[djmcmath]

A wealthy man grows tired of his toys one day and decides to go purchase something really exotic -- a grizzly bear. Now he'd been warned about the violent tendencies that these bears have been known to exhibit in the wild, so he made sure to voice his concern to the ecstatic salesman (if you were selling a grizzly, you'd be ecstatic, too).

The salesman assured him that the bear in question was as peaceful as a lamb. "Just don't ever touch his nose, whatever you do," cautioned the salesman.

Several months went by, and in fact, the bear was as peaceful as a lamb. He was also smarter than any dog, and rapidly learned not only to fetch the paper and slippers, but could fry eggs and make passable coffee. The grizzly got along great with the wait-staff, and played well with children.

But somewhere in the back of the new owner's mind, he kept wondering about the whole "nose" thing. One day, his curiousity got the better of him. The grizzly was sleeping quietly in front of the fire, gently snoring -- a true picture of peace and tranquility. The owner softly snuck up, reached out, and touched the bear lightly on the nose.

In the flash of an instant, the bear was up on his hind legs roaring, apparently very angry. The owner, in terror, fled through the house, chased at every turn by the suddenly-no-longer-docile pet. Teeth bared, massive paws throwing furniture across the room, wait-stuff running from the path of this vicious killer ... and finally, the bear cornered his owner. Saliva dripped from his growling maw, and his neatly sharpened claws clicked on the fancy marble floor. The owner huddled in the corner, regretting his horrible mistake and wondering if this was really the end...

Then the bear reached out a massive paw, touched him on the nose, and said "Tag. You're it."