Debbie Banna - Shattered Dreams, New Beginnings
Wolf awoke refreshed and feeling better than he had in days. He stretched and yawned and, prompted by the need to be out and about, he rose heading for the kitchen. On the table in the middle of the room sat a bowl of fruit. He found nothing else readily available and so Wolf grabbed an apple, a pear, a peach and two bananas, tucking them in his pockets for later. There was no one about to inquire about his plans and Wolf would not have been able to give an answer if anyone had asked. All he knew was that his body needed to move and his spirit craved the refuge of the forest. Opening the door, he glanced about, then sprinted to the shelter of the wood nearby. He had no particular direction in mind and so he decided to follow the dictates of his nose. For a while, he tracked the tantalizing scent of a hare. He followed it to its den before catching another odd scent. It was not one he immediately recognized but it was somewhat familiar just the same. It pricked at the corners of his memory but, try as he might, he could not determine why.
Wolf decided to leave the rabbit den undisturbed and set off in the direction of the pungent aroma. The thrill of the hunt aroused primitive feelings within as he sniffed for his quarry, tracking it noiselessly through the brush. The scent grew stronger ahead and, with the feeling that whatever it was might not be small and defenseless, Wolf crouched and proceeded carefully. The smell was powerful now and Wolf knew that his quarry must be very close. With caution, he reached into the bush that blocked his view and parted the leaves. An ugly, distorted, gruesome face peered back at him through the brush, which his hands had just disturbed. “Huh…oh cripes!” Wolf exclaimed as he involuntarily jerked back and fell onto his bottom. Before he could move, the creature had vaulted the bush and was standing over him. “Oh jeez…oh cripes…nice…beasty!” Wolf uttered as he began to inch away backward.
“Ha ha ha,” the creature laughed, his head rocking back and his hands grasping his great, hairy belly. Wolf stopped crawling and looked at the creature, curiosity replacing his fright. “So you’re afraid of me, are you?” the beast asked with a hint of amusement. “Don’t you want to try to fight me? What kind of a man are you?”
Insulted by the beast’s insinuation, Wolf jumped to his feet. He balled his hands into fists and began to hop around like a crazed jackrabbit. “Afraid? Afraid? Who’s afraid? How could you think that I, a hero in the nine kingdoms, could be afraid of a…a…” he paused in his movements to look at the beast more closely. “What are you, anyway?” Wolf asked.
At this, the beast ceased laughing and dropped his eyes. His face took on a sad, faraway look and, Wolf, watching him, was overcome with a sense of pity. “I, sir,” said the creature in a subdued voice, “am a beast…a wild, peculiar, misfit in the forest. I belong nowhere and am cared for by no one. I live to exist and exist to live without hope for my future.”
At this sorrowful admission, Wolf lowered his fists and took a step toward the beast. “Fearsome sir,” he said, “Your plight sounds similar to my own. I, too have been a misfit and an outcast with no one to love me, with no direction or hope for my days. For a short while I tasted love and bright prospects, but now again I find myself forlorn and lost in this world. It seems to me that we are kindred souls.”
The beast raised his head to look the man before him in the eyes. And finding a familiar pain reflected in them, he sighed and then, with a grunt, he eased himself to a squatting position before Wolf. “Then we are not enemies at all, sir wolf?” the beast questioned with a wistful smile. An uncertain smile flickered on Wolf’s face as he wondered about the wisdom of trusting himself to the friendship of this fearsome animal. Sensing Wolf’s uncertainty, the beast opened his paws before Wolf in a gesture of humility and offered what he thought might be interpreted as a friendly smile. The attempt revealed the most fierce and pointy teeth that Wolf had ever seen and did nothing to lessen his fear. Yet, there was something sincere and honorable in the eyes of the creature that persuaded Wolf to risk his hide. After all, he really had nothing to lose, anyway.
Wolf squatted down on his haunches facing the beast and leaned his elbows against his knees. The beast seemed a bit surprised that the man had accepted his gesture of friendship, then, without warning, his eyes began to mist and a tear rolled down his furry cheek. “Sir beast, what’s wrong?” Wolf asked, taken aback at the surprising sentiment. His show of concern opened a gate that had remained firmly closed for years, as the beast, to his embarrassment, began to weep. Great racking, heartrending sobs shook his massive frame as he covered his face and tried to turn away. Wolf was moved with compassion for the pitiful creature weeping in anguish before him. He arose and drew near to the beast. Then, carefully wrapping his arms about him and squatting down, he relaxed and waited for the torrent of emotions to subside. Almost as suddenly as it had begun, the beast seemed to regain a semblance of control and his weeping diminished.
Wolf rose and stepped back to give the creature some room and the beast stood to his full height before him. This close, the beast surpassed Wolf in stature by at least a foot, and he estimated the animal weighed a hundred pounds more. Wolf supposed that the creature could tear him to pieces with little effort if he chose to do so and, as it reached out its paw, he wondered if he might have misjudged its motives.
But, with a strange gentleness for one so large, the brute placed his mighty hand on Wolf’s shoulder and spoke. “Do you realize how long it has been since someone dared to touch me? It seems that you are braver than I thought, sir wolf. It may be that you are more a man than I,” then he laughed wryly at his statement. “A man! Oh that I was just a man instead of the fearsome monster that I am. And though I instill fear in all that I meet, I cry like a baby at the first gesture of friendship. Some monster!” he said, shaking his head with embarrassment.
“Sir,” Wolf began, “I feel that all is not as it seems. I believe that you have suffered great misfortune and have a tragic story to impart. I have all of time itself on my hands and nowhere that I need to be. If you would like to share your sorrow with me, I would be willing to listen.” To convince the beast of his sincerity, Wolf plopped down on a log nearby and settled himself comfortably, pulling a banana from his jacket and offering it to the beast. The beast gazed on the offering and his newfound friend with amazement, then taking the banana, he settled down beside him on the log.
Wendell rolled onto his side and reached across the massive expanse of his bed to draw himself nearer to the shaking form alongside him. “Rose, darling. It’s alright, my love. I’m here,” he whispered as he wrapped his arms around his weeping bride. “It’s been a difficult day for you. I understand. But we made it through today and tomorrow will be easier.”
The distraught beauty in his arms turned to face her husband so that she could bury herself deeper in his embrace. She pressed closer and seemed to draw strength from him. “I don’t know why this has been so hard. It’s not like I have never faced death before. It seems to be calling something from deep within me that I never knew was there. Oh, Wendell, why is there such pain in the world? Why must we suffer so? My poor brother is out there somewhere alone and hurting. Tony is wandering in a land strange to him without family or home.” She disentangled herself from his arms and sat up, wiping her hand over her eyes. “And us? What will happen to us? Just because you are the king does not keep us from trouble. I have always tried strong and contented with my lot, but deep inside I find I am disquieted over the future.”
“My love,” Wendell comforted as he sat up beside her and drew her into his arms, “you are the one who has strengthened me today with your purpose to live each day as it comes. Your advice has indeed been wise my Rose, though you are in doubt at the moment. The future is beyond us, as, I believe, is the past. All that belongs to us is today. And today, you are loved, you are well, and you are the most beautiful woman I have ever cast my eyes upon,” he assured her as he tenderly kissed her hair. Rose breathed deeply and burrowed deeper into the shelter of her husband’s warm, consoling embrace. As he continued to stroke her unruly, red curls he carefully eased his bride back down into the warmth of their bed and, holding her until he felt the evenness of her breathing, he relaxed, assured that she had found peace in the forgetfulness of sleep.
