Finally, No more Spirit Bear.

[kippurbird]

After tonight, we'll be done touching our Spirit Bear. Aren't you excited? I know I am!

The last chapter ended with Peter inviting Cole to come into the cabin. Once inside, Cole makes like a sort of mother hen making hot chocolate like they're all friends here now. Cole has turned from an annoying bastard of a character to a piece of cardboard. He's walking around and saying things like, "And this is the pond and what I learned from it, now you try it too." Insert cheesy drugged looking smile here. Or one of those... Stepford wives. He's now a Stepford Cole.

Peter asks when he's going to see the Spirit Bear and Cole tells him that he'll see it when it's the right time. Peter says he doesn't believe in the Spirit Bear, Cole says he didn't either. After this, Peter starts abusing Cole. He'd walk over Cole's sleeping bag with muddy boots or knock down his jacket, leaving the door open etc. Then one day, Peter defaces Cole's totem by getting rid of his spirit bear. Cole is very hurt about this. He liked his spirit bear. Peter challenges him, saying "what are you going to do about it? Hurt me?"

Stepford Cole says that he's not going to do that and instead suggest that Peter carve his own totem. Peter, who has taken over Cole's role as the young man with anger issues wants to know why he would carve a totem pole. He gives in though and helps get the log. He asks what he should carve, and Cole asks what was the last animal he saw. Peter saw a mouse.

Cole smiled. "The tonight we'll dance the mouse dance, and tomorrow you can carve a mouse."

"I'm not going to dance a dumb 'mouse dance'," Peter said, his voice thick with sarcasm.

"Every animal has something to teach us," Cole said. When Peter didn't answer, Cole motioned toward the trees. "Let's collect firewood for the dance."

Gee. Doesn't that exchange sound familiar? Where could I have heard that before? Why could it have been with Garvey, Edwin and Cole? GASP! I think so! Cole doesn't have an original thought here. He's mimicking exactly what Edwin told him and doing what Edwin did. There's nothing new here. He's not trying to put a new spin on it to help Peter. But you know what? It's still going to work. Because. No real reason, beyond because.

That night they dance the mouse dance. Cole learns that mice are survivors who make the best of their lots. Garvey learns that mice are often not noticed and see things others don't. Peter learns that he looks like a stupid dork. And THAT is the most honest thing I've read in this entire book. However, they go and carve their mice in the morning. Peter is apparently very good at carving. He makes a very realistic looking mouse. I, on the other hand, think that if Peter is as damaged as they say he is (which he hasn't shown any) his hand eye coordination should suck ass. Actually, now that I thought about it, no one has shown any sort of indication of pain from those traumatizing injuries. No mention of constant pain... or even pills to remedy the pain. I'm sure that they should be on some sort of medication or something. Cole admires Peter's mouse , saying his was very good and Peter says that his better than Cole's.

"It does," said Cole. "But carving a totem isn't competition. Saying your carving is like saying your feelings are better."

Peter smirked. "Mine are." He turned to Cole. "Did you really see a Spirit Bear?"

Cole nodded and told him how he had pulled a handful of white hair from the bear that mauled him and then thrown it away. "The only reason I always had to prove things was because I knew I was a liar," he said. "I threw the white hair away because I decided I was tired of lying." He paused and put his hand on his lap,"Besides I know that the Spirit Bear is always with me, just like my ancestors and anger." >.> Okay so that last bit wasn't there... but I couldn't help myself.

After lunch Peter wants to carve by himself. Garvey and Cole go for a walk and when they come back they discover that Peter has carved a new bear on Cole's totem. NO PETER DON'T GET SUCKED INTO IT! DON'T LET THEM TOUCH YOUR SPIRIT BEAR! *coughs* I mean, really, I'd just think that Cole was talking out of his ass, or on drugs, this entire time. I mean mouse dances and carving totems and not getting angry? Where'd Cole go? I mean, he didn't have much personality in the first place, but now he has none. Cole asks Peter to show him how to carve like that. Peter just sort of shrugs. Some how I don't think Peter would be capitulating like this. Of course we never got to know him, and he's been a total non-entity this entire book. Cole rarely thought about him, it was about Cole. And now that Peter is there, he still doesn't have any personality. He's just an angry young man. A stock character. A foil for Cole to gain redemption.

Time passes and one day Peter wants to go to the pond with Cole without Garvey. They walk and when they get to the pond Cole says that it's time that they were friends. Friends don't work that way. Unless you're in kindergarten. You don't say to someone, "Let's be friends". Friendship is something that is built over time. And with Peter and Cole's relationship? There shouldn't be any sort of friendship. Perhaps Peter not being afraid of Cole, but not being his friend. Peter pushes Cole into the water and tells him that he doesn't want to be his friend. Cole is so understanding, isn't he? When did that happen? I dunno.

Peter then beats on Cole. It's the most satisfying part of the book. He calls Cole a liar and stop talking to him and stuff. Cole takes it. He lets Peter beat on him. Peter doesn't smash Cole's head into a bloody pulp, unfortunately. Instead he stops eventually and starts to cry.

Cole says to him, "Peter, I'm not a bad person. I got mad at you 'cause I was really mad at myself. I thought y dad beat me because I was worthless." Cole paused. "The dances, carving the totem, carrying the ancestor rock, touching the Spirit Bear, it was all the same thing - it was finding out who I really was."

"You're a jerk," Peter sobbed. "That's what you are."

Cole fought back his own tears. "I'm part of some big circle that I don't understand. And so are you. Life, death, good and bad, everything is part of that circle. When I hurt you, I hurt myself too. I don't think I'll ever heal from what I did to you, but I'm sorry Peter. I really am sorry."

Cole then hugs Peter, who leans into him.

And then they see the Spirit Bear.

They're both touched by it.

Then they soak in the pond and roll rocks down the hill. As they're walking back, Cole tells Peter that they forgave each other and themselves. He then gives Peter the blanket. Peter is touched by this offer of trust and offers to help Cole carve the blank spot in his totem.

This is the end of the book:

For the next to hours Cole and Peter carved together. When they finished, Cole hollered for Garvey to come from the cabin and take a look at the nearly perfect circle that now complete the totem.

When Garvey joined the boys, he stared down at the log and at what they had carved. "You carved a perfect circle," he said, a soft smiling tugging at his lips. "Why a circle?"

Cole and Peter glanced nervously at each other, neither wanting to speak.

"Could it be because every part of a circle is both a beginning and an end?" Garvey asked. "And everything is one?"

Peter shrugged awkwardly and grinned at Cole. "A circle is all I could teach him to carve."

Cole smiled and nodded. "I'm a slow learner. But I'm working on it."

And then they all laughed, because it was the funniest thing ever. Just like at the end of those eighties cartoons. What a warm fuzzy feeling I got from reading this book. I just can't believe how much I've learned.

I noticed that the whole Cole's father subplot got completely dropped. We don't know what happens with the custody case or anything like that, which should have been a major point in the story. After all Cole is afraid to go back to him and everything. But this wasn't important because Cole and Peter made up and are now friends.

The only thing missing from this ending, to make it even more cliched, would be for the Spirit Bear to be peeking out from the woods.

My ending would be, "Rocks fall and everyone dies."

But I wasn't so lucky.

Still, I shall dance the dance of glee because it's done!

Comments

Alternate Ending Part I

[the-norseman.livejournal.com]

I've discovered the REAL ending to the story! It starts out where they two boys go into the pond for the first time, and shows what really happened. The next three parts has Cole forgiving Peter, and of course the third part is the Real Ending to the story!

They stood at the edge of the pond, looking into the clear, cold waters. Cole stepped a little closer to Peter, "I think it's time we became friends."

Peter nodded, "Yes, so do I."

"Lets go into the water then."

While they stripped naked their eyes occasionally strayed, to look at the other. Soon they'd gathered their clothes into a bundle, and leapt into the pond. The water rose like a fountain around them, they went down under the surface, and then shot up, splashing more water up into the air. The falling water came down in big drops and splashes, like cool Alaskan rain.

A big splash fell right between Peters eyes, and ran down his face, and even into his hair. He shook his head, and wiped it away with his hand.

"It's so cold in here," Peter said.

"You'll get used to it," Cole said, but he moved a little closer.

"Are we friends now?" Peter asked.

Cole moved closer, and held him tight, "Yes, very special friends, are you warmer now?"

"A bit..." Peter said, "But I really should be standing by myself, to harden myself you know..."

"You don't have to harden yourself that quickly," Cole said.

After a few minutes Peter pulled away a little, and sprayed Cole with water, splashing it against his face, so it dripped from his hair.

"Hey!"

"Just playing," Peter said, smiling, and laughing a little. Then he lowered himself into the water, "You know I can hold my breath for a looooooong time."

"Really? I didn't know that!" Cole said, sounding genuinely surprised.

Peter nodded, "Yes, would you time me?"

"Okay."

After taking a few deep breaths Peter vanished beneath the surface of the water, leaving Cole to count; "One, two, three, f-foour, f-iiiiive, siiiix, s-s-seven..." Apparently the cold water, and the concern for his new friend, was making him stutter a little.

It must have been a couple of minutes before began to move to the surface again. Cole looked very relieved about this, a big smile on his lips; he must have worried quite a bit.

Peter shot out of the water, splashing it everywhere, "So how was that?"

Cole smiled happily, "That was amazing, I never knew you could hold your breath for that long!"

"Lets go ashore and try some of the other native healing," Peter said.

"We can carry the ancestor rock, and go look for the Spirit Bear," Cole said.

"That sounds wonderful, we can carry our rocks, touch our spirit bear, and then maybe Garvey has made some more hotdogs we can eat?"

"You're right! Lets go right now!" Cole said.

They scrambled ashore, and nearly forgot to get dressed in their hurry to get to the hill. They'd have a fun few weeks in store, before they had to return to the mainland.

Alternate Ending Part II

[the-norseman.livejournal.com]

Here's part II, if you're interested! Where you will see Garvey explaining his philosophy, and Peter finally owning up to what he did to Cole! After all it's all about Cole, and the pain he's in for what he did to Peter.

It also gives an excellent explanation as to why Cole's behaviour changed so much, and why everyone else is acting the way they are!

Off they went to see Garvey, who just happened to be there, next to Cole's cabin. He was busy smoking the Peace Pipe, for he had told Cole that this is what it was. Sometimes Garvey could sit there for hours smoking the Peace Pipe, before he'd get up, and make a couple dozen hot dogs.

Cole waved to him. "Hi Garvey, we've made friends!" he said, and slid an arm around Peter's waist.

"That is awesome! That is so awesome! You know, if you've made peace, you got to smoke the Peace Pipe," Garvey said, motioning at the big pipe next to him.

"It looks kind of funny, with the big glass bulb, and I didn't know Indian Peace Pipes pulled the smoke through the water," Peter said.

"I assure you that this pipe is one hundred percent authentic Indian," Garvey said, he motioned at the ground, "Sit down, and we'll share the Peace Pipe."

Peter said down, and took a deep breath, "Wow this tobacco smells just like the art teachers office."

"It's special, sacred tobacco, it will let you make peace with yourself, and see the Spirit Bear!" Garvey intoned.

"I'll go first," Cole said, he took the mouth piece, and drew a deep breath. The water in the pipe bubbled, and swirled with strange patterns, then the cool sweet smoke reached his mouth. "Awesome!"

"Before Cole smoke Peace Pipe, Cole angry man! Now Cole at peace!" Garvey explained, before he passed the pipe to Peter.

Peter took a deep breath, and began to cough madly. IT was too much; the smoke was weird and thick. Then he took another puff, and another, and suddenly... suddenly he realised how wonderful the world really was.

"I'm so sorry I caused you all that pain," Peter told Cole, and hugged him tightly.

"That's alright," Cole said, tears running down his cheeks. It was only fair that Peter should apologise for the never healing wound he'd caused by having such a thin skull!

"Hunga-munga!" Garvey said.

"What does that mean?" Peter asked.

"It means, 'young lads have much sense'," Garvey said sagely.

"I thought it meant 'peace in the heart'," Cole said.

"It can mean that too, Hunga-Munga can mean anything in the world," Garvey explained.

"Wow! Indian language is so deep..." Peter said, then he took another puff off the pipe.

"That is because we are more in touch with nature than the paleface, who hurries about never thinking about the eternal beatings of the butterfly," Garvey said.

"Hunga-Munga," Peter said.

"Hunga-Munga," Cole said.

"Hunga-Munga," Garvey said.

They laughed loudly at this wonderful understanding they had of life, the universe, and everything. They stayed there for a long time, smoking the Peace Pipe, and making friends.

"Come, we go!" Garvey said at last, rising up from his seat.

The other two were not so familiar with the strong spiritual feelings that the Peace Pipe gave them, so they staggered as they followed Garvey.

They went to the cabin, where Garvey started to make hotdogs, lots and lots of hotdogs. Fortunately he had brought several bags full of bread and sausages. Just to start he gave each of the boys a dozen or so.

After finishing his hot dogs Peter was still hungry, "Wow! I never knew I could eat so much."

"Hunga-Munga!" Garvey said, then in an explanatory mode he added, "That means that wisdom comes when you take hotdog into your mouth!"

Alternate Ending Part III

[the-norseman.livejournal.com]

Last, but not least, Part III. Shame on you for thinking that Cole is a narcissist who thinks only of himself! Not at all! Here's the last part where Peter not only gets what he's been getting for the rest of the story, but he's placed right at the centre of things!

"I sure could use some more hotdogs!" Peter said.

"And tonight we will dance a very special dance," Garvey said.

"Oh what dance is that?" Peter asked.

"The Dance of the Spit-Roast," Garvey said.

"What's that?" Peter asked.

"It's a dance that will unit us all in harmony, and let you experience the spirit of the native spitroast," Cole said.

"Oh, I'm not sure... there's been a lot of dances lately," Peter said.

"You must be there, it's necessary for your healing!" Garvey said.

"Yeah? I'm important?"

"Without you there can't be a Dance of the Spit-Roast," Cole said, he reached out and patted Peters shoulder, "In fact you could say that you'll be right in the centre of things!"

Whether it was from the Magic Smoke of the Peace Pipe, or from the joy and happiness he was obviously causing, Peter laughed. They all joined in. Everyone laughed.

Then as they stopped laughing Cole said, "Right at the centre of things!"

And they all laughed again, and laughed, and laughed.

So that is my theory as to why things worked out the way they did. I think its far more plausible, but for some reason this isn't the tack that the author chose...

Go figure...

P.S. Sorry for this being so long, but when I saw Kippurbirds post I just sat down for an hour straight writing away.

Re: Alternate Ending Part III

[prototypical]

All three parts of that had me dying laughing...and wanting to see if there's Cole/Peter fic in the Pit.

[trinadi.livejournal.com]

Last time I checked the grade nines and tens at my school don't spout off such crap. Cole must be a sponge who remembers what every social counselor says to him. He is a weird child and we should use him as a human punching bag. And I want to hear about Peter's damn problems. He should be struggling, I was expecting him to, but I suppose that is just too realistic.

My ending would have been more along the lines of "And as they laughed like morons, a great white bear came and devoured them all, leaving a bloody mess that even a zombie would not touch." Okay so you can take out the part about the zombie. I was watching scenes from Dawn of the Dead last night and laughing at the sheer fakeness of the flesh they were ripping away at.

[the-norseman.livejournal.com]

Last time I checked the grade nines and tens at my school don't spout off such crap. Cole must be a sponge who remembers what every social counselor says to him. He is a weird child and we should use him as a human punching bag. And I want to hear about Peter's damn problems. He should be struggling, I was expecting him to, but I suppose that is just too realistic.

You don't realise how these books work... let me try to explain the process step by step:

1. Have a troubled child (or a bully). Keep his or her initial problems/behaviour more or less within the bounds of the possible.

2. Have said child do something Very Bad, and be Punished for it.

3. Introduce an Alternate Solution to the Old Fashioned Harsh punishment. This can either be Quaint Native Ways, or a New Breakthrough Throwing Away Old Methods.

4. Have the child (and possibly parents) be initially sceptical and dismissive of the New Method.

5. Have The Big Crisis where it almost looks like the New Method will fail.

6. After the Big Crisis the child now thinks that the New Method works, and is willing to give it a go.

7. The New Method works its wonder, and the child will now gladly do the Silly Thing They Complained About Earlier.

8. Having been cured the child Makes Up to the Wronged Person and/or Initiates a New Learner. The Child is now Enlightened and/or a Teacher.

Step by frigging step, you'll be amazed at how many "pedagogic" books follows this scheme.

By the way if Peter had real problems, that weren't due to anger or what not, that'd kind of unravel the book. See that'd show that Cole could never really atone for what he did, and that it was a horribly wicked thing to do. Obviously not the sort of thing a pedagogic book can say.

My ending would have been more along the lines of "And as they laughed like morons, a great white bear came and devoured them all, leaving a bloody mess that even a zombie would not touch." Okay so you can take out the part about the zombie. I was watching scenes from Dawn of the Dead last night and laughing at the sheer fakeness of the flesh they were ripping away at.

I think that I've given a plausible explanation for the laughter, the only plausible explanation if I might say so. IMHO of course.

[jeriendhal.livejournal.com]

And that's why I avoided those books like the plague when I was a kid. Give me the The Mad Scientists Club any day of the week instead.

That said, one of my favorite webcomics has a troubled, angry, fifteen year old protagonist learning to function in normal society. But at least he doesn't go through bizarre social reconditioning to figure out how to do it. He's just exposed to safe and stable people for long periods who alternate between being patient with him and calling him out when he acts like a jerk.

[the-norseman.livejournal.com]

"You're just being difficult..."

"The older students knew how to appreciate it..."

Ever hear one of those? That's what you get if, as a youngster, you tell the truth about one of these insufferable books or movies.

These books aren't written for children or students, they're written for teachers. They're written so teachers can have something to assign or recommend to the children. They're written to support a certain point of view, and without accepting a series of propositions the books will seem like utter rubbish.

That's why school children often make fun of them, they haven't been brainwashed enough. Eventually they're browbeaten, or have their grades suffer, enough that they start parroting what the teacher wants to hear.

[prototypical]

This is exactly why I slacked off in school - I hated the books with Important Messages we were supposed to be reading and found Stephen King to be a much more entertaining companion.

[trinadi.livejournal.com]

Actually I do realize how these books work, but I just never bother with them. I've never been made to read them and have never chosen to.

Perhaps I should have used 'I hoped he would' instead of 'I was expecting him to' but I had just woken up, so I wasn't watching my word choice.

And I wasn't explaining the laughter, I was cutting it off. I said that it was my ending, not that it was an explanation of the laughter. But if you want one: they laugh at the lack of humorous words and Spirit Bear hears them and thinks they are an injured animal it could pick off and eat. Now I am assuming this is a polar bear as it is white, a grizzly-polar, or possibly just an albino grizzly. No matter which one it is, it wouldn't be afraid of humans. So the bear comes along and gives them the touch of death before eating them. Their laughter turns to the screams of dying animals.

[(Anonymous)]

For the record, Kermode bears are real:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kermode_bear

[albijuli]

And then they see the Spirit Bear.

They're both touched by it.

It's like Ringu. They see it, and something dreadful happens to people.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

When ever you see the bear, you get touched. *eyebrow waggle*

[authoressarktos.livejournal.com]

It would certainly explain the weirdly random 'circle of life' thing near the end, wouldn't it? ;)

[thelittlebudgie.livejournal.com]

Still, I shall dance the dance of glee because it's done!

And will you carve glee on your totem pole?

So, when's the survey going to be up? I'm going off to uni Sunday, and I don't want to miss it.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Yes. I will! I'm not sure what it'll look like, but I will. =D

Hopefully, I'll put it up tonight.

[spoofmaster]

"I'm not going to dance a dumb 'mouse dance'," Peter said, his voice thick with sarcasm.

Okay, so the misuse of words makes Spoofie headdesk, and sarcasm is a word that seems to get abused pretty often.

In order to be sarcastic, you must be using irony in a mocking or contemptuous manner. In order to be using irony, you must be using words to mean the opposite of what they normally signify. If we take the author at his word and believe him when he says that Peter is being sarcastic, then Peter must be somehow saying that sentence in a way that suggests that he does want to do the dance, while simultaneously sounding contemptuous. Sounds...difficult. I wish I had powers of inflection on par with Peter's.

Somebody buy this guy a dictionary.

[gjohnsonkoehn.livejournal.com]

When Garvey joined the boys, he stared down at the log and at what they had carved. "You carved a perfect circle," he said, a soft smiling tugging at his lips. "Why a circle?"

Cole and Peter glanced nervously at each other, neither wanting to speak.

"Could it be because every part of a circle is both a beginning and an end?" Garvey asked. "And everything is one?"

Gack! Sweet zombie Jesus, I can taste the condescension, even two degrees removed from this bloody awful book!

[delphinapterus.livejournal.com]

That is all? What a dreadful ending. It just sort of fizzles out.

[zoe-i-am.livejournal.com]

I still want the bear to eat them all...

[jacedraccus.livejournal.com]

To fizzle it would have had to spark to begin with.

[delphinapterus.livejournal.com]

*grin* very true

[gjohnsonkoehn.livejournal.com]

Well, the damn thing did seem to have already ended twice before...

[christinaathena.livejournal.com]

"Every animal has something to teach us," Cole said. When Peter didn't answer, Cole motioned toward the trees. "Let's collect firewood for the dance."

"Okay, let's go ..." Peter replied, picking up an axe.

Later that evening, Peter returned alone, with blood splatters on his shirt. "The Spirit Bear got Cole" he explained. "I tried to save him, but the bear was too strong. I barely escaped with my own life" Garvey smiled. "Of course ... what a dreadful shame, we'll all miss him terribly ..." he replied, barely suppressing laughter.

I don't think I'll ever heal from what I did to you Grah! How altruistic and non-self-centered

[millenium-king.livejournal.com]

Holy crap! What an awful piece of shit that book was!