Last Hope

• Mia Helms, Grade 7
• Short Story
• 2022

Keeping her eyes fixed on the fish she prepared to pounce … she jumped in, her ears full of salty water, the freezing sensation tingling her paws … her senses were more alert than ever. She looked up and saw her cubs next to the prickly trees. Her heartbeat quickened as she showed her cubs how the swift movements would catch a slippery fish.

She swiped her paws at the tuna wriggling like spaghetti on a fork, but she had done it. The mother bear climbed slowly out of the river, carefully placing the moist tuna on the frosty grass. She masterfully cut the head and tail off with her sharp paws and they ate the tuna to the bone in seconds. Now it was the cubs turn.

They slid down one by one, placing their paws in the river for the first time. Another school of tuna swam past and they tenderly placed their paws in the river, clumsily catching fish. Then carefully, following the steps from their mother, the three eldest cubs climbed slowly out and proudly placed the squirming tuna on the cold ground. After a couple of difficult tries, they sliced the head off their proudly caught dinner and looked left to see if their little sister could do the same but as she climbed slowly into the river, she tripped and became tangled in the ever-growing rip. Her mother growled for her to stop but she could not hear her, and was caught in the swirling current. She let out a few high-pitched squeals, trying to keep above the water. She was as frightened as when her mother got caught in the large snowstorm, yet that seemed survivable compared to this. She fought the current, but knew she was going to be swept away. She tried as hard as she could for any chance of survival, but was caught under the waves.

The water was pounding in her ears. She was pushed over and over in the swirling current and every time she tried to come back up. She knew she was no match against the sea. She relaxed her body and waited for the waves to take her life. Then suddenly, she felt a pull at the scruff of her neck and was pulled out of the river by her tired mother. The other cubs looked relieved when they saw their mother had dragged their little sister out of the rapid river, as they thought all hope was lost.

That night they happily huddled up in their cave, keeping their shivering little sister warm. Their mother was shocked her cub fell into the river and now knew it would be better to catch fish in the cove. The bears hungrily ate their dinner like it was their last meal, and then fell into a deep sleep with their little sister safe in the warm bundle of fluffy bear coats.