by Deborah Holt Williams -
Every morning on her way to baseball practice, Megan walked past the Buttercup Bakery. Even before she could see the bakery, she could smell it. The scent of hot, fresh cinnamon buns filled the air all over town. Even the bakery’s garbage can smelled good, full of old hard buns that had gone stale. Sometimes Megan stopped in for a cinnamon bun unless she was in a hurry to join her team at the ball field.
One morning, Megan saw a large furry customer standing at the bakery door. A hungry bear had smelled the cinnamon buns, too! The aroma from the bakery woke up the bear and drew him out of the woods. He wanted his breakfast, and he wanted it now!
Mr. Buttercup the baker locked the door. The customers hid under tables, and a few peeked out the window. They saw Megan walking down the street, and they shouted to her through the windows to be careful as she approached.
“Don’t come any closer!” they called to her. The bear growled. He was one cranky customer, hungry for cinnamon buns.
Megan stopped. The bear scratched at the bakery door, and he didn’t see her. She could tell the people in the bakery were scared. What could she do to help? She didn’t want to hurt the bear. She didn’t want the bear to hurt the Buttercup bakery or anyone inside, either. All she had with her was her baseball bat, her powerful swing…and an idea!
