“I remember sleeping in the blue and white room, but not the one with colors.” Rena stood at the entrance of the room. She could see a budding teenage girl, skinny with long legs and thick unruly hair, lying in the bed. At the same time her memory became flooded with muted words and voices. Her grandmother and mother arguing in the front room. Rena recalled wanting to crack the door and eavesdrop on what was being said, but having no desire to incur her mother’s wrath.
“You and mom argued a lot that last summer we were here.” Rena looked at her grandmother, now standing before the closed door at the end of the long hall.
Genma’s expression was a blank mask. “Lillian and I have butted heads since she was a little girl. She likes to have things her way and she doesn’t always understand that there may be a bigger picture she isn’t seeing.” Falling silent, her grandmother pushed open the other door. “I think you are old enough now to have a more comfortable room.”
“It’s beautiful, Grandma.” Rena walked passed her grandmother still standing at the door. Moving deeper into the room, Rena took in the mango and cream decorations: comforter, piles of pillows, curtains and the large thick area rug under the bed. She noticed that even the bathroom matched the room’s color scheme. Her suitcase and carryon were sitting beside the closet.
“I hoped you would like it.” When I saw the items last week at the cabin décor shop in town I knew it would be perfect for you.
“Oh, it is. You didn’t have to go through all this trouble. I’ll only be here a short while.”
“Who knows, maybe you will come to love Den as you did when you were younger and stay…longer.”
Glancing over at her grandmother, she saw the twinkle in the older woman’s eyes.
“No promises.” Rena would at least visit more.
“None asked.”
Rena sat on the queen-size bed with its thick wood posts. The bed looked as if someone hewed it from a tree and left the bark on it. It was rugged and homey at the same time. The mattress was soft, but firm just like she liked it. “I think I could use a nap on this bed.”
“Good. You need your rest. The soup will be ready in a couple of hours. No rush, just rest. I have some final packing to do for my trip.”
“I only need a few minutes.” Rena slipped her shoes off and curled up on her side, facing the door. A yawn swelled up in her chest and came out louder than she expected. “It’s been such a long and agonizing year, Grandma.”
Coming to her, Genma grabbed a blanket from the end of the bed and pulled it up over Rena. “Everything will be better soon. Just you wait and see. Things will all start to make sense.”
“I hope so. I really do.” Physically, she was feeling better, but emotionally, coming back to her grandmother’s was draining. Memories were exploding in her mind like popcorn. Fragmented and obscure, it was taking too much mental energy to try and sort out the meaning. Allowing her eyes to slide shut, Rena gave in to her body’s wishes and slept.
Chapter Four
Cord rose from his couch and stretched. The action movie he’d been watching had ended. It was a new release he’d just gotten in the mail. The movie was good and he was looking forward to seeing it a few more times over the winter home hibernation months.
Glancing over at the clock he noted the time. It was getting late and he had a lot of work to do over at Genma’s tomorrow. If his father got his wishes, this would be the last landscaping job he took. The position of mayor of Den County was more of a managerial-type job, executed from an office in town next door to the sheriff’s office. Cord would have to allow Rand, his assistant manager, to handle the day-to-day operations of his business.
Frustrated, Cord grabbed the now-empty trail mix bowl from the coffee table and took it to the kitchen. Able to see clearly in the dark, he didn’t bother to turn on a lamp. Setting it down on the counter beside the sink, he took a moment to stare out into the blackness of night. The glow of the half moon was shining through it and his bear enjoyed being bathed in the light.
Run.
He chuckled at the demands of his bear. Over the last week they’d both become restless. The cause seemed clear to him. The Bear Run. There was no way for him to get out of it this year. He had to participate and he had to choose a life mate.
“Shit,” the word exploded from his mouth and echoed in the kitchen.
His bear growled. It would be so much easier if his animal side would have claimed Marcella, then he wouldn’t be in such torment.
No mate.
The vehemence behind those two words from his bear caused Cord’s gut to tighten.
Letting out a heavy sigh, he shoved the Friday night event far into the back of his mind. His bear would have to settle for the choices before them at that time. What they both wanted wasn’t possible.
Heading to the back door off the side of his kitchen, Cord stepped into his garage. The smell of soil and floral and plant life greeted him from the bags of fertilizer and seeds stocked in the back of his truck. The scents were always a welcome to him. He loved digging his hands deep into Mother Earth in both bear and human form. He’d miss it.
Getting ready to check the boundaries of his property for the night, he stripped out of his clothes. He moved past his truck and out the open door of his garage. In an instant he took off across his back lawn and with nothing but an image of his bear in his mind he shifted.
Paws pounding on the ground he set out on his nightly excursion. Moving toward the first thick redwood he saw, he pressed his back against it and gave himself a nice deep scratch from the crown of his head to his stubby tail. The bark digging into his spine was like heaven on earth. The only thing better was raw honey from a bee hive.
Dropping back to all fours he continued to trudge on the path, sniffing for anything out of the ordinary. They didn’t get many strangers in Den, but it wasn’t uncommon for some tree-hugging hiker to venture too far from safer camp grounds. The time or two he’d come across an adventurous camper, a deep loud roar was enough to send them packing. It was normally an entertaining moment for him.
After more than an hour of searching and scenting his property, he continued through the woods that bordered Theo’s land. His friend was still away with his family and he kept an eye out on it. Forty-five minutes later, he was still restless and decided to check in on his grandmother’s friend. Unlike his grandmother, Genma lived alone with no family close by.
As the mayor, his father normally extended his protection to the single females and elderly in the county.
Moving toward the river, he allowed it to lead him to the widest section, two miles up. His bear was thrilled to be out in the night air longer than usual, feeling the fall breeze in his fur, hearing the mating calls of birds and insects, smelling rich soil and other woodsy scents all around.
There were times Cord wished he could remain in this form. Things were simpler when he was a bear.
As soon as he arrived at the Berend property he saw her. A female bear, sitting in the center of the path that led from the house to the water. As if waiting for something or someone.
He paused for a moment, wondering if something was wrong.
Turning her head, she focused on him. In the moonlight, he could see the graying at the crown of her head.
Had she been expecting me? Cord shoved the thought away. Of course not. He hadn’t even planned to come out here.
Continuing his progression toward her, Genma’s bear lifted her snout to the air and dropped it quickly, a greeting. His bear returned the gesture.
Before he could reach her, she turned and trotted back to her house and rounded the porch to her side entrance. He watched Genma shift, wave at him then enter her home. Going around to the front, he started to check the main road leading to her property. He took two steps then stopped instantly. The fur at the back of his neck began to rise. Something or someone was triggering his senses.
Moving slowly he turned his head from left to right, looking closely at every
shadow in the woods. Nothing was there that didn’t belong. There were a few rabbits out, digging along Genma’s garden that he would be re-fertilizing tomorrow. Two owls perched on limbs, but nothing else.
However, the feeling wouldn’t go away. If the sensation was not being driven by the forest around him then the only other possibility was the house. Genma?
Raising his head, he glanced back at her front door and the windows of her living room, but he saw nothing. Then he glanced along the side of the house at the other windows. That’s when he saw it, a flicker of the curtains at the end room.
Realizing the feeling was coming from within the house, he relaxed. Down the path to the road, he put his snout to the ground and began isolating scents. Pushing aside those of nature and Genma, he focused his search on anything that was familiar, a scent that was out of the ordinary.
~YH~
A bear? Rena’s heart stopped beating for a moment as she watched a bear move by the side of her grandmother’s house. Just having awakened a few moments ago, she realized that she had slept more hours than she’d anticipated. She glanced out the window as she did most nights at home. More than any other time of the day, she loved the evenings. Moonlit nights drew her.
Not hearing any noise in the house, she was concerned her grandmother may be outside taking in some air and there was a bear around. After releasing the curtain, she rushed down the hall. Her grandmother’s bedroom door was still open as it had been earlier, the bed undisturbed. Continuing on, she took in the empty living room.
Turning left, she cleared the threshold of the kitchen and stopped short of plowing down her grandmother who was moving from the kitchen door in a flowing house dress. “Oh, Grandma. I was just checking to see where you were.”
“Red, I’m here. How are you feeling?” Going to the sink, her grandmother washed her hands and picked up a kitchen towel to wipe them.
“I’m good. Better than I have been in a while.” Not wanting to get distracted with a discussion of her health and forget why she was seeking her grandmother, Rena said, “Were you outside?”
“Yes. Just for a moment. Did you come looking for me? I thought you were still asleep.”
“I was. When I looked out the window in my room I saw a bear.”
“Hm, did you?” Not seeming at all worried, her grandmother went to the stove and lifted the lid from a medium-size pot. She began to stir the contents with a wooden spoon that had been resting in a dish.
“A big brown bear.” Rena leaned against the counter and wondered why her grandmother wasn’t more shocked or afraid.
“They are the state animal. I’m sure there are hundreds roaming freely in the forests and mountains of California.” Smiling at her, her grandmother went to a cabinet and pulled out two bowls then returned to the stove.
Rena inhaled, calmed herself and let out a breath slowly. “I guess you’re right. Living in the city, I can’t recall the last time I saw a bear that wasn’t in a circus or zoo.”
Those words seemed to produce a scowl on her grandmother’s face. “Such a shame that animals are held away from their natural habitats to be put on display.” Genma shook her head as she ladled in soup for the bowls.
Always having felt the same as her grandmother, Rena remained silent. She was just happy her grandmother was okay. “You know, Grandma, you could move to the city with me.”
“Oh, heavens no.” The look of horror on her grandmother’s face was almost comical. It was as if Rena had asked her if she wanted to be skinned alive.
Laughing, Rena moved around the lower part of the counter where the stove was to the bar above it and set down the bowls of soup on the marble top. A memory flashed in her mind of her sitting at the bar when she was younger, leaning over to watch her grandmother cook. Her grandmother had just been starting to teach her the skills the last summer Rena was there. Pushing the memory away, she claimed a seat. “This smells wonderful, Grandma.”
“I have some rolls from the diner in town.” Grabbing a pot holder, Genma stepped to the side of the stove, opened the oven door and pulled out the pan of rolls then turned the dial from warm to off. Moving quickly over to the refrigerator she took out a small plastic container and brought them both to the bar. “You are going to love these. The sweet butter just makes all the difference as well.”
“I believe you. At this moment I feel so ravenous, I could eat a bush of blackberries.” Rena wasn’t joking. Now that the threat of the bear was gone and she’d smelled the soup, her stomach had begun to growl and she was hungry, like she hadn’t been since she became ill.
“That is a good sign. Well, bless your food and dig in. There’s plenty more if you want it.” Slipping onto a high chair, Genma popped open the container and grabbed a roll. Splitting the bread, she slathered a heavy amount of the buttery substance onto it. She set it on a napkin beside Rena’s bowl and did the same for herself.
Tasting the first spoonful of soup, Rena moaned. The vegetables in it were chunky but tender, and the broth was savory, creamy and thick. It was the perfect chowder. It was the broth, different from any other she had ever tried before, that seemed to make her want to drink directly from the bowl. Rena was trying to figure out what it consisted of, but the heavy amount of rosemary and fresh parsley was masking it. “Grandma, your cooking is like none other.”
“Thank you. But, it’s nothing special. This dish is from a friend of mine in town. We all exchange various recipes that we have created during the winter months. That’s when most of us have a lot of time on our hands to experiment.”
“I can’t wait to pick your brain before I leave.”
“You could always stay the winter, Red, and I could teach you first hand.” Her grandmother continued to eat her own soup, not looking at her.
“Maybe,” was her only comment as she continued to eat her soup.
They sat in silence and ate.
After she finished her soup, Rena picked up her roll and bit into it. Just like everything else, the homemade roll and butter were good. “How far is the diner?”
“Town is about ten miles. I’m sure Greta wouldn’t mind taking you. You two should get along well.” Genma took her bowl to the sink then began pouring the pot of soup into a container.
“I’m sure. However, I really don’t want to be a bother to anyone. If you’re not taking your car, I could find it myself.” Following suit, Rena went to the sink and ran dish water and began collecting utensils and dishes around the kitchen to wash.
“Then I will leave you directions.” Genma took the plastic container to the sink.
“Thank you.”
In a few minutes, they had the kitchen cleaned and everything put away.
“Well, I’m going to turn in. Octavia and I have an early start in the morning. Can I get you anything before I go?” Her grandmother tossed the paper towel she had been using to wipe her hands into the trash.
“Just tell me where you keep your tea. I want to make another cup of it and maybe do some reading.” Rena felt like stripping off her clothes and running in the moonlight more than a cup of tea, but that was insane. So, instead she opted for a good book.
“Excellent. It is in the small canister beside the kettle on the stove.” Genma pointed at the blue and white tin. “I believe there is enough for another cup or two. When you need more, it is in the pantry in a tin with the same decoration, just bigger.”
“Oh, good. I might go insane if I ran out before you returned.” Rena smiled. She picked up the kettle and filled it with water from the faucet.
Laughing, Genma crossed the kitchen to her and kissed her on her cheek. “I can’t say enough that I’m glad to have you here, Red.”
Hugging her, Rena said, “I’m happy to be here. It was just what I needed.”
Genma pulled away. “I will be gone by the time you get up.”
“Grandma, you can wake me. I’ll help you get your things into Mrs. Octavia’s car.” Rena set the kettle on the eye and turned on the r
ange to heat the water.
“No, need. You should rest. Use this time to enjoy yourself, eat and regain your strength.” Her grandmother started out of the kitchen then stopped. “I need to show you how the radio works so you can contact people, if you need to.”
Leaving the kitchen, Rena followed the energetic older woman. Her grandmother crossed the living room to a wooden cabinet that had a Citizens’ Band radio. Genma went through instructions of how to use it and select one of forty different channels.
She pulled the drawer beneath it open and showed her the address book with names and two digit numbers. “Here is a list of all of the families in Den County and their channel, the mayor and sheriff’s offices included. If you leave and want to take communication with you, this is the handheld.”
It was so strange to be in the twenty-first century and be in a community that didn’t have telephones and cell phones. It was a different way of life in Den that was for sure.
“Got it. Do you think the sheriff will allow me to use the phone later in the week to call my doctor and let her know how I’m doing?”
“You sure can. Tell the quack your grandmother had the cure.” Genma patted Rena’s cheek.
Laughing, Rena shook her head at her grandmother’s comment. She couldn’t discount it since she had felt a hundred times better since getting here hours ago. Rena was sure that if her strength and health continued to improve, she would be back to her old self by the end of the week. Maybe she would be able to get her old job back.
“Well, goodnight, Red.”
“Goodnight, Grandma.” Rena watched her grandmother strut proudly through the living room until she entered and closed her bedroom door behind her.
Hearing the kettle whistle, Rena went to the kitchen and fixed herself a cup of tea. A few minutes later she was curled up on the corner of the couch with an original copy of Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God. The cover was laminated, protected and preserved with pages yellowed from time in between.
Red's Bear (Erotic Shifter Fairy Tales) Page 5