And yet here I was, looking directly up into the eyes of a pure white bear.
Bears always looked a whole lot bigger when they were looming over you.It had nice eyes though.Kind and thoughtful.And intelligent.Yes, the spirit bear looked very intelligent.
Now what?
It was getting harder to think straight.The bear looked real, though.And it didn’t smell like an illusion.Illusions didn’t have a smell, did they?
As I tried to decide on the best course of action, the world faded to black.
* * *
Kimberly
I lifted my paddle in the air, slowing my kayak’s journey toward the little island.A large, dark colored Zodiac was pulled up on the sandy shore where I normally beached my kayak.Someone was on my island.
Although it wasn’t officially my island, I liked to think of it that way since in all the years I’d been coming here, no one else had ever set foot on it.
Annoyance surged through me.This was my special place, the place I came to when I wanted to be alone.The setting possessed a serene, peaceful atmosphere.I didn’t want to share it with Zodiac-riding tourists who made too much noise, scared away the local wildlife, and left garbage everywhere.
I wasn’t what you’d call a people person.
As if sensing my mood, Diego whined softly from his perch behind me.I’d had the wooden platform mounted on the kayak to accommodate the big mutt when I’d inherited him from the roommate.
The roommate, as I’d taken to referring to him, had left the unfortunate pup behind when he’d accepted a job in the Cayman Islands.It appeared loyalty hadn’t been one of his strong points.Neither was financial reliability, as I’d found when he also left me saddled with his portion of the rent and utilities, not to mention assorted parking fines and credit card bills.
That made two losers in a row, if I counted the asshole who’d left me waiting at the altar a scant two years earlier.I didn’t plan on achieving a perfect three out of three.From now on, my male companions would be strictly limited to the four-legged type.Their loyalty exceeded expectations.
I glanced over my shoulder.“What do you think, Diego?Land and hope we manage to avoid them, or turn back home?”
Diego let out a soft sigh, his eyes firmly fixed on the beach ahead of them.
“You want to go run in the woods, don’t you?You don’t care who else is there.”I dipped the paddle back in the water and resumed paddling.“Fine.But if I have to talk to some whiny tourist who has no idea why they can’t see any whales today, I’m going to take it out of your Milk-Bone rations.As in there won’t be any tonight.”
As if I’d actually carry through on that threat.Diego knew me well enough to know that all it took was a doleful expression and a pathetic whine or two to get all the treats he wanted.I smiled to myself as I pictured Diego’s expression if I dared to withhold his nightly snack.
I beached the kayak beside the offending Zodiac.Diego leapt off his perch and started sniffing the ground, casting back and forth with his tail wagging enthusiastically.
I stowed my paddle and clambered out of the fourteen-foot ocean kayak, my pride and joy.Was there really any graceful way to do this?Probably not.At least I usually managed not to land my ass in the water these days, unlike the first year or two of my kayaking life.
Safely on dry land, I took off my life vest and stuffed it in the cockpit beside the paddle.I pulled my cell phone out of the dry bag and checked for new messages before stowing it in the armband I wore just for that purpose.Not using the buddy system meant I needed a way to call for help if necessary.Unfortunately, the signal strength on the island varied between weak and non-existent, but it didn’t hurt to carry the phone anyway.
Whistling for Diego to follow, I headed to my favorite hiking trail, a meandering path created by the creatures that lived here.It loosely followed the river that bisected the small island.I’d been lucky enough to see a spirit bear and its cub on a previous visit, and I kept hoping to see them again.
While it had been an unbelievably magical sight, I hadn’t shared the event with anyone except my best friend Sasha.If people found out about the exotic creature, my refuge would be overrun with idiots eager to exploit the unusual animal.Most of the locals thought the rumors of a spirit bear on one of the tiny islands was just that -- a rumor started to lure in tourist dollars.
After the sighting, I’d made a point of researching spirit bears.The animals were incredibly uncommon this far south, and discovering one on my island would definitely generate interest.Hopefully, the occupants of the Zodiac would make enough noise to scare the secretive creature and its offspring into hiding.
The usual smells and sounds of the forest greeted me as I moved further into the shadowy depths.The calming calls of birds and the gentle sound of water flowing over rocks always filled me with a sense of peace.I’d first come here over two years ago, when the memories of being left at the altar had been raw and painful.The heartbreak and humiliation of my fiancé’s betrayal had left a ragged hole in my heart.The pain had faded with time, though, and I realized that I’d made a lucky escape.The short romance with Diego’s former owner had been more of a rebound than a real emotional connection.
I kept to the path, picking my way carefully over a pile of moss-covered rocks.My friend Sasha was constantly predicting dire consequences if I kept coming here alone.
“I’m not alone.I have you, right?”I ruffled the fur on the top of Diego’s head as he circled back to check me.
The big mutt let out a loudwoofbefore bounding off to investigate something only he could detect.
“Well at least I know you’ll be there if I need you.”I shook my head ruefully.Sad as it sounded, my most trusted male friend had fur and four paws.Was that a reflection of the sorry state of the human race or simply of my poor choices in selecting companions?
Thanks to the encouragement of my high school guidance counselor, I’d gone on to college and studied environmental science, eventually landing a job as a conservation officer up here on the coast of British Columbia.The freedom of being outdoors and lack of interaction with people suited me just fine.
