I was given a challenge to write a quick story consisting of 1500 words at an author’s festival in New Iberia, Louisiana called “Teche Literary Festival” on April 1st, 2023. The topic was on “Southern Drawl”. I did not win the contest but thought it was good anyway. O, well, maybe next time. Here is my story. “Bear It” By Terry A. Lindsey. You can read other stories and novels at: www.amazon.com/author/terrylindsey
I was born in Alaska. My mom planned to stay with me for two years then kick me out into the world to fend for myself. My dad was gone most of the time. Life as I knew it was soon to be changed forever.
In the winter of my second year, my dad came to my mom in our den and said it was time to immigrate. My mom was indignant saying we do not leave our home of our birth. Life in Alaska is great so why would we move? All our friends are here, and in the summers, it is a wonderful time to explore the North Slope. We just have to keep our distance from those monsters who look like us in a way but have no body hair. They are very dangerous but there are so many of us, we have learned how to keep away from these strange creatures. Sometimes they move on two hind legs and sometimes they get into some contraption that makes a loud noise and moves on mysterious looking feet that tear up our beautiful landscape. Other than that annoyance, why should we want to move?
My dad replied because there are too many of us and we should look for a new land that we can live in peace. Besides, those monsters are always trying to kill us with a magical stick that makes a loud noise. I am sick of seeing my brothers and sisters being hauled off on one of the contraptions with strange feet. We will never see them again. I want us to stay together and make a new life down in the Lower 48. My mom said, “What! You want to go outside.” Yes, he said, and I want us to stay together as a family. She said, we do not do that. You have been with most of my girlfriends and only come around when it is time for a new offspring. Our son here will soon join your band of brothers only looking for food, water, and your yearly fun during the winter before you laze around your den. You men are so single focused, it makes me want to throw up. My dad then shocked us both that he has changed and wants a monogamous relationship and explore new land. I was listening to the exchange amazed. I did not know any land except our den and a few miles outside roaming and playing with others my age. Now, we were about to move. I was looking forward to going out to the bush on my own but now that would all change. What was I about to experience?
As the winter turned to spring, we started our journey to the lower 48, but first we had to go through another area called Canada. We saw even more of us living here, much the same as where we came from, but they had some strange ways about them. They spoke similar to us but had some funny ways to pronounce things. They said they had picked up this from listening to those weird creatures who had no body hair. It seemed that these creatures had come to their land from all over the world to settle here. My dad said this was nice, but we need to continue our journey.
He decided to take us along the west coast of the lower 48. We left our Canadian friends and traveled through Washington, Oregon, and California. That took us several months, only stopping to rest, catch food and observe many strange creatures. Of course, we still had to keep away from those hairless creatures, but the rest seemed friendly enough though our experience from home taught us not to become too friendly. We did find some of our kin folk, but their way of speaking was even more strange. Likewise, they had picked up the accents from other creatures. California seemed to have the wildest dialect. They spoke with a slang saying things like being stoked, a gnarly day, and Hella instead of really. I thought they all seemed a bit weird as if on some kind of drug but who am I to think anything just becoming two? Our kin rolled their eyes at us and wondered what we were doing so far from home. My mom kept asking the same thing, but my dad said let’s keep going.
We continued through Nevada fishing along the Colorado River and traveling along the Grand Canyon. That was exciting to see the huge walls of rock. We got to New Mexico and were advised to stay away from Texas because if you enter, you may not leave. We were a bit perplexed at that warning so decided not to take a chance. Instead, we went through Oklahoma and Arkansas before we turned south to Louisiana. My dad then declared “woo wee.” We looked at him with disgust. As we continued south, we saw very little of our kind but saw the ever-present hairless wonders along with deer, squirrels, rabbits, racoons, foxes, wolves, bobcats, armadillos, etc. They all spoke their native language but with what we found out to be a “red neck” dialect. The armadillos were probably the most unique creatures in that they made all sorts of noises and did not care who saw them. They seemed to be in a different world with no care in the world. Maybe because they wore protective armor or maybe they were just too simple. Who knows? They did speak with similar dialects with sayings like y’all instead of you all or you guys. It seems they had a distinctive dialect coming from Northern England who settled in the South where the origin of the Southern Drawl lies.[i] Whether redneck or southern drawl, it did seem that the further south we went, we began to see other folks of our kinship as well as some new creatures called alligators living along the water.
My dad gave me strict instructions not to get too close to the water as those alligators had no pity for anything they thought they could drown and eat later. We moved all the way to New Iberia, Louisiana before my dad declared that this was our new home. By the time we had arrived winter was once again, but the cold was nothing like Alaska. We did not even find a nice deep crevice in the rocks to build our den. All we had was a hidden area along the Teche to make our home. The Southern Drawl as described early mostly of Northern England now included French, Spanish, and Acadian from Canada called Cajuns.
During my third year as I grew more into a handsome guy, I never forgot my roots in Alaska but embraced my new culture. My mom and dad never really established a monogamist relation. My mom tried but my dad could not get away from his basic instinct. The ladies down here spoke with so much grace in the Cajun dialect he could not resist them saying Bonjour Cher. He would just melt into their arms. My mom finally said, oh well he was just Lagniappe now I can have a Fais-do-do with all my girl and boy friends until it is time to sleep.
As far as my experiences, I continue to learn the lessons of the swamp and not get too close to the Cocodrie as they only open their mouths to eat. They are no fun at all. I try to ignore them but sometimes I just shout back at them saying I will put the Gris-gris on you. I have started following along my dad’s footsteps and becoming a real ladies’ man though I have a lot to learn about them. I cannot understand their ways. My dad says, C’est Bon as he has learned to speak Cajun but still not how to treat women here or back home. I have also gotten good at staying away from those monsters with no body hair. Sometimes, they travel along the water in another contraption called a pirogue catching fish and other strange creatures called crawfish. Those things do not look like any fish I have seen but one day, I may give it a try. Many of these hairless creatures also immigrated from Canada on the east side where we traveled on the west side. We do have a lot in common. It seems we were escaping our homeland to find another land where we can live in peace. To that, I say well done!
So, as I grow into a full-sized Black Bear immigrated from Alaska to Cajun country I will just learn how to “bear it”.
[i] https://magoosh.com/english-speaking/the-southern-drawl-breakdown-of-an-american-accent/#:~:text=However%2C%20rural%20and%20less%20wealthy,of%20the%20Southern%20Drawl%20lie