The Girl Who Reads

Chapter 5 - The Bear

I get up around 9 AM. I'm not stressed cause this Friday is a pro d day, so I have a full Friday, plus the weekend, to do whatever I want. I'm still in the PJ's I put on, Hufflepuff themes ones with a matching robe to boot. I make my way down the stairs and see mum staring out at the pine trees of our backyard, morning mist creeping into the kitchen through the window. mum looks at me and says,

"Morning sweetheart," "Hey,"

"Rough day yesterday?"

"You could say that. Anne quit the Reading Club just because I'm helping Austin-" and then I realise: I completely forgot to tell mum that I've been helping him. and that the reason I'm helping him is cause I punched that girl in the stomach. so, I relay everything that has happened to me so far. not just with Austin, but I guess everything else.

"So Anne quit just because of that?"

"Yeah; Mary and Evan told Jose and I that she think's he's changing me, making me different. I guess I still cant believe it myself."

"Neither can I. well, it seems like you could use a distraction. so, I was thinking we could go to a forest nearby and walk the trails; yes, I know what you might be thinking. and yes, It's the same trail your father died on. but I highly doubt the bear will be there. besides, I miss seeing you enjoy nature and the outdoors. cmon, it'll be really fun. what'dya say?"

I sigh, consider and weigh the options. A, I can stay in the house all Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning. or B, I could join mum on a trail out in Nature, seeing the greenery again after being away from it for so long.

"Alright. but if that bear is there, if I see it, I wanna leave immediately."

"Of course, sweetheart. now, go get dressed. and dress accordingly. it's supposed to be a really warm day." with my back to mum, I nod and ascend the wooden steps to get dressed in my room. god, what is wring with me? I haven't been in Nature or on a trail in forever. I dont know how I'm going to feel about it. but I guess it would be good to get outside in that way again. so, I decide to wear a white hat, a forest green tank top, beige shorts and hiking boots, wearing a white denim cross body bag this time. I go down the stairs to see mum having brought out 2 waters, two gatorades, and a few health conscious snacks that are perfect for trail walking. I choose some for myself and put them into my bag. then, once we're both sure we have everything, we leave and get into mums truck, pulling away from the driveway in an amount of time that feels too slow.

While I'm open to this and seeming okay on the inside, I'm actually quite a bit stressed on the inside. I saw the image of the bear in the news article. it was a black bear too, with the cruellest eyes I've ever seen. all I can hope is that now it's properly locked up and out of sight so we wont run into it. if we do, I'm not sure how I'll feel. time creeps by far too slowly. I just wanna get there already, explore the trail for maybe an hour to two hours and leave, putting this exact forest behind me. eventually, we reach the parking lot where the trail is. there are families, couples and single mothers with their kids here. Mum and I get out of the truck and make sure we have everything. once we feel we're both ready, mum locks the truck and we begin walking into the path. yet, around 20 feet away, I see a sign that makes me stop. mum's a bit ahead of me when she notices my absence. she turns to see what I'm looking at and joins me.