There was a blinding flash of light, and suddenly, Grace was no longer in her living room. Her friends, her fiancé, the decorations, the candles, and the cake had all disappeared with the bright burst from her mother’s camera. It was as if a switch had flipped – so suddenly had the shift occurred. And now...she was somewhere else entirely.
A star-splashed sky, rippled by sparse floating clouds that all but extinguished a shadowed moon’s glow. Trees that stretched fervently towards the heavenly abyss, creaking softly in the whispering breeze. The smell of smoke. Cold air.
A grunt.
Grace’s eyes widened as she locked on to the bear that stood on all fours a dozen feet away. Its body was shrouded, a silhouette illuminated by a red glow coming from behind. A fire, off in the distance. Only the bear’s eyes shone amidst black, glimmering fur.
The bear huffed. Puffs of crystallized air burst in front of its nose. Grace inhaled – she realized she had been holding her breath. Her grip tightened – but there was nothing. A split second ago she had been holding his hand. And now...
“Bear,” Grace thought. All else could wait. For now, the moon-eyed animal was her primary concern. As if it had read her mind, the bear grunted and stood to its full height on two legs. Grace kept her gaze on its eyes. She did not move. She did not blink. She simply waited. After all, she had been here before.
The bear bellowed, but only for a moment. Grace took a small but firm step forward.
“Athna bantuwae,” Grace said in a voice barely above a whisper. The bear shook its head, its fur rippling left to right. It returned to the ground but kept its gaze fixed on her. “Athna danta bantuwae,” Grace said again, risking another step. The bear grumbled. “Cut it out,” she said roughly, in English. Though she knew the words were empty to the creature, the tone was not lost. The bear lowered its head silently. Grace took several more steps, and then she was directly in front of the bear.
“Bahtu,” Grace whispered, rasing her hand slowly. “Bahtu,” she said again, soothingly. Her fingers found the thick fur of the bear’s head, and disappeared as they sank deep. The bear’s eyes closed, and it huffed again.
“It’s me,” Grace whispered. She stroked the bear’s fur for several moments. Silence, save for the sound of distant crackling wood. Grace leaned down to the bear’s ear. “Kaldobesh munduth, agoeta,” she said. The bear looked up at her but did not reply. Grace looked towards the flames and back at the bear. She placed her hands on either side of its massive head.
“Brelgoneth,” Gracce said, severity in her voice. “Athna hab sosa. Comasa.” The bear whined faintly. Grace shut her eyes and sighed for a moment, but then met its gaze once more. “Comasa.” The bear stared at her, wholly still. It seemed expectant, but Grace did not waver. Finally, a light began to emanate from the bear’s eyes. Grace heaved a sigh of relief and kissed the bear’s nose.
“Athna hab sosa,” she said again before the bear’s light became all-encompassing.
Grace’s mother smiled as she brought the camera away from her face. Everyone was laughing. Grace found her hand filled with her fiance’s once more. It was as if no time had passed at all. She was back.
But she was not home.
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