Shelia was new in town, didn’t know anyone, and preparing to begin a new job in a week’s time with a well-established company. There would be more responsibility… more freedom… and nearly twice her old salary. She was thankful for the ten years at her previous job… which had given her the experience needed to land this new position. And she was thankful that her current position provided her with the opportunity to finally settle down.
Half of her savings had gone into the down payment on a small cottage at the end of a sub-division… and she had fallen in love with the place at first sight. Her back door was not far from the forest and there appeared to be a trail of some sort just a short distance from her back door, which she was looking forward to exploring. Everything was unpacked and in place and she was ready to begin the next stage of her life.
Her new employer hosted a meet-and-greet lunch on her first day so she could meet those she would be working closely with. When a co-worker, whose name was Joan, asked if she was all settled in, she said yes and added that having a trail so close was a bonus she had not expected. Joan cautioned her not to be out there after dark and then told her she should talk to Monica in the Technical Division. She added that Monica, who was close to retirement, was a local history buff.
Shelia was busy getting settled and found no chance to seek out Monica during that first week. When Saturday turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day, she decided to check out the trail. It turned out not to be a hiking trail after all, but rather an old pathway with many twists and turns… going ’round trees… large boulders… and even a small natural spring. She went out again on Sunday… thankful that this feature was so close for her to explore and enjoy.
However, she was home before dark on both days… she loved walking and hiking in the outdoors but it had been a while and she knew the smart way to get back into it was slowly. Meanwhile, she shrugged off Joan’s warning as a simple caution that there could be holes or uneven places which would make for unsafe walking if one wasn’t familiar with the terrain. Then again, she also wasn’t familiar with what wildlife species made their homes in the area.
The following week, Shelia made contact with Monica over lunch in the cafeteria… and asked about the pathway behind her house… saying she hadn’t gone very far yet, just to the spring. Monica nodded and agreed it was a beautiful place… and then proceeded to tell her the story behind the old pathway.
“A long time ago… long before your time, or mine… a special tribe of dwarfs lived at the edge of the forest where the sub-division ends… and those dwarfs looked after a very rare species of bears who lived in the forest. The bears were medium size, black, with extra long fur that was very soft… and they had very large feet. People sometimes tried to kill them for their fur… and that’s why the dwarfs protected them. It was even rumoured that the bears could understand the dwarfs and could communicate with simple sign language.
“The dwarfs died off many years ago and were buried on the land they had once lived on… but, it is said that their spirits are still there… still caring for the bears. Some claimed that the spirits were trying to keep people out of the forest to protect the bears… fearing that people would try to hunt them again. It is also said that when the land was excavated for the sub-division… the spirits of the dwarfs disappeared because their resting place was disturbed.
