Copyright – Adam Ickes
On his deathbed, father handed me his bow and arrow. “Go hunt yourself a wife.”
I shook my head.
He should’ve married a good village woman.
Instead, he pursued her.
A day after she gave birth to me, she stepped out of her shoes and ran into the forest.
Just like that.
Father said she belonged there, where she can be savage and free in all her hirsute and fiercely fanged glory.
I promised myself I’ll never be like him… ruined by his flirtations with other worlds.
I’ll never dream of magic, love… or she-bears that turn into bad mothers…
The Eclectic Eccentric 
Great piece – I read this first as pure “fantasy genre” and then a second time as all metaphors of real life.
I loved the line “Go hunt yourself a wife” 🙂
yesss! so glad you perceived it as both. exactly my intention 🙂 thank you
That last line was just perfection 🙂
thank you 🙂
Oh this is so true.. I think I really loved the acceptance that he couldn’t cage her.. and the she-bear is a great image for me.
yes me too i think i respect how he understood her nature. thank you
I like this story. What got me was the entrapment of the She-bear and her need to get away at any cost. Too close to home for many women in this world.
yes i agree. thanks for reading 🙂
Oh I think she-bears have some very fine points! A fine tale indeed!
yep, a fine set of teeth. 🙂 thank you
The last line had me laughing. Very intriguing story you’ve got here. I can just imagine if she’d stayed and been a “good mother”.
now THAT would be a great story to tell 🙂 thanks
Since all the good lines have been taken, I’ll just mention that I’m glad you used “hirsute” in your story. Much more subtle and a cool word.
janet
im just glad i got to use that word 🙂 thank you ^^
KZ, you are truly talented! Each week you blow me away. This is a wonderfully metaphorical fantasy, with delicious wording and description! Wow; love it. Only one thought: she stepped out of her shoes AND ran into the forest. Somehow, “and” sounds more fluid here than “then.” I humbly suggest it, though clearly you’re a wordsmith. 😉
thank you 🙂
Sad. Very sad.
Sad that his parents problems turned him against magic and love. Very well told tale!
Lost my connection whilst commenting so sorry if you get this twice. Your work is going from strength to strength kz, I really look forward to reading your take each week.
thanks so much 🙂
She-bears that turn into bad mothers? I think I know one who makes snarky comments about her elders…A she-bear and a bad mother! But a cool story of a feral world and its intersection with ours. Liked it, Kz.
dear grandpa,
glad you liked it. 🙂
your fave fictioneer, (assuming that no one has replaced me yet)
k.z.
Dear Kz,
Quite a piece of fantasy. Loved the line…”she-bears that turn into bad mothers.” Could be an allegory for modern life. So many kids just wishing for a normal life. Well done.
Shalom,
Rochelle
thank you 🙂
Wow Kz…this is a wonderful story! Like the bear twist!
thank you 🙂
you’re very welcom! 🙂
Hi KZ,
Your imagination is working overtime. Or maybe you were read The Three Bears too many times in your youth. I’m sorry the marriage didn’t work out. I guess she just couldn’t bear it. This story is so fun, like a fairy tale, fantastic and wild. Ron
thanks ron 🙂 actually, i disliked Goldilocks when i was a kid– she was rude, eating other people’s porridge and sleeping on their beds and breaking baby bear’s chair 🙂 so im glad the bears scared the crap out of her ^^
Wow, Kz. This is a powerful metaphor!
thank you 🙂
you’re one storyteller. i love the metaphor.
thank you 🙂
The mystic in you is peeks through this story. Loved it.
thank you 🙂
For sure, a movie in the making…she-bear mothers and all that conjures! Great story!
I’m glad you called her a she-bear instead of a sow. 🙂 We can pick our friends, and we can pick our nose, but we can’t pick our friend’s noses …. oops, I meant relatives. Sorry about that.
Only you can tell it like this Kz-what a fab spin on the prompt!That last line was just wow!:-)
thank you 🙂
🙂
Great story, very powerful, laced with metaphors… my kind of tale.;-)
thank you 🙂 glad you liked it
Another fantastic tale, KZ! I love the twist in the end.
Wow! What an incredible metaphorical tale.
thank you 🙂
What a delight, kz! Fascinating and tight writing, and great delivery.
A peculiar story. Most strange. I really enjoy its challenge. Good work.