There would be no sunrise creature floating across the path this day. The intention was to get to the unexplored spot when the land was soaking up the sunlight. There were no burdocks to dodge, only a swamp to navigate. Bea had lost track of Scruffles and Sweet Puppy. They seemed to have shot across the water.

The wee bear decided she could be brave enough to cross right behind both Scruffles and Sweet Puppy. They had returned from the opposite side to help make her fears get smaller. They reassured her that they would be with her every step she took into what she called the unknown. They told her that the unknown would soon be known. This encouraged her to take those frightening steps toward the creature's path.

She knew even though she felt like fifty bees were buzzing inside her and her fears were getting bigger and bigger that she had to " take the plunge" for the sake of Scruffles and Sweet Puppy. She took her first fearful step forward, the only way to go. Preparing herself to feel her foot, paw, and claws deep in some mucky, muddy, sticky, swampy stuff she was pleasantly surprised.

She opened her tightly clamped wee bear eyes and did her notice exercise. Peering into the deep dark water she realized she couldn't see anything that she could be walking upon. What was holding her up? Scruffles had been right when he said it wasn't a broken tree underwater. She appeared to be walking on water in broad daylight.

She still did not understand why her legs were not getting shorter. It didn't feel like stones, it was too smooth as she swished through the rough rattling reeds. Nor did she feel it necessary to hop from one safe spot to another.

Here she was doing her brain exercise and doing her talk to the maker of swamps exercise out in the middle of a swamp. This was at least the second bizarre place she had done these exercises. The first was when she was up in the very, very, high tree getting the tenderest of twigs for Timothy the wood carving, clay pot making beaver.

She had had to claw her way down that rough tall tree. That was something she'd never done before. Another learning adventure the maker would help with was to finish getting beyond the marsh.

Somehow, she had made it without sinking in, up to her wee bear neck. As she touched sod, disappointedly looked around wishing that her "be-good-to-myself" treat would magically appear. Her treat of golden honey which her mom had told about, would have to wait. She usually did her exercises at least one or two times a day to get her clay pots of honey to be good to herself. Because doing her talk to the Maker exercise was more important she did that immediately.

Feeling better with that done, she could pay attention to Sweet Puppy and Scruffles. Facing their direction she was happily greeted. The two, soon to be many, joined a proud-of-herself bear in their water-splashing dance of joy.