The Thorn Bear: Chapter V, Part 2
Now he stands before the lake of crystal-clear water. From the shore, he can see all the way to the bottom, where algae sway gently with the current.
“I know now why you didn’t want to go home to Tom.” The chick’s feet splash in the shallow water. “Even back then, I was broken. Too damaged to bring a child joy anymore. I wouldn’t have protected him from nightmares—I would have caused them myself, and you knew that.”
His little one has moved farther into the water, and the paddle tail sweeps happily through it.
“I protected you. But not always the way I should have. When we left Tom’s house and the marten attacked, I was angry and cowardly. But not anymore. Now I know what I have to do.”
The chick swims through the lake, maneuvering skillfully through the underwater world.
“For you to grow, I have to let go.” Teddy’s remaining paw grips the thread holding him together.
Holding him tight.
“I love you.”
Teddy pulls.
Tears himself in two.
Teddy feels no pain. He is only a stuffed toy.
Arm and fur come apart, along with head and belly. As he drifts toward the bottom, he sees his chick swimming and diving as though it were made for this. The not-a-bird-not-a-goose-not-a-duck-and-not-a-beaver creature.
At last, he sees it in all its glory. Hatched from an egg, it is one of the few mammals not born alive. With its bill, it digs through the sand in search of insects and navigates beneath the water. It has webbed feet to glide through the lake and a paddle tail it uses as a rudder. Water cannot penetrate its brown, bristly fur, which keeps it warm even in winter. And to protect their young, the males carry a venomous spur on their heel, defending what they hold dear.
The little one.
The grown one.
The platypus the bear had carried inside him.
An ending, you surely think.
But not quite.
Just a little more patience.
Because as Teddy sinks toward the bottom, nearly swallowed by algae and green, a platypus catches him.
Carries him gently between its teeth. Him, the bear who protected it. Who cared for it and kept it safe.
Our platypus lays the remains on a stone beneath the sun, surrounded by marigolds and dandelions. Then returns to the Crystal Lake.
Every day, it visits the bear. Nudges him with its bill, as if it wants to play.
As if it wants to say thank you.
For everything.
And then: children’s laughter.
Footsteps in the sand. A boy walking along the shore. Playing and laughing as he notices the stone. He discovers the remains and says:
“I used to have one just like this.”
And takes the remains of Teddy the Bear home with him.
THE END
Help me bring The Thorn Bear to life:
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second part of The Thorn Bear: Stitches and Patches.
Some initial ideas are already in place.
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