This weekend, I had an encounter with one of nature's strongest, most ferocious creatures: the mighty bear! I wish I could say that the unexpected meeting was friendly and tranquil, but I cannot. Evidently this bear was satisfied with his existing friendships!

Now let me tell you the whole story. I would like to stress that everything you are about to read is true.

Friday night, I was at Ben's place watching some movies with a couple buddies. The room was dark, except for the soft glow of the television. Despite this darkness and my unfamiliarity with Ben's DVD player, I had been elected to get the show going. I managed to start up the movie, but the volume was quite low, so I had to hop over to the stereo controls a few feet away. At this very moment when I was most vulnerable...

The bear attacked!

The next few seconds felt like an eternity. The bear and I struggled, locked in fierce combat. The bear managed to rake my arm with its sharp claws. My "friends" nearby did nothing but stare in disbelief--and who can blame them? At last, I was able to conquer my adversary, leaving him sprawled motionless on the floor.

Understanding the unlikeliness of being attacked by a bear in a friend's living room, I tried to make sense of what had just happened. It turns out that the bear was stuffed and had been hanging on the wall. When I hopped up to change the volume, I ran into the bear's paw and knocked him off the wall! And as I caught the falling creature, I received a genuine 3-inch scratch from one of the claws!

And here's the pictures that prove it--or at least help you to understand a little better...