The White Bear King

by E S Olsen

  THE WHITE BEAR KING

  E S Olsen

  A special thank you to Tim and Wally

  CHAPTER 1

  I leaned across my sister to look out the small airplane window. Dawn was approaching. Tucked neatly into one of the majestic fjords were the lights of Oslo, bright and welcoming. Everything would be different now that Aunt Helen was gone.

  “I can’t believe we’re going to be living here,” Liz whispered with a sigh, still gazing out the window. “As if once a year wasn’t bad enough. Aunt Helen must have really hated us.” She turned to me and deepened her voice, pointing at me with a shaky hand, “No, inheritance for you unless you live in my stinky old house.”

  Though our feelings were mutual I nudged Liz in the arm, “It won’t be that bad.”

  “For you maybe, you get paid to read and write stories. Maybe you can run off into the woods and look for that talking bear of yours,” Liz rolled her eyes. “I’m going to start school this fall. I’ve got to learn my way around Oslo. My Norwegian is a bit rusty but better than yours, at least.”

  Stung, I stopped listening to her, leaned back into my chair and folded my arms across my chest as we made our decent. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, I was both scared and excited to take a walk in the woods again. Scared because childhood imaginings might have actually been true. Excited because in a way, I hoped they were. They had seemed too real not to be. I’d gotten lost in the woods the first time I saw him. No one believed me.

  The second time I was about eight years old. The only person I told this time was Liz. I thought she’d believe me, but she mocked me relentlessly for years afterward; threatening to tell dad or worse, Aunt Helen, if I didn’t do as she said.

  The plane landed smoothly on the tarmac. “Fifteen hours in an airplane is about fifteen hours too long,” Liz said rubbing and stretching her stiff body.

  My stomach protested from being ignored. “Com’on, let’s get something to eat. We have a couple of hours before our train leaves.” I grabbed my bag and tossed Liz’s at her.

  We walked down the large terminal, following the scent of food. “I bet we can get something at The Kitchen,” Liz gave me a sideways glance and her silly crooked smile.

  I shook my head. At 19, Elizabeth was a year older than me, but I often felt like the older sister. We ordered some hot lefse dripping with melted butter. I rolled my potato flatbread up before devouring it. Liz ordered hers with extra brown sugar.

  The tram to the trainstation slowly rocked us back and forth. “I’m not looking forward to that drive once we get to Eidsvoll.” I said.

  “What does that matter? We’ve been traveling all night, it’ll be the last leg of our journey. Thank God that crazy old lady won't be there anymore.”

  “Liz! What an awful thing to say about Aunt Helen.”

  Elizabeth sat up straighter and looked me in the eye. “She was a grumpy old fart that scared the bejeezus out of us, Maria. I don’t even think Dad liked her all that much. The only good thing she did was leave us her estate.”

  The train was already at the station when we arrived so we boarded right away. Liz turned on her phone and began scrolling through missed messages. She’d be occupied for some time, so I dug out a book from my bag. After a few pages I couldn’t concentrate. What must it have been like to live alone in such a large house? I thought. No husband. No children. All she had was her herd of sheep. “Maybe she was just lonely,” I said.

  “Who? Oh … sure, I guess,” Liz said leaning her head back and closing her eyes.

  I looked out the window for the rest of the ride. At first, brightly colored houses sped past then once out of town, trees and mountains broken up by lakes.

  Two hours later the train pulled into the Eidsvoll station. If I looked anything like Liz, I knew we could be mistaken for the walking dead. We’d been traveling for over eighteen hours now. We both grabbed a coffee and waited outside the station for our dad. Luckily we didn’t wait long, Dad pulled up to the curb and we collapsed into the car. I think I fell asleep before we got to the main road.

  When I awoke, Dad was driving us up a long tree lined drive. The tree line broke and great aunt Helen’s house came into view.

  The bright yellow mansion was the same as I remembered it as a child. It had two floors with rows of windows running along both wings and a steep peaked roof with decorative gables that made you feel you stepped back in time.

  “The rest of our things should get here later this week,” Dad said, walking us to the door.

  Entering through the tall doorway, we were met by a lovely middle aged woman with white blonde hair and striking blue eyes. “Velcome home!”

  I ran up the steps, throwing my arms around the older woman. “Siv! I’ve missed you!”

  Siv smoothed her hand down the back of my head returning the hug. “And I you,” she looked down at me, tears forming in her eyes. “But now you are here to stay. Come, I’ve made you someding to eat.”

  I followed Siv while Liz and Dad headed upstairs saying they weren’t hungry. Liz jabbed me in the ribs with her elbow as she passed and gave a crooked little grin. “Now, I don’t have to share a room with you anymore.”

  I pursed my lips. “Must have been awful for you.” The image of our old room came to mind with Liz’s stuff covering almost every surface.

  The kitchen was small but bright and welcoming. Open face sandwiches were arrayed on a platter; smoked salmon, cheese, ham and egg, and reindeer. I almost giggled with delight. We used to have these for breakfast almost every morning. Trying each one, I was pleased to find the reindeer was still my favorite. The kitchen windows, being in the rear of the house, gave an excellent view of the expanse of the estate: rolling hills, forest and a small lake in the distance. No sheep in sight.

  “Siv, where are the sheep?” I asked.

  “Oh, in da mountains. In another veek, ve will call dem to shear dem for da summer.”

  “Call them?”

  Siv smiled, “Yes, it is called kulning. It’s like singing to dem.”

  “And they come to you?”

  “I vill show you ven it is time. You should get some rest. Your father and sister are already napping. Der vill be plenty of time later for exploration.”

  Thanking Siv, I headed up to my room taking a short detour through the library. Covered in dust cloth were a grand piano and a set of matching sofas. But my attention was on the books. Some might say that an old library full of leather bound books stunk but the smell made me think of a thousand adventures.

  I remembered the last time we’d come to visit. I’d snuck down to the library late at night when I thought everyone was asleep, so I could read from one of Aunt Helen's books. Cuddled under a blanket in her comfy armchair, I was halfway through Boots and the Troll, when Aunt Helen startled me.

  I’ll never know if I would have been in trouble purely for reading the book or if it was because in my fright I tore the page I held almost completely out. Either way, we were never invited back. I blamed myself, what other reason could it have been? That was years ago and Aunt Helen wasn’t here to tell me no. My lips spread into a smile thinking that these all belonged to me now. Restraining myself from not grabbing an armful of books, I took one and went upstairs.

  Most of the room was decorated in powder blue. Placing my small bag and book on the queen sized four post bed, I turned to the windows. Like the rest of the house, the heavy drapes were drawn. Pushing them open gave a clear view of the mountains from the bay window seat.

  I remember hiding in there as a child when Aunt Helen was vexed at me for any of the things that small children do that seem to upset adults so much. Well, no more hiding. This might just be the perfect spot to read.

  Yawning
, I took my hair out of its ponytail and ran my fingers through it. Then I slipped out of my jeans before climbing into bed. I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

  *

  A week later Siv took me into the foothills to call in the sheep. She began to sing. It sort of reminded me of yodeling but more beautiful. Her soprano voice held the long notes causing magical echoing through the valley. Embarrassed, I had to turn away to wipe tears from my eyes. It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever heard. Only a few minutes passed before a soft clanging of bells came as a response to the kulning.

  “Will you teach me?” I asked.

  Siv smiled, “Of course.”

  We spent the rest of the long summer afternoon outdoors. I slaughtered the art of kulning, then attempted to not slaughter the sheep while Siv showed me how to shear them. When it came time to card the wool, I was more confident since Siv had taught me when I was a child.

  Liz never had the patience for anything like this. I remember Siv showing us how to hold the stiff flat boards and brush the wool through the little hooks to line up the fibers. Liz threw hers down after a few tries and ran off.

  As much as I found myself enjoying my first couple of weeks here, my gaze wandered to the nearby forest.

  I rarely saw Dad since he stayed most of the day in his office. Since moving to Norway meant telecommuting, I’d thought he would have more off time. Right after Mom died I’d visited him in his office once and caught him staring at a picture of her. He put the picture away in a drawer and I never saw it again.

  But there was the rare occasion that he’d spend some time with us. It was evening and I was sitting in the library working on a poem, Elizabeth was curled by the fire painting her nails, when Dad came in. He pulled out an old board game and started setting it up on the coffee table.

  Liz jumped up. “Hnefatafl?” she asked.

  “Yes, I thought a round would be nice.” He glanced at Liz while setting up the pieces. “Are you up to the challenge?” he smiled.

  “Of course!” Liz said, sitting on the floor cross legged opposite him.

  I watched them set up the board and remembered the first time he introduced the old Norse game to us.

  I watched upside down, hanging my head over the arm of the chair I was in. It looked a lot like chess to me.

  Father pointed out each of Liz’s pieces. “These are your men. They surround the king - the big one in the center. He is your most important player, if I capture him the game is over.” He pointed to the pieces on the edges of the board, “these are my pieces. To capture a piece, you have to place two of your men on two sides of your opponent. Like this,” he moved two of his pieces so they were standing on either side of her piece like bodyguards.

  They played for a few minutes and after father was about to surround Liz’s king she shoved the board causing pieces to topple and fall off the table. “I don’t want to play anymore!” She crossed her arms tightly over her chest and stared at the floor.

  Aunt Helen who had been reading, placed her book in her lap. “Elizabeth! That is not how we act in this house. You are being a poor sport. Go to your room for the night.”

  Father started cleaning up the pieces. Liz stamped her foot. “Fine!” she then ran out of the room, stomping up the stairs.

  I quickly took her place across from father. “Can I play?”

  Father gave me one of those half smiles with a sigh that meant no. He looked at his watch. “I think it’s time you headed on to bed too. We’ll play later.”

  “Okay,” I blinked back the tears that were forming and drifted with leaden feet and hunched shoulders all the way to my room.

  After a few minutes I placed my writings inside the book I was currently reading and headed upstairs. Leaving Liz and Dad to play their game. Half an hour later there was a light knock on the door. Liz peeked her head in my room.

  “Got a minute?”

  I closed my book and sat up straighter. “Sure, what’s up?”

  She closed the door behind her and climbed into bed with me. “I’m a little nervous about starting school on Monday.”

  “You, nervous?” I raised one eyebrow at her.

  She played with her fingernails and gave a little laugh. “Yeah, right. It’s just, I’ve never lived away from home before. And I,” she sighed and looked up to the ceiling. “I think I’m gonna miss you.”

  As doubtful as I felt about that statement, it really touched me. Liz, the popular one, the no-time-for-her-little-sister one was actually going to miss me when she went away. “Ahh, thanks. I’ll miss you too.”

  She gave me a quick hug and went to her room.

  CHAPTER 2

  At first, I felt like a lost puppy the way I followed Siv around while I learned to shear sheep and card and dye the wool. But, I soon began to love this way of life. Most of my days were spent outdoors. Siv taught me to call the sheep. I felt silly and sounded horrible, but as I practiced the sheep began responding to me.

  One brisk morning there was a light misty fog that hugged the hill sides and left a dampness to everything it touched. I slowly climbed the hill I loved best for kulning. All sounds were muffled by the fog. I began to sing, closing my eyes and let it envelop me. Never before had I imagined I’d come to love a place as much as I loved our home here.

  There was something about this house, no, it was more than that… this land, I felt it calling me; just as I was calling the sheep. Suddenly I heard a whooshing noise; felt more than heard. It was so powerful I fell silent. Even though I couldn’t see further than a hundred feet I scanned all around me. Where did it come from? Did I really hear something? The sheep must be out further this morning. I shivered and it wasn’t because I was cold. Then I heard a growl. A dog? Two growls. Wolf! No… Siv said that wolves had been driven to near extinction in Norway. Still, I slowly moved back toward the house. From the corner of my eye something moved, it was too large to be a dog. Oh God, help me. My heart was pulsing in my ears making it hard to hear anything. I fought against the desire to turn and run, knowing that I’d only be more attractive prey.

  I sensed I was being surrounded and turned around to find myself staring into the eyes of a large white wolf. Teeth bared, he snarled and snapped, drool dripping from his hungry jaws. I took a few steps back only to trip and fall. My arm came up in a futile attempt to protect myself from the attack. It never came. I heard a deep roar followed by a yelp. Peeking out from under my arm I saw more white fur and lots of movement. I sucked in my breath when I realized I was looking at a large white bear. I don’t think the fastest man alive could have caught up with me. I ran to the house without as much as a glance back.

  *

  “A vhite bear … and volves?” Siv looked doubtful. “Polar bears don’t come dis far south; maybe it was albino…” She looked to my father.

  He was helping our neighbor load tranquilizers into the rifles he’d brought over. “I’m going to take a look. Ole is going with me.” They both walked out the door and headed in the direction I mentioned.

  Siv turned back to me, “Maria, I know someding frightened you, but are you sure you saw a bear and volves? Might it have been a few large dogs? There are several very large breeds…”

  “Yes, I saw them clearly.”

  “Okay, okay…” She patted my hand, “I know Ole, he’s been hunting and trapping for decades. If they run across the volves, dey’ll get dem darted and sent to the nearest preserve.”

  Wrapped in a quilt my mother had made, I held my hot cocoa in both hands while staring out the window. I could hear Siv puttering around the house. I knew one thing for certain, the white bear from my childhood was real. Now I needed to find out if I could talk with him. Good thing Liz was gone at school; she’d probably make fun of me.

  The small cuckoo clock told me it was nearing noon. Where was dad? It shouldn’t be taking this long. Just then he and Ole came out of the trees, rifles leaning on their shoulders. They stomped their feet before entering the house.


  “We found da tracks, dey led far into the voods; too far to search for on foot.” Ole said placing his gun down he took a mug from Siv. “Takk.” He blew on it before sipping. “One or more of da volves vere vounded; dere was a lot of blood.”

  I wondered if the bear was hurt. My dad responded to my concerned face, “I doubt they’d come back here. No need to worry. I’m going out with Ole to the old trapper cabins. We’ll look for the wolves out that way. Aunt Helen used to rent them out during hunting season years ago. We may just start doing that again if we can get them fixed up.”

  I suddenly felt an irrational desire to go to the cabin with them. “I’m going with you,” I declared.

  Dad frowned. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, this may be dangerous…”

  “I have to go with you. I can’t explain it… I ... I’ll stay inside if that is what you want but I’m going with you.” I was prepared to go on but he stopped me with a smile.

  He put his hand on my shoulder. “Maria…” he sighed. “You’ve grown up. I just realized that if you were a son, I’d have no objections on taking you. Of course, if that is what you want, you can come with us. We’ll be leaving first thing in the morning.”

  *

  After eating breakfast we helped Ole with his horses. Siv waved as we rode into the woods. The air was turning colder and the daylight was getting shorter. It wasn’t winter yet, but we needed to hurry before the weather turned. We didn’t know the severity of the repairs needed to the cabins.

  Sunlight trickled down on us and I removed my scarf as midday approached. It was such a lovely ride I forgot to be afraid. I saw the shimmering of a lake through the trees. The path wound its way down before leaving the woods. Three cabins with grass roofs could be seen along the edge of the lake. The first one was in decent condition. The second badly needed repair. The third needed a new door and a few holes patched in the roof.

  “Why don’t you take that one while we get to work?” Ole indicated the first cabin.