Pursued by a Bear
Pursued by a Bear by Sam Redlark The shepherd found the bear on the foreshore, raised on its hind legs, roaring over the noise of the crashing waves. The beach was strewn with the washed-up wreckage of a ship and the drowned bodies of the crew. The shepherd saw blood on the rocks. Close by, a child was swaddled in a blanket. Next to the babe there was a bundle, within which he glimpsed the glitter of golden objects. “A man was seen from the clifftop, carrying this child in his arms,” announced the shepherd. The bear ceased its roaring duet with the ocean. It turned and gazed down upon the pitiful human figure. “The man you speak of is Antigonus, a noble from Sicily,” it said. “I have made my mark upon him, tearing him open at the shoulder. He has already exited this place on foot. I will see the whole job done and have him exit this world by my paw.” The bear dropped down on all fours and became a true bear, incapable of human thought or speech. It...