What She Found in the Woods

‘A year ago, I was getting a lot of nasty phone calls, and I had to change the way I live. It has nothing to do with you. And I apologize that I left you hanging. I’m not playing with you.’

‘Why were you getting a lot of nasty calls?’ he asks. All his frustration is gone now, and he looks concerned.

I shake my head, refusing to answer.

He sighs and stares at me for a long time. ‘God, you’re beautiful,’ he says quietly.

I smile. ‘You realize

that’s the worst reason to be interested in someone, right?’

He starts the car. ‘So I’m learning,’ he says ruefully as he pulls out.

The rain stops, so we play mini-golf. It’s silly and fun and it works great because there are three guys and three girls, and everyone can pair up. We joke around for a while, taking selfies and saying ridiculous stuff, but it’s clear this is an intelligent group of people. The conversation inevitably turns to more serious things.

‘Did you hear about the woman who was mauled?’ Mila says.

‘No. Where?’ I ask.

‘The woods,’ Rob says with a shrug, stepping up to the tee. ‘You know, where you love to read or write or hike or whatever it is you’re doing.’

I’m stunned. ‘But I’ve never seen a bear.’

‘Just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they’re not there,’ Rob says, putting his ball between the whirling blades of a windmill. ‘You all tease me for never going into the woods, but there are no bears in the ocean. No Lyme disease, either.’

‘What happened?’ I ask. I turn to Aura-Blue, who seems to know what’s going on. ‘Who was she?’

‘Some hunter from out of state,’ Aura-Blue says sadly. ‘They found her rifle first by the side of the river. She’d discharged it a few times, and the authorities think she must have made a bear angry. I mean, what did she think was going to happen? Bears have a right to defend themselves. They live in the woods; we don’t. We’re the intruders.’

Liam, Taylor, and Mila share a knowing look. They’re obviously used to Aura-Blue’s earthy-crunchy indignation.

‘You know, she was found partially eaten,’ Taylor says, revelling in that gory detail.

The thought makes me sick. ‘No way,’ I reply, covering my mouth.

‘Taylor,’ Mila chides. She turns to me. ‘She was found in the river.’

‘Yeah. Partially eaten,’ Taylor insists, and both Aura-Blue and Mila smack one of his arms. ‘Ow!’ he says, rubbing his big bicep.

Everyone is ready to change the subject at this point, but I can’t let it go. ‘When did she die?’ I ask.

‘Yesterday, they think,’ Rob answers. ‘They found her this morning.’

I’m thinking about Wildboy. If that woman couldn’t stop a bear with a rifle, how could he defend himself with a bow and arrow?

‘Magda?’ Rob touches my arm. ‘Are you OK?’

‘Yeah.’ I shake myself at how maudlin I’m acting. I don’t know Wildboy. I’m not invested. ‘It’s just sad.’

‘Hunting is sad,’ Aura-Blue insists. ‘Murdering animals with guns is sad.’

Liam leans in conspiratorially. ‘She’s vegan, if you hadn’t guessed.’

We talk about hunting and then slide into a lively debate about gun laws. Taylor is adamant about his Second Amendment rights.

‘No one’s going to take my guns,’ he says. That’s when I know he has never read the Second Amendment.

Aura-Blue rolls her eyes. ‘It takes months of classes and two separate tests to get a driver’s licence because cars can kill. Don’t you think we should at least have the same set-up for something that is specifically designed to kill?’