THE BEARS AND THE MOLES - a fable in the vein of James Thurber

This is the 100-year-old original recording of the author's reading at his Cornish cottage, presumably on Feb 14, 1910.

However, some sceptics maintain that this fable was actually written in 2009 by Henry Walks-on-the-Edge, a Navajo Tribal Police Officer from Yah-Tah-Hey, New Mexico. He was befriended by Tony Hillerman, the famous author of ethnic detective novels set in the Southwest.

Asked how he got the idea for the fable Walks-on-the-Edge replied, "Well, when Tony learned that I was an admirer of James Thurber's fables he encouraged me to write stories in the same vein. Now, there were lots of bears around the Navajo Reservation when I was a kid, not to mention heaps of moles. Also, in the past years I've had some experience with some really stupid FBI agents, although I gotta admit I don't know what the FBI would be doing in Cornwall, which is the setting of the story. Anyway, I didn't have no trouble making up this fable. In fact, it was a cinch."

In any case, one thing is true - that fable is an obvious attempt at imitating the Thurber style. Then again, it is also a homage to the great American satirist, which is why I have published it here.

NOTE: This fable is also published in my new book - get more info at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aWM-4Q_EKI
and at
http://www.wahlbrinck.de/nicht-zu-fassen.htm

Copyright 2010 by Bernd Wahlbrinck

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[BennieJamieson]

Are you saying that this video was actually recorded in 1910 - a hundred years ago??

[Berniewahlbrinck]

Who knows?

[chemikerHCl]

I'm not quite sure but I guess that you "learned" the word "guineapig" about 2 years ago while teaching my class .. Actually I wanted to tell a little story about our 2 guineapigs ( both are dead now) but the name of that little animal was missing so nobody could understand what I talked about.. Afterwards I looked "Meerschweinchen" up in a Langenscheid from 1975 (old legacy) and you really liked that word.. last thursday I even found it in an exercise for one of your classes and now at youtube

[CNlyrical]

No doubt, that this video

was recorded a hundred years ago,

i'm sure to remember this guy

out of a previous life!