Touching Spirit Bear- Chapter 29

Extra Chapter To Touching Spirit Bear

Chapter 29 Touching Spirit Bear

9 months later, Cole awoke to the sound of the skiff pulling onto the island. Lately, Edwin has been busy getting the Circle to release Peter and Cole from the island. Garvey walked into the room quietly while carrying a duffel bag.

"Hey Champ! Wake up, you don't want to sleep the day away!" Garvey said while shaking Cole vigorously.

"Why did you wake me up so early?" Cole asked while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"Well Edwin managed to convince the Circle to let you and Peter leave the island early." Garvey announced.

"Really?" Cole asked in awe.

"Yes, we will be leaving today but you will still have enough time to take a soak before we leave." Garvey said.

"Oh, okay. Thanks for helping me and Peter. I will be sad to leave the island but it will also be a new beginning for me too." Cole said while taking in all the details of his surroundings.

Cole grabbed a towel and a set of dry clothes as he happily marched to the pond. Once he reached the pond and put his dark blue duffel bag on the dusty ground and walked to the edge of the pond. The cold water was starting to unthaw as he approached the pond. Cole slowly stepped into the crystal cold water. This would be the last time Cole could clear his mind on the island. He carefully swam over to a rock in the middle of the pond and rested his arm on it. Trying not to cringe at the icy water as it froze his body, Cole closed his eyes and relaxed his tense muscles. His mind was blank, like an empty room waiting for a spark to ignite it. He slowly opened his eyes and immediately spotted a blurry white figure between the evergreen trees. The furry bear looked towards Cole and sighed sleepily. The Spirit Bear inched closer and was soon at the edge of the pond. The Spirit Bear hadn't been this close to Cole since the attack. Cole stared at the Spirit Bear, trying to understand what the white bear was thinking about. Loud chirping caught Cole's attention, only to find a family of birds flying overhead. He looked up at the birds flying above before returning his gaze back to the uneven terrain. The area where the Spirit Bear was standing before was now empty. The bear had ran away in only a few seconds. Seeing the Spirit Bear made Cole overjoyed as he climbed out of the small lake. Cole was grateful to see the Spirit Bear one last time before he left the island. He changed into dry clothes, hung his towel over his shoulder, and began to walk back towards the cabin.

"Hey Garvey." Said Cole.

"Did you have a good soak?" Asked Garvey.

"Yeah, I got to see the Spirit Bear today."

"Well thats good! We are leaving in 20 minutes so you can go pack up and we will meet you outside."

"Okay, thanks for everything Garvey." Cole announced.

Cole trotted towards the wood cabin and walked inside. He started gathering all of his belongings. He then put them in his bag he was using earlier. Cole looked around the island for the last time and began walking to the skiff. He spotted the totem pole that Peter and him had carved. Cole started walking towards it. The dark wood was moist with a thin layer of snow as he stroked the log. He studied all of the carvings, wanting to remember all of his time spent on the island. Cole stood to his feet and continued walking to the skiff. Peter, Garvey, and Edwin were already on board and having a conversation with each other when Cole approached.

"You ready to leave Cole?" Asked Edwin.

"As ready as I'll ever be!" Cole exclaimed. The island was a really great place that helped Cole find himself. He was feeling unhappy about leaving, but knew he could start over and create a new image for himself back in Minneapolis.