By Cece Razo
Staff Writer
The wind shifts and dances through the underworld of Franciscan University to the concrete land above. The scent of citrus with a hint of acidity flows within the crippling stench of pollution. After the meaty treat, this fruity scent fills the nostrils of the bear. Water pools in his mouth and his stomach begins to rumble once again.
As if a hand were attached to this fragrance, the bear is pulled down, down, down into a sewer hole in the ground. Slosh, slosh, slosh. Each blind step within the dark increases the strength of the smell and, in turn, increases the hunger of the bear.
All of a sudden, a speck of light appears in the distance. Slosh, slosh, slosh. The bear’s heart quickens. The scent reaches its peak. A chamber comes into sight. The light within the new chamber momentarily blinds the bear. Slowly, his eyes adjust, and he locates the source of the smell.
In the center of the chamber, stacked high into a ginormous pile, sits hundreds and hundreds of oranges and apples that countless students have rolled down from Antonian Dining Hall into the nearby sewer. The apples and oranges glisten in the light and call upon the bear to take a bite of their juicy, tasty nectar.
One paw in front of the other, the bear reaches the foot of the tower, when all of a sudden, a small fur ball intercepts his reach and hisses. The bear, startled, takes a step back. More fur balls crawl from the shadows to protect their pile of treasure.
The light from above reveals these fur balls as the numerous rabid raccoons that terrorize the world below and the academic world above. Foam seeps through their teeth, and their beady eyes provoke a moment of fear within the bear. This moment of fear is momentary, for the bear remembers the task at hand: taking the oranges and apples.
The bear eyes the fruit. The raccoons form a wall. Both species shift their weight and wait for the other to make the first move. One eager raccoon lunges at the bear only to be swatted away like a pesky fly.
The limp body of their fallen comrade provokes the raccoons into a full-frontal attack. They crawl upon the bear like ants on a chunk of bread. Each little raccoon attempts to bite the bear as it begins to claw and shove them off.
The bear growls and yelps at each cut and bite that appears on his skin. Claw, claw, snap! Claw, claw, snap! No matter how many times the bear throws the raccoons off, more come from the shadows to replace the fallen. The bear, frustrated and overwhelmed, bursts with anger and manages to shake all of the raccoons off momentarily.
As the raccoons recover and start their next attack, a sound from above echoes within the chamber. All parties stop and hear someone yell, “Hey! Watch this!” A rolling orange comes crashing through the top and lands on the pile of fruit.
Tumbling, falling, crashing! A wave of delicious fruit hits the furry creatures, covering them in debris. As the chaos settles, the raccoons disappear. The bear takes an apple in his mouth and continues on deeper within the darkness.
Bear 2 Other 0.
2025-02-12