Neil forged forth, into this strange, uncharted land that was cloaked in darkness. He held his flashlight before him, and the beam of yellow that it generated wobbled about, glancing off of gnarly stumps and great trees. There were moss-covered barks, and dangling vines, and pools of swamp water that burped with dank, dark bubbles.
"We're deep in it now," he murmured to himself.
And yet, he was certain that answers lay just around the next bend. Answers that would be theirs, if they could just press on, as Nibbler so fearlessly did.
Neil vaguely became aware that the air itself had changed. It smelled of a different quality? it was thicker, and murkier, and wetter. They had gone from a forest environment to that of a swamp. He could smell the mud and the sogginess in his nose.
And then, there came a smell that was even? stranger. Stranger, yes. But Neil could not describe it as unfamiliar. For it was familiar. He had smelled it before.
There came a new breeze, independent of the cool wind that had swept through the forest this night. Unlike that cool wind, it was warm. It was a bizarre, organic current, carrying upon it the scent that triggered in Neil's memory the sensation he had earlier experienced in the evening, when playing in centerfield.
The breeze was like the warm breath of a beast, exhaled and carrying an indefinable essence. It was a little like moss, and like something that had perhaps not yet even been discovered on this earth.
It was but a moment later that this strange breeze was complimented by the appearance of something that brought Neil to a dead stop in his tracks.
Likewise, Nibbler had pulled up short. His paws dug into the swampy earth, entrenched in mud and weeds. His ears lay flat against his head. And most alarmingly of all, he had begun to growl, deep in his barrel chest. Those who knew the Labradoodle knew that he did not growl. He was as friendly as a dog could possibly be.
But now, he rumbled with a low, warning noise. The fur on his back raised in tufted spikes (at least, as much so as his strange coat could allow for). And what, wondered the Beans, could cause their beloved Nibbler to react in such a way?
Something big. Something bad.
On the heels of Nibbler, Neil had come to a stop with an equal abruptness. And his focus was drawn to a pair of orbs, glowing with a green, radiant light. Those orbs narrowed, and seemed to focus upon him, like eyes. But they were far too high off of the ground to be eyes... Weren't they?
The green orbs came closer. As they came, they briefly disappeared, but then were back, as bright as ever. Neil realized that they had blinked. They were eyes. And now, he could see definition within? there were pupils, and they were focusing on him.
But what on earth could have eyes that towered above the ground at such a height? And what on earth could possibly have green eyes, glowing in the darkness, as if afire with some inner fury?
As the eyes came closer, they were accompanied by a sound that Neil recognized all too well. And at this point, my astute reader, you surely recognize the sound just as easily as Neil did. For it was this: Rustle-rustle-rush-crush. Rustle-rustle-rush-crush.
But this time, the sound was much louder than when Neil had heard it in centerfield. And it was much clearer, for he was closer to the source. He could hear the brush being swept aside at the passage of this enormous beast. He could hear the popping of branches and boughs as they were snapped with nary a thought by this passing creature. The trees themselves bent before its presence.
Rustle-rustle-rush-crush.
Drawing closer, expelling before it the warm wind of mossy breath. Its strange eyes glowing with green fire, fixed upon Neil.
RUSTLE-RUSTLE-RUSH-CRUSH.
Neil stood before the approaching beast, frozen and transfixed by its presence. He had thought that it was something big, but he had underestimated it. The word big did not even begin to describe it. This thing was humongous.
The dark silhouette of the thing was awe-inspiring. It was a towering, terrifying entity. It was the very silhouette of doom.
It immediately became clear that whatever this beast might be, it was not an escaped circus animal. Considerable though Neil's imagination might have been, it was unlike anything he had ever before seen or dreamed of. And there was not a single thing inside of the bag of supplies that could help the Beans, least of all the net, which now seemed silly and useless.
The truth had become painfully obvious. The Beans were in way? way? over their heads.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Run? Run for Your Very Life
Jack, Sara, and Maria had caught up to Neil, and now the group of them stood together, collectively staring in wonder and horror at the approaching beast. They could not even raise their flashlights to illuminate its form, for they had been dumbstruck by its awesome presence.
It came closer, much of its features draped in shadow and darkness, pushing aside the brush and the branches that stood before it. Coming closer? toward them.
Suddenly, the fishermen's net seemed terribly, ridiculously inadequate. Jack let it fall from his hands to the marshy ground below. His flashlight joined it. His fingers, it seemed, no longer worked as they should. They had gone numb, and lacked feeling. Like his friends, he could only stare in awe at the approaching silhouette of the unknown beast. They were almost hypnotized by its presence, forgetting all else in the world.
It took everything within Neil to break his paralysis. Tearing his eyes from the approaching horror, he turned to his friends. "Run!" he shouted. "Run for your very lives!"
It did the trick. As one, the four of them turned on their heels and began sprinting. They ran hard, ran from this thing that they had so eagerly tracked down.
With their legs and arms pumping, their flashlights shook like crazy. The beams of light that they generated seemed sorely lacking, as the children ran through this darkened swamp and forest. There were countless pitfalls and roots to trip and ensnare, and the Beans struggled to retain their balance and their footing.
They had not gone far when Jack called out for his dog. "Nibbler!"
Neil pulled to a stop, and looked back. Nibbler had stayed behind, to give the Beans time to escape. He was the bravest of Labradoodles, the very noblest of dogs. He stood with his hackles raised, growling and barking at the approaching beast, which seemed to outweigh him by an astronomical sum. In his panic, Neil had almost forgotten about him.
Jack grabbed Neil by the shoulder. "We can't leave him behind!"
"Of course not!" Neil agreed.
They did not even need to think about it. Nibbler was not just a pet, but also their friend, and they would not leave him behind. Jack had dropped his flashlight earlier, and would need Neil's help if he were to go back for the dog. Sara and Maria also reversed direction, and joined the boys.
"Come on, let's go get him!" Sara shouted.
They ran back to where Nibbler was making his stand, growling and barking. The silhouette of the beast loomed ever closer, drawing in upon the Labradoodle, who bravely stood his ground, refusing to give an inch.
RUSTLE-RUSTLE-RUSH-CRUSH.
Jack called to him, but Nibbler would not abandon his station. He had no choice but to run forward, and grab his dog by the collar. While he did so, Neil, Sara, and Maria tried their best to provide a distraction.
Behaving like a troop of crazed spider-monkeys, they jumped up and down, waving their arms and screaming wildly. They had once been told in school that this was something you could do to chase off a bear, should you run into one in the woods. Whatever they had met, it most certainly was not a bear, but they hoped their efforts would work.
At the feel of Jack's hand on his collar, Nibbler finally turned. Uttering a final woof, he spun about, and joined the Beans as they once more fled.
Unfortunately, the antics of the leaping, shouting Beans did nothing to chase off the beast. It had come closer still, and was nearly on top of them at this point. Just before he turned his back on it to flee, Neil saw the final screen of branches and vines parting, as they were
forcefully pushed aside. And through that wall of brush, he saw a hand burst through.
Surely, Neil thought, his eyes must be playing tricks on him. Surely, his panicked mind was causing him to see things that were not quite there, further distorted by the darkness and moonlight. For that hand was strange, and monstrous in proportion.
Because monsters were for the movies. They did not exist in real life... Did they?
But what if, he wondered? His imagination was running wild, running like his feet. What if?
The Beans ran. They ran as if their very lives depended on it. And judging from what they had already seen and heard, they were pretty certain that was actually the case.
The beast was in pursuit. The roles had been reversed. No longer were the Beans tracking it? it was now following them. They could hear it behind them, closing the gap, pushing aside any obstacles that stood before it. RUSTLE-RUSTLE-RUSH-CRUSH.
But as fast as they ran (or tried to run) the swampy terrain slowed them down. Their sneakers became bogged down in the marshy goop as they misplaced their steps. They were in far too much of a rush to look carefully before each step. Their shoes were filled with muddy water, and their jeans were soaked up to the knees.
And they could hear something else, growing ever closer. Something like thunder, or the beating of a jungle drum. Thoom-thoom-thoom. Like the footsteps of a giant. A hungry giant.
Neil's sore ribs were taking a toll on him. He was starting to slow down, falling behind. Clutching at his ribcage, he felt his side burning. His breath was hard to come by. He wheezed for air, and was beginning to feel dizzy. The others also slowed, so as not to leave him behind. Nibbler woofed encouragement.
"Go on," Neil gasped. His hand was pressed against his aching side. "Go! I'll be fine."
"Not a chance," Jack told him.
He grabbed Neil under one arm to support him, and Sara grabbed him under the other. Together, they helped him along, with Maria and Nibbler bringing up the rear of their group.
Together, they fled from the pursuing beast. Behind them, they heard the noises, drawing closer. RUSTLE-RUSTLE-RUSH-CRUSH, accompanied by the thunderous footsteps: THOOM-THOOM-THOOM.
The Beans moved as fast as they possibly could, but escape seemed hopeless. Slowed by the uncharted terrain, they were undoubtedly losing ground to whatever horrible thing crashed through the woods behind them.
Plunging through a veil of brush, the Beans fell into a swampy area. Muck filled their shoes, and they stumbled forward. To their dismay, they saw that there lay before them a semicircle of thick trees, and a webbing of vines was strung between them. It effectively created a barrier, one that they could not pass.
In desperation, they edged as close to the wall of trees and vines as possible, helping Neil along. But once they had reached it, they found that it was indeed an impenetrable barrier. The semicircle was too wide for them to bypass, and the beast was too close behind.
RUSTLE-RUSTLE-RUSH-CRUSH.
Slowed by the boggy water, the Beans turned as they heard the snapping of tree limbs behind them, closer on their heels. They huddled together, holding each other in awe and terror. Nibbler bravely stood before them, barking at the fearsome creature.
With a final lunge, the beast burst into the clearing, revealing itself to the Beans. Its physical appearance went beyond anything they could have imagined. It was, in fact, something that went beyond the comprehension of any person's mind, for it existed in a realm unknown by humankind.
Neil, Jack, Sara, and Maria could only stand and tremble, paralyzed with fear. The beast opened its enormous mouth, and it loosed an ear-splitting bellow that shook the very clothes on their backs, and the bones in their bodies.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Behold the Beast
The Beans huddled together, staring up at the towering creature before them. They shook with fear at the sight of it, and at the blood-curdling roar that it loosed from its lungs. It was not an escaped circus animal. That much had become painfully clear.
It was a monster? There could be no doubt of it.
The beast stood upright and on two legs? like a man? but it was clearly no man. It was gigantic in stature. Its height was far greater than even the tallest of human beings. Its shoulders were vast, and incredibly broad, and seemed capable of hefting the very weight of the world.
Its hands were huge, powerful, and gnarled with what looked like tree roots at the backs of the knuckles. As the beast bellowed, those huge hands curled into fists at its sides, resembling wrecking balls that could devastate whatsoever they struck.
The arms of the creature were (quite literally) the size of tree trunks. Bulging with heavy muscles, they flexed and contracted, expanding to a tremendous breadth. Thick veins pulsed throughout those muscled, massive arms.
There were so many veins, they looked like a map of roads, networking throughout the forearms and biceps and triceps, traveling into the shoulders and chest of the beast. They glowed with a strange, green blood that was visible against the tightly stretched skin.
Like tributaries toward a river, the veins gathered at the chest of this colossal monster, feeding the massive heart that beat within its chest. As it bellowed its furious cry, the arteries at its neck (which was the size of a tree stump) became clear, pressing against its strange flesh.
And the flesh of this monster was very strange, indeed. Its entire body was covered with what seemed to be a brownish-greenish, mottled skin, layered with vines and moss and foliage. There was undoubtedly a botanical quality to the beast. In a few spots on its body, there were even sprouting flowers, lending a contrasting amount of blue and yellow color to its form.
As for the head of the beast, it was a curious thing. Long tendrils that looked like green vines ran from the peak of its gnarled cranium, down the back of its broad neck. They created the appearance of plant-like dreadlocks of hair.
A furrowed brow protected those large, green orbs that were the eyes of the beast. They were narrowed with what seemed a tremendous, animalistic fury, and focused upon the Beans. The pupils sparkled with an incredible, rich color of deepest green, visible even in the night. And furthermore, the eyes held what seemed to be an undeniable intelligence, on par with that of a human being? or perhaps even beyond that of a human being.
Beneath an expansive nose, there was a huge and hideous mouth. It nearly seemed to be on hinges, so widely had it opened to unleash its roar. Inside of this cavernous mouth, craggy teeth shimmered with a slimy layer of saliva. A green tongue shook between the teeth, quivering with the vibration of the bellow.
Paralyzed with fear, the Beans seized one another in panic. "Gaaaaahhhhhh!" they collectively screamed.
But the noise they produced was insignificant, compared to that of the monster before them. Their scream was drowned by its primal, bone-shaking bellow: "GROOOOOOOOAAAARRRRRR!!!"
At long last, as the Beans stood trembling, the bellow of the beast began to decrease in volume. It finally trailed off into a strange, rasping sound. The creature leaned forward, placing its hands on its knees, and seemed to be sputtering for air.
It soon became clear to the Beans that this fearsome beast was coughing. This would have surely been an ideal opportunity to attempt an escape, but the Beans were simply too awed to flee. They remained rooted to the spot, staring at the monster in fear, and wonder, and curiosity.
After some further coughing, the beast finally stood upright, breathing deeply and sighing. And then, with what struck them as the strangest development yet, the beast opened its mouth? and spoke.
"Welcome, little ones. I have been waiting for you."
Chapter Thirty
Friends of the Forest
"Sorry about all that noise," the beast said. "It seems I had something stuck in my throat. You caught me a bit off guard, you see, and I was in the middle of a midnight snack. Something must have gone down the wrong pipe."
"Gobstoppers!" Jack cried, pointing up at beast. "It speaks! It speaks!"
"It speaks!" Neil agreed wholeheartedly, as he leaned upon his friends. They were quite shocked with the development.
The monster took a step forward. His massive foot created a great splash in the swamp water, causing the Beans to flinch in alarm. Bending his huge body somewhat, he leaned in closer to the children.
He offered them a tremendous smile, and although his mouth was filled with craggy teeth, he no longer looked quite so terrifying when he engaged in this friendly gesture. At this distance, the Beans could quite clearly smell his strange, mossy breath, washing over them like a warm wind.
"Bwahahahaha!" the beast chuckled. His laughter was like a bass drum, reverberating within the hollowed trunk of an enormous tree. "I apologize, little ones. It seems that I must have given you quite a start, eh? You thought that was a war-cry or something, did you?"
"It certainly crossed my mind," Maria admitted. "You seemed awfully upset, you know."
"Not at all! Just clearing my throat. I tried to welcome you, when you arrived at my home, but you took off so quickly. I had to chase after you in order to catch up to you, and? I say, you're awfully fleet of foot, aren't you, little ones? I had quite the time catching up."
"You don't intend to eat us, then?" Sara asked.
The beast rumbled with his great, cavernous laughter once more. "Bwahahahaha! Eat you? I should say not. How wonderfully imaginative. Nope, plants and berries are mostly what I eat."
At this close distance, the Beans were granted a much better view of the monster's features. Upon further inspection, it became clear that the many teeth of the creature had flat biting surfaces. It seemed that the beast was indeed an herbivore, not a carnivore. Though this was some consolation to the frightened Beans, the sheer size of the monster was still enough to awe and intimidate them.
It put their minds somewhat at ease, however, that Nibbler had begun to warm up to the beast. He had meandered forward, curiously sniffing about the creature's ankles, his tail wagging furiously. This was certainly a good sign, for the Labradoodle was an excellent judge of character.
"Well, I'll be gob-smacked? We've discovered Bigfoot!" Jack declared.
"And he speaks!" Neil added.
"Bigfoot! Goodness, no. Bwahahahaha!" The beast once more heaved with chuckles. He rubbed his gnarled knuckles across his green eyes, wiping away plump tears of laughter. "No, no. The one your kind call Bigfoot is my tiny cousin, protector of the lands far south of here. Though distantly related, there is little resemblance between the two of us, though our purpose is largely the same. I say, he would get quite a chuckle from such mistaken identity!"
The Green Beans, Volume 1: The Mystery of Hollow Oak Page 9
