Easy As Falling Off A Bike pt 1333.
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(aka Bike) Part 1333 by Angharad Copyright © 2011 Angharad
All Rights Reserved. |
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I held her until she went back to sleep after which I tried once again to get comfortable on the chair and did fall asleep, at least I assumed I did because I dreamt again.
I was walking through a woodland full of bluebells and birdsong–something I’ve done loads of times and was trying to identify the bird song when I heard a strange noise–I can’t begin to describe it–but it sounded–like a cross between a rutting red deer stag and a scream.
The birdsong went quiet and I felt my blood run cold–what the hell was it? My only thought was a feral wild boar–and although they usually avoid humans–they can be dangerous, with vicious tusks that could give you a nasty wound.
The noise sounded again and the birds were using little alarm calls to each other and then went silent. I felt rooted to the spot, I wanted to run but my legs wouldn’t move and feet felt like they’d been glued to the ground. I was aware of the perfume of the bluebells.
There was a crashing through the undergrowth and suddenly before me reared a huge bear, grizzly bear size but I’d have assumed from its colour it was a brown bear. I thought it ironic that as a professional zoologist specialising in mammals, it looked as if it was increasingly likely I was going to being eaten by one. Mind you I rarely feel threatened by dormice.
Again, I realised that no human can outrun a bear, nor could I out climb it–in fact, with my poor upper body strength, I was a lousy tree climber. No, it looked as if I was coming to a sticky end.
Suddenly, the spell was broken and I could move. As I said I couldn’t outrun it so I had but one chance to scare it off–yeah okay, it’s like using a pencil to stop a crocodile eating you. Bears have been extinct in England for about fifteen hundred years–so where did this one come from?
I picked up a broken branch and began to shout and bang the branch to make as much noise as possible. Just to reassure me I remembered some fact that a bear can crush your skull with a single bite–which is as bad as a tiger. Good job I was wearing brown trousers.
The bear stopped and looked at me, “What’s your problem?” he asked.
I’ve heard of dancing bears but not talking ones–except in Philip Pullman’s Northern Lights series.
“What are you doing here–this is England and you’re extinct.”
“I see, on what d’you base that observation?” replied the bear.
“I live in England, I haven’t been abroad recently so I assume this is still England and you lot became extinct around the Roman period.”
“This is a dream–my dream–so what are you doing in it?” challenged the bear.
“I thought you were in my dream,” I complained back.
“Typical bloody woman,” he grumbled. “Here I am dying and having a last dream and you wander into it and start making loads of bloody noise.”
“Dying–you’re dying?”
“Yes, one of your species shot me–I got away so he won’t get a token pelt to say he shot me, but I’m lying in my cave breathing my last. I just wanted to remember my youth when I was king of the forest.”
“Perhaps I can help?”
“Yes, stop making a noise to start with.”
“Did he shoot you in the head?”
“Yes, how did you know?”
“I thought so.”
“How did you know?”
“You are a bit stereotypical.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“A bear with a sore head.”
“And you’re a woman with a long tongue.”
“Do you mind if I approach you–I mean you no harm, I’m a scientist and I study woodland animals.”
“Approach if you wish, what did you have in mind?”
“I am also a healer.”
“Yeah, so?”
“I’d like to try and heal your wound.”
“This is a dream, woman. My body is miles away from here.”
“Hush, Bruin, stand still and let me look at you.” I walked up to the bear–I could sense an injury near his left eye. I waved my hand in front of it and he didn’t blink. “Please sit down.”
“What for?”
“Because I need to touch your head.”
“Take any liberties and I’ll bite your hand off.”
“I thought this was a dream?”
“Damn, you weren’t supposed to remember that.”
“Look, Rupert, just button it, I need to concentrate and your time is running out.”
“Oh okay,” he sat down and I moved very close to him. My hand was drawn to his eye and I placed my right hand over it, my left I held on his heart. I drew down the light and began chanting something which I didn’t know I knew. Suddenly the woods echoed with the same chant and I felt the power growing. The bear fell down and I was trapped underneath, he was heavy and his breath smelt dreadful.
However, instead of struggling to escape I continued to force the energy into him asking him to get better and at the same time chanting, the noise of which now filled the forest.
I could sense rather than see beings all round me, and it was their chanting I could hear. They were calling ‘Arth’ or bear, I remembered that from my history lessons–King Arth-ur was possibly a warlord called, ‘The Bear’ because he was either huge or had a bear motif as his standard.
The bear gave a great shudder and I thought my skills had failed me as they had with Trish. Then he roared and frightened the life out of me, but I kept my hand over his eye.
He stirred and then stood up, I was left lying on the ground. “Thank you, madam, I seemed to have misjudged you–you do have healing skills.” With that he simply walked away followed by an entourage of all sorts of weird woodland folk of all shapes and sizes.
I lay there for a moment hoping that I had helped to save him and restore his sight. Getting my breath back I was just pulling myself up on my feet when I felt someone standing behind me.
“We are pleased with you.” I recognised the voice–what did she want?
“Why, you usually criticise me?”
“You resisted the urge to try and give the child what she wanted rather than needed.”
“If I could have given my child what she wanted, I would have done.”
“Despite it being against the laws of nature?”
“I’m a full size example of contravention of the laws of nature, so is she. I’m supposed to be male–nature got it wrong–so I had things changed at least so I can cope with myself.”
“Yes–nature did get it wrong–you should have been female–the female essence is strong in you, and in your damaged child.”
“I suppose trying to help the bear was against the law of nature, too. I assume he was meant to die–horribly from his wound?”
“No, that wasn’t his destiny at all–neither was his encounter with you–but we were greatly impressed your resolve and your resourcefulness–very few would have had the courage to tell a bear with a sore head to sit down while they helped them.”
“So, what are you going to do?”
“I am going to send you back to your task–back to your daughter to heal her.”
“Thank you, milady.”
“At last we get some recognition. One day, Catherine, we won’t accept your impudence.”
“I’m sorry, milady.”
“It’s too late for apologies–go back to your child–and do not fail us in your main task.”
“What is my main task?” I shouted as I felt myself falling and woke up on the floor entangled with that wretched chair and the blanket.
“Are you alright?” asked a nurse as I got up and righted the chair.
“Yes, thank you,” I folded the blanket and dumped it on the chair.
“Fancy a cuppa?”
“Oh yes please.” She was suddenly my favourite nurse.
“I’ll bring it through in about ten minutes.”
I stood beside Trish and she seemed restless. I put one hand on her face by her eyes and the other over her heart, and began chanting, ‘Ursus’, very quietly.” I felt the energy flow, I also felt the presence of something very large with me.
The energy was flowing so quickly and so powerfully, I could barely keep my hands still and in place. Suddenly, she pulled my hands away and opening her eyes said, “Mummy, I knew it was you–is that my teddy?”
“No, sweetheart, it’s your guardian spirit.”
“He’s nice–oh he’s leaving.” She sat up, “Why did he have to go?”
“Because he’d done what he had to do, sweetheart, help me to make you better.”
“Did you see him too?”
“Oh yes, darling, I saw him as well.”
“I don’t like this gown very much, Mummy, it’s a horrible colour.”
“You can see again, can you, sweetheart?”
“Yes, Mummy, my headache has gone too.”
The nurse returned, “Oh, she’s awake?”
“Yes, I am thank you.” Trish replied, “Nurse Ursula.”
“You can read my name badge?”
“Yes, I am seven you know.”
