A Passion Found
Donna Matheson

The night was calm and peaceful as we set out on our walk. Above us, stars shone with an absolute brilliance that I had never before seen.  There was a full moon shining and it seemed to light our pathway as we walked hand in hand. The October air was cold and crisp, but I hardly noticed it as we strolled across the field and along the pathway towards the river.  It was just nice to get out alone, and to enjoy some peaceful moments alone with one another. It was time we very seldom found for one another since we had become parents.

My sister knew how important it was for my husband John and I to spend time with one another, and to find some precious moments together without our three children, so she had kindly offered to come over and bring her two year old daughter, so she could watch our children and be there all evening if needed. There were many things John and I could have done that evening, and places we could go where we would be wrapped in the warmth of one another before a roaring fire, and in a candle lit room, but we chose something simple.

The one simple thing that we chose to do, was to grab some blankets and bundle up in our warm winter clothes, and walk along the rivers edge by the forest. It was our favorite place to be! We both loved the tranquility of this place, and the natural beauty of our surroundings.  I had also packed a very special picnic basket with our favorite bottle of wine, a variety of cheese and crackers, some ripe, red strawberries, and some fluffy whip cream. Just in case the chill of the evening was too much, I had also packed a thermos of hot coffee. We were going to enjoy one last evening together in the outdoors, before the chill of the season, and winter rains and snow arrived. October was always the month when we experienced many changes in our Canadian weather.

We walked quietly for a time, not needing to talk, and enjoying those precious moments of blissful peace with one another. The silence was broken only by the trickle of the river beside us. It was with mutual agreement that the silence between us was broken as we began to talk about the events of our week. My husband John was an air pilot, and because of this was often out of town and gone away overnight, sometimes for several days at a time. I really missed him while he was away. I was a stay at home mom, but I also had my own little studio where I could escape to on occasion, and spend my time at writing. I had always enjoyed reading and writing, and it was my life long dream to one day be able to publish my very own book. Right now was our time to catch up on all the activities of the past week.  With our three children there was always something happening or going to be happening, and we had very little time alone with one another or for ourselves.

When we reached the pathway that wound into the forest area, we decided to follow it across the bed of dry, crackling leaves, and pine needles that had recently fallen. Even there amongst the trees, in a small clearing, the moonlight shone with a special brilliance, and lit up the clearing for us. The trees helped provide a shelter from the cold, and the leaves, a soft covering to sit upon. We found an old, flat tree stump and used it as a table to sit our glasses and bottle upon. I spread the large comforter out upon the ground by a nearby fallen tree that we could use as our back rest, and I still had another comforter we could use to wrap around us.

I made up a plate of crackers, cheese, and fruit while John poured a glass of wine for each of us. We then settled down to snuggle and chat with one another and to enjoy our special picnic.  It had been quite some time since we had actually been able to talk with one another, without any interruptions, or even to share in some special, intimate moments.  With three young children, our time was often centered around their needs.  We snuggled close together on the blanket and enjoyed some of the contents of our picnic basket, along with some more wine. The strawberries and whip cream were a real treat, and we spent a little time feeding them to one another and savoring their sweet, juicy flavor. Even though it wasn't the season for strawberries, I had been able to find them in one of the local fruit markets. They were just so tantalizing and delicious! They were extra luscious covered in the sweet, rich mounds of whipped cream which we topped them with.

John reached over to pour us another glass of the delicate, sweet tasting wine, when we heard the rustle of leaves nearby. It was most likely a small animal out foraging for food so we ignored it and went on with our picnic. We sipped the wine, and gazed up at the stars, while enjoying the beauty of our surroundings. It was a perfect evening! I snuggled closer to John and pulled his mouth to mine, savoring a long, sweet kiss as he pulled me down under the covers. Even after 10 years of marriage, we were still very much in love. I laughed easily, feeling more like a teenager, sneaking her first kiss.

It was only a few moments later when we again heard the rustle and crunch of leaves, and a noise like something moving around off in the bush. Whatever was making the noise seemed to be drawing closer, so we decided to peer out over the log, not really sure what to expect.

There was a lot of fairly dense underbrush in the area, so I couldn't imagine what might be in there. We had often seen deer in the nearby meadow, or down at the edge of the river, but they usually stayed off in the distance away from people. They must go into the bush to hide and search for food as well, so perhaps that's all it was. We sat still and listened as we peered off in the darkness, hoping we weren't about to meet a skunk or a porcupine. I really didn't want to go back smelling like a skunk, and a porcupine was something I did not want to meet either. Some of the dogs in the area had been sprayed with a mass of porcupine quills, and I knew that could be a very painful thing to deal with.

I thought I could see the shadow of something fairly large in the bush, but kept telling myself it must just be the shadows of the trees. After we sat back down on the blanket, we again heard twigs snapping, and the rustle of leaves.  This time it sounded much closer, and something a lot heavier than a skunk or porcupine.  We both jumped up and looked all around us. I stood there with bated breath, wondering what it could possibly be, and getting a little concerned.  Suddenly something was crashing through the trees, and I froze in fear, not knowing what to do. John grabbed my arm and started pulling me slowly backwards. He was pointing at something off to my right, so I followed the direction of his hand and stopped dead in my tracks as I saw it. A large black bear stood up on its hind feet, by the edge of the trees, sniffing the air and looking all around. John was still pulling at my arm while I watched the bear drop down on all fours, and trudge along the clearing, heading straight towards our picnic area. All I wanted to do at that moment was to scream and run, but I also knew it was the worst thing I could possibly do, so I followed John's gentle tugging and continued to move backwards.  

I watched the bear move closer as we stepped further and further back into the shadows. We had been trying to remain as quiet as possible in hopes that the bear wouldn't notice us. We moved behind some bushes, and stood very still, watching as the bear paused by the log, sniffing where we had been. When it stood up on its hind legs and started sniffing the air and looking around the area, I felt the panic setting in. I stood there at my husband's side, not moving, but yet ready to run if the need arose. The bear stood gazing off in the direction which we had traveled.  John stood silently, holding tightly to my arm. When the bear dropped down on all four paws, and began sniffing at the picnic basket, I finally felt myself begin to inhale some air once again. I knew there wasn't very much food left in our picnic basket, but the bear scratched around at it and ate something from within.  The bottle of wine fell over and the bear started lapping up some of the golden liquid, before shaking his head with an expression that looked like he didn't care much for the taste of it.  Once again he rose up on his hind legs, sniffing the air and looking off in the same direction where we stood.  With bated breath, I turned slowly, looking at my husband. It was then that I witnessed the fear in his eyes. Following the direction of his gaze, I looked out to see the bear slowly lumbering along towards us, sniffing the ground as it drew closer. This time I held my breath, and didn't move.

I'd heard stories of bears attacking people and mauling them to death, and I didn't particularly want to be standing here when the bear reached us. I was just about to turn and run when I felt John's grip tighten. I heard more noise off in the bush, and again heard branches and leaves being trampled. The bear stopped and turned in the direction where the noise came from.  Another larger bear crashed from the brush into the clearing where we had been, and stood up and let out a growl or roar that made the other bear react and stop.  The first bear was much smaller than the one that had just shown up.  As I looked on in fascination and fear, I realize this was probably a mother bear and an older cub.  The larger bear clawed at the ground and let out another roar, and with that the smaller one turned and walked back to it. They seemed to banter back and forth in play as they sniffed around our picnic area. Then the bigger bear called out to the other one and turned and walked into the woods. The younger bear followed close behind, stopping only once to take a quick look in our direction. Then it disappeared off into the woods as well. We listened to the sound of them crashing through the brush, until we could no longer hear the branches and leaves being trampled.

It was highly unusual for a bear to be sighted in this area, much less to be this close to the edge of town. Amazingly, we had seen not one, but two bears. Thankfully they hadn't bothered us, but we would have to report this sighting to the proper authorities. Hopefully they were just moving through the area, but people needed to be alerted to take a little more caution in the area, until we were sure they weren't a danger to anyone. The bears were probably searching for leftover berries and any bits of food that they could find before our Canadian winter set in, and they were forced to find a cave to hibernate in for the winter.

I felt John's grip relaxing and letting go of my arm as we stood there silently, breathing a little easier. Wanting to play it safe, we waited a little longer to make sure the bears had left the area. John motioned for me to stay where I was, then he walked cautiously over to our picnic area and began to gather up the blankets and leftover things from the picnic basket. At last, I was able to relax and breathe a little easier, but I still kept my ears open to the sounds of the forest. When I felt safe enough to join John, I stepped out into the clearing and helped him fold the blankets.  I took the picnic basket from him as took my hand in his, and we headed back towards the main pathway, and across the fields. Even though it was dark, the stars above us shone brightly, and the brilliance of the full moon lit our path. I couldn't quite see the river, but I could hear the rippling water nearby. Once across the fields, John drew me over to the small clump of trees and pulled me closer. His lips found mine, and I melted in the thrill of his kiss. We stood there as one, pulling closer together with passion mounting between us. His tongue explored my mouth, while his hand pursued other areas. Although it wasn't quite as private as our special place by the river, I needed no urging as he pulled me to him and into the shadows of the trees. Together we spread the comforter out, and pulled the other blanket over us as we fell down in a passionate embrace.  Despite the cold, October air, we took our time exploring one another's bodies, and enjoying the depth of our love as our bodies joined together.

Although our evening hadn't worked out quite the way it was planned, we had still been able to salvage some special time with one another, and to renew our love. In the midst of that cold, October night, beneath the stars and a full moon, we found a passion and a new beginning to our relationship which we thought we had lost.

We were safe and had actually experienced seeing a black bear up close. Perhaps too close for comfort, but something we would both remember for quite some time.  We never did get back to our favorite little spot till the following spring, but after that we were always careful to listen for the various sounds of the bush, and to exercise a little more caution in the places we chose to go for our special picnics.

© 2006 by Dawn M.

(Donna Matheson)

About Donna:

Donna Matheson lives in Ontario, Canada where she shares her life with her husband of 25 years, her two daughters, and her son & family including four grandchildren. She is also an avid lover of animals and shares her home with two dogs, a cat, a budgie and a hamster. Donna enjoys writing short stories, poems, and articles about her own life. Email her at dawnofthemorning @ yahoo.com