Read Online Ghost of Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Ben Mikaelsen
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mother to let him hang out with Cole.
“What happened?” Peter exclaimed when he saw Cole’s puffy lip and swollen eye. “A truck hit you?”
Cole explained all that had happened. “You should have seen the look in their eyes when I told them they would have to kill me,” he said.
“What if they had killed you?” Peter asked.
“They’d have gone to jail.”
“That wouldn’t help you much.”
“They would never really kill me.”
“You don’t know that,” Peter argued.
“Now you’re sounding like Garvey. Everybody criticizes what I do, but nobody has a better idea.”
“What did Garvey say to do?” Peter asked.
“He wants me to give Keith flowers and kiss him,” Cole said sarcastically.
“Really? He said that?”
“Not exactly, but he said to fight with my heart.”
“So take your heart and throw it at Keith,” Peter said, grinning. “Maybe he’ll get a concussion. The blood will splatter all over, and your heart will bounce around on the ground beating, and—”
“Okay! Okay!” Cole interrupted. “Hey, Peter, yesterday I sat in front of the mall and became invisible.”
“Like on the island?”
Cole nodded. “And remember how we sometimes saw the Spirit Bear appear and disappear? Well yesterday, I opened my eyes and found that old homeless guy staring at me across the parking lot. I looked down for just a few seconds, and when I looked back he was gone.”
“That’s weird,” Peter said. “I was thinking about that old guy, too. His carving looked so real and it wasn’t even finished yet. I wonder where he learned to carve.”
“There’s lots of things about him I wonder about.”
“So, where can we go today to be invisible?” Peter asked.
Cole glanced down the street thoughtfully. “Just for the fun of it, let’s try someplace really noisy again—like in the park.”
“Sounds good,” Peter agreed, starting out excitedly.
Cole eyed his friend as they walked. Getting slapped and kicked by Keith could easily have taken Peter back into depression, but he was hanging in there.
Reaching the park, they picked a comfortable patch of grass under a big Norway pine. Nearby, teenagers laughed and shouted, throwing a Frisbee. Parents called to their children. A baby cried nonstop, and two barking dogs kept chasing each other.
“We’ll go so far into the quiet of our minds that we won’t even hear the sounds,” Cole said.
“Okay,” Peter said doubtfully, closing his eyes.
Cole did the same, breathing in deeply.
At first, random thoughts bombarded him, so he focused and imagined the Spirit Bear standing on the shoreline of the island. He imagined a drop of rain landing on its white fur and then slowly running down the side of the big animal until it finally dripped onto the ground.
Cole almost let the thought end there, but then he drew in another breath and followed the raindrop as it soaked into the soil, wetting the root of a tree. Slowly the tree absorbed the moisture, drawing it upward through the trunk until it reached the branches and leaves. Gently the wind absorbed the moisture and carried it to the sky to help form another cloud. Soon, another drop of rain fell from the sky, landing on the Spirit Bear.
Another Circle was complete.
Cole slowly opened his eyes and looked around the park, half expecting to see the homeless man again. All he found was noise and commotion, but he felt calm.
Peter’s eyes were already open. “You were gone a long time,” he said. “What were you thinking about?”
“About rain falling on the Spirit Bear,” Cole answered. “How about you?”
Peter shrugged. “I couldn’t think of anything ’cause dogs were barking and the baby kept crying. I wanted the dogs to go over and bark at the baby.”
The second week back, things grew worse. The school’s crowded stairwells and dark narrow hallways were like a madhouse with kids slamming lockers, shouting, shoving, and tripping one another. As usual, most of the
“What happened?” Peter exclaimed when he saw Cole’s puffy lip and swollen eye. “A truck hit you?”
Cole explained all that had happened. “You should have seen the look in their eyes when I told them they would have to kill me,” he said.
“What if they had killed you?” Peter asked.
“They’d have gone to jail.”
“That wouldn’t help you much.”
“They would never really kill me.”
“You don’t know that,” Peter argued.
“Now you’re sounding like Garvey. Everybody criticizes what I do, but nobody has a better idea.”
“What did Garvey say to do?” Peter asked.
“He wants me to give Keith flowers and kiss him,” Cole said sarcastically.
“Really? He said that?”
“Not exactly, but he said to fight with my heart.”
“So take your heart and throw it at Keith,” Peter said, grinning. “Maybe he’ll get a concussion. The blood will splatter all over, and your heart will bounce around on the ground beating, and—”
“Okay! Okay!” Cole interrupted. “Hey, Peter, yesterday I sat in front of the mall and became invisible.”
“Like on the island?”
Cole nodded. “And remember how we sometimes saw the Spirit Bear appear and disappear? Well yesterday, I opened my eyes and found that old homeless guy staring at me across the parking lot. I looked down for just a few seconds, and when I looked back he was gone.”
“That’s weird,” Peter said. “I was thinking about that old guy, too. His carving looked so real and it wasn’t even finished yet. I wonder where he learned to carve.”
“There’s lots of things about him I wonder about.”
“So, where can we go today to be invisible?” Peter asked.
Cole glanced down the street thoughtfully. “Just for the fun of it, let’s try someplace really noisy again—like in the park.”
“Sounds good,” Peter agreed, starting out excitedly.
Cole eyed his friend as they walked. Getting slapped and kicked by Keith could easily have taken Peter back into depression, but he was hanging in there.
Reaching the park, they picked a comfortable patch of grass under a big Norway pine. Nearby, teenagers laughed and shouted, throwing a Frisbee. Parents called to their children. A baby cried nonstop, and two barking dogs kept chasing each other.
“We’ll go so far into the quiet of our minds that we won’t even hear the sounds,” Cole said.
“Okay,” Peter said doubtfully, closing his eyes.
Cole did the same, breathing in deeply.
At first, random thoughts bombarded him, so he focused and imagined the Spirit Bear standing on the shoreline of the island. He imagined a drop of rain landing on its white fur and then slowly running down the side of the big animal until it finally dripped onto the ground.
Cole almost let the thought end there, but then he drew in another breath and followed the raindrop as it soaked into the soil, wetting the root of a tree. Slowly the tree absorbed the moisture, drawing it upward through the trunk until it reached the branches and leaves. Gently the wind absorbed the moisture and carried it to the sky to help form another cloud. Soon, another drop of rain fell from the sky, landing on the Spirit Bear.
Another Circle was complete.
Cole slowly opened his eyes and looked around the park, half expecting to see the homeless man again. All he found was noise and commotion, but he felt calm.
Peter’s eyes were already open. “You were gone a long time,” he said. “What were you thinking about?”
“About rain falling on the Spirit Bear,” Cole answered. “How about you?”
Peter shrugged. “I couldn’t think of anything ’cause dogs were barking and the baby kept crying. I wanted the dogs to go over and bark at the baby.”
The second week back, things grew worse. The school’s crowded stairwells and dark narrow hallways were like a madhouse with kids slamming lockers, shouting, shoving, and tripping one another. As usual, most of the
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