Tales Of The Few Forgotten

Gone forever but not left alone

Alex, a young girl, had to see her dog put down while she still deeply loved her. She had not cried. For even if her dog, Shanty, had been her most loved one, she had not cried when they had put her down(like peacefully killing a dog to take it out of it's misery). Not at least until a month later, when she finally realised the dog was actually gone. She was not to come back. She cried her eyes out. Never had she cried so much since she was but just an infant. Alex then slept peacefully that night thinking of her deceased dog.

Years later, when she became a teenager and enrolled into high school, she did not think about her dog who was no longer with her. It was not something she would tilhink about or bring up on a day to day basis. Although, once a year she would take one day for Shanty, the day she was gone. And that day was coming up in a week. So of course she began getting her things ready for that day. She would get candles, flowers, and even old pictures. Alex would meditate while thinking of Shanty or else she'd lose her mind.

But one day, the teacher show them a video of animal protection care and such. In that video, one of the dogs deeply resembled Shanty. Alex then lost her mind. She could not control the feelings closing through her.

Sadness

Anger

Regret

Joy

Frustration

Pain

And once again

Sadness

All those years she had spent them taking care of her emotions for her dog. Only she suppressed them instead of controlling them. So now Alex had lost control over her emotions. She was shedding tears down her face. Her eyes were folding but keeping themselves awake as they stared at the image of the Shanty looking dog. Alex got up and wobled herself to the door. She wanted to escape real badly. She knew she needed to get away from this and take a distance to calm herself down. But she could not. Her senses were not responding back to her. The girl's limbs were shaking with an emotion she had not comprehended yet. It was not in her dictionary.

It was fear

As she opened the door to the hallway, she finally noticed her friend, Bear, who began supporting her so if she were to fall, he would catch her. Only she fell forward to the side of the wall where her friend did not catch her. Alex curled into a ball and pulled her hair covering her face with her palms.

Bear kept calling to her. His voice couldn't reach her. The fear inside of her was too strong. Nothing could pass through the wall that fear had created for her. Alex had never felt so many emotions. Nor have they been able to take over her mind. And this, was a special occasion.

Soon then another young man came. He opened the door from the nearby stairs and knelt by Alex's side. He gently stroked her long silk hair and whispered to her.

"It'll be fine. I'm here. I'm not leaving you." He softly said shushing her

Alex leaves with the young man for the rest of the day. Leaving Bear at school for the rest of the day.

~

The next morning, Alex came to school walking with the mysterious man from yesterday. Bear snatched Alex into a corner between the lockers where there were few students.

"Who was he Alex?" He strictly demanded

"What are you doing? Bear this isn't you." She struggled trying to free herself from the corner. Only he did not let her.

"Who was he? The guy from yesterday. What is he to you?" He agitatedly asked again.

Alex didn't want her friend to get any angrier. She had never liked to see people agitated so she gave in. Hoping her friend could calm down.

"His name is Carl. He was a family friend. Someone who's been with me ever since they have left me. He's not more important than you. But I've just talked more to him. He's been protecting me over the past years. Your still my friend." She explains

"I should be protecting you. Who are they? The ones that left you."

"Bear, please don't ask me that. Not here, not now, please." She brought her hand to her face as a tear dripped from her eyes.

Please don't. I-I don't want to go there. Not here, not now. Please.

"Alex. Alex I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. Please don't cry." Bear hugged the poor crying girl in an attempt to comfort her.

~

Bear decided to let it go. He kept off the topic from earlier. Until he saw Carl alone and decided to ask what happened to his friend the day before.

"Hey, Carl! I wanna know what's going in between you and Alex. What happened yesterday as well."

"Bear. I know your a good friend of hers. But I don't want to go telling Alex's secrets. She trusts me and I will not betray that trust." Carl responded

Alex came walking between the two stopping Bear from asking further from the older man.

"Carl, Bear. Why don't we sit down?" She says gesturing to a table with benches near them. "We have a lot to talk about."

"Alex lost her dog when she was younger. She had to put down her most loved one she had. Then a few years later she had the same thing done to her grand-father. He had to be put down, or for humans 'taken out of his misery'. Alex cried for them every single day. Then, every person she knew or met left her. Her parents left her to live in a dorm. Her old friends never spoke to her or saw her again. The rest of her family never spoke to her again. I had been with her since she was young. I'm the person who's stayed with her the longest. I've protected her all these years from what might hurt her. But yesterday I failed to protect her." He looked down at his hands as he let his head dangle off from his shoulders

"It wasn't your fault Carl. You came, that's what matters. Yes I lost it. I couldn't control myself. But Bear was there. He tried helping me." She said placing a hand on his own.

"Um. Just because I'm curious." Bear began talking "Are you guys dating perhaps? Of course you didn't say anything about a boyfriend Alex, but you guys seem to have a super strong bond."

"Actually no. I was hoping you would be that person, Bear." Carl said staring into Bear's eyes.

"Wait, what?" Alex questioned him swiftly shifting back.

She had never thought of Bear in that way. But the more she thought about it. The more she realised she would always talk about Bear anywhere she was. Even with Carl, he was all she would talk about.

Bear as well. Everytime he was not with her, she was all he would ever think about. He would always want to be there for her and be the one to protect her.

"Bear, I want you to be the one to protect Alex from now on." Carl spoke holding a serious expression

Alex and Bear did not believe their ears. As if they thought they had not heard correctly.

"The truth is I'm leaving for abroad studies. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you further to this day Alex. But now I think- no. I know that Bear will take care of you just fine. I'm sorry Alex." Carl continued as he stroked her arm.

Tears began dropping from her face. Alex grabbed Carl and Bear's hand tightly as she tried to speak.

"I w-want y-you to continue your life. To follow your dream and become a good person. I don't care i-if you have to leave me, well actually I do b-but if it's w-what you know you wanna do then go ahead. I will support you." Alex kept weeping and sniffling between sentences and breaths.

"I will protect her."

"Thank you Bear."