I was walking home through a dusty field (which was the East side of Fairview, though not so in my dream). Ahead and to the right, the dirt sloped down and met my and Gabriel's home, a little den half-dug into the ground. An arc of twigs and straw gave the den a rounded roof. As I walked along the trail, I saw massive bear prints in the dirt, overshadowing a smaller set of child-like footprints, and a snaky line alongside, as if a young boy had been dragging a stick along on his walk. Both prints were headed in the opposite direction. I remembered the talk of bear attacks in our village, and noticed a few towns-women were walking some distance behind me, whispering in fear and clutching at their brown, baggy cloaks.
I followed the path, not leaving any footprints of my own despite walking very deliberately and sure-footedly in a pair of heavy hiking boots, and was soon able to see into the entrance of my den. Curled inside and pulsing uncomfortably was a giant grizzly bear. Only her great, rounded back was visible; she was rooting around in the ground, searching for something or trying to make herself comfortable, I don't know. Her movements suggested real angry physical agitation, and her fur was spiked along the edges, as if she had just gone for a swim. I saw traces of her face as she thrashed around, her yellow teeth catching the glare of an imperceptible sun.
Over my shoulder, I tried to hiss a warning to the women behind me, but as soon as I took breath, the bear lifted her head gave a feral roar. Tripping over herself, she barreled out of the den and up the hill towards us. I ran swiftly back the way I had come, conscious of a thankfulness that Gabriel was not at home in the den or with me then. As usual in my dreams, I ran so quickly that my feet began to catch on the air; I was floating. Using a great and uncontrolled strength, I ran nearly upwards as if up an invisible flight of stairs. Behind me, the grizzly snarled and reared, but was left on solid ground, too heavy and angry to follow me.
I made my way to a set of tall swings, where I immediately found my footing on the long, metal bar spanning the top. The bear grabbed hold of the bars and wiggled her way up, and continued following me with the bar beneath her belly and legs. I looked around, remembering a fence that nearly reached the roof of one of the old school houses. I made my way in that direction, but realized she would have too easy a time following me. Doubling back, I practically swam through the air over her head. Roaring furiously, she slipped off the bar and landed on her side in the gravel. Her fall seemed to give her greater strength, and she began jumping up, her mouth snapping near my feet.
We passed by a large structure, a roofed area with an open bottom like a picnic bunk. The roof was rounded and thatched with thin sticks, like the one covering the den. Veering to the right, I caught my side sharply on the edge of the roof and climbed up. The bear quickly circled the space and began shinnying her way up. Here, things got a little wonky as the structure turned into a sort of plastic play-place. I was still on the roof, but there was a new, bright blue enclosure around me, laced with rounded fish-eye windows and secret zip-up doorways. I stood erect, my feet planted shoulder-width apart and hands out, as if I was ready to spar. I felt prepared, but still felt a wild pang of fear when she lumbered through a slit in the wall. She stood on her hind legs, and when she threw her head back with another powerful bellow, she seemed to take up the entire room.
I tried to dive past her, under her outstretched arms, but made it half-way through the hole when she caught hold of my foot. I dangled there, upside-down and facing the dirt some fifteen feet below me, and was overcome with a the sensations of a thoughtless prey animal. I felt like a fish, limp and defeated. The bear didn't pull me back up to her, so I hung there for a few minutes, my eyes dilated and staring. I started to smell something acrid, burning, and a sureness came back to me from the feet onward. I gave a great heave and twisted my legs out of her grasp. My body kept heaving and glided through the air as if through a moving river.
I followed the path, not leaving any footprints of my own despite walking very deliberately and sure-footedly in a pair of heavy hiking boots, and was soon able to see into the entrance of my den. Curled inside and pulsing uncomfortably was a giant grizzly bear. Only her great, rounded back was visible; she was rooting around in the ground, searching for something or trying to make herself comfortable, I don't know. Her movements suggested real angry physical agitation, and her fur was spiked along the edges, as if she had just gone for a swim. I saw traces of her face as she thrashed around, her yellow teeth catching the glare of an imperceptible sun.
Over my shoulder, I tried to hiss a warning to the women behind me, but as soon as I took breath, the bear lifted her head gave a feral roar. Tripping over herself, she barreled out of the den and up the hill towards us. I ran swiftly back the way I had come, conscious of a thankfulness that Gabriel was not at home in the den or with me then. As usual in my dreams, I ran so quickly that my feet began to catch on the air; I was floating. Using a great and uncontrolled strength, I ran nearly upwards as if up an invisible flight of stairs. Behind me, the grizzly snarled and reared, but was left on solid ground, too heavy and angry to follow me.
I made my way to a set of tall swings, where I immediately found my footing on the long, metal bar spanning the top. The bear grabbed hold of the bars and wiggled her way up, and continued following me with the bar beneath her belly and legs. I looked around, remembering a fence that nearly reached the roof of one of the old school houses. I made my way in that direction, but realized she would have too easy a time following me. Doubling back, I practically swam through the air over her head. Roaring furiously, she slipped off the bar and landed on her side in the gravel. Her fall seemed to give her greater strength, and she began jumping up, her mouth snapping near my feet.
We passed by a large structure, a roofed area with an open bottom like a picnic bunk. The roof was rounded and thatched with thin sticks, like the one covering the den. Veering to the right, I caught my side sharply on the edge of the roof and climbed up. The bear quickly circled the space and began shinnying her way up. Here, things got a little wonky as the structure turned into a sort of plastic play-place. I was still on the roof, but there was a new, bright blue enclosure around me, laced with rounded fish-eye windows and secret zip-up doorways. I stood erect, my feet planted shoulder-width apart and hands out, as if I was ready to spar. I felt prepared, but still felt a wild pang of fear when she lumbered through a slit in the wall. She stood on her hind legs, and when she threw her head back with another powerful bellow, she seemed to take up the entire room.
I tried to dive past her, under her outstretched arms, but made it half-way through the hole when she caught hold of my foot. I dangled there, upside-down and facing the dirt some fifteen feet below me, and was overcome with a the sensations of a thoughtless prey animal. I felt like a fish, limp and defeated. The bear didn't pull me back up to her, so I hung there for a few minutes, my eyes dilated and staring. I started to smell something acrid, burning, and a sureness came back to me from the feet onward. I gave a great heave and twisted my legs out of her grasp. My body kept heaving and glided through the air as if through a moving river.
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