncle, I will sleep soundly once I return home. At the moment let me enjoy talking with you,” laughed Deru.
Motu also laughed. The three of them continued to exchange stories.
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