~~~~~~~ Previously Girl carefully put two fingers on the porcupine quill she had selected and gently pulled on it. It didn't move at first, then slowly, like from a bottle of molasses, came free. Girl held it up. "I have it, Madam. Now what?" "Why scratch your tummy with it dear. It will sting a bit – but it will heal you. Over time." Girl turned and looked at Bear, but he indicated nothing. Girl pulled her shirt up, bari...

Bear awoke with a start, then strained to listen. Something was wrong, but Bear wasn’t quite sure what, or what woke him up. He swiveled his head left and right, listening. Then he heard it. It was Girl, and she was weeping. Bear got up, and padded towards her room, then stopped. The sound wasn’t coming from her room. It was coming from the bathroom. He turned and padded that way, then stopped outside the door. He heard s...

The two friends were out for a walk. The day was so–so–overcast and dull, but the temperatures were warm, and the wind was soft, so they decided to escape the cabin for a while. They were just ambling along, not going anywhere in particular and enjoying it. They’d visited a couple of favorite places – the waterfall, one of the lookouts – and were starting to head home, when they came to a long, gently sloping meadow, with...

The next morning, the two friends were quiet with each other. After saying good morning, and after both had foraged for breakfast, each in their own way, they retired to the porch, Girl to her rocker, Bear to his favourite spot at the end of the porch, looking at the mountains. After a while, Bear got up and said, “I’m going to go for a walk. Like to come?” Girl thought for a moment, then nodded, unwound herself from the...

Girl had found the boxes of books from the storeroom to be a treasure trove. Bear had long forgotten they were there, although he, too, had plundered their wealth when he was a boy, then discarded them when he reached his late teens. Girl was distinctly older than that but found that reading them let her pretend she was a child again, and rediscover a time when life seemed simpler, fresher, and more promising. As such, sh...

“Bear…” Bear lifted his head from the rag rug in the great room, but said nothing, then put his head down again. “Bear!” Sighing, he got up. It was a cold, wet, windy day: dull, drab, and bone-chilling, and all Bear wanted to do was to lie by the fire. But no; Girl had to go exploring the cabin. He padded around, looking for her, and finally found her at the back of the storeroom. “What,” he said, sounding annoyed. “Bear,...

~~~~~~~ Girl woke in the night, needing to get up and pee, but feeling as if the blanket had gotten particularly heavy on her legs. She started to get up, only to find Henry curled up next to her legs in the bed, with her original blanket drawn most of the way over him. She carefully extricated herself from the bed, walked quietly to the bathroom, then returned – and found Henry occupying the top of the bed again. She chu...

I am a monster. At least that’s what I’ve been told by the man who gave me life. Viktor. No, he is not my father. I have no father. Nor a mother. I was born in a laboratory during a storm, an amalgamation of body parts stolen from various graveyards. He told me that I should be grateful that he chose only the prettiest of corpses so that I would be beautiful and I guess I am. Beautiful, that is, or at least that’s what I’...

~~~~~~~ Instead of a rabbit hopping away, it was Henry, sitting off to one side, smirking at Bear. Bear relaxed. “Did you warn them off?” he asked. Henry just nodded, then patted his tummy. Bear settled back down on the meadow grass, then started a bit when Henry climbed up and made himself at home on top of him. Girl giggled as quietly as she could – but Henry lifted his head, looked at her – and winked. Bear lumbered co...

Lorn Elera stared up at Tan Maldrin. The ancient palace loomed above the priestess of the Denith Lorn, crowning the hill on the West side of the ruined town where she stood. A shadowy figure stood atop the central keep, silhouetted against the light of the setting sun. A low howl reached Elera’s ears. It slowly rose to a wail. The sound filled her heart with darkness. It was not terrifying, but depressing; a noise filled...

Bear came rumbling into the great room of the cabin, muttering to himself. He threw himself down on the rag rug in the center of the room, gave a huge sigh, and closed his eyes. Girl, who was making herself some lunch, said, “Is everything okay, Bear?” Bear ignored her. She walked gingerly over to him and stood nearby. “Bear?” “WHAT?” he shouted. Girl jumped back. This was most un-Bear-like behavior. “I’m sorry, I didn’t...

Bear and Girl were lying in the grass on the meadow outside the cabin, enjoying the warmth of the Summer evening and waiting for the stars to smile down at them. “Bear?” “Girl.” “Do you think there’s life on other planets?” “No way of knowing,” said Bear. “Yes, I know that, silly. But do you think so?” There was a long pause, then, “Oh, well, probably.” Girl giggled. “Will they be as…interesting…as you and me?” She asked....

Bear had settled onto the rag rug in the great room at the end of the day and was starting to drift off to sleep, when he thought he heard something. He perked his ears up. There it was again. He lifted his head and turned towards Girl's room, and this time heard it clearly. He lumbered up and padded quietly down to her door, then stood and listened. The sounds were…intermittent. It almost sounded as if she were talking t...

It was a lovely day in the Rockies. Bear and Girl had broken their fast, and were sitting in their favorite places on the porch, watching the mountains age. There was a light breeze, and a leaf blew onto Girl's lap, where she sat on the rocking chair, with her feet on the seat, her knees up high, and her chin resting on them. She smiled, picked up the leaf, and looked at it. "Bear," she said. His head swiveled towards her...

~~~~~~~ Bear stopped, sat, and turned to look at her. “Okay, now listen to me, Girl, and listen carefully. Mother Nature is not a ‘person,’ she is a ‘Person.’ And you must speak of, and to Her, with respect, understand me?” Girl wasn’t quite sure what to do, but realized that, for once, Bear was completely serious. Finally, she nodded, and said, “I promise, Bear.” “Good. Now, it’s starting to get dark, so let’s get back t...