by Justin Sloan
Above him, the shimmer of the sun shone through the water, while below him a dark shape the size of a car circled. Ari pulled, trying to free himself from the boat, frantic, air bubbles forming a trail as the dark shape approached. The sunlight illuminated a scaly snout and teeth like swords, highlighting the writhing sea monster as it drew close.
With a yelp, Ari’s arm material tore and he pulled himself free. He pushed and surfaced, the boat ahead of him now. He felt discouraged, but he didn’t plan on becoming some sea monster’s meal. He used everything he had seen from Rick’s swim classes, paddling and kicking and freaking out, until finally he caught the boat.
The water behind him rippled and Ari screamed as sharp, metallic fins surfaced. He lunged for one of the ropes trailing behind the boat, grabbed on, and pulled himself closer. Each pull was a struggle. Grunting in pain from his torn arm, he clawed his way inside the boat to fall to the deck, exhausted.
Holding his stuffing so it wouldn’t fall out of the tear, Ari’s chest heaved and his eyes darted back and forth. Where had the sea monster gone? With all his strength, he pushed himself up and peeked over the side of the boat. No sign of it…. Not until it smashed into the boat, tipping it first to the right, and then to the left.
The sea monster splashed out of the water, narrowly missing Ari but sending an arc of water over his head. It moved in for a second attack, but this time Ari was ready. He readied himself and as the sea monster jumped, Ari ducked, lifted his good paw into an uppercut punch and POW! He connected with a shot to the sea monster’s midsection.
The sea monster crashed into the water with a whimper, turned to the boat with offended eyes, and then sank away.
Ari stared after the fading dark shape until he knew he was in the clear. He lowered himself to lie on the floor of the boat, staring into the sun.
As the boat continued on, the sun lowered and then disappeared, casting a glint of green across the water. The clouds turned purple and the wind seemed to relax.
Ari sat in the boat, wrapped in the sail, shivering. His eyes searched the horizon, but there was still no sign of land. A light rain started, first with a pitter patter on the water and then with heavy thumps on the boat and on Ari’s head. He pulled the sail tight for protection from the weather. The wind picked up and made the boat rock. Something ahead caught Ari’s eye. Was that…? It was! Land! He stood and, struggling with his damaged arm, tied the sail around his neck like a cape. Feeling victorious, he let out a massive roar.
The sail flapped off with the wind, twisting and soaring through the rain-filled sky. The wind and rain beat at Ari, but his eyes were set on land. That land was all he cared about—at least until the waves started to really toss the boat around. A giant wave slammed onto the deck, soaking Ari. He ran to the back of the boat and gripped the ropes, tying his good arm to the boat by holding the rope in his teeth. He turned back to the land, his eyes on the prize.
Lightning crashed overhead and the land appeared close, but giant rocks appeared out of nowhere. The waves tossed the boat between the rocks, and then against a boulder. With a crack, the boat splintered.
Ari pulled at the plank he was tied to as the boat sunk around him, but another massive wave tossed him sideways. He turned to see that the wave had lifted him into the air and what had been behind him was now beneath him. With a crash of wood against water he was thrown into the ocean, twirling and struggling for his life. Only the buoyancy of the plank brought him back to the surface, where dark water swirled around him and lightning crashed with deafening thunder.
A wave the size of a house swept Ari into its depths, leaving him in darkness and silence.
Chapter Seven: The Games
Rick brushed his hand across the cold stone beneath him. Was it real? His eyes attempted to peel the darkness away. Cat-like eyes reflected from the distance and then were gone. A creaking of squeaky wheels approached. The whole night Rick had been terrified, convinced he was dreaming even though it felt so real. Of course it was a dream, though. Teddy bears didn’t fight monsters. Monsters didn’t exist outside of his TV.
Yet the monsters had taken him. That was the last he remembered, and here he was, wherever “here” was.
What if he didn’t make it back in time for Thanksgiving? He would miss the sparkling cider and the crazy karaoke of his grandmother when she had too many glasses of eggnog. He would miss the cranberry sauce and the turkey leg that his mom always made sure he got. A thought struck him and it made him nauseous: what if he never made it back at all?
A lumbering form appeared in the darkness. As it drew closer, Rick could make out shaggy fur covering a massive form and those beady cat-like eyes reflecting again. If he had to say it was like anything he had ever seen, he would say it was like a hamster the size of an elephant. But then he saw the two teeth hanging down, pointy and scary. Yeah, a giant saber-toothed hamster.
The squeaking sound came from a cart of cages, which was being pulled by the saber-toothed hamster. The orc and goblin steered it, sitting on a platform above the cages. The goblin jumped down and grabbed ahold of Rick to throw him into one of the cages. Rick struggled, but one snarling, drooling glare from the goblin took the fight out of him. He curled up in the bottom of his prison, arms wrapped around his legs, and whimpered.
As they moved on, the darkness began to give way to an eerie red glow. Rick moved to the edge of the bars to see jagged rocks jutting out of the ground on all sides. The darkness of the sky mixed with a black fog, patches of grey glowing in the distant red light. Something was moving ahead, darting around in the darkness. Were those children? Rick’s eyes lit up and he leaned against the bars of his cage to get a better view.
It was indeed children, but they weren’t alone. Monsters looked to be “playing” with them. Between two rocks, a hairy monster had set up a teeter-totter, and one child after another sat on one side of the teeter-totter as the monster jumped on the other end and sent the children flying to land in a nearby puddle of muck.
“Play, play!” the hairy monster said. “Me have fun!”
Rick cringed, terror-filled eyes searching his surroundings. He saw monsters force children to push them in swings, some requiring three or more children each to push them. Children stood on a life-size chess board as slimy eyeballs with spider legs circled them and the kids shrieked and cried. Farther on, monsters played board games with the children at stone picnic tables. A prickly monster played a board game, but when a child knocked off one of his pieces, the monster flew into a rage, knocking over the game and shouting, “You didn’t say ‘SORRY’!” As Rick passed, this monster turned to Rick and snarled.
Rick pulled back, his heart pounding. “Where are you, Ari?” he said in a whisper.
“Ari?” a soft voice said nearby.
“No, he’s not here. I don’t know where....” Rick turned, suddenly placing that voice. Tiffany sat in the next cage over, holding the bars, tears in her eyes.
“What’s happening?” she asked.
“Nothing, it’s just....” Rick didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know whether this was a horrible dream or punishment for everything he had done in life. He wanted to cry, but he had to be strong, for his sister. “You’re having a bad dream. A nightmare, that’s all.”
He reached through the bars and held out his hand. She reached back and took it with a hint of a smile. The cart shuddered over a bump and they lost their grip, but reached back for each other and held hands as the cart went on. At least they had each other.
Chapter Eight: Misfit Desert
Time meant nothing to Ari anymore. Flat on his back on the sand, his eyelid twitched as he willed himself to wake up. It was pointless. He had no idea where he was or how to get back, let alone how to save Rick.
He managed to open his eyes and saw that he was still tied to the plank of wood from the boat. Around him were sand dunes in every direction but for the ocean, with no sign of trees or civilization of any sort. He groaned to see bits of hi
s stuffing scattered across the sand.
With a snap of his jaws he broke the rope around his uninjured arm and growled in frustration. He tossed the plank into the water. At least he could put as much stuffing as he could find back into himself and try to find some form of life out here. That was a start. Holding his torn arm tight, he headed for the closest sand dune and began to trudge up its side.
After what seemed like hours, Ari reached the peak of the sand dune and stared, unbelieving, at more sand dunes, as far as the eye could see. Orange and yellow heat waves danced in his vision. The blaring sun overhead seemed to be singeing Ari’s fur. Wind blew the sand and scraped it across him like sandpaper.
He looked back to the ocean where the jagged rocks stuck out of the water like teeth. Pieces of his boat lay scattered across the beach.
Something moving in the sand nearby caught his eye. He approached cautiously, but found it was only the white sail of the boat, half buried in sand. He wrapped it around his shoulders and head like a cloak to protect himself from the harsh winds and sun.
Thus began Ari’s long march across the sand dunes. There had been a trip to the beach once, when Rick had buried him in the sand and they had chased after seagulls and laughed the day away. Well, Rick had laughed while Ari wished he could laugh alongside his boy. When Rick had built a sand castle, Ari couldn’t have been prouder. This was a different sort of beach, if you could call it that, and now Ari was starting to think that he would never like the sand again.
He trudged on, nothing in sight but more desert, the water behind him long gone. His mouth hung open, heat waves rising around him like a sauna. His head hung almost to his chest, but he pushed forward.
A misplaced step in the sand and a heavy breath of defeat, and Ari collapsed. He slid on his back down the sand dune, the blue sky swirling above him.
He could think of no reason to get up as he lay there. A vulture appeared above him and circled. It’s over, he thought, I may as well admit it. He closed his eyes and waited for the bird to start in on him.
Laughter sounded from nearby.
Ari opened his eyes, glancing around, and then he heard it again. He jumped up, hopeful, and scrambled around a small dune.
Half a building stuck out from the dune, the other half buried in the sand. He saw a solid wall with a hole for a door, several teddy bears milling about.
Two mean-looking bears stood by the door, rolling dice. A fat bear in a kilt leaned against the sand dune with a jar on his belly, one hand in the jar, his eyes closed. And then Ari saw the petite pink bear. She was probably stunning once, but now her fur was dingy, seams in the early phase of unraveling, and she had a plaid patch on her head. Her eyes moved to his and locked as she moved from the doorway and emptied a bucket of liquid into the sand.
Ari froze, unable to pull his eyes away.
She smiled and returned to the darkness beyond the entryway.
Ari took a step toward the establishment, but one of the mean-looking bears’ heads popped up and he nudged the other one. The second bear blew on his dice and said, “What’s this, Harry, fresh fish?”
The fat bear nearby sat up, alert. “Where? Fish? Here?”
The first bear pointed at Ari and said, “No, him!”
“Oh.” The fat bear said with a frown. “I ain’t ever had no fish.”
The bear that must have been named Harry was leering at Ari. “Hey, Gruff, I didn’t know we were letting newbies into the desert these days.”
“We ain’t, is we?” Gruff, said. He still pointed at Ari. “I say, you, who gave you permission, huh?”
Ari stepped forward, mouth dry, mind rolling as he tried to concentrate and think of what to say. But his legs wobbled and he collapsed. The desert floor slapped him in the face.
When he awoke, he was inside a room with stools and tables and a bar in the middle serving up honey. A deep laughter caught his attention in the corner, and then a husky group of voices started singing. As Ari’s vision cleared, he saw the place was full of teddy bears, most of them looking in need of some sewing and care.
He looked down and saw that his own tear had been patched up, with a plaid patch just like the one the pink bear wore. And, speaking of her, she sat right beside him, he now saw. She sipped a thick, yellow liquid. He stared at her, mystified, until she realized he was awake.
“’Bout time,” she said as she handed him the mug. “Honey.”
That caught him off guard. “Yes, um, dear?”
Her pink fur flushed red and she rolled her eyes. “Drink it, it’ll make you feel better. It’s honey.”
He felt sheepish, but accepted the mug of honey. He paused before the liquid touched his lips.
“I’ve never drunk before,” he said. “Are you sure?”
The pink bear stood to leave. “Suit yourself. What do I know, right?”
“Wait, wait. Where are we?”
But he lost her in the crowd of teddy bears. He sat for a moment, staring into his mug. With a glance around, Ari saw several teddy bears playing darts, others playing bocce ball. In the corner he saw the fat bear from outside lumber onto a small stage, a set of bagpipes at his side. Ari fiddled with the sail around his shoulders, pulling it tight. Somehow the salty cloth comforted him, reminding him of the blankey Rick’s sister, Tiffany, had carried around last summer and never seemed to let go.
He spotted her again, the pink bear, talking to the bartender. Ari’s paw searched and found the button from Rusty in his pouch. After the ocean and the crash, he was surprised to find he still had it. He let it slide from one claw to the next, then attempted a magic trick he had seen Rick do with a coin, but dropped it with a small clank.
He bent to pick it up, but paused at the sight of a bear, seemingly staring at him. It would have been a stare, except that the bear wore a red cloth tied around his head that covered his eyes. For a moment they “stared” at each other.
Their moment was broken by a chant starting up from the crowd: “MIA! MIA! MIA!” Bagpipes blared and the teddy bears made an opening for the pink teddy bear. She held up her paws and blushed slightly, but the crowd continued to chant her name. She stomped over to the fat bear and pulled the bagpipes away.
“Enough of this,” she said. “Give it a rest!”
They kept on with “Mia! Mia! Mia!”
She glared, but her expression melted and she nudged the fat bear, giving him back his bagpipes. “You know the one.”
He smiled and lifted the bagpipes. As they blared to life again, like a sick goose transforming into a beautiful jig, Mia broke into a dance. The crowd loved it, cheering her on, raising their mugs of honey. Two little cubs joined in, trying to dance like she did, and for a moment Ari almost forgot his worries. This was fun! He could belong here. This could be his new home, if it came to that.
The doors burst open and Gruff strode in, followed by Harry, making a line straight for Ari. The bagpipe music died with a groan and everyone turned to see what would happen.
They all stared at him. Ari licked his lips and took a sip of the honey. It was amazing. But Gruff stepped forward and flung his arm out, sending the mug to crash against the far wall.
“What you ‘ere for?” Gruff demanded.
Ari stared, unsure how to answer this.
Mia ran over and put a paw on Gruff’s chest. “Lay off ‘im.”
Gruff glanced over, not impressed. He reached down and grabbed Ari by the fur of his shoulders and pulled him close. “I wanna know what makes this runt think he can come waltzing in here!”
Ari was getting sick of this. He pushed Gruff’s hand aside and said, “It wasn’t my choice.”
“Oh, is that right?” Gruff said. He turned to Harry and laughed. “Isn’t even grateful, is he?”
Harry shook his head, hungry eyes never leaving Ari. “We gotta indoctrinate him all the same, don’t we, Gruff?”
“You betcha, Harry.”
Harry bared his long, sharp, claws as if preparing for a fight. Ari looke
d to Mia and the others for help or some sort of sign as to what was about to happen. Some eyes in the room showed excitement, but most showed pity.
A moment later Ari found himself being dragged outside. The door burst open before him and he went flying through the air to land with an explosion of sand.
His honey cup followed a moment later to conk him on his head. Honey dripped down the side of his face.
Gruff and Harry strode out, followed by the rest of the teddy bears. A few cheers rose up in the excitement, and when Ari looked back, it looked like a mob had gathered for an attack. Mia motioned to her face, wiping it as if telling him about the honey now almost in his eyes. He was completely aware of the honey, but had bigger problems at the moment.
Harry looked to Gruff, who nodded and smiled to reveal yellow, stained, pointed teeth. Gruff leaned back and growled, then charged forward on all fours, Harry hot on his heels. Sand flew through the air.
By the time Ari could get to his feet to react, it was too late. Gruff plowed into him, and in that moment of impact grabbed the fur on the back of Ari’s neck and lifted him off the ground. Ari swung to punch, but his arms were too short. Gruff held him out as Harry circled, the sun glinting on his claws. Harry pulled back to strike Ari, long claws glistening in the sun, and Ari cowered in terror.
“Enough!” Mia said.
“Mind your business,” Gruff said.
Mia shook her head. “He has a right, just like we all did.”
Harry turned on her, spittle flying. “Don’t give me none of that, girlie!”
“Girlie, huh? He’s nothing but a little bear and you’re afraid to challenge him!” She approached and, spotting the tear in Ari’s arm, pulled at a loose string. She addressed the crowd when she said, “A wounded, tiny bear, and Gruff and Harry are scared!”
