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The Gift

Stephanie's Intro, Part 2

copyright comidacomida 2018

I couldn't say whether leaving the house before my mom and dad got back was courageous or cowardly but what I did know at the time was that I wasn't going to be able to face them-- not at that moment. They hadn't liked the idea of me moving to Cherry City back when Billy was still alive but I had a feeling that they'd be even more against it after losing him. They weren't ready to be empty nesters, and having just gone through Billy's funeral they would be looking to me for comfort but I couldn't do that-- not when I still needed it myself. Sure, I felt bad for running but I knew it would hurt less than staying.

Prineville has a train station but it's only used for shipping, not passenger cars. In order to get to a station that accepted passengers I had to travel to Bend, which takes about 40-50 minutes depending on how fast you drive. It wasn't too bad of a trip to take any time of day, but the main problem was that I didn't have a car. I elected to go for the bus, which wasn't too bad-- an hour and a half ride for just ten bucks. Unfortunately I ran into an issue or, rather, WE ran into an issue.

The walk to the bus station wasn't all that long. Kyle's presence was still agitating Medved, but things only got worse once the Bear realized what was going on. "You wish to use one of the automobile motorbuses?"

I had taken a seat right outside a fast food place to wait for the bus. Looking around I saw that I was alone, so I offered up an answer. "I'm taking a Greyhound to the train station-- it's over forty miles away. Why?"

He raised his rounded ears. "And, this 'grey hound'... it is a big dog? A mount of some kind? Like a horse?"

I reached out and placed a hand on his paw. Rather than touching it, my fingers went through, but they lay atop the table almost feeling like there was some kind of knitted oven mitt beneath them; it was different than actually touching him, but it I could still tell he was there. "No, Medved... it is a bus, like you said."

His expression of concern slowly sank to a scowl. "I cannot use a motorbus."

Kyle took an opportunity to speak up, addressing the Bear for the first time since my parent's house. "It's not that hard... you just have to walk up some steps and take a seat on a bench. You might be pretty big, but it's not like you have to worry about getting stuck in the doorway since it--"

Medved shot a glare at the Raven, who shut his beak with an audible *click*. The Bear then looked to me again, covering my hand with his second paw; it felt like I was wearing a single mitten. "I cannot use a motorbus, Lapushka. Is there another way?"

I was still dwelling on my parents so it was hard to focus on Medved's problem with a bus. "Why can't you use a bus, Medved? It's not like anyone'll see you, and I thought you wanted to come with?"

He let out another sigh, drawing his paws away from my hand; although my hand didn't move I suddenly felt the plastic of the table and I no longer had my furry mitten. The Bear circled the table once, obviously pacing as he did so. "I swore against them."

Anapa, who had been all but silent, decided at that moment to interject with a question. "What is 'swear'?"

Medved decided to continue but, thankfully, I was left free to listen to him while Kyle tried (unsuccessfully) to convey the idea. The Bear continued pacing as he spoke, referring to places I didn't recognize. "Many years ago, back in the age of the Czars, the pogroms made life difficult for many people of Rossiya and Pol'sha."

He used Russian interchangeably with English, which meant that I needed help in understanding. "What are 'pogroms'?"

Taking a seat beside me again by phasing through the stationary bench then sitting on it as if solid, Medved looked down at the table in front of us as he spoke. "Spirits were strong then. They fought one another and used humans as tools in this war. The people of Rossiya made enemies of their own people, a small group... the Yevrey-- the Jewish."

If I had thought Medved's voice was deep then the newest voice to speak up was beyond reasoning. The powerful baritone should have caused the glass on the restauraunt to shake, and yet I realized I was the only one hearing it. "It was a dark time, but you did what you could for our people, Medved."

I had looked up to the reflection in the window but, just as the same as the rest of my spirit companions, the newcomer had no reflection; I was alone. Turning to look, I was surprised to see an enormous Rhinoceros Man standing on the sidewalk barely an arm's reach from me. Medved, who was seated beside me, smiled. "It has been a long time, my friend."

The Bear stood and he extended his arm; the Rhino grabbed his paw with a resounding *smack* and the two almost looked as though they were having a tug-o-war with one another. I questioned the obvious. "You two know one another?"

The Rhino looked to me, his small, golden eyes glimmering in the noonday sun and he smiled. "Ah, my beautiful little nekhedah... shalom aleikhem-- at long last: shalom aleikhem."

Before I had a chance to respond I found myself surrounded by massive grey arms that made even Medved's feel small. To my surprise, I was lifted from my seat as he pulled me in for a crushing embrace and yet, I realized, I was neither crushed, nor lifted, remaining at the table and able to breathe without event. When I finally had a chance to speak the first thing that came to mind was "I'm Stephanie... Brenner."

Laughing, he winked at me, tapping the tip of his horn with a single finger as he smiled. "I know who you are, nekhedah."

Medved was much more helpful in elaborating. "I am a guardian to the people of Rossiya-- of Russia. This is Tom. He is a guardian to the Yevrey of all nations."

I looked the Rhino up and down; his clothes had a Middle-Eastern look to them, including a long shirt and a shawl and some kind of lengthy cloth coat. Despite all the layers he didn't look like he was bundled up, which was good because Prineville is in the middle of the desert and it was summer. The small circular cloth hat he wore was familiar because I remember seeing my grandfather wearing one sometimes. "Is that a Yarmulke?"

From off behind me and to the side I heard Anapa try to pronounce the word. "Ya-ma-ka?"

The Rhino ignored the Jackal. As if able to follow my eyes, the Rhino reached up to touch the hat that seemed far too small for his gigantic head. "Yes... many of our people here call it thus, though I prefer the term kippah."

Medved spoke up again, addressing his issue. "Tom. Stephanie is going to be using an autobus. I cannot follow her and she is being followed by the Bes and this Murorshchik."

Although the Bear spoke both words in Russian, for some reason I could clearly understand the meaning of the second title he chose to use; it was the same one as Kyle had used to describe Anapa: Scavenger. Tom turned to look at each in turn, smirking knowingly when the Raven failed to meet his gaze. "Ah... you have left the human boy, Olev."

I glanced at Kyle as well. "Is that your name? Olev?"

The Raven offered a beaky smile at me. "I have as many names as there are languages, Stef-- like I said, you can call me Kyle. Olev just means 'Raven' in Hebrew."

Tom stared at Kyle for many long moments before asking "And you speak Hebrew... Kyle?"

Kyle sat down on a bench across from us, folding his wings over his body as he nodded at each of the spirits in turn: Tom first, then Medved, and finally Anapa. "Hebrew, Russian, and Coptic... I get around, you could say."

Medved interrupted again, pushing onward. "She is a Seer, Tom, and she needs our help. Can you guide her to the rail station while I Sleep?"

The Rhino nodded. "I will keep her safe, but once you are awake again we will need to speak further, Ahkh."

Kyle leaned forward to me and spoke in a stage whisper "Ahkh means 'brother'."

The Bear pointed right at the Raven. "Watch that one."

Tom nodded. "I will watch them both."

Medved faded before my eyes with a fond farewell, promising to rejoin us at the train station in Bend, offering as he faded "You will be in good hands, Lapushka."

Looking once again to me, the Rhino spoke. "Now, my nekhedah, I must admit: I have waited well over 60 years to speak with one of my family again but, alas, now that the moment is upon me I have no idea what I should say."

He laughed at his own lack of eloquence and I found myself laughing as well. There was a certain severity to the Rhino, but it all seemed to go away the moment he let his walls down a little and I saw him smile. He reminded me in a lot of ways of my grandfather, and I liked him almost immediately.

When the bus arrived I boarded it-- as far as anyone else knew I was alone, but it couldn't have been further from the truth. I sat down toward the back where there were plenty of empty seats; Anapa took one, Kyle perched atop another, and Tom sat right behind me. Kyle spent most of the ride reminiscing about things he and Billy had done the prior two years in such a way that I wouldn't have to respond verbally. Anapa appeared to be in prayer of some kind during the journey, and Tom was merely present, providing support without saying a word. Although Medved was not around for the bus ride, I somehow realized that he was no further away than the small bear carving in my luggage.

When I ran out of my brother's funeral I couldn't help but feel alone. There, in the bus, on my way back home, I didn't. Despite all of the craziness I was finally starting to think that things could someday be okay again. It was a start... in more ways than one.