Bella and the Bear

Bella sat at the dinner table watching her parents eat. No one was talking and the air felt heavy and suffocating. Her mother was cutting her food into tiny pieces but not really eating any of it, just pushing it around her plate. Her father slammed his cutlery down after each bite and chewed loudly. Bella could feel her stomach twisting around the food she was forcing herself to eat too fast, hardly chewing before swallowing it down and ignoring the painful lump forming in her throat. She wanted to leave the table as quickly as possible and that meant clearing her plate. No sooner than she had put the last bite in her mouth she asked to be excused. Her mother continued to stare blankly at her plate, seemingly without hearing her so she turned instead to her father. He grunted at her in approval and she slipped from her chair and gently placed her cup and plate by the sink. She tiptoed up the stairs and as she closed the bedroom door behind her she heard a plate crash into the sink. She jumped into her bed without undressing and pulled her pillow down around her ears. Not quickly enough to block out the first angry words booming up from below. She sang softly to herself and shut her eyes tight hoping that sleep would come quickly. When sleep didn't come and the noise came up the stairs bringing with it crashes and slammed doors that shook the floor under her bed, Bella pulled her quilt about her shoulders and climbed out her window and into the ancient tree whose branches tangled up against the house and creaked in the wind. Climbing deeper into the branches she found no escape from the noise so she clambered down and ran away from the house, following the small creek that ran through their property. The moon was full and high in a clear sky and it was only when Bella could no longer see her way by its light that she realised she had wandered into the thick patch of forest that bordered her father's land. He had told her many times that if she went into the woods alone a bear would eat her for a snack. Too frightened of the noise at home to return and too frightened of bears to continue she curled up in the roots of a huge tree and, cold and alone, cried herself to sleep.

When she woke in the morning she was surprised to find a raggy old teddy bear tucked up beside her feet. He was covered in dirt and missing one button eye, with a tear in his chest letting the stuffing escape, but she pulled him in close anyway, delighted by his crooked smile. "If you are as lost and as lonely as I am," she asked the bear, "perhaps we can find our way together?" And, tucking the bear into her quilt, she set about finding her way home.

It was almost noon when Bella returned home. Her mother scolded her for missing breakfast, and for getting her feet and quilt so dirty, but Bella managed to keep the bear hidden until she was safe in her room. First, she got a needle and thread and gently sewed the hole in his chest. She placed a kiss on her fingertips and tenderly laid them over the fresh seam. "All better," she whispered. Then she dug through her box of treasures until she found a button to replace his missing eye. Wrapping him back up in the quilt she went downstairs, pulled a stool up to the big laundry tub and filled it with warm soapy water. She sang happily as she bathed the bear, watching a rich chestnut fur emerge from under all the dirt and dust. She scrubbed her quilt quickly and drained the tub. Sneaking an apple from the basket on the way, she went out into the garden and spread her quilt out to dry, laying herself and the bear out next to it in the bright afternoon sun. Munching on her apple and telling the bear all the stories she could remember she didn't realise her father was approaching until his shadow fell over her. "Are you mad girl! Lazing about, covered in filth, and talking to yourself. And where did you get this trash?" Picking up the bear he threw it into the kindling basket. Pulling her up roughly and very close to his face he growled, "Get inside and ask your mother for something useful to do with yourself." before shoving her towards the house and walking away.

Bella thought her heart would break at the thought of her precious friend being used to light the fire but she dared not even look at the basket as she ran into the house. She helped her mother with the chores and ate slowly, the food sticking in her throat as she tried not to cry. She could barely pick up her feet to climb the stairs and fat, hot tears rolled down her cheeks as she dressed for bed. She could hear her father cutting wood in the yard below and pulled her pillow over her head to block out the noise, only to find her raggy friend there underneath! Her weeping turned to tears of joy as she hugged him tight and drifted off into a deep, sweet sleep.

She was woken much later by the sound of breaking glass and angry voices. She pulled her quilt up over her head and pressed her hands to her ears. "We're going to run away," she whispered to the bear, taking his lopsided grin as agreement. When she was sure all the noise had stopped she dressed and put on her coat and boots, took up her quilt and satchel, and, holding the bear tight, crept down the stairs. In the kitchen, she filled her bag with apples and some leftover bread and tucked a small sharp knife into her coat pocket. She went to the door but it was locked! She crept back up the stairs and went out the window into the old tree. It was so much harder to climb with a heavy bag and her arms full. Suddenly her foot slipped and she tumbled down through the branches and to the ground, loudly scraping branches against the house and landing painfully with a cry. Her parents' light snapped on.

Bella ran with her chest burning and her legs wobbling, not stopping to look behind her until the woods closed in around her, thicker and thicker until there was no light left. She tripped on a tree root and fell to the ground, knocking the air from her lungs and her few precious possessions from her hands. She searched desperately in the dark for the bear but hearing her father's shouts and crashing footsteps getting closer she pulled the knife from her pocket and huddled beneath the tree, wishing herself someplace else, or at least bigger and stronger.

As the torchlight flicking amongst the trees broke through and fell full upon her she heard a terrible growl and looked up to see an enormous bear swipe a heavy paw at her father's menacing silhouette, which fell to the ground and didn't move again.

Bella brandished the knife as the bear turned and took a step towards her but in the torchlight, she saw rich chestnut fur with a small golden patch on the chest. She dropped the knife and the bear took her hand and pressed his cold, wet nose to it before placing her fingertips over the strange gold mark, where they fit perfectly, and without being spoken the words "all better" filled her head.