It was an ordinary evening. The old building’s elevator creaked, as it always did, on every floor. The young couple was returning from the store — the husband carried the bags, while the wife searched for the keys in her purse.
— We’re going to get stuck again, just like last time, — she said nervously, pressing the “34” button.
— Don’t jinx it, — he replied with a tired smile.
The elevator started moving, but suddenly stopped between floors. The light flickered. The doors opened. And on the threshold stood a huge, real bear.
The bear just stood there, breathing heavily, as if it didn’t even know where it was. Around its neck hung a strap with a torn piece of rope.
— Don’t move, — the man whispered. — It probably escaped from a circus… or a wildlife reserve…
The bear took a step forward, snorted, and then quietly lowered its head to the floor.
— Oh my God… — she whispered.
The man hesitated for a moment, then pressed the “close doors” button, but the elevator didn’t respond. The bear, as if sensing their fear, made no sound — it just breathed slowly, deeply, as though begging them not to be afraid.
A minute later, footsteps and a security guard’s voice echoed through the hallway:
— Everything’s fine! That’s the bear from the movie set! He escaped during filming — we’ve been searching for him all over the building!
The couple could hardly believe it. But then a man in a reflective vest appeared in the corridor and shouted:
— Baloo! Come here! Good boy! — The bear lifted its head, gave a soft growl, and calmly walked out of the elevator like a well-trained dog.
The doors closed. The man and woman stood still until the elevator started moving again.
— Well… — he said, still pale. — Now I understand why the rent here is so expensive.
— Why? — she asked.
— Because here, the circus show is free.
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