Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Veronica
“Tree lighting in five minutes!” the mayor says to the excited crowd.
“You’re live in two minutes,” my producer says through the com in my ear.
“We’re live in two,” I say to Leanne, already buzzing with excitement.
She lifts the big heavy camera onto her shoulder and points it at me, getting ready for our live shot of the Christmas tree being lit.
I catch my reflection in the camera lens and quickly fix my hair.
I’m bundled up in a winter coat with a faux fur lining and the purple mittens my grandmother made me last Christmas.
She’s going to be so excited to see them on camera.
I know all my family and friends are watching, as well as thousands of other people.
I’m thrilled and honored that I get to send a little sliver of Christmas into their living rooms.
“Get ready,” my producer says. “Three. Two. One.”
I see the LIVE ON AIR sign light up in our van and I throw on my biggest smile as I address our viewers.
“We’re live tonight in Wildpeak Village for the first annual lighting of the town’s Christmas tree,” I say, presenting the massive pine tree behind me.
“The whole town is out tonight, dancing, singing, and celebrating the magic of Christmas. I can tell you right now—spirits are brighter than Rudolph’s nose. ”
Leanne gives me a thumbs-up behind the camera. Good start.
“Temperatures may be chilly,” I continue, “but the Christmas cheer is keeping everyone warm and glowing. We’ve got hot cocoa, we’ve got carols, and we’ve got more twinkling lights than Santa’s workshop after an overtime shift.”
A few people turn and smile at the camera. One guy waves.
“And in just a few minutes, this beautiful tree behind me—towering at over thirty feet—will light up the heart of this mountain town. Locals are calling it a ‘tree-mendous’ moment.” I grin. “And I mean that literally.”
Leanne chuckles quietly behind the camera.
“At any moment the countdown will begin,” I go on. “You can feel the excitement in the crowd. It’s literally—”
“GRIZZLY!” a woman screams, interrupting my broadcast.
There’s a collective gasp and then more screams. People start fleeing. Running this way. Running every way. I nearly get knocked down by a man holding a little girl.
“It seems like there’s an uninvited visitor to the tree lighting ceremony,” I say, nervously trying to keep my cool. More people come running past us. Should I be running too?
“When I said everyone was invited, I didn’t mean those who walk on four legs,” I say, chuckling, although I’m starting to panic inside.
Leanne’s head pops out from behind the camera. “Go,” she mouthes to me, waving me forward.
My eyes widen. Go? Towards the bear?
I don’t think so.
She urges me again with a steely look and then starts walking, forcing me backward.
“I guess we’re going to check it out,” I say with a nervous chuckle. “Because that’s what reporters do…”
Damn, why did I wear these high boots? I can’t run in these!
My heart is hammering in my chest as I head in the opposite direction of the people fleeing.
But thankfully, there are always some people whose self-preservation instincts are under developed.
I head to the crowd of lurkers who think that grizzly bears are nice and friendly like the ones on cartoons and in toilet paper commercials.
Do these people not realize that a grizzly bear can literally rip your head clean off?
“There he is,” I say as Leanne gets a shot of the grizzly bear sitting on the sidewalk like he’s waiting for the bus.
He is kind of cute. That fear that was surging through my veins a few seconds ago magically disappears and I actually feel drawn to the bear.
An urge to go over there and cuddle him fills my head, but I ignore it completely. I’m not insane.
He blinks slowly at the crowd and then spots a candy cane lying beside him.
Everyone around us gasps as he reaches down with a furry paw and grabs it.
“Aww,” someone in the crowd says. “He’s eating a candy cane.”
Leanne zooms in on the bear as he chomps down on the candy cane with a loud crack.
This is gold. We’re going to go viral with this adorable bear for sure.
“I think we’ve discovered who’s been raiding the North Pole’s candy stash,” I say with a smile.
The hulking creature tilts his head at the crowd, slowly gets up, and then lumbers into the town square.
More people leave. Leanne pushes forward. I hurry to keep pace with her.
“For those of you joining us at home, this local grizzly appears to be… enjoying the holiday spirit. Let’s hope he doesn’t go bear-zerk.”
I groan inside, wishing I didn’t just say that. Whenever I’m on camera, all these lame puns come out. I don’t know why. I don’t plan it. It just happens.
Leanne gets way too close for my liking as the bear waddles over to the Christmas tree.
“I guess this is our Christmas tree inspector,” I say as Leanne films. “Probably checking for any claws in the design.”
My god. Stop with the puns. Please.
The crowd that’s still here laughs as the grizzly starts rubbing his body on the tree.
“Oh wow,” I say into my mic. “He’s… really getting in there. I guess that’s one way to… spruce up the festivities.”
Ugh. I give up. The puns have a mind of their own.
He lifts his black nose, breathes in deep, and then yanks his head to the side like he’s suddenly possessed.
“Oh,” I gasp, stepping back with my body trembling. His very large, very focused eyes are locked right onto me.
I swallow hard, expecting him to look away, but he doesn’t. He’s looking at me like I’m a juicy piece of steak and it’s dinner time.
“Uh…” I say into the mic, not able to come up with any words, not even any bad puns. “This is paw-sitively concerning.”
And there it is.
My last words are going to be a terrible pun.
The bear takes a step toward me.
Then another.
Then—oh no—another one, much faster.
And then he full on sprints.
The people around me scream and scatter throughout the town square. These are the people left, the ones who are naturally low on survival instincts, and even they’re running in terror.
But me?
I just stand here, stunned as a thousand-pound blur of angry fur barrels straight toward me like I owe him money.
Even Leanne is gone, fleeing with the crowd and somehow keeping the camera pointed backward over her shoulder as she runs.
Move, I tell myself. My body doesn’t listen.
My feet stay planted in the snow as I stare at the charging grizzly bear.
My heart is racing and my breath is stuck in my throat, only I don’t feel any fear.
Quite the opposite.
I have a similar feeling to when I go home after a while and see my family golden retriever come running to say hi.
But this is not some friendly family dog. This is a wild animal. A dangerous beast.
Yet, the fear never comes.
I’m almost… excited for him to arrive.
“Move!” a deep voice hollers, bursting out of the fleeing crowd.
Police.
Three officers rush in, crowding in front of me like they’re protecting the president. One launches a taser at the grizzly.
It hits his shoulder.
And bounces off.
Like they threw a paper clip at him.
The bear roars in fury. An angry steam cloud billows out of his deadly mouth.
The sheriff arrives with a rifle.
“No,” I whisper as he raises it. “NO!”
I don’t think. I just act.
“Leave him!” I scream, leaping forward and smacking the barrel upward just as he pulls the trigger.
The shot fires into the sky with a thunderous crack.
More people scream.
The sheriff whips his head toward me, eyes wide, spittle hitting my face. “LADY, ARE YOU CRAZY?!”
“He’s not going to hurt anyone,” I say, trying to wrestle the rifle away from him.
He shoves his palm into my chest and I fall onto my ass.
The bear watches this and gets even more enraged, baring his teeth and letting out a savage growl as he turns his sights on the Sheriff.
He tries to shoot the gun again, but it jams.
Another officer steps forward, pulling out a canister. He pushes the button and a stream of pepper spray hits the charging bear in the face.
He skids to a stop, roaring in outrage. The cop hits him again.
“Don’t hurt him!” I scream as I watch the bear stumble backward, shaking his head furiously.
The bear is all confused and disoriented. And pissed off.
He lets out a deafening roar, swiping blindly with his paw as he backs up and stumbles. He lets out a savage growl, turns and sprints…
…right into the massive Christmas tree.
The thirty-foot pine tree wobbles and sways. Decorations fly off, bouncing and shattering on the ground. The grizzly thrashes around, attacking it viciously when he gets caught in the sparkly garland.
“Oh boy,” one of the cops whisper as the whole thing starts to tip.
“WATCH OUT!” the Sheriff hollers at the top of his lungs as it comes down hard.
Light strings snap. Ornaments crash on the ground. The angel summersaults off the top and smashes through the window of the candle store.
People scream and run. The tree lands with a crash on the sidewalk, taking down a few plastic reindeer with it. It’s a total disaster.
I look at Leanne hiding behind the hot chocolate stand. She’s recording everything with a huge grin on her face.
“Veronica, are you okay?” my producer says in my ear. “If you are, say something. You’re still live!”
“Christmas has bearly survived this evening,” I say into the mic.
Seriously? Why brain? WHY?!
I’m glad I don’t have that camera on me, catching my cringing face.