Today I have for you a juicy little tidbit—a sneak peek at my newest fairy tale, titled She-Bear.
This fairy tale is based off a highly disturbing Italian fairy tale (do not recommend, also TW for assault, gaslighting, manipulation), but the one piece of it that stuck with me was the theme of transformation, and being in control of our own transformation. That is pretty much the only piece of the original I kept—that and the bear.
The book will be available in the next week or so, so stay tuned, and enjoy!
She-Bear Sneak Peek
Etele thought the classroom she worked in possessed the best view in the whole school. A river flowed at the bottom of a gently sloping hill, and great mushroom trees, draped in the orange and yellow colors of fall, leaned over the water. They swayed gently in the breeze, their pitted late-season caps casting dappled shadows below, and the rays of sun which sneaked through made the water glitter and shine. Blue vines of the teleris bean snaked up the mushroom stipes, accented by the bright green flowers of late autumn.
Beyond the mushroom forest she could see the curling spires of the town center, painted in vivid designs. And beyond that, though Etele couldn’t see much further, she knew the forest stretched on and on, with a few fields planted within. It was the most peaceful place in the world, and Etele loved days like this one—with a calm breeze gently rustling the leaves, a cerulean sky, and birds chattering their pleasant song. The classroom’s lead teachercalopened the classroom windows, letting in the sweet scents from outside. The kids were in a great mood too, happily playing games, working on crafts, and learning math and reading.
“What’s that word?” Maeve gazed up at Etele with big eyes. Messy blonde curls feel around her pale face. She held a book on her lap and was pointing at a line at the bottom of the page, with an illustration of a regal-looking brown bear drawn above it.
“Can you try to spell it?” Etele asked, smiling down at the child. She knew she wasn’t supposed to have favorites out of all the kids in the classroom, but she’d known Maeve and her younger brother Lazlo since they were born. Not to mention, Maeve was sweet and smart and funny. It was hard not to like her best.
“L-E-A-R-N,” Mauve spelled out. “Lee-air-en?”
“It’s a hard one isn’t it,” Etele said. “It’s pronounced ‘learn.’ You know that word, don’t you?”
“Learn!” Mauve exclaimed, a broad smile crossing her face. “It’s spelled stupid, don’t you think?”
Etele laughed. “Keep reading.”
Feeling warm and contented, Etele surveyed the room around her. Several children played with blocks in one corner, and the teacher, Ms. Volk, helped a small group with their math homework. Their community was small, with only about ten children per class, which meant they could provide them with close, personal instruction, as well as put effort into understanding what each child enjoyed and excelled at.
A small bank of computers sat against the far wall, but they rarely used them. The community tended to avoid most technology, and only kept a few tools so the students could have a basic familiarity with what existed, in case they ended up living elsewhere as adults.
Etele’s eyes flicked to the door of the classroom, where Natali was walking by—her oldest friend, whom she met when Etele’s family had first moved to this planet nearly twenty years ago. Natali was the only one who didn’t call her names for being alien. Though, by now, the other villagers had become used to her family’s presence for the most part, so name-calling, bullying, and similar incidents were rare.
Natali winked at her, and then vanished down the hall. She helped a different teacher with older kids, but they still managed to see each other every day.
Etele turned back toward Maeve, who had just flipped the page in the book she read, but was distracted as a knock came on the doorframe. She glanced up, surprised to see her father standing there.
“I’ll be right with you.” Ms. Volk placed a coloring book in front of another child, and gave a few simple instructions.
“Dad?” Etele frowned. Her father was a scientist and medical technician; he never came to the school.
He gave Etele a grim look and strode over to the teacher, hissing something in her ear, clearly unwilling to wait for her to complete her task.
Ms. Volk’s face turned white, but swallowed, took a deep breath, and calmly faced the students. “Class, I believe it’s time for a walk outside. Would you like that? Please form a line.”
The children all exclaimed excitedly. They leaped up from their chairs and hurried toward the doorway, apparently oblivious that something wasn’t quite right.
“Dad,” Etele asked again, her eyes flicking back and forth from his face to the teacher’s. “What’s happening?” She stood and rushed over to him.
“You must go, now,” he hissed, gripping her arm tightly. “Get the children out of the school, to the shelter in the woods. To the city, if need be. I’ll find you when I can.”
“The city?” Etele exclaimed. The city was miles and miles away, a three-week journey by foot. Shorter if they used vehicles, but she didn’t know where they could get a bus on such short notice. The community didn’t rely on vehicles for nearly anything. Her town lumped vehicles into the same category as computers; they kept a few around for educational purposes, but mostly used non-motorized wagons pulled by mules.
“Be safe, Etele.” Her father pulled her into a hug, and was gone.
“Come children!” the teacher called, clapping her hands.
Etele took up her place at the end of the line, feeling her heart pound in her chest. What was going on? Something they didn’t want to tell the children, but which was worrisome enough for evacuation. The community here was small, and crime rare. Etele couldn’t imagine what could be happening to cause this response. As soon as she could find an opportunity, she would ask Ms. Volk. But for now, she needed to focus on her primarily responsibility—herding children.
Teachers and students crowded the hallways as they filed calmly toward the doors. Etele saw Natali on the far end of the hall; their eyes met, but Natali only shook her head. She didn’t know what was going on either. Etele’s classroom was in the center of the school, and all the other students leaving their classrooms blocked the exits. The children laughed and chattered, excited to see their siblings and other friends in the halls in the middle of the day, but the teachers’ faces were grim.
“Ms. Volk,” Etele called, pointing to their left. “Perhaps we can go through the gym?” The gymnasium had doors on the far side which led out into the fields behind the school.
“Yes,” Ms. Volk replied, leading her line of students into the large room. Their feet echoed, and while some of the children laughed at the suddenness of their changed schedule, others had sensed Ms. Volk’s concern and were beginning to ask questions.
“Etele, what’s going on?”
Etele felt a small hand grab her own, and looked down to see Maeve gazing up at her with big eyes.
“I don’t know, sweetheart,” she replied. “Follow Ms. Volk and I’m sure it will work out okay.”
“And what if it doesn’t?” Maeve asked. She glanced over her shoulder. “Where’s Lazlo?”
“He’s with his teacher,” Etele reassured her. “We will find him as soon as we can.”
“No.” Maeve frowned. “I need to find him now.” She released Etele’s hand and sprinted across the gym.
“Maeve!” Etele called out. “Come back here!” But the child ignored her. Etele met Ms. Volk’s eyes in a silent request for permission.
“Go get her,” Ms. Volk ordered.
Etele nodded and chased after the child, who had already burst through the doors back into the hallway.
“Maeve!” Etele called. Students and teachers now mobbed the hallway, all trying to exit the school. “Go through the gym,” she suggested to a nearby teacher, who nodded, and began to herd their class through the doors.
Etele dodged the small bodies, weaving in and out. She could see Mauve’s pigtails ahead of her, but the child kept just far enough away that Etele couldn’t grab her. Etele watched as Maeve’s hand latched onto Lazlo’s wrist. He glanced up with a broad smile, surprised and pleased to see his sister.
“Come with me,” Maeve ordered her little brother.
“Lazlo, you need to stay with the class,” Lazlo’s teacher called out, seeing what was happening.
“I can take him,” Etele said. Maeve was a stubborn child. She wouldn’t leave her brother behind. “I’ll keep them together.”
The teacher nodded once and turned her attention back to the rest of her class.
“This way.” Etele frowned at Maeve. “You shouldn’t have run off like that.”
Maeve shrugged, her hand firmly clasping her brother’s hand.
Etele led them back toward the gymnasium and through the doors. Many more people crowded the room now, all flowing toward the various doors. Etele cut behind one class, making sure that the two children stayed close to her, and pushed open a door.
And then came the explosion. The sound crashed over them and the floor rumbled underfoot, but it was clear it had come from another part of the building. Children screamed and cried, and teachers rushed to get their students out of the building as quickly as possible.
Etele’s heart thundered in her chest as she shoved open the door and guided the two children outside. “Run!” she yelled, pointing toward the gently swaying mushroom trees beside the river. “Go! Go!”
The sky above was no longer a calming blue. Instead, metal ships—sky fighters—screamed overhead, leaving trails of smoke behind them. Their glittering metal shells glinted in the sunlight, a harsh and cold contrast to the usually serene, natural landscape Etele was accustomed to.
“Etele!” Maeve screamed, her pigtails flying out behind her as she ran away from the school building, now ablaze.
Etele scooped up Maeve in one arm and Lazlo with the other, who now had tears streaming down his face, and ran toward the woods ahead of them. Her breath came in hard gasps and sweat dripped down her forehead, as her legs strained under the extra weight of the two children.
“Etele!” Natali screamed from where she stood at the edge of the mushroom forest. She waved her arms, several children all rushing past her to get under the cover of the mushroom caps. The town emergency shelter was hidden in those woods—that must be where they were headed. “This way! Follow me!”
Another bomb dropped, and a house not too far from the school erupted into flames.
Natali’s older brother stood beside her, a look of intensity on his face as he watched the sky fighters careening through the sky above.
And then, one landed in the empty space between Etele and the woods, taking advantage of the wide-open green field the children used to play games. Etele skidded to a halt, eyes wide, watching as a hatch opened, and soldiers decked out in gear from head to toe marched out, hands on their weapons.
Etele could see Natali on the other side of the ship, screaming at the top of her lungs. Her brother had broken into a run, and as Etele watched, the soldiers faced him, ignoring the children and teachers making a break for the forest.
Etele took the opportunity and ran around them, the two children clinging to her as tightly as they could. She could see Mrs. Volk already at the edge of the trees with the rest of the class. When Etele arrived at the edge of the trees, Natali took Lazlo from her, and with one last look over her shoulder at her brother, now throwing punches at the soldiers, led Etele into the trees.
