The Journey to New Buckland (Part VII)

What can I say, amigos? This here story’s been a real roller coaster of emotions filled with danger and uncertainty at every turn. Despite every challenge he was faced with, Buckley prevailed. Usin’ his wits, ingenuity and bear instincts, Buck’s managed to overcome everythin’ from awful bandits to sand storms and ghostly voices to strange beasts. No epic journey worth takin’ was ever free of danger. After finally foilin’ Cutthroat Pete, Buck was alone once again. He walked fer days without seein’ a single other soul. No bandits, no lawmen, no travellin’ merchants, no nothin’. Buckley had come a long way, and if he’d ever been nowhere before, well, this was somewhere even more nowhere than nowhere.

Buckley wandered over hills and through valleys as he traversed the uncharted desert. Even if he had a map, it would be just about useless in these parts. As far as Buckley could tell, nobody had ever been out this way, and if they had, it was almost entirely certain they had died from a lack of resources. Thankfully Buck still had plenty of provisions from the old merchant, but he knew that even those wouldn’t last ferever. But no matter what, Buckley knew that he hadn’t reached his destination - not yet at least. He was purdy sure that if anyone actually knew where he was, they’d label him a madman and accuse him of havin’ lost his mind. Admittedly Buck did give his sanity some thought, but he figured that he didn’t feel any different and still had all his faculties about him, so there really wasn’t any cause fer concern.

Buck continued to wander across the desert determined to reach his final destination. As he walked, he realized some buzzards were hoverin’ overhead. They’d been followin’ him fer a little while and must’ve figured that out here without anyone else to help him, he was as good as dead. Buck paid these varmints no mind though and continued his march. The prospect of dyin’ just hadn’t entered Buckley’s mind, and he wasn’t about to give up hope after comin’ all this way. Why, what would his mama and papa think of him if he did that? Nope, Buck remained steadfast as he continued to put one blistered foot in front of the other.

Eventually Buckley found himself at the top of a rather steep hill. He surveyed the land and felt as though he was gettin’ real close to where he wanted to be. He scratched his head and pondered for a moment, but before he could make any kind of decision, one of them vultures swooped down and tried to take a chunk outta Buck! He managed to duck just before the buzzard’s talons got hold of him, but it was just a little too comfort. Annoyed, Buckley brandished his shovel and prepared fer the bird to swoop in again. In a matter of seconds, the vulture was bearin’ down on Buckley again. He swung his shovel and managed to hit the vulture square on, but unfortunately this move also caused Buckley to lose his footin’!

Before he knew it, Buck was tumblin’ down the side of the hill. He did his very best to grab on to somethin’, but there just wasn’t anythin’ substantial enough fer him to get a good hold on. Try as he might, Buck was rollin’ down that hill faster than a big ol’ boulder rolled by Sisyphus himself! Buck careened down the hill, hittin’ his arms, legs and head several times as he continued to slide. Buck could do nothin’ but hope he wouldn’t be too badly hurt. Then, in an instant, everythin’ went dark…

Buck was groggy when he woke up. His whole body ached and he felt mighty sore. He quickly opened his eyes and carefully ensured that each of his limbs were still OK. Despite bein’ badly bruised and some nasty cuts and scrapes, Buckley was amazin’ly fine. He slowly got to his feet and surveyed his surroundings.

Wait…could it be?

Buckley gazed in awe at the land around him. This was it. He didn’t know why, but this was exactly where he needed to be and where he needed to start workin’! Of course, Buck was mighty injured and would need to rest his weary bones fer the night. After dinin’ on some of his rations and havin’ some water, Buck quickly set up camp and hit the hay. It had been a long day and an even longer journey. As he closed his eyes, Buck thought about his life, his friends and family, the people he’d met and the adventures he’d been on. Sure, a lot of it had been real tryin’, even painful. But somehow Buckley was still grateful fer everythin’ he’d experienced. Heck, without that sufferin’ and those challenges, Buck may not be the amazin’ bear he is today.

And that friends is where the story of Buckley’s journey to New Buckland ends. Yep, after he dug up them holes, did some prospectin’ and found his first token, Buck knew that he had made the right decision and that this was exactly where he needed to be. After his success, people from all over came to work with Buck in order to set up the Bearmint Minin’ Company as well as the town of Newbuckland. Today the town is a busy place filled with all kinds of folks gettin’ up to all kinds of business, but that’s a story fer another day.

We certainly hope you’ve enjoyed followin’ the story behind Buckley’s journey and that these tales have filled yer heart with light and wonder. There’s still plenty of stories fer Buckley to share, and many more adventures he’s yet to go on, but now you know just about everythin’ about Buckley’s origins and early life. Buck knows just how much people need somethin’ to place their hopes and dreams in, and thanks to his wisdom, determination and grit, many fortunate souls have benefited greatly from Buckley’s efforts and will continue to do so well into the future.

Moral of this here story is: always trust yer gut, especially when everyone around you tells you not to. A man is only worth anythin’ because he upholds principles and does what is required of him. Those without the will to succeed, those who let even the smallest bump in the road derail ‘em, just ain’t headed anywhere. No matter what you do, be relentless, and never stop until you get to where you need to be goin’!