Alan, Steve, and the homeless bear.

It is a warm sunny day, a bright blue sky with the odd cloud spread out like the last few mouthfuls of cotton candy. The grass is a gorgeous green and all the trees dance in the breeze as they try to touch the sky above. On a park bench by the footpath sits Polar Bear, wearing a dirty bomber jacket and a worn-out cap. He is slouched back against the bench, gazing longingly across the footpath at a marigold flower beneath an ancient oak tree.

The bear wonders how this small plant made it here, and how has it survived for so long under the shade of such a large tree? He ponders about the existence of the plant, as polar bears often do. Such a delicate and beautiful plant, with its golden flowers always at the mercy of its surroundings. Thriving perfectly fine left alone, somehow receiving all the nutrients it needs.

An acorn falls from the oak tree above the small golden plant and lands on the ground, only just missing one of the flowers. The bear breathes a sigh of relief for the little marigold.

Suddenly a squirrel runs down the tree. He looks left, then right, like a child just about to cross the road. He runs up to the acorn and begins eating it. The polar bear looks down the footpath, making sure not to make eye contact with the small furry thing. The squirrel looks around the park as he chews on his lucky find. He notices the polar bear and stops mid-chew.

“Steve!”, the squirrel shouts. He continues to stare at Polar Bear, the unwavering stare of a squirrel.

The park is silent, other than a few birds chirping nearby.

“Steve!”, he shouts again, only a little louder.

Even the trees seem to come to a halt.

“STEEEEEEEEEEEVVVVE!!”, he screams at the top of his lungs.

“What is it Alan?”, a voice shouts back, annoyed and very close by.

“Come down here!!”

“Why?”

“Just get down here damn it and you’ll find out!”, Alan shakes his little fist at the tree.

Polar Bear looks to the branches of the tree above the squirrel. Nothing happens. Alan centers himself and inhales deeply, all the way down to his tiny squirrel diaphragm.

“Alright fine”, Steve finally replies.

Alan opens his mouth and slowly releases the built-up air from his chest. He won’t need it to scream again.

Steve a skinner squirrel falls from the tree, landing face-first onto the ground on the other side of the plant. He pushes himself up, shakes his head, and walks around to Alan, “What is it?”

“What does that look like to you?”

“I don't know, a bear”, Steve shrugs in response.

“Not just any bear, a polar bear!”

“Okay, a polar bear.”

“Why is there a polar bear in the park, Steve?”

“His contract finished at Coca-Cola?”

“Coke hasn’t hired a polar bear in almost ten years”

“Good point. Well, maybe his retirement fund ran out!”

“Steve! When have you ever seen a polar bear in Montreal?”

“He could be in the circus?

“What circus has Polar bears?

“I don't know, a Russian one. Russian's are into that.”

“We aren’t in Russia!”, Alan screams in Steve’s face. They both stand there in silence as Alan catches his breath. “There's no snow here Steve, so why is there a Polar bear in the park?”

“There's no snow! There's no snow. The snow’s gone”, Steve looks around in a panic.

“I feel like I'm going nuts here”, Alan puts his paw to his face.

“What kind of nuts?”, Steve holds up a bag of assorted nuts at Alan.

“Stop it!”

Steve drops the nuts and gestures with his eyes down to his groin while he holds his balls with one hand, “Deez nuts?”.

“Shut up, shut up”, Alan tackles Steve into the marigold flowers.

Steve pushes Alan off him. Pulls out a flower and hits Alan across the face, the petals exploding on contact, “You shut up.”

Alan pulls out another one and hits Steve back, the petals once again bursting apart. They continue wrestling, rolling over its remaining flowers and crushing all the leaves.

“Why don't you both shut up”, Polar Bear shouts from across the footpath.

Alan and Steve freeze on the spot, standing in the remains of the now destroyed plant. They stare at Polar Bear in shock.

“Your carelessness and fighting have completely destroyed that beautiful golden flower plant. It was fine until you came down”

Alan and Steve pull away from each other timidly, shame pulling their heads down and away from Polar Bear’s accusing gaze.

“I wasn't in the circus and I was never the face of Coke - that was Barry. I'm here because almost all my ice caps have melted and I have nowhere else to go.”

Alan feels a twang of guilt. He looks up at Polar Bear, “What can we do to help?”