Mamma Bear

And so it was with Adrian the day was over and it was time to go home. Adrian would have gone home, but he did not have a home to go to. The fields he had been working on all day were now deserted, all the workers had gone back to their families, Adrian didn’t have a family either though. The culvert Adrian had been sleeping in was now flooded due to the torrential rain they had had over the last week, the mud stuck heavily on his worn out boots as he trudged along the dirt path to the tree which was his make shift abode until something better came along.
The tree was a mile down the path into the wilderness which no-one ventured into due to the deaths three months ago, Adrian didn’t fear the wilderness though, he knew more about the women and the man that had been found dead than anybody else. When he got to the hollow tree he climbed inside onto his blanket and scraped his boots clean on the roots of the tree, then he took them off and settled down under the blanket. The early spring evening was drawing in, Adrian broke off bit of bread and wolfed it down with the last of the cheese. He found the tin under the blanket and opened it, inside he kept his artifacts, he looked at the contents. A necklace, a wallet, a key ring, twenty dollars, two gold rings and the bracelet, other than his blanket, his boots and what he was wearing these were all his worldly possessions. In the wallet was the money and some cards, details of where the first victim had lived, the keys he had taken from him as well what looked like a house key and car key and a few smaller miscellaneous keys that could have been for anything. Adrian sat fingering the keys and looked at the address details in the wallet. The victim’s address was detailed as being on Hockem Road, Adrian knew it, it was about thirteen miles from the tree in which he sat. Sucking some cheese out from between his teeth he mused about paying the house a visit. He wondered who was left behind in the house, settling down for the night he decided that he would set out tomorrow to pay them a visit, you never know, it could be fun he thought.
The next morning he was awoken by the starlings in the tree, the rain had stopped and the ground was hardening in the bright morning sun. Adrian got up and put on his shoes, he wrapped his tin in the blanket and wrapped the blanket diagonally across himself. He set off for Hockem Road feeling the enthusiasm he always felt when he had a job to do. It was Saturday morning and it wasn’t long before he reached the highway on the edge of the wilderness, he walked along the hard earth on the edge of the road, not that there were many cars travelling along the highway, just the odd truck and a few pickups. He walked for three hours and came to the crossroads that led to the Hockem Road. He turned off, the sun was now hot, it was 11:30 am, all around him were corn fields, green with the start of the yellowing of late spring, above him a bird circled mournfully.
In the distance he could see the single large white weather boarded house, that could be it, he thought to himself. It was the first house he had seen on what was turning out to be a deserted road surrounded by corn fields. He set off towards it with vigour, he still had not worked out what his approach would be although he suspected that someone would be home, he did not know for certain. As he approached the house he could see a string of washing blowing on the long washing line which was situated in the side garden. They were women’s clothes, Adrian smiled to himself at the discovery, today was going to be a good days work.
Teri was in the kitchen when she noticed the man walking up the Hockem Road towards the house, he looked dishevelled but he had a kind face, probably looking for work, she thought as so many young men were now. She had lost her husband some months before in what was thought to be a bear attack in the wilderness where he was working as a logger, he had been a good man. The house was now suffering from the rigours of time without proper maintenance, she could do with a handy man to fix up a few things, maybe she could employ this kind faced young man. The guttering needed cleaning out for starters, in the recent heavy rain they had overflowed and had got the bedroom wall damp to the point that there was mould growing in the corner. She stood at the sink and watched him approach.
Walking up the road Adrian could see a slim women standing at the window of the house, she was slim and curvy at the same time and wore a floral dress, he straightened up ,as he could see she was watching him, he decided to wave in a friendly manner, raising his hand in an exaggerated manner he waved at her. After a few moments, she waved back hesitantly, but she waved back that was a good sign he thought. He walked up to the front door and knocked, presently Teri answered. He explained that he was looking for work and that he could do odd jobs around the house, she smiled as he explained that he had been a carpenter for Tracksie, a construction company in West Virginia. She invited him into the kitchen and they sat discussing what he could do around the house.
“Do you want some Lemonade” Asked Teri
“Yes, that would be nice.” Replied the kind faced man, He still hadn’t offered her his name.
“What’s your name, if you don’t mind me asking.” Asked Teri
“No not at all, sorry, it’s Timothy” replied Adrian
“Sounds English”
“Yes I was born in England” Lied Adrian.
He wasn’t sure why he didn’t tell her his real name, he often lied to strangers, why, he did not know, he just felt more comfortable wearing a lie, than the truth, it fitted him better, kept people at a distance. Teri smiled and looked at his bedraggled clothes, she suggested that she get him some more clothes, Adrian smiled and she went upstairs. While she was gone Adrian sipped his lemonade and looked around the kitchen, it was a nice pad, he could do well here, he thought to himself.
“Here they are, they’re not much, they should fit though, you are about the same size as my husband.”
Adrian didn’t ask where he had gone, he already knew and strange for him, he felt awkward, he took the clothes and she directed him to a downstairs washroom. He went inside and changed, while he was changing he wondered what was going on, he usually didn’t feel this way. Usually he would have enquired what had happened to her husband, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it this time. He shook his head slightly angry with himself and went back to the kitchen. Teri smiled at him, “There, that’s better” she said and took his old clothes from him. “Are you hungry” she asked?
“Yes, I am.” He replied. She was already getting a pie out of the fridge and cutting him a slice, which he took and ate at the table with a knife and fork and his best manners. Teri was staring at the paintwork in the kitchen. “Do you paint?” she asked him. “Yes I can.” He replied. “Good, that can be your first job, but first lets get you set up in the spare room.” Teri was actually enjoying Adrian being there, she only just realised how lonely she had been the past few months, she had no family and nobody visited, the only conversation she had was when she went to the store in Bradly and that was only once a week. Adrian followed her up the stairs noticing how shapely she was for her age, she turned to ask him if he wanted to wash up later as she would need to turn the boiler on, luckily she didn’t catch Adrian looking her up and down admiringly, he smiled and said that that would be nice. What a polite man Teri thought to herself showing him the spare room. She left him to settle in and went downstairs. Adrian left alone in the room put his blanket on the bed and took out his tin, looking around the room for a safe place to hide it, he settled on the bottom left hand corner of the closet under some bedding. He sat on the bed and looked around, it was homely and a pleasant smell wafted around the room, fresh and clean, Adrian laid on the bed and closed his eyes.
The next day Adrian had cleaned out the guttering and was preparing to paint the kitchen, Teri was helping by covering the furniture with sheets, she had had the paint in the barn for some time, it was one of the jobs her husband was to do before he died. Adrian was clean shaven and washed, wearing Teri’s husband’s clothes under some overalls which were also her husbands. Teri stood watching him on the ladder painting the ceiling, she started to rub down the skirting boards and they chatted about the weather, their hobbies and the jobs that needed to be done around the house. Adrian was surprised to find after the days painting that he was growing very fond of Teri, this was becoming a problem for him, that evening laying in his bed his mind whirled in conflict and confusion. He stood up and went to the mirror, naked, bear, he looked at himself in th mirror, he had no male genitalia, why had God done this to him, why?
The next day the sun shone in the sky and for the next few days Teri and Adrian painted the kitchen and then started on the hallway, by the end of the second week, all the downstairs rooms had a fresh layer of paint and Teri was becoming aware of how much she would miss Adrian when all the work was done. In week three they started on the bedrooms, in Teri’s bedroom there was a slightly embarrassing moment when some particularly sexy underwear appeared from under the bed. Adrian and Teri stood staring at them for a few moments and then burst out in the laughter, Teri give Adrian an embarrassed punch on the arm while stuffing the underwear into a drawer and out of sight. After that the two became more and more physical they both felt like they had been given a new ease of life, like giddy teenagers.
After a month, the two had skirted around actually broaching the subject of what would happen when all the work to the house was done. Adrian laid on his bed imagining Teri laying in her bed, Teri had in the past couple of days walked up to Adrian’s bedroom door, but up to now had not knocked through fear of rejection. He got up from off the bed and got the tin that he hadn’t looked at for the past three weeks, looking through the wallet he found something he hadn’t noticed before, inside there was a note, it was tucked in the back which was why he hadn’t found it before. He read it and discovered that it was addressed to Teri, it must have been her husband’s handwriting, it read;
Dear Teri
I’m sorry for what I have to tell you, but for sometime I have been unhappy, it is my intention to leave you, I cannot bring myself to tell you face to face, hence this letter, which it is my intention to leave for you tonight when you are asleep. Don’t try and contact me, I intend to travel for some time up North with Merissa, I know you…..
Adrian was startled to see Teri standing at his bedroom door, she was staring at the wallet and the letter, she seemed to recognise it immediately, she had a strange expression on her face. Adrian tried to hide it but it was too late.
“Teri, I can explain this” he said folding the letter.
“I’m sure you can” replied Teri. She left the doorway and Adrian started to dress to go after her, he had just got her husband’s trousers on when she appeared at the door, she was carrying an axe. Her face was suddenly horrific, demonic like someone possessed. He hardly recognised her.
“I found it.” He screamed in horror.
“Mores the pity.” She replied, hefting the axe above her shoulder and stepping towards him. He put his arms and tried to step back, but stumbled over his tin, falling to the ground, she was above him in a second, she brought the axe down with the force of a lumberjack cleaving his chest open, blood spurted out over her, she was laughing now and brought it down for a second time, it went right through his torso and embedded in the wooden floor beneath him. Blood gurgled out of his mouth as he breathed his last breathes.
Standing in his blood, she licked her gore soaked hands, “looks like there has been another bear attack” she said to herself smiling.