August 1930
Hilary had to admit, a walk in the woods outside of the mansion had its charms, at least during the day and in the summer. It was hard to believe they’d had that encounter with those horrible robbers back in January. It seemed so quiet now, so calm. She heard a crow caw in the distance, the breeze blowing through the trees. The earth, the leaves under her feet smelled undeniably of the summer heat she was trying so badly to escape.
She’d just come from pruning roses with Troll. She’d been trying to find out more about his two wives, to little success. All she could get out of him was he loved the first one dearly and only divorced her to save his friends…and they ended up getting hurt anyway. She felt horrible about that, but really, he should have found another way to help them. At least they managed to trim some really lovely late roses for the living and dining rooms. She could almost still smell their fragrance.
Suddenly, the late afternoon calm was shattered by the sound of…laughter. Laughter, growls, and splashing. Troll had mentioned there was a small pond out here. Eagle often found fish there. Hilary thought it wouldn’t hurt to dip her toes in, just for a minute or two.
“Wait.” That giggle, that gruff guffaw, they sounded familiar. “Betty?” She murmured. “Bear?”
The light sparkled off the beautiful green waters of the little pond as she emerged from the trees. Bear and Betty stood in the waters up to their knees. Betty’s blue gingham sundress was tied up around her waist, revealing a slender expanse of soft white leg. Bear only wore rolled up indigo denim trousers that strained against his broad torso. He was trying to catch a fish with his bare paws as she rounded the corner.
“Hey!” His squawk nearly matched Eagle as the fish fell through his paws. “Come back here, you bad fish!”
Betty giggled, water droplets shining off her chestnut curls. “I don’t think it wants to be dinner!”
“Well, that’s tough! We got lots of mouths to feed!” He reached into the calm, weed-choked water. “Follow me. This is how you catch fish with no rod. Can’t hold it with paws anyway.”
Betty tried, but she came up with nothing. “They’re so slippery! And I don’t have any claws to hold them with, like you do.”
“It’s easy!” They both leaned over at the same time. Hilary had to stifle her own giggles when their heads collided. “Oww!” Bear rubbed his bumpy fur-covered noggin. “You have hard head!”
Betty rubbed her own. “You’d never know yours is covered in fur! No padding at all!”
“I think Bear go first.” He leaned over again, swiping at the fish. This time, he came up with a large trout that dully glistened in the sun. “How’s this?”
“It’s huge! I’ve never seen such a big fish.” Betty grinned. “I’m glad we called the reading early today. This is fun!” She reached into the water again, curling her toes around the mucky earth under them. “You know, you’re coming along really well. You can read all of ‘Snow White and Rose Red’ and most of ‘East of the Sun and West of the Moon’ without stopping.”
“I can?” Bear’s dark eyes were focusing on the silvery teardrop shapes darting around his razor-sharp claws. He frowned, shaking his head as his eyes darkened. “It still hurts. Not as bad. But hurts. Dark…”
She leaned over and rubbed his shoulder. “Yes, but you’re so much better than you used to be. I think you should be able to move on to writing now.”
He frowned, his whiskers drooping. “Can’t write.” He tried to catch another fish, but it leaped over his paws. “Paws no hold pencil good.”
“Yes, but you can speak. You tell me the story, and I’ll write it. And your claws might be able to handle my typewriter.” She leaned into him, cuddling his thick fur as he stroked her head. “It helps me when I write things down. Telling stories is how I make sense of the world. It’s how I process everything that happens to me. It might help you, too.”
He gave her a soft bear hug. “I tell story? About how bear prince save pretty princess? Save from bad lady?” His voice dropped as his Adam’s apple bobbed. “How bear turn into man?”
“Uh huh.” She finally pulled away, leaning into the water. “I think it’ll be good for both of us,” she murmured softly.
That grin…that charming wide grin…she knew it! “Very…exciting!” He reached over, but leaned too far and ended up belly-first in the water!
Betty nearly doubled over laughing. “You think Bear funny? Funny that Bear all wet?” Bear looked up from the murky waters with a smirk. “You all wet too!” He swept his paw around, knocking her rear-first into the waters next to him.
“Bear!” She squeaked as she landed in the water with a splash. “You silly bear!” She splashed him, giggling. He guffawed and splashed her…and his big paw splashes soaked everything around them, including Hilary herself.
“Ok, ok, you two.” Hilary couldn’t help her own laughter as she took off her sandals and waded in. It was so warm, almost like bathwater. It felt wonderful after the long walk. “Keep the water in the pond, not on the banks. What are you two doing?”
“Oh, hi Miss Hilary. We catch fish.” Bear turned that smirk on her. “Want to join us?”
“No, I never was much for fishing.” Hilary made a face. “I prefer my fish to be floating around a tank or an ornamental pond in a garden. Or baked with lemon and spices for dinner.”
“Suit yourself, Hilary.” Betty dropped one last silvery fish in one of the two buckets on the edge of the pond. “I think we have enough, Bear. We’ll go back and change into dry clothes, then we’ll start our writing lesson.”
“Ok Betty.” He helped her out of the pond and picked up the heavier bucket filled with flapping silver fish. “I’ll walk you back.”
She smiled as she stepped into her stockings and shoes, then took his big paw in one hand and the remaining bucket in the others. “Thank you, Bear! That’s very gentlemanly of you.”
He blushed. “Bear try to be nice. Bear think Betty nice. Nice lady.”
She leaned into his arm. “Betty thinks Bear is nice, too. She thinks he’s very nice.”
Hilary watched them as they made their way back. She swore Bear turned six shades of red under the fur, even as they disappeared into the trees. Bear wasn’t really a bad…creature. He was clumsy and too charming for his own good sometimes, but not really that bad. If anyone could get through that painful darkness that blocked his mind, it was her brilliant, kindhearted Betty.
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