Black Heart

My dad and brother are both severe alcoholics. My brother is only fifteen, but he still defies the law. When Mom was alive, she kept everyone happy...but she's not anymore. When she died of brain cancer, my dad became depressed and wasted himself away with beer. I have to sleep in the basement on an old, stained dog bed with a torn red quilt every night, with gory animal heads and skins surrounding me. My dad and David - my brother- enjoy hunting a lot, but I think it's terrible. They kill innocent creatures when they aren't drinking or smoking. They think I'm weak for feeling sorry for the animals. That's the sum of my life.

Today my dad made me come with him and David to hunt, because he knows I hate it.

Whenever they shoot something small, like a squirrel or rabbit, they make me carry it. My shirtbecame red with warm, sticky rodent blood. The only perk to going hunting with them on a sunny day like this is seeing the bright sunlight splash into the forest, dappling gold spots onto the vegetation. We went deeper and deeper into the lush, green Tennessee woods until we came across a huge, broad paw print.

When I figured out what it was, my heart sank. My favorite animal, a black bear.

My dad scratched his brown, shaggy beard, "Been a while since we shot one o' dem, ain'tit? I didn't keep the last one on my wall." He clicked a bullet into place. "Stand back David. I don' want chu gettin' hurt. Lance," that's my name, "you run ahead and see if you can spot it. Now move!"

I knew if I didn't do it I would have a harsh punishment. So, I ran silently into the woods, carefully not stepping on any twigs or fallen leaves, following the paw prints until I saw her. She was gorgeous, with her shiny black fur reflecting the sun like polished marble. So strong and majestic. She was lapping up water from a pond. It was all I could do not to scream and burst into tears when I heard a gunshot and she collapsed. Her glassy, hazel eyes stared into nothing.

"What a beauty! Help me drag 'er to da basement David. Lance, be useful for once andget some wood fer da fire. Leave the squirrels, I don' wan 'em." He and David disappeared into

the woods, dragging the bear. I silently grieved for the bear, and when I was done I was about to run andget firewood when I heard a small, faint, sound. I wondered if I'd even heard it, it was so small.

But I knew I did when a small, fuzzy lump padded to the spot where the bear had just been, unaware of me, whimpering. It didn't have glossy fur yet, for it was a cub. Instead, it had fuzzy fur that looked soft. The bear had been a mother. I took a step forward, but I was too intent on the bear cub that is forgot to look for twigs. I stepped on one, so the bear cub heard me and ran clumsily over to a birch tree. At first it tried to climb it, but it was too young and it's claws wouldn't sink into the tough bark. So, instead, the cub hid behind the tree.

"Hey, it's okay. I'm a friend," I said gently. I didn't expect her to understand my words buthopefully she'd find my tone comforting. She didn't move. I grabbed some blueberries from my pocket and laid them down beside her. She peered cautiously from behind the tree. After a few moments, she padded over to them carefully, sniffed them, and ate them. I suppose she liked them and figured out I wasn't a threat, so she came and curled up in my lap. She was so small...so helpless. She was smaller than most black bears, even for a cub. I stroked her fur-which was quite pleasant to touch- and realized she would die without a mother. I decided that I couldn't leave her alone to starve or be eaten, but neither my dad nor my brother could find out. I stood and covered her in dirt and leaves so she wouldn't be as noticeable.

"Come on, follow me," I said. I didn't completely expect her to follow, but she bounced along after me. I led the way to my house-which was in the middle of the woods- and let her in through the back door after I made sure that my dad and brother weren't anywhere near. She followed me into the dark, musty basement, where I cleaned her off so that she had a fuzzy black coat again.