Police.
Three officers rush in, crowding in front of me like they’re protecting the president. One launches a taser at the grizzly.
It hits his shoulder.
And bounces off.
Like they threw a paper clip at him.
The bear roars in fury. An angry steam cloud billows out of his deadly mouth.
The sheriff arrives with a rifle.
“No,” I whisper as he raises it. “NO!”
I don’t think. I just act.
“Leave him!” I scream, leaping forward and smacking the barrel upward just as he pulls the trigger.
The shot fires into the sky with a thunderous crack.
More people scream.
The sheriff whips his head toward me, eyes wide, spittle hitting my face. “LADY, ARE YOU CRAZY?!”
“He’s not going to hurt anyone,” I say, trying to wrestle the rifle away from him.
He shoves his palm into my chest and I fall onto my ass.
The bear watches this and gets even more enraged, baring his teeth and letting out a savage growl as he turns his sights on the Sheriff.
He tries to shoot the gun again, but it jams.
Another officer steps forward, pulling out a canister. He pushes the button and a stream of pepper spray hits the charging bear in the face.
He skids to a stop, roaring in outrage. The cop hits him again.
“Don’t hurt him!” I scream as I watch the bear stumble backward, shaking his head furiously.
The bear is all confused and disoriented. And pissed off.
He lets out a deafening roar, swiping blindly with his paw as he backs up and stumbles. He lets out a savage growl, turns and sprints…
…right into the massive Christmas tree.
The thirty-foot pine tree wobbles and sways. Decorations fly off, bouncing and shattering on the ground. The grizzly thrashes around, attacking it viciously when he gets caught in the sparkly garland.
“Oh boy,” one of the cops whisper as the whole thing starts to tip.
“WATCH OUT!” the Sheriff hollers at the top of his lungs as it comes down hard.
Light strings snap. Ornaments crash on the ground. The angel summersaults off the top and smashes through the window of the candle store.
People scream and run. The tree lands with a crash on the sidewalk, taking down a few plastic reindeer with it. It’s a total disaster.
I look at Leanne hiding behind the hot chocolate stand. She’s recording everything with a huge grin on her face.
“Veronica, are you okay?” my producer says in my ear. “If you are, say something. You’re still live!”
