The smell of pizza from a downtown restaurant in Vancouver streamed through the house that night .It was a homework free night one of the few I had. I was very happy, listening to a motle crue song in the living room as my dad prepared a drink that was for my neighbor that was sick for about two to three weeks now. it smelled like old garlic sour oranges and it was in my opinion a not very nice distinct smell, but I knew it worked to make me feel well so I excused that fact completely, I knew because when are family was coming down with a cold we would always make it.
It was a recipe from a long time family friend. my step sister was upstairs face timing some of her friends as I passed her when I walked into my room when I began to draw for a few moments I became distracted by the thought of everything, “sounds like me”. I sat in silence for a few minutes until suddenly boom on my door as the smell of orange crossed my nostril there was a gust of anxiety that shook my body into reality. I sat up from my chair and creeped near the door slowly starting to open it, I assumed it was dad or my step sister trying to scare me considering they were the only people in the house at the time.
But slowly i realized it was just my cat jimmy purring at the tips of my feet rubbing my legs “ohhhhhhh” I picked up jimmy and walked out of my room with him I put him down and as soon as I heard my dad from the kitchen yell my name I said “WHAT?” in a confused tone, “COME DOWN FOR A SEC” he yelled. as I ran down the stairs I was thinking what does he need now I’m just going to say I’m busy when I was doing nothing at all.
As I came into the kitchen I said “ what’s up” he said “ I need you to go over to krya`s” ( our neighbor ) and give her the wellness drink I was tired and I didn’t want to go out I moaned and said yes I ran to the front entrance and grabbed my shoes ran to the kitchen and I grabbed the drink thinking “lets get this over with” I had the thought I had every time I was supposed to go outside at night, “I’m going to run into a bear” but I moved past that this time saying its all good. I opened the back door as my dad said “take the flash light” “why ?” I replied “just because” he said so I did and and I left with the drink in my hand.
As I walked out side I passed the trailer I turned the flash light on, smelling garbage and compost from the bins and that’s all I could smell. I passed the trampoline and shined the light through the mesh. I swore I saw some thing but I told myself it was my imagination, it made sense considering I thought to much.. I opened the gate to kryas back entrance as I slowly pondered into the door way thinking to my self I forgot to shut the gate and all I could see was the path the flashlight was creating for me. I knocked on the door , waiting for about I minute until she unlocked the door. I stepped in her house and shut the door we talked for a couple of minutes and I said goodnight and she replied “goodnight ! And thank you”, she shut the door and all I heard was the lock of the door bolted shut. i turned around ,as I lifted up the flash light it illuminated my darkest fear i had never thought I would be this close to such a huge animal.
My heart dropped and I thought I was going to die, now I know there has been much worse things in life but in the moment I wasn’t thinking about anything else except how I was going to get killed by this bear. In that moment I realized there was a gate to my right but I didn’t want to run becuase I knew bears feel intimidated and challenged, so I slowly walked backwards trying not to make eye contact like I did before. it just stared at me it, its eyes shined golden yellow in the view of the flash light. As I began to pick up the pace I pressed myself up against the gate I shut it and locked it thinking that would help me in some way. When looked back I could see it moved over to the gate more and from there I ran as fast as I could to kryas front door i knocked and then she let me in.
Later that month the bear was killed because it was disrupting a complex on prairie I now I feel . more obligated to lock the garbage bins because situations like these.
this is were you can go to learn more about this problem.
This photo was that exact bear on the night it happened.
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