Chapter 3

Ray Johnson was tall and thin. He walked with a limp, but he looked strong and scary.

Antonio walked over to him.

“Are you Ray Johnson?” Antonio asked.

“Yeah. What’s it to ya?” Ray asked.

“We’re here camping. We want to see a grizzly. Nate said to talk to you,” said Antonio.

“I do know a lot about grizzlies,” Ray agreed.

Rafael and Franco walked over.

“Would you tell us about them? I’ll buy your dinner,” Rafael said.

Ray looked happy. He liked talking about bears. He liked free dinners too!

“Sit down. What do you want to know?” Ray asked.

Ray told them about grizzlies. He talked about their size and strength.

“They are very fast,” said Ray. “People can’t outrun them.”

Ray knew a lot about bears. Antonio wanted to know everything. He wanted to know about their claws. He wanted to know about their teeth. He was very interested.

“Grizzlies aren’t scared of anything. They will walk up to you,” said Ray. “Most are over 1,000 pounds!”

“What do they eat?” asked Antonio.

“Thirteen-year-old boys, “grinned Ray.

Was this true?

Antonio looked at Ray. He looked at Ray’s leg. Ray winked.

“What happened to your leg?” Antonio asked.

Ray stopped talking. He looked at Antonio.

“You’re the first person to ask. Everyone looks away. No one talks about it. You have guts, kid,” grunted Ray.

“Thanks, I guess,” laughed Antonio.

Ray told the Silvas about the grizzly attack. “It happened eight years ago. I was alone in the forest. I hadn’t seen a bear all day. Then I turned a corner. I walked into a mother bear and two cubs. The mother charged. She knocked me over. I rolled into a ball.”

Antonio pictured it in his head.

“The bear clawed my leg. Her paw sliced it open. Then she left,” said Ray.

The Silvas were tired. It had been a long day. They heard enough of Ray’s stories. Antonio really did not want to see a bear. Not anymore!

“Thank you, Ray,” Rafael said.

“You told us a lot! But how do we avoid bears?”

“Make lots of noise,” said Ray. “Use pepper spray.”

They all said goodbye.

Antonio was quiet. He looked scared.

“I hope I never see a bear!” he said.

Franco and Rafael laughed.