Guardian Angel

I had a brown bear soft toy for as long as I could remember, and we were inseparable. Ms. Bear and I would often have long conversations, and I always loved listening to her wise words. However, she never spoke in front of my parents. The first time I attempted to speak to her in front of them, she stayed silent, making my parents laugh and brush it off as my imagination.

I was disappointed and ignored her that evening until she told me that if she revealed her powers to anyone but me, she would cease to exist. Ms. Bear was my guardian angel; her presence was meant to be a secret. She made me promise never to reveal it to anyone. I agreed.

As the years passed by, Ms. Bear saved my life several times, much to the confusion of my parents, who didn’t understand how I managed to get out of the pool when I couldn’t yet swim, or how I avoided injuries after falling from my bike. Ms. Bear even protected me from threatening strangers, driving them away with what she called her “foreboding aura”. She said people with ill intent would be instantly driven back if they ever attempted to approach me.

Ms. Bear remained with me in the years that followed, even after I graduated from university and got married. When my daughter was born, I asked her if she would be her guardian angel as well, but Ms. Bear said my daughter would have her own guardian angel soon.

Six months after my daughter’s birth, however, I was in a car accident on my way home after visiting an old friend. My car veered off the road and flipped over, and I was slowly bleeding out while struggling to break free from my seat belt. My vision became foggy, and the corners of my eyes grew darker. I was on the outskirts of my hometown, and there was no one else on the road at the time. It was not long before I started drifting away. However, as I slipped out of consciousness, I could hear Ms. Bear reassuring me that everything will be alright. The last words I heard before I blacked out were: “Hey, over here!”

Hours later, I woke up in a hospital room. My husband, Roan, was next to me, and Ms. Bear was on my pillow. Roan called the doctor to the room, and after a brief talk, the two of them walked outside to talk. While they were discussing outside, I looked over at Ms. Bear and spoke to her. There was no response. I tried talking to her again, and yet again, there was no reply. I then remembered what I heard just before losing consciousness; she had sacrificed her presence to save me…

Ms. Bear once told me that if I were to ever be in trouble, she would make sure I was safe at the cost of her link to this world. She said it was her duty as my guardian angel; it was an act she could only perform once. I hugged the toy that once housed my best friend as tears welled in my eyes. I thanked Ms. Bear. Wherever she was, I hoped she could hear me; and I hoped that some day, I’d see her again.