2 Inside the mountain

Chapter 2 Inside the mountain While the moon was still high in the sky, Asta and the bear arrived at a craggy black mountain.

The bear raised his huge paw and knocked on the mountainside. A door creaked open... Inside, was a glittering castle, carved from stone.

The white bear handed Asta a golden bell. "Ring this if you need anything," he said. No sooner had Asta taken the bell, than she found herself alone in a grand bedroom. She lay down on the bed, but couldn't sleep.

Clouds passed over the moon, sinking the castle into darkness. Footsteps echoed down the corridor. Asta peered out from her room, and saw a man in the shadows. He dragged behind him a white bear skin, which gleamed in the moonlight.

Each night after that, Asta watched the man until he disappeared into one of the rooms "Is that the bear, changed into a man?" she wondered. She longed to see his face.

The days rolled on. Asta had everything she could ask for. And, each evening, the bear would come and sit by her side. She would stroke his soft fur and sing to him. The bear would rest his head on her lap, with a glimmer of hope in his dark eyes.