Touching Spirit Bear

Cole resolves to live as well as he can on the island, spending his days working on his cabin, soaking in the pond, carrying the ancestor rock, and sleeping. He creates furniture and a bathroom, and when Edwin comes to visit, Cole is doing well. After Edwin leaves again, Cole feels less afraid and more confident in his ability to survive. He finds a large and perfectly straight log and decides he is going to carve a totem pole, inspired by the at.óow, which is covered in totem shapes. Before he begins, ideas creep into his mind about turning the log into a canoe and escaping. These thoughts plague him all night, and he wakes up groggy and angry the next morning. He chops the log in such a way that using it as a canoe becomes impossible and begins shaping it into an eagle’s head. That night, Cole does the eagle dance. He wonders how he can be strong and proud like eagles but sleeps more soundly.

The next time Edwin visits, Cole asks why he thinks the Spirit Bear has not reappeared.