Cryptid

             

Cryptid

Chapter 1

     I saw it again tonight. The first time was the night I moved here. I thought it was a huge bear. I was taking out the empty boxes I had my books in and seen it turn and walk back in the woods behind the house. I got a good look at it this time because the moon was bright. Its eyes were glowing from the moon light, couldn't make out the face, it turned too fast. It was at least 9 feet tall with a coat that looks like a sloth's coat with green and brown moss growing on it. Never heard of a bear having moss on its coat before. Never know though. In Alaska there could be a new species of bear, plenty of land to hide in. It was bipedal and used its arms to move the brush around when it went back in the woods. It was massive, I'm guessing around 1,500 pounds. Not out of the realm of a big Grizzly.

Chapter 2

     I'm new to Alaska. Moved here to get familiar with the surroundings my next Frank the Ferret Adventures takes place in. I write children stories. Makes good money but it’s not what I want to be writing about. I started off writing children stories to get my creative juices flowing, then hit it big with Frank the Ferret. So I'm stuck doing this for who knows how long. I haven't had any good ideas for the Novel I always wanted to write. Be the big Novelist people see in the street and want me to sign their shirts. That’s the dream I want.  When you write kid stories no one recognizes you.  I guess that’s a good thing. I wouldn't want a whole bunch of snot nosed brats around me. Wanting me to do the Frankie voice and all. I only write the stories and illustrate the characters. Maybe one day I will sell the Frank the Ferret franchise and focus on my Novel.

     Alyssa always tells me I have good ideas when she looks at my notes or when I talk to her about some off the wall concept for a Novel. Can't know till I quit writing about a Ferret. She's back in the lower 48 making the final touches on the deal for the old house. I write kid books, I'm not a fucking Realtor. She'll be up here in a few weeks, month tops. Till then, I'm in Dry City. I'll for sure get my mouth wet though. 2 Words: Full Bar. That'll be the death of me. Alyssa always has a few with me before I write. "Its good luck", she says. We been together for 5 years. We had our Ups and Ups. Never fought, never bickered, and never not wanted to be around each other. Always good times with her. Kind of lonely being here in this big ass cottage in good ol' Homer, Alaska all by myself. Halibut Fishing Capital of the World! No wonder they're bears all over this fucking place. Frank the Ferret would be in heaven with all the fish around here.

Chapter 3

     I was in the study deep in Frankie World when I heard the first bang. Turned down the music, and took a close listen. BANG! I got my Winchester Model 1300 Defender 12 gauge (to be exact), Put 8 slugs in it, gave it a pump and felt like a bad ass for the first time in a while. Kind of hard to feel like a bad ass writing about an 8 ounce Ferret. I walk toward the dark kitchen, keeping all the lights off. Don't want anyone knowing they are caught till its time. I make my way carefully around the island and the hanging pots and pans to the window. I look between the barely open curtain to see that massive Beast going through the trash.

     I had Chinese earlier today and Alyssa hates the way it makes the house smell if it sits around. ''Eat it as fast as you can and get it the fuck out the house!'' is what Alyssa says. Funny thing, she isn't even here and I still do it.

     It is crouched down, knees bent in a humanoid fashion, long arms with that moss Sloth fur hanging from them. Muscular like a bear with less fat. With moss mostly on its wide shoulders and back. Ears like a wolf, face was like a short snouted bear with glowing yellow eyes from the moon light. It’s picking things up with a hand, not a paw, a hand with five digits with bear claws on the end of each digit. It’s not even looking for food, it was just smelling everything. After dumping out the trash, it stood up. Fucking thing is at least 10 feet. Standing next to where I keep all my trash cans I got a better read on its height. It walked with full long strides. Arms swinging in unison like huge pendulums. Feet like a bears, beside the claws were less pronounced. Legs like tree trunks. It went by the shed, sniffing around the cracks of the door. It took hold of the door knob and gave it a turn. I heard of this before, monkeys open up car doors in India all the time, even bears open car doors in National parks. I never seen a Sloth Bear with a five digit hand grab a door knob and turn it though. I was quite taking back by what I was seeing here. It came by the window and took a few drinks out of the bird bath. It had a very low intense rumble to it when it let out its breath. Powerful. It noticed my boots by the back door and headed towards them. That’s when I moved to get a better look and hit a plate off the counter. By the time I stopped it from rattling on the floor it was gone.

CHAPTER 4

     The Alaska Department of Fish and Game showed up around an hour after I called them. They wanted to come check things out. The ADFG Peace Officer and an Alaskan Trooper came up to the front door. Trooper looked like an asshole.

     "Come on in guys, I'm Fletcher" I said,

     "The name is Stephens, Dale Stephens." The Peace Officer said.     "They told me you seen a bear knock over your trash and snoop around your grounds here." Stephens said while looking around the living room.

     "It was no bear, Stephens. This thing was huge and had fur like a sloth with moss growing on it, and it had five digits with..."

     "Okay, son. I heard enough of this shit. Just show us where this bear tore apart your trash so I can get the fuck outta here and get back to real issues." The Trooper said.

     "Please, call me Dale. Don't mind Mark, he's pissed his wife is going out on him."

     "Fuck off, Stephens! If I wanted to hear a pussy, I'd make your mom queef." Mark snapped. "Now let’s get a move on.  I have better things to do now."

     I led them to the window, showed them where I stood and got a view of this Sloth Bear. Told them how it was gone as soon as I knocked the plate off the counter.

     "Okay, let’s take a better look outside and see if there is any fur we can get, paw tracks, maybe some drool and some droppings would be real telling." Dale insisted.

     He found hair by the trash can and the door knob. No droppings. I told him about the Sloth Bear drinking from the bird bath and he got some drool samples. Looked like a thick foam.

     "This hair has moss on it." Dale said.

     "Yea, there was moss growing all over its back, shoulders and arms."

     "Bears don't have moss on em', son. Maybe a moose was back here. It was dark, you was probably tired, maybe had a few too many. Shit, I seen that full bar you got in there. Must of been throwing em' back tonight. Eyes are pretty glossy from what I can tell." The Trooper said.

     "I know what I saw, Mike. I may have had a few drinks here and there. I was in the study writing a children’s story when all this shit went down. It was a huge Sloth Bear looking thing. Fucking 10 feet tall, maybe 1,500 pounds. Thing had a very low and powerful rumble to it. I was inside and still heard it. I never been in such presence of power before in my life. It was shocking."

    "It’s Mark, boy! And if I wanted to hear an asshole, I'd fart." The Trooper blurted out. "We get what we need, Dale? I’m ready to get the fuck out of this shit hole."

    "I find this place quite nice. The forest here is almost in a state of limbo. Very peaceful here. And yes, I have what I need. Very interesting hair samples. I can't wait to run test of these." Dale said while looking closely at the plastic bag with the hair in it.

     "Mr. Stephens, you may come back anytime you'd like. I appreciate you coming by to check things out. Now what should I do if this thing comes back?" I asked.

     "What am I, Chopped liver? Ahh fuck it, I don't like this shit hole anyhow. I'll tell you what to do, boy. Pull out your phone and take a fucking picture next time. Or shoot it and we'll see what it is with our own eyes." Mark said.

     "Well, Fletcher, I think I will take you up on that offer some day this week. Here's my card and you know the number to the office, let me know when a good time is." Dale said as he shook my hand. He was almost out the door and he turned to me with intense eyes. "Whatever you do, don't engage this Bear." He said with a sternness he hadn't displayed before.

     "I won't." I assured him. I didn't want to see this thing again. If it had the mind to twist that knob, what could of happen if it had more time to twist a few more knobs around the cottage. Which was nice by the way. I doubt that asshole Trooper had anything better than this place. Might be old, but it’s a nice fucking spot.

CHAPTER 5

     I heard the doorbell ring a few times. Opened one eye and seen the red numbers read 11:35 a.m. I just got to fucking bed only a few hours ago. My mind (still half a sleep) went straight to Alyssa. I jumped out of bed and ran to the door, morning wood and all. Opened the door and seen Dale.

     "Mr. Stephens, how can I help you?"

     "Hi Mr. Mitchell, Hope I didn't wake you. I thought we could have a talk about what happen last night. Do you mind?" He asked.

     "This can't wait till later? I just got to bed."

     "I think you'll want to hear about this." He insisted.

     I let him in and we went into the kitchen. I put on some strong ass coffee and sat down at the island, he wanted to stand. He must have went straight home and got into bed after he left last night. Looks like he has had a full night’s sleep. Dressed pretty sharp outside his uniform.

     "So Dale, what did you want to talk about this early?"

     He found that funny. “‘This early'? It’s almost noon!" He said with a smile on his face.

     "Well when you don't sleep all night because you have a huge monster in your back yard ready to turn the door knob and come inside to tear your limbs off, you don't sleep too soundly."

     "Yes, about that. You're not the first one to see that creature, Fletcher. I seen it when I was little. My mother told me it was just a black bear, but I know what I seen. Once you get a good look at it, you know it’s no bear, moose or whatever these Troopers and even other ADFG Peace Officers will tell you. I keep that to myself though. Only people I talk to about this is people who seen it. What did you call it?" He asked....

     "Sloth Bear"

    "I guess that's good name as any. I just been calling it The Creature. That's the only reason I became a Peace Officer for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Working here I can access all the records about strange encounters throughout the history of Alaska. There's strange things in the Bering Sea as well. Hell, there's strange things in the sky too, Fletcher. You ever hear of the Thunder Bird? It’s so big, people think it’s a Glider before they realize what they're looking at."

     "I thought you would be one of those Big-Foot hunters. Your eyes lit up when I was talking about Sloth Bear last night." I said.

     "I am a closet Cryptozoologist, yes. I can't just skip around talking about creepy crawlies and slithering creatures with my job at the Department. I spent a lot of time dealing with normal wild life encounters, but in rare cases, like yours, I get a glimpse into a world very few eyes are graced to see. Only two people in my 20 year career that I know of seen it. You being the second. There are records of people seeing it that go as far back as 1867, then there are old Russian records we got when we purchased Alaska that go back to around 1789. First case was in 1795. Two men from the Russian army got mauled by this 'Zver'. The man that witnessed this was in a nearby canoe. The men were looking for seals to club for fur, when they heard a large noise coming from the woods. The two men went by to check it out, that’s when the Beast came charging out the woods, clawed the first guys face off, then picked up the second guy and ripped out his stomach, spilling out his guts, covering the pure white snow with gore. The Russian described it as a Black Polar Bear with Moss growing from its long fur. Said it moved like a Bear Man."

     "Yea, what I seen it walked up-right. Had very long arms. It knew to grab the knob and twist. It must have been watching me." I chimed in...

     "I wouldn't count that out. You are pretty close to the woods, Fletcher. The thing is, after that, we don't have any records of it till 1820, and Someone’s horse got ripped apart. 1842 A man’s entire dog sled pack was killed while he was away hunting. He came back just in time and shot at the Beast."

     "Sounds like every 20 years or so it gets seen. It can't be the same Beast." I said.

     "People only see it around this time of year. Almost all the cases are in fall or warm winters. Maybe its feeds so it can hibernate for the winter and gets more reckless looking for food. Something that big needs a lot of space to live and won't stand for anything big in its territory."

     After a few cups of coffee and a muffin, I was soaking in all that Dale had to say about this Sloth Bear. We sat in the den and had a few stiff drinks after a while.

     "You know I worry about you, Fletch."

     "Don't worry about me. I got tons of ideas for Frank the Ferret. Too much in fact. I’m trying to get into the Novel world. Sitting around writing about a Ferret will take a toll on you. I started a new story the other nigh....."

     "Not about your books! You only been in town for a week and you saw this thing twice. It goes decades without being seen. Something is wrong, and I don't think you should be here by yourself."

     I took a few drinks thinking about what he said. "Don't worry about me. Hell, that thing is probably off sleeping somewhere. It’s cold as fuck outside and winter is right around the corner. I'll be an old man by the time it comes up again. You know History always tends to repeat itself. So I'm sure I will be fine. Plus my baby Alyssa will be here soon. She’s dying to see this place."

CHAPTER 6

     2010 Was the year when I saw this gorgeous woman at the coffee shop. Yea, the good ol' coffee shop love story, but this one is legit. I was there working on a script for the Frank the Ferret TV Pilot. I been writing these Frankie books for years at this point and a TV show was just the next step they wanted to take. So I went along with it. Money is good and Frank the Ferret takes me all over the world to share History and Nature with the children. Rather a Ferret teach kids the truth than have Creationism come in and pollute their minds.

     She was sitting across from me reading Anthem. That was one of my favorite books. I noticed she was almost done and I asked how she liked it so far.

     "It’s sad right now. Hope she gets to be with Equality." She said scrunching her nose. Fuck that killed me.

     "You know, Ayn Rand said it was more of a Poem than a Novelette. That was one of her first books before she got into her somewhat delusional philosophy." I blurted out.

     "I never heard of this author." she said... "I found it in a used bin and liked the name and thought it was a cute little book."

     She put her face back in the book, so I started tapping away on my laptop. I couldn't come up with anything useful at the time. All I could think about is how beautiful she was. Sun light came in the window from the corner of the Coffee Shop and hit her hair and seemed to set it ablaze. She was beyond blonde. Maybe she was a natural blonde but she highlighted it I assumed. Thick long hair that went down just past the shoulders. She had her hair held back with her sun glasses. Very little make-up it looked like, so she had genuine beauty. She had a dress on that had a pin-up vibe to it. Looked like she came right out the 50s. I couldn't tell for sure but she looked on the taller side, I was guessing around 5'10''. Fine by me, being 6'3'' I enjoyed taller women.

     "What are you looking at? Do I have coffee on my dress or something?" She asked with a small smile on her face.

     Fuck, she caught me looking at her chest. Kind of hard not to look though, she was well off in that department. "Sorry? I was just trying to adjust my eyes. Looking at a glowing screen for too long will get to you. Makes me see little white dots." I quickly said.

     "Mm Hmm... So I'm done with the book. Very sweet ending."

     "Yea? I knew you'd like the ending with the way you was talking. You remind me of the Golden One in the book. I love your hair. Never seen someone so blonde before." I said without thinking...

     "I just got it cut and styled before I got here."

     "Looks nice, goes with your dress. Do you mind if I come sit at your table?"

     She didn't mind and we sat there and talked for over an hour. We ended up getting some food and talked over dinner for another hour. We hit it off like I never have with anyone before. Never a dull moment. She would fold her napkin over and over while we talked, I thought it was cute. She had a love for books like I did. She worked at an old book store she use to go to when she was little. The owner was getting old and she was helping her out for a while until the old woman figured out how close up shop. Things weren't going well. People don't go to book stores anymore. It’s too easy to order something online or get an e-book. Only reason to go to a book store is to see an Author, but her shop was too small for that. No Author would go there.

     Things went pretty fast. She moved in within three months. Her two year contract for her apartment was about to expire and I was happy to have her at my place. She would cook breakfast for me every morning. She would make cakes, brownies and pies you couldn't just go out and buy. She loved to please me. That’s hard to find, so I never let her go or took her for granted. We came together so perfect it seemed like it was designed for us.

CHAPTER 7

     I was in my Study working on the new Frank Adventure when I heard the trash cans. I looked at the clock and it was 2:20 am. I got my shotgun and headed toward the kitchen. Keeping the lights out and going the same path as last time. It’s been just over a week since I observed the Sloth Bear, maybe he came back. I don't have my camera but I have this shotgun. So much for shooting a picture. This time I'll have a body for that asshole Trooper Mark.

     I slowly creep to the window and had to move the curtain slightly to get a good view. Moving slowly so I don't scare it away, I have about a five inch opening to look out of. The trash cans were knocked over and moving back and forth. There was a good amount of my trash strung out the yard. Figures, tomorrow is trash day. It wasn't long till I seen a Gaze of Raccoons come out the trash. I put my shotgun on the counter and got the broom. I’ll just go out there and scare the shit out of them so they won't come back in my territory.

     Going out the front door, I slid into the darkness and headed toward the back yard, broom in hand. They were standing outside the cans when I got to the back yard. I wanted to wait till they all were in the cans so I could bash on the cans with the broom so they get my message loud and clear. I didn't wait long until I got my wish. I put one foot in front of the other, walking on the balls of my feet. I was just about to get into the glow from my backdoor light when The Beast came from the woods. It grabbed a raccoon in each hand, put one to its mouth and tore the guts out in a single bite. Entrails hanging from its mouth and gore covering its jaw and chest, it threw the other raccoon at the gaze after breaking its neck. It ran toward the gaze and got one more as they took off. Grabbing the raccoon by its scruff, it just looked at it. That’s when it noticed me frozen in place just inside the shadows.

     Dropping the raccoon like trash, it headed my way with a slow stride. Giant arms swinging. The closer it got to me, the lower it crouched, until its knees were bent and knuckles on the ground looking right into my eyes. I knew I couldn't out run this thing, so I just stood there in shock. Only thing to do now is stand my ground and hope it doesn't tear me to bits. Its eyes were green and looked intelligent. By nature predators are intelligent, but this look it had an ego. Just like the raccoons were invading my territory, I was invading his and he was surely scaring the living shit out of me. I could smell the blood and innards of the raccoon and a strong musk coming from the Beast. This wasn't a bear. Maybe it evolved from a bear into this. The face was shorter and the eyes were facing forward. It gave me a good stare and gave out a huge puff. Stood up and towered over me, looking down it gave out a roar that sounded like ten lions. I thought I was dead for sure. Can't beat it to death with a broom. Its breath was hot and covered me with foam and raccoon blood. I stood my ground. It got back in my face and looked puzzled at me. Looking into its eyes, "You let me live, and I will be out of your hair in a few months." I said. It took a glance at my hands and seen the broom. It raised a hand off the ground, took it and threw the broom by the cans. Stood up, brushed past me and went back into the woods.

      

CHAPTER 8

     I cleaned up the mess out back, took a shower and thought about what happen tonight. I’m still here, he didn't kill me.  No need to call anyone. Only person to call was Dale, but its 3:54 am and I didn't want him to wake up from his normal time of 5 am. Fuck, I don't know how he does it. I poured me a stiff drink and sat in the study for a while. Frank the Ferret was far from my mind. Sipping this room temp. Vodka, I wondered about evolution and the natural order of things.

CHAPTER 9

     When I woke up I couldn't shake what happen the night before, so I gave Dale a call after all. He came within the hour. The door was knocking.

     "Hey Dale, come on in." I said. We went into my study where I had drinks already set up for us.

     "So, you seen it again I assume?"

     "Seen it? I fucking damn near kissed the mother fucker."

     "That close huh? I thought you'd be a puddle of gore if you came face to face with the Beast." He said with a slight smile.

     "He fucked up a Gaze of Raccoons then saw me in the shadows and wanted to say hi."

     "What were you doing in the shadows?!"

     "I wanted to scare the raccoons, listen, this thing isn't going anywhere. I’m in its territory. I asked for it to let me live and that I would be gone in a few months." I said. I gave him the full story and took a few drinks.

     "You know that Giraffe were classified as a Cryptid till 1770? Even kangaroos were on that list till 1840. People would say they see hairy people jumping around with heads coming out their stomachs. Then you have the Giant Squid, never before seen on film until 2004. Then you have the myth and legend of the Coelacanth, thought to be extinct 350 Million years ago, found swimming around a few years ago. Horseshoe Crab still walking around since the dawn of multicell organisms. This 'Sloth Bear' could be a new species." He said with a smile that made him look a teenager.

     "Whatever it is, it doesn't want anything in its territory. Alyssa will be here tomorrow, and I'm not sure if I should tell her about this or not. She doesn't even like me leaving Chinese food in the kitchen overnight, let alone keeping the secret that we have a huge Beast living in our backyard."

     "Winter is coming, you won't see it for a long time. History....."

     "Yea, history shows. But you're not living here, I am, and my future wife is. This thing is smart. It’s not just an animal." I explained.

     "If it didn't kill you, it must think of you as an equal. You didn't back down when it got in your face. So maybe it respects you."

     We drank our drinks and talked about the history of this beast till the moon came up.

CHAPTER 10

     Alyssa came the next night. We were sitting in the kitchen having a few drinks and eating junk food when I heard some low rumbles outside. My heart skipped a beat and told her to wait in the Study. I looked outside and seen it was only a Black Bear. Yea, ONLY a black bear. Most people would shit themselves if they see a black bear in the back yard.

     "What is it, baby?" she asked.

     "Oh it's just a black bear. They are getting ready to hibernate, so they are just looking for food."

     "As long as they stay outside, I'm okay with that." she said.

     We were cuddled up on the couch when we heard horrible screams from out back. I jumped up and checked it out. The black bear I seen earlier was on its back with its guts all over the place.

     "Stay right there baby, don't move!" I screamed.

     Fuck, this thing isn't leaving. I HAD to call Dale on this one.  My woman is here, I can't chance this.

     "Dale, I got some fucked up shit going on here. I need you here right now!"

     I heard the knock at the door, but Alyssa got to the door before I could.

     "Hello Ma'am, I am Trooper Mark."

     Fuck, Dale got Mark into this shit. "Dale, what is he doing here?" I whispered.

     "I can't come here alone on these kind of calls. You called the Department, not my home phone, ya know."

     I didn't even realize at the time that I called the office number, I was scared out of my mind to see something that big tore apart in my back yard.

     "There is a black bear with its guts out in our backyard." Alyssa said

     "Maybe the Boogeyman did it." Trooper Mark said.

     He walked through the kitchen and out the back door. I looked out the window and seen the flashlight beam sweeping the grounds.

     "Baby, stay inside. Dale and I are going to step outside and see what's going on." I said.

     We went outside and met up with Mark. He had a stupid little smirk on his face when he looked at me. Spent like ten minutes mocking me about the boogeyman.

     "You know what, asshole? You don't live here, I do, and I know what I saw. Tell em, Dale."

     Dale didn't want me to bring that up, so I didn't push it. I looked over Dale's shoulder and seen Alyssa right outside the door.

     ''Alyssa, get back in the house! It's not safe out here."

     ''Yea, listen to him, darling." Mark said.

     "You don't worry about her. Worry about cleaning this fucking bear up and get the fuck off my land." I shouted.

     Mark got right in my face and punched me in the gut. I look at Dale and he is froze in place looking toward the woods. I heard that loud roar and felt a small earthquake. Mark was lifted up by the Beast and thrown toward the shed.

     I called out to Alyssa to get back in the house. I watched her fall, hit her head and get knocked out cold. At least she is by the house and not in the open, I thought.

     Dale started to run and I told him not to move. The Beast headed toward Mark. Fur standing on end making it look twice as big as it already was. Mark got about five shots off before getting his throat ripped out. For good measure the Beast tore his chest open with its hands and pulled out his insides.

     "What the fuck are we going to do, Fletch?!" Dale screamed.

     The Beast snapped his head back at Dale and dashed toward him. Slammed him to the ground and hovered over him, smelling Dale.

  "Dale don't move an inch. I don't think it will harm you if you're not a threat." I said softly

     I looked toward Alyssa and seen she was starting to move. I hope she doesn't wake, she'll be dead for sure.

     I took a few steps toward the Beast. "Calm down, calm down, calm down." I kept saying to myself, but seemed to put the Beast at ease. Its fur back to normal, it stood up and gave me a look as to see if I was okay. I think it was protecting me. It was covered in mostly Mark's blood but I knew all five shots hit him. He groaned a few times while walking the grounds. It doubled back by Mark, checked out Alyssa then went back into the woods.

  

CHAPTER 11

    Writing this from a hotel room isn't as bad as it sounds. We couldn't wait to get out of there. Not sure what we are going to do with the Cottage. Dale said he will keep an eye out for it after he heals. He has a rod in his leg and some plates and screws in his arm. We'll sit here for a week or so to "lick our wounds" till we figure out where to go. We told Alyssa it was an alfa Grizzly that did the damage. Guess I have some fuel for my novel now.

The End