Azure: An Original Story - The only story with birds, bear attacks, and extensive use of the letter G. :D :D :D

[Skippy Canoe]

This may be my last major project on YCM, so enjoy it. ;D

 

[spoiler=Prologue]

“This is breaking news! Yet another wild grizzly bear attack has occurred near the outskirts of Geneva. Please be alert and know the proper reactions to a bear attack when walking in forested areas, and-“

 

Gloria had turned the television on almost perfectly in sync with when that portion began, and she immediately turned it off. They had been living here for seven months already without any bear problems, and she didn’t want her children in fear, yet this act was useless, for her youngest child, Mercy, had been waiting by the stairs.

 

Gloria cleared her throat nonchalantly, and her daughter scurried back upstairs, where she should be at this time of night. Deciding that it was her time to retire as well, Gloria let out a big yawn and headed up the stairs in her creaky old forest home.

 

…

 

The next morning was not as peaceful. Gloria was first woken by a loud crash in the hallway. She threw her sheets off and trudged out of her room to step on a sharp shard of glass; or was it clay? Gloria ignored the pain, and looked up the hallway as she saw a mess of broken white shards and her two youngest children, Mercy and Miles. The shattered article was that of a vase that Gloria had bothered to keep on a small table in the hallway ever since her husband passed away. It was the first gift she received from him, and one of the last remaining heirlooms she had after selling her wedding ring to pay off the gas bill from two months previous.

 

Mercy looked frightened, but riled up, indicating that Mercy was being chased by her brother inside the house in spite of their mother’s rules. Gloria already had enough to deal with in her life. She didn’t need this. She let out a prolonged and exerted sigh. Miles tried to speak, but she shushed him.

 

“I can’t speak to anyone right now,” she mumbled. Then, she stormed downstairs and outside, still in her nightgown.

 

Gloria had gone to her psychiatrist to the “blowing off steam” room where you could scream all you want and no one could hear through the soundproof walls.

 

Later that afternoon, Gloria returned, hoping her house was still standing. Now she had to get to work, and her time to get ready had been cut due to this experience. She also had to mend the wound that remained open and bleeding on her right foot’s tender arch. Her three children, Mercy, Miles, and Camille, were sitting at the kitchen table looking like angels.

 

“We’re sorry, Mommy,” said Mercy cutely. Gloria smiled weakly at the girl, and trudged upstairs to the bathroom medicine cabinet to treat her stinging wound.

 

…

 

It was later in the day now, and Gloria was a lot more cooled down, and almost done with her shift at the local market. This was only one of her three jobs she kept, and Camille also worked a full-time waitress job with her paychecks taken by Gloria. Miles and Mercy sometimes volunteered to walk dogs and other small things to help out.

 

“I had the worst day ever today,” complained a customer whom Gloria was cashier to, “because I lost a pair of earrings my husband gave me. Almost three thousand dollars down the drain! If that isn’t bad enough, my youngest soaks her brand new shoes in mud! It seems money doesn’t go as far nowadays, I’ll tell-“

 

Gloria’s temper was already built up enough. She didn’t need to hear of some strange woman’s pointless problems that meant nothing to her.

 

“Want to hear a problem?” Gloria said tensely and stopped checking out the woman’s items. She didn’t continue. Instead, she dropped the carton of eggs she was holding, and began to walk towards the door.

 

“Hey, you haven’t finished yet!” yelled the woman that remained at the cash register. Gloria stomped out of the store, hoping she wouldn’t lose a job over it. She took an unusual route back home, which was by walking. There were roads in this small area on the flank of Geneva, New York which didn’t have much of an official name besides Sunflower Isle, because the area grew many sunflowers, and seemed to be isolated from the rest of the world. She walked along the road until she came upon a dusty trail through the forest. Knowing it led almost directly to her property, she took the path without any fear.

 

Gloria made her way down the path, purse over one shoulder and a bag of groceries she had picked up before her shift started under the other. There were no problems so far, except she had trouble carrying the groceries.

 

But today had an eerie feeling. The sky had a pale pink tint to it now. As Gloria pondered this, she noticed something at the corner of her eye on the side of the trail. It was two grizzly bear cubs. Gloria stopped. She knew a mother would be around somewhere near. Fortunately, Gloria knew what to do at the sight of a bear. She dropped her purse and groceries at first in fear, which made a loud noise. She heard a deep growling from off to the side in the forest.

 

Gloria ran to the opposite side of where she thought she heard the growling. A louder growl followed, and she heard bounding footsteps chasing her. The two cubs were currently scavenging her dropped bags. Gloria kept running, and found a large log. She jumped over it and did a wise thing; she played dead behind it. The mother bear jumped over the log, and immediately noticed Gloria lying on the ground. She stood on all fours over the limp woman.

 

The bear roared, and slammed her paw onto Gloria’s arm. She pulled it up, and Gloria heard a loud crack, making it known that her arm was broken. Gloria noticed that her leg was in a bad position, and tried moving it very slowly. In horror, she watched as the she-bear noticed and bit right into her side. The loud cracking of her ribs could only be heard in the immediate area. She was helpless. Next, the bear roared in her face, and tossed Gloria’s body aside with a sweep of her pummeling paw. Gloria tried rolling over so her wounds weren’t infected, even though it was useless. The bear then ended it with a quick swipe and stomp at her face.

 

Gloria’s vision disappeared, and she lived her final moments without a method of hearing, seeing, or smelling. She could only feel. After a minute or so, the bear was gone, and she felt vibrations of feet approaching. Then, her feeling was snuffed out like a candle flame.

 

[Tentacruel]

OK, so a certifiably insane single mother gets killed by a bear.

 

Cool story bro.

[Skippy Canoe]

AH YOU'RE COOL.

 

She isn't certifiably insane. ;D

 

Notice that this is the prologue, and she got killed. Obviously, more will happen. :|