The Biovantic Bear

by George Thomson

  Bear’s head was in such a spin that he could hardly see where he was going. We know that Bear was usually very wise, but there was no way his brain could cope with what he had just seen. This was impossible! He didn’t believe that impossible things could happen. Maybe that was because he thought too much. Duncan didn’t have that problem. He just said, “It’s like being back in the Time of The Speaking. Anything The Great One wants can happen.”

  Bear stumbled on until he collided with a young woman, just a little older than Bailey. They both lost their balance and almost fell to the ground, clinging to each other for support.

  Feeling Bear’s soft fur against her, she clung onto him and continued to hold him a little longer than seemed necessary. Then she held him away from her at arm’s length, looked at him longingly and said, “Bear, you are so beautiful. I have so wanted a bear just like you all my life. Poor lost bear. Now that I have found you, I will take you home. You will be my very own bear.”

  Bear found that he was beginning to love this young woman and was very flattered by what she was saying, but he knew that he could not leave his friends. He shook his head with a gentle ‘no’.

  Duncan had seen and heard everything. He came over to join Bear. Facing the woman, he crouched low beside Bear and, pinning his ears back, gave a low growl, exposing his teeth. Nobody was going to take Bear from him.

  Bailey turned toward the growling dog, “Duncan, no!” The young woman’s face lit up with understanding when she saw Bailey. “I’m sorry,” she said, “I thought the bear was lost. I wanted to take him home. I can see now that he belongs to you.”

  When the Bailey Bunch looked around they were surprised at the number of people around them. Everything that had been happening had attracted a considerable crowd. Everybody was jostling to get closer to Peter. They all wanted to see him and touch him. They wanted to be part of the action. Some wanted to obtain healing or strength for themselves, others just wanted to observe. The urgency of their need to get close to Peter was so great that people were being pushed and jostled without thought for the needs of others. It was beginning to become dangerous.

  Bailey was standing quite close to Peter and getting jostled considerably when she noticed someone tugging at his elbow, obviously having difficulty getting his attention. It was the young woman they had just been talking to. She was struggling to get his attention. Then she amazed Bailey by saying loudly, “Uncle Peter, you must speak to the crowd. Explain what is happening or we will be hurt.”

  “Uncle Peter!” exclaimed Bailey. “Peter, the follower of Saviour, the leader of The Way, the man upon whom The Presence is so firmly resting, he’s your uncle?” She put her arm around the young woman, who was now among the most special people she knew, and said, “That is the most marvellously, fantastic thing. I would give anything just to be your friend.” She was so excited that she did not know what she was saying. Then she added, “Except for Bear, oh – and Duncan. I would never part with them.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN- BIG TROUBLE FOR PETER

  While Peter was still speaking, there was violent jostling among the crowd with people being pushed in all directions. Suddenly, four burly policemen emerged. One of them laid his hand firmly on Peter’s shoulder and said, “Peter, the Fisherman, by the authority vested in me, I am arresting you on charges of riot and unauthorised teaching. Will you accompany me peacefully, or will we have to take you by force?”

  Bailey and Ruth stood stunned by this turn of events, while Duncan, well trained in the skills of defence and warfare, was not so slow to react. He came in fast and low. It was so fast that nobody saw what really happened; just a dog lying screaming on the ground and an officer standing by with a drawn sword.

  There was no doubt that Duncan was badly wounded. Blood was pouring from his scalp and his right ear was hanging by a thread.

  Peter’s voice rose to a commanding shout, “I will come to trial in peace. Please let me stay one moment for the dog.” Peter was remembering a time when he had drawn a sword to defend Saviour and one of the arresting officers had suffered a wound similar to Duncan’s. He did for Duncan what Saviour had done for him. “In the name of the King, Saviour, I bind your ear back on.” The crowd gasped as Duncan stopped screaming and got to his feet as if nothing had happened. Bailey stroked his head, including both ears, and reassured him that he was a good, brave dog.

  Bailey and Duncan stood among the crowd as they watched Peter and his friend, John, being led away. They knew they would not be allowed into the judgement area. It was different for Ruth. She had taken Bear with her, following closely behind the prisoners. She said that she would be allowed in as she was well known to the authorities and Bear would be seen as a harmless toy. Bear was quite happy to be considered a toy if it allowed him to be where the action was. Maybe he would be able to do something.

  As it happened, there was nothing any of them could do. The arresting officers decided that it was too late in the day to convene a court, so Ruth and Bear returned to join Bailey and Duncan with the news that they could do nothing. There would be no trial until tomorrow when a proper court could be convened. Then things would be done properly and in order.

  Early next morning, they went to the courtroom, and pushed their way to the front. The room was packed. Everyone gave way before them, not because they were fearsome or important but because Ruth had brought with her the man who had been crippled. Nobody wanted to stand in his way so they were able to go right to the front where they could see and hear everything that was happening. They could also be seen clearly by the whole judging panel.

  The eyes of the judging panel swept over the courtroom, noting its crowded state and resting momentarily on the man who had been healed and on Ruth standing next to him. She was now clearly identified as one of the supporters of The Way.

  Two charges were read out –

  First count – Unauthorized teaching within the jurisdiction of the temple authorities.

  Second count – Teaching and preaching under the authority of a known criminal, the man called Saviour, and teaching a subject disallowed by the authorities.

  “What stupid charges,” Bear muttered. Ruth responded, “Stupid or not, they are serious charges, and legally, Peter and John could well be found guilty.”

  Bear was not the only one to object to what was going on. The whole court was in uproar. There were shouts from all around the court. The confusion was so great that it was impossible to distinguish what was being said except for words like “Resign! Unfair! Release them!”

  The crowd went quiet as Peter stood to give evidence in their defence. He spoke clearly, and in the silence, every word could be heard. He stated again many of the things he had said when he addressed the crowd from the room where The Presence had descended with fire and wind. He encouraged all those present to become followers of The Way, accepting all the evidence The Great One was giving that Saviour had been established as king.

  Bailey was beginning to read the signs that were part of the kingdom. She saw the stunned silence of the judging panel and the power of Peter’s speaking and knew that The Presence, the Spirit sent from The Great One, was active in the courtroom. Peter was not just speaking from his own intellect, or in his own authority. He and The Presence had become one when he stood to speak.

  The court was in uproar. Finally, the Chief of Court spoke, giving the order to clear the room and the prisoners were led back to their cells, allowing the court to continue in private.

  The Bailey Bunch filed out of the court with everybody else. Bear was trailing along a little way behind when he tripped and fell. He lay on the floor, somewhat bruised where people had been tripping over him. To any casual observer, he was just a discarded toy, but those who knew him well would have seen a little grin on his face. He knew his plan was working.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN- BIG TROUBLE FOR BEAR

  Bear had used the confusion of
the emptying courtroom to manoeuvre himself into a partially concealed position close to the presiding judges. He lay there, looking like a large, discarded, stuffed toy. He remained very still, mouth stitched tight shut.

  An animated discussion began among the judges. Bear was amazed as it became obvious that these men, the opponents of The Way, had been tremendously impressed by Peter and John. They were confused. Over many years they had been the ones who were the representatives of The Great One. What these two men on trial were teaching was contrary to everything they believed to be the truth. But what they had witnessed had a power about it that they found difficult to attribute to anyone other than The Great One.

  Bear wanted to interrupt with some of the things he had seen and heard but knew that he must keep his lips stitched tight shut. He kept listening, nodding his head slightly as they discussed the problem of keeping order in the city. There was such great support for the followers of Saviour that they were afraid to act against them. Their control of the city could well be lost. They could easily be replaced in the present political atmosphere. At last they gestured to the Supervisor of the Court to bring the prisoners back.

  Bear was feeling good about himself. His plan had succeeded. He had heard everything that had been said and knew now that Peter and John would be released. They would be cautioned to stop preaching and teaching under the authority of Saviour and then released.

  Now he could think about himself. He had to get out of here. Slowly, he began to move himself toward the exit. Ever so slowly he made progress. Then he relaxed. He was out of sight and near the door. As long as he didn’t make any noise he would soon be out of here. He resumed his stuffed toy mode and rolled out through the door as if he had been thrown.

  He blinked in the bright light and waited for his eyes to focus. What he saw caused him to stiffen in shock. Right in front of him, close enough to touch, was a pair of boots with two strong, sturdy legs rising up from them. He allowed the focus of his vision to rise higher. Above him was a pair of greenish brown eyes, looking down at him. Shock paralysed him for a moment. And that was just as well. It meant that he had not moved and given himself away. He was still accepted as an ordinary stuffed toy.

  The person belonging to the eyes spoke quietly to himself “Where did you come from? I’ve been patrolling this area for the past two hours. There wasn’t any toy bear here before.” He stood tall and alert. A Roman officer must always remain calm and confident. His troops must never see indecision. He called out in his parade ground voice, “Officer Brinoni.”

  “Sir,” came the response.

  “Take this bear to my quarters. Pack it with the rest of my gear, ready for our departure for Rome in the morning. Such an animal will greatly increase my daughter’s prestige.”

  Bear thought quickly. He decided that to continue to play soft toy was a safer option than flight. He would wait for a better opportunity.

  He felt himself being lifted. Then he was moving. Under different circumstances he would have loved this. It was the first time he had been on a horse. He remained alert. If a suitable time and place came he would slip off and run but there was no chance of that here. There was nowhere to hide. He would soon be recaptured if he attempted an escape and he was being held tightly by a large clump of hair in his captor’s hand. If he jumped, he would lose that patch of hair. His hair did not grow back very easily and he was proud of his appearance. He would wait.

  Meanwhile, back at Myrna’s house there were some very worried people. Bear was missing.

  Bailey and Duncan had called in the help of Peter, Ruth and Myrna. They knew that Bear had disappeared somewhere about the time the courtroom had been cleared but none of them had seen anything to cause concern. The truth is they didn’t have any idea where to start looking. Myrna was not only older than the others; she had also accumulated a little more wisdom during the years of experience. Peter, on the other hand, had a different advantage. He’d just had a direct experience of the empowering from The Great One.

  Myrna said, “In the past I have found that the best thing you can do when you have a problem that has no solution is to talk to The Great One. I know he is not here, but he does seem to hear and sometimes things change.”

  "Thank you, mother in law,” Peter said, “I was so afraid for Bear that I had forgotten that. You are wrong about one thing though. The Great One is here with us, in the person of The Presence. He will never leave us now.” With this knowledge, they all joined hands, in much the same way that The Bailey Bunch had frequently done when they were younger. This time they did not shout the Bunch together but quietly opened their thoughts and concerns to The Great One, sometimes using words but mostly in silence and togetherness.

  Almost immediately they felt a spine-tingling sense of The Presence in the Room. Bailey spoke very tentatively, “I know that I am not the one who should be having visions, or seeing things but I did see a picture in my mind, as clearly as if I was seeing it with my eyes.”

  Peter spoke quietly, “Bailey, there are no favourites with The Great One. Tell us what you saw.”

  “I saw a road. It was curving around two large rounded rocks on the left, with a large spreading tree on the opposite side.”

  “I know that spot,” Myrna said. “It’s about two Roman miles south of here.”

  “We need to get there quickly,” Duncan said. He knew that part was right. The truth is he wanted to get there as quickly as possible. He had seen something too but hadn’t said anything. After all, what would a dog know? He was excited. If what he saw was right, he wanted to be part of the action.

  They took a flask or two of drinking water and something to eat in case they were away for a while and set out in the direction Myrna had indicated.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN- A JOB FOR DUNCAN

  Meanwhile Bear was distraught. Nothing as bad as this had ever happened before. He was in a crate, nailed up tight. He could see out through the cracks between the boards but could not move. He assumed that being in the crate was to keep him safe and undamaged. No harm must come to the officer’s precious cargo. He did not want to be precious cargo. He wanted to be Bear.

  His ruse of being just an ordinary soft toy was still working. If the soldiers had any suspicion that he was anything other than an ordinary soft toy they would not have packed him upside down.

  But, upside down he was, in a box, being carried away on some kind of horse drawn vehicle. He had seen the vehicle through the cracks in the crate while he was being loaded. To him it looked like some kind of cart out of a historic museum; however, the soldiers kept referring to it as a Plaustrum. “Stupid, foreign sounding word,” Bear muttered. Bear was frightened and angry. He pushed at the boards with his paws and but there was not the slightest sign of movement. He kicked with his feet. Nothing moved. If only he had a lever he would be able to shift something, but there was nothing in the crate that could be used that way.

  Then they were moving. It proved to be more painful than he could imagine. This vehicle didn’t have the kind of suspension that was built into the car Bailey’s parents had back home and now, being upside down, with all his weight on his head it really hurt when the cart went over bumps.

  Bear was hurting. He was getting even more angry. He could not remember ever being so angry. We know there is nothing as fearsome as a bear with a sore head.

  He felt his strength building. He bent his legs back as far as he could and kicked with all his might. For a moment, he lost consciousness from the pain this caused in his head and neck. But when he recovered and looked up he saw that the planks above him had given away. Anger gave way to elation. It didn’t hurt anymore. He was free!

  For a moment he remained as he was, revelling in his freedom. Then elation gave way to despair. Bear was sobbing like the baby he had never been. The realisation hit him like a thunderbolt. There was no way he could ever get out of the crate.
The opening was at the top and he was jammed in upside down. He could not move. How he wished Duncan was with him. Duncan would understand and maybe even find a way to get him out. Bear would have felt better if he had known the truth. Duncan was much closer than he realized.

  The group of friends had gone cross country to Benjie’s Bend. On the way, Peter had explained that this was a place that had commonly been used as a hold-up point by bandits looking for loot from travellers. Famous among those who had used this spot was a scoundrel by the name of Benjamin bar Jonas, commonly known as Benjy. He had used it as a secure hiding place. Here, one man with a sword could hold an army at bay indefinitely.

  They found the spot easily and settled down in the shade of the rocks. In the stillness, while they were waiting, Duncan kept sniffing at the bag Peter was holding. He had good reason to be sniffing. He was not just some silly ‘sniff at anything for the sake of sniffing’ kind of dog. No, he was intelligent and he intended to attract Peter’s attention to a bag that was surely meant to be opened.

  Peter smiled at him and said, “Alright, Duncan, we’ll eat while we wait.” They ate what Bailey would have described as savoury biscuits and drank a little of the water. Yes, Duncan got his share and perhaps a little more.

  Their waiting was rewarded by the sight of a cloud of dust moving slowly up the road toward them. Knowing that they were about to have company they moved to a more concealed position among the rocks. As the cloud of dust came closer they could see what was approaching. It was a vehicle drawn by two magnificent horses. “A Plaustrum,” said Peter, “probably Roman soldiers with their luggage.” Sure enough, when it came closer, they saw two Roman soldiers seated at the front, while the load carrying platform at the rear was full of luggage. It was not a vehicle built for speed. It was moving at little more than walking pace as it entered the passage between the rocks and the tree.