The crowd, a dozen drunks and wide-eyed children, gasps. Not in terror—in a strange, hollow awe. She rises on her hind legs, swaying. One massive paw, calloused and gentle, holds a tattered ribbon tied to her groom—a skinny, nervous man in a stained top hat. He plays a tiny accordion, his knuckles white.
The bride dips. The groom stumbles. Together, they turn in a clumsy, heartbreaking circle. here cums the bride dancing bear
Here cums the bride.
It lands on her nose. She doesn’t eat it. She holds it, ever so softly, between her teeth. The crowd, a dozen drunks and wide-eyed children, gasps