Beary Beary Scary

The sun shone blinding bright, yet I stood unblinked. I thought I knew this place; I stood on a green hilltop and on my right hand side was another large hill where three milky streams met together at a cliff, one emerging from the left corner of hilltop, another from the right and one from the center. From the cliff, the intersected streams cascaded down with high velocity in a huge pit causing the waterfall to appear like a milky white trishul on the green hill.

The sunrays added a golden tinge to the tiny droplets that flew with wind from the waterfall to the hill where I stood. As I saw down, I could see I stood on a large green cone whose head was cut off and a mat of lush green lawn was spread across the blunt head. I ran across the circumference of the hilltop to find an edge that I could trace to climb down; but every slope was a steep rocky terrain between the grasses that would make me roll down and bump my head.

I settled on a rock on the circumference with my chin resting in my palm thinking a route to climb down. How on earth, did I land here? Huh, I couldn’t remember!

The sound of wind was deafening. I could feel the moisture the wind brought from the waterfall to the hilltop that I sat on. I couldn’t see a single human who would hear me cry and rescue me. I felt like I could demonstrate the next episode of I Shouldn’t Be Alive on The Discovery Channel.

Suddenly, I could hear some swooshing of footsteps on the grass on the other corner of the hilltop. Did God answer my prayers? Or did he send someone to my rescue? Even in the deafening sound of wind, the sound of his palpitation was loud and clear.

I could see a large black image emerging from behind a huge rock. May be a local tribal man was coming for my rescue.

I blinked twice to believe what I saw. A dark, hairy image ascended on the other corner of the hilltop. I blinked again to clear my vision.

It wasn’t tribe, it wasn’t human; it was a dark black, large bear, an omnivore.

We stared at each other from the opposite corners of the hilltop. We stared, stared and stared for some more time.

I was still trying to think what would look pragmatic when it lifted its frontal legs and roared aloud and began running towards me. The dark brown eyes on its black hairy skull were filled with aggression, grudging, Either Me or You.

“Run”, my subconscious mind commanded me; and I began running.

But, I wasn’t running to escape. I wasn’t running away from the bear. I was running in its direction. It was unreasonable why I ran towards it; did I not know the consequences it would cost?

We stopped on the center of the hilltop, its eyes catching hold of mine.

It stood in a boxing position springing slowly in excitement and its eyes were filled with violence.

I should have been afraid, but, I wasn’t. Instead, I was aggressive.

It punched me on my left cheek and turned to run.

I pulled it forcefully by its fur and that pained its skin. It moaned and vaulted on me, causing bruises on my arm by its teeth.

I growled a large scream, pulled it by its ears, down on the ground and kicked it at the center of its belly.

It lied down, suffocating.

As I was celebrating my victory with a monstrous laugh, it pulled me down on the ground and ran away.

I ran behind it until it reached the circumference. It stood at the circumference with fear filled eyes looking at the steep slope of the rocky hill.

I caught hold of the fur on its back and dragged it on the lawn of the hilltop. I jumped and held its neck. Then, I roared aloud and caught hold of its throat by my oral cavity. My canine teeth buried deep in its throat and I sucked in all the blood from its body.

It cried for a moment and then lied, unmoved.

As its blood reached my taste buds, I realized a familiar sweet milky taste. It tasted like… like milkmaid.

I yelled a victorious scream.

But I could hear another scream. Someone called my name on the top of her voice. Did anyone know me here in the hills? Did a human come to my rescue? And what do I tell them about this bloodless bear that lied like a vegetable besides me?

All of a sudden, there was an earthquake. The hill was shaking, the rocks trembled down the hill and the waterfall quavered.

It was my mom, quivering me, to wake me up and get out of bed to begin my day.

For the first time in my life, I ate chapatis with milkmaid in my breakfast and left for office… And I bet; the milkmaid tastes just like the breakfast I had on the hilltop...