Page 13 of The Bear's Blooming Mate

The evening sun warmed her shoulders as she broke ground on the first bed. This was why she was here. This was the dream.

“What do you think, Mom?” she whispered, pausing to wipe sweat from her brow. “Is this what you imagined for me?”

The breeze rustled through the tall grass, carrying no answer but bringing the scent of wildflowers—those bachelor’s buttons Philip had shown her. She smiled despite herself, remembering the way he’d explained the old folk tale, his voice low and gentle.

By the time the sun began to dip toward the horizon, Elsbeth had marked out three beds and turned the soil in one. Her muscles ached pleasantly from the work, a reminder that she was doing something real, something tangible. That her flower farm was not simply a dream anymore.

She leaned on her spade, surveying her progress with satisfaction. Tomorrow she would work on the next bed…until Philip came.

Would he come and help her find the spring? Or had he simply been polite? The thought of him not returning made her heart sink in a way that was both surprising and unsettling.

As darkness settled over the farm, Elsbeth reluctantly gathered her tools and headed inside. The old farmhouse creaked and settled around her as she showered off the day’s dirt and sweat, her mind still out in the fields, planning and dreaming.

After toweling her hair dry, Elsbeth slipped into her soft cotton robe and padded toward her bedroom. The floorboards creaked beneath her bare feet as she moved through the shadowy hallway.

Suddenly, she froze mid-step.

A tingling sensation crawled up her spine, raising the fine hairs at the nape of her neck. She shivered, despite the lingering warmth from her shower. Something felt...different. The air in the room seemed to thicken as if charged with invisible energy.

Elsbeth clutched her robe tighter around her body, pulling the belt into a firmer knot. Her heartbeat quickened as she moved cautiously toward the bedroom window.

She pushed the curtains aside and peered into the darkness, eyes straining to make out shapes in the moonlit yard. The fields stretched out before her, silver-blue in the moonlight, peaceful and still.

Nothing. Just shadows and starlight.

And yet...

She couldn’t shake the feeling that she wasn’t alone. That someone—or something—was out there, watching. But strangely, the sensation didn’t feel threatening. Not at all.

Elsbeth pressed her palm against the cool glass, her breath creating a small cloud of condensation. “Is someone there?” she whispered, though she knew no human ears could hear her through the closed window.

The night remained still, but the feeling persisted. A watchful presence, attentive and...protective. That was the word that surfaced in her mind. Whatever was out there wasn’t meant to frighten her. If anything, it felt more like a guardian.

“Mom?” The word escaped her lips before she could stop it, soft and hopeful. Her mother had always promised she’d watch over her, even after she was gone. Was this her spirit, keeping an eye on her daughter’s new beginning?

But as she gazed deeper into the darkness, a realization washed over her. This presence didn’t have her mother’s gentle energy. It was something else entirely, something wilder, more primal. Yet somehow...familiar.

Elsbeth leaned her forehead against the cool glass, tears welling in her eyes. The ache of missing her mother mingled with this strange new feeling, overwhelming her senses.

Movement caught her eye. There, among the moonlit wildflowers, a shadow shifted. A large, bulky form moved with surprising grace through the field, pausing occasionally as if scenting the air. Her breath caught in her throat. Was she seeing a ghost? Some spirit of the land?

The creature stopped abruptly, as if sensing her gaze, and turned toward the house. Two eyes reflected the moonlight, looking directly at her window.

A bear!

In that moment, something passed between them, a connection that resonated through her entire body. It was the same inexplicable feeling she’d experienced when Philip’s fingers had brushed against hers in the field, that same electric current of recognition.

Elsbeth took a sudden step backward, her hand releasing the curtain, which fell back into place with a softswish. Her heart thudded in her chest as she pressed her hand against her mouth, an unexpected burst of laughter escaping between her fingers.

“I’m losing my mind,” she whispered to the empty room, her laughter edged with something like hysteria. “Completely losing it.”

First Philip, now imaginary bears prowling through her wildflowers? The stress of moving, of starting over, of carrying her mother’s dreams on her shoulders…it was clearly taking its toll. She was seeing connections where there were none, feeling things that couldn’t possibly be real.

But deep down, she knew. What she felt was real. Theconnectionto Philip…the bear…

It was more real than anything she had ever known.

Yeah, she was surely going crazy. But if this was what crazy felt like…she’d take it.

---