Please God, protect us.
“Quiet.”
She stopped in her tracks at the sound of his rough word. At least he hadn’t died from shock. The anger in his voice took her aback for a moment. He had to be out of his mind if he though she’d stand around and let this bear attack either of them. “No,” she hissed back.
“Women, stand still, and don’t talk.” He was still as quiet as before. She didn’t even think he had breathed. Why? Esther looked from him to the bear and couldn’t understand why he wanted her to be quiet. She also didn’t like the tone in his voice. No man had ever snapped at her like that and he sure wasn’t welcome to be the first one.
The bear moved a few steps back before it jumped into the lake. The bear stood in the water and rocked forward and backward on its legs its body shaking from head to tail. The beast stood on its hind legs and let out the loudest roar she’d ever heard. She jumped without even thinking. The stick in her hand dropped to the ground and she screamed. Obadiah cursed as he sprang to his feet and stood in front of her. She didn’t even see him move.
“Do as I tell you.”
“U-uh-okay.” The only words she managed to get out. The hairs on her body stood on end, a pit of fear was in her gut. She clung to her husband’s waist burying her face in his back. Her body shook and she tried hard to will it to stop. She tried hard not to move like he asked her to. The beast roared again, shaking the ground. She peeked around her husband’s back.
Her eyes popped. The bear started to charge at them. Obadiah reached in his pocket and pulled out a knife. There’s no way he’d be able to defeat this with only a pocketknife. This is how her life would end then… a rough start and a rough ending. Maybe she wasn’t meant to be happy, to have a family or children.
She didn’t know if children paid for their parents’ sins or not, but it sure seemed true now. Tears pooled in her eyes, and she blinked them away. No, there’d be no break down now. She moved with Obadiah as he backed up while he kept one arm around her and hugged her closer to him. The bravery he showed impressed her. She wanted to tell him this, but realized this wasn’t the time to talk.
“I will distract the bear and you run to the trees over there and hide.”
Esther nodded not trusting her voice. She wished the other travelers were with them right now, but they’d already be a few miles away more than likely. Deep inside she wanted to scream so they’d hear their plight but she recognized that upsetting the bear wasn’t the right thing to do. She didn’t listen to her husband before and look where it had gotten them. Killed. Soon.
Obadiah lunged forward and let her go. She reached to pull him back to her side, but realized he’d done this to buy her some time. She ran as fast as her legs would propel her. They burned from the force. She grabbed the trunk of a tree, and slipped behind it. Her fingers dug into the bark. Her knuckles were white from how hard she pressed her nails into the trunk.
Her husband lunged forward, knife out in front of him. The bear slammed him on the ground hard. A scream burst from her lips. He stabbed the bear in the side. It didn’t seem to affect the bear. He rolled away from the animal before he could get hurt. He got to his feet, making sure the bear turned away from where she was crouched. This man that she didn’t know ver well was risking his life for her. Why? Not one person had ever done anything like this for her.
The bear raised its paw, as it stood on its hind legs. Man and bear stared each other down. Neither moved. She held her breath. Fear raced through her veins. Sweat, beading down her neck and forehead, her hands slipped from the bark, She had to do something to help him. One of their bags had somehow ended up at her feet.…poles for the tent.
Maybe these will be strong enough to hurt the bear or scare it off. She snatched up the metal, holding it tight and said a quick prayer for safety. She moved toward the two fighters. The bear slammed its paw across his chest. A scream came from Obadiah as he stumbled back. Red seeped through his shirt. She had to do something now. Esther raced to the scene, waving the pipe. She smacked the bear in the back. Her husband got to his feet, reached back and hit the bear’s nose.
This would be the end. She closed her eyes not wanting to see the beast coming for her. Holding her breath. Moments passed. The presence of the bear was no longer felt. She opened one eye to peek and see. Maybe she’d died and didn’t feel anything.
Gone. The bear wasn’t anywhere in sight. Obadiah lay on the ground, eerily silent.
She ran to his side and fell to her knees, grateful for his sacrifice and laying his life down to save hers. This wasn’t how it was supposed to turn out. Widowed. That other man would be after her for sure now. It would have been better if the bear had killed her. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She brushed the hair gently away from his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
He opened one eye at her. “Why crazy white woman?”
Esther fell backward, her hand pressed to her chest. The breath in her lungs left her body. Dead people don’t talk. She scrambled to her
