My Everything

A Violent Confrontation

The sun covered my face, and its fangs sank into my body. My lip trembled as I bit it. The sound of the world seemed to fade, and no words left my mouth. Seconds felt like hours as my eyes and the bear’s remained lock. Was it going to kill me?

The gushing of the water splashed upon my leg, but no matter how hard I tried, my legs refused to move. Why wouldn’t my legs move?

It stepped closer to me. Its body dipped, showing a brown gigantic frame as it stood towering above me.

The bear was a breath away from me. To the bear I was insignificant like an ant, if it lifted its paw towards me that might be my end.

My end? No, I can’t die yet, I won’t. I have to live. I have to live. There were still things I wanted. Still things I had to achieve. I couldn’t die here. I refused.

Move, Valentina! I said to myself. Move! But nothing happened at all. My body did not respond as I wanted, and I fell unto the river’s bank.

A loud voice broke the air.

“Get!! Go out of here!!” Diane's voice sounded behind me as I fell over. A shot thundered above in the air following it, causing the birds to scatter in complaint.

The bear turned left towards some bush, voicing an incoherent sound. It looked almost like it was skittering, not sure which way to go, it came back and then ran right almost to hide behind a tree.

“Don’t move Barba, stay where you are don’t move one inch!”

Something hit my hand from behind glancing at it I realized it was a spray. Pepper spray?

Another shot rang, and the bear ran deeper into the forest and passing a bush until it was out of sight.

A hand touched my shoulder. “Barba, are you okay?” Diane’s voice sounded beside me.

I tried to speak, but nothing came in return. Instead, my heart was beating so loud it seemed as if it had moved.

Diane stooped down, running her hand over me into a hug. “It’s okay, it’s okay your safe.” Her hair fell in my face and tears touched my shoulder.

Was she scared?

I bit my lip, feeling her warmth, and stuttered the words from my mouth. “Is it gone?”

“Yes,” Diane replied, “I am sorry it’s my fault. I should have been more observant. I got complacent.”

There was a pause between us as she held me.

“Can we go back now?” I asked, breaking the silence.

“Yes, we can,” Diane replied.

I looked up at her as she held me tightly. Her face even with worry seemed to glow, her smell kept me calm. We looked at each other in the eye quietly before I touched my face and realized my eye wasn’t covered.

“Beautiful,” she said as I turned my head away, adjusting my hair.

We sat in silence again for a while and when Diane's arm was leaving, I placed my hand on her arm as it was about to pass, looking down to the ground. “Please, can we stay like this for a while?”

                                                                                   ***

The travel back was quiet. We had said little and my legs had caught themselves again after a while. I trailed Diane as she path out the way back. My ears clearly attuned to every chirp in the trees and the whistling of the wind. Every noise caught my attention, as if expecting some danger I could not see.

On self-diagnosis, I was pathetic if Diane wasn’t here I would be dead. My hand shook even from thinking back on the scene. I couldn’t excuse myself I was afraid, and I ran. Me? What a joke I am I bit my lip as we walked further.

“I am sorry about what happened Barba, I know you wanted to hunt a deer and I know this might have spoiled your experience. I have been thinking perhaps I can show you around town maybe we could get a bite to eat together.”

“It’s okay, I will probably take you up on that,” I muttered, “I am at fault somewhat for not doing anything at all.”

“You shouldn’t take it so hard. You did well than most people you didn’t run away. It would have been dangerous if you had.”

I didn’t run away because my legs wouldn’t allow me to.

There was rustling of leaves as Diane came to a halt and I bumped into her and looking up I saw Brad with his rifle around his shoulder making his way through some shrubbery.

Brad held a smile as he came a short distance away from us. “Ah, there you are. We were starting to get worried about you when you didn’t come back to camp.”

“So you came alone?” Diane asked.

“Yes, I am an expert tracker you see.”

Diane took a deep breath out. “We are fine, we did have a bit of trouble, but everything is okay.”

Brad's eyes flashed from Diane to me. “What kind of trouble, let’s walk back and talk.”

Brad turned his back and started walking in the direction we were heading.

“We ran into a bear, I was a bit careless, but we managed to scare it off.”

We? I thought. You did that all on your own.

“Was that the reason you didn’t come back?” Brad inquired.

Diane’s hand touched the back of her head. “Oh no, we wanted to hunt more deer. The bear came out of now where. I set up camp to close to a river. I got too relaxed since I hadn’t seen any in ages.”

“I see,” Brad said, “well are you okay Barba?”

Diane glanced at me.

My hand shook. “Yes, I am okay.”

Brad scanned me for a while as I straightened myself up.

“I said I am okay,” taking a step forward on my own. “Things happen and we must adapt to them. Thanks for your concern…?”

“Brandon,” Brad said.

I nodded. “Thanks for your concern, Brandon. You seem like a good person.”

We continued walking until we were at camp. I never thought I might feel slightly happy to see and hear that annoying voice from Lisa and see that Sign outside River Shore Hunting Club.