by Paul Sating
He laughed. "Trust me, I can't believe it either."
Maria continued flicking through the pictures as they sat together on her parents’ couch, like they had all those years ago when they'd started dating. She had seen some of them a few times already but kept flipping through them, fixated on what she was looking at. "What was it like? To walk away from them after being that close?
"Well, I mean, I didn't exactly walk away," his mind drifted back to that mountainside; him and the female Sasquatch, staring at each other, measuring the other’s intentions. "I was threatened ... growled at ...the big one started beating its chest. It wasn't exactly a pleasant exchange. But it was more a matter of them letting me go than it was me walking away." Even now, having had hours of hiking and driving to think about it, he couldn't form the correct words. "I guess they knew I wasn't a threat to them but that didn't mean they wanted me around. I didn't belong."
She squeezed his hand with her one free hand. "I'm glad those monsters didn't hurt you."
"That's the thing. They're not monsters," Jared countered. "You should have seen the pain and sorrow they felt at losing one of their own. They were hurting and they still didn't do anything to me when they could have. They could have killed me, yet they let me go. I thought about it the entire hike back. What does that say about them?"
"What do you mean?"
"Those behaviors, that entire experience. Those Sasquatch showed an implausible value for life," Jared felt it, that connection with them, established when he witnessed their mourning. Somewhere, deep within him, he knew it was last long beyond the moment the female Sasquatch set him back on his feet, took one last look at him, and turned away to rejoin her herd. "How many people would have been driven by rage or hatred or revenge in that same situation? Yet these animals weren't. It was so beautiful."
Maria shook her head, still flipping through picture after picture. "They couldn't have known you were the one who shot. Don't you think you might be giving them a little bit too much credit?"
"Maybe, maybe not," he shrugged, "but that doesn't change the fact that in the middle of their pain they were threatened by an outsider and they responded with understanding and patience and compassion for life, even when they didn't have to. I think there's something to be learned from that."
"I get that," Maria smiled, setting the camera on the coffee table next to a stack of her mother's yellowing Good Housekeeping magazines, and leaning over and wrapping her arms behind Jared's neck. "Come here."
The kiss was light. Tender. Warm. Electric.
He'd never been so glad that her parents spent so much time at their church as he was now.
Maria pulled away but didn't let go. "Yeah, now that's nice," she said, biting her lower lip. "So does this mean I get my husband all to myself?"
Jared locked his arms around her waist and kissed her again before answering. The jolt of passion surged through him and he found himself regretting that he didn't ask Maria to make the three-hour drive home so they could have this moment together there, alone. Or at least an hourly hotel. "You better believe it. Want to take bets on how long it'll be before you get sick of me?"
"Not going to happen, mister. Plus, I figure after a month you'll be raring to get back out there and finish all this."
A dark cloud hung over him before he blew it away. There was no place for that in his life. Not anymore. "No. No, I won't."
But Maria's reaction wasn't what he expected. Her brow furrowed and she didn't let go of him but her grip did loosen. "Jared, you're so close. You have so much hard evidence. And you know where they are. You've got everything you need to prove Bigfoot exists. You'll change the world!"
"No," he replied. "I'm done. I'm burning it all. The papers. The casts. The pictures and video."
"But—"
Jared reached up and stroked her cheek, her lovely, soft cheek, with the back of his hand. "I meant what I said, babe. I'm done. And I don't want to play any part in someone else finding them. They'll have to do it completely on their own."
Now he let go of her and leaned against the back of the couch. God, I'm exhausted. "Those animals, they're enchanting," he turned to smile at her. There was worry in her eyes, but there was something else there too. Excitement? Hope? "There's nothing to be gained from continuing this. We don't belong there; that's their realm, their small corner of the world. Why not let them have it? This isn't our dominion to invade as we see fit. We share it with millions of other species. Natives understood that even hundreds of years ago, and somewhere along the road that got lost. There's something special about a reclusive species peacefully enjoying their lives in their natural habitat, living off what the land provides and not abusing it for their own gain. They don't intrude on us and they're not aggressive toward us. They just ..."
"Live?" Maria finished for him.
He closed his eyes and smiled, seeing that Sasquatch's face. She wanted to live. She wanted her loved one to live. Tears formed in the outside corners of his eyes. "Exactly." He swallowed back the cry he didn't want her hearing. Throughout this journey, he'd grown a lot but he still had a lot more growing to do. And now you have the time and focus to do it for yourself ... for her. He sat forward, grabbing her hands, bobbing them once. "It may be simplistic; it may be me romanticizing what I saw, but I've got an appreciation I never had before. I sort of envy them."
"Yeah, well, you might not have that romantic, simple life, but you've got me."
Jared smiled as Maria let go of his hands and leaned into him, pushing both of them back into the couch, her head on his. He pressed his nose against her hair, taking a deep smell. God, I love the way she smells.
"And that's exactly what I want," his eyes closed, smelling. Touching. "Nothing more." Then he paused, feeling like a sarcastic teenager again. "Well, maybe a job."
"Yeah, an actual second paycheck would be nice," she laughed from down on his chest.
"Oh, we've got jokes, do we?" he reached under her arm and tickled her. "Come here."
Maria spun, almost pinning his wrist under her. Maria was now on her back. She squirmed and pinned her arms to her side so he couldn’t tickle her, laughing. Jared stopped and took in the sight of her. Happy.
She relaxed when she realized the torture was over, blinked once and, even though the laughing had ceased, her smile hadn't disappeared. "It's good to see that smile again. It's been a long time."
"Yeah," he traced her eyebrow, "it has."
She fidgeted, getting comfortable, and locked her hands together over her stomach. "I can't believe it's all over."
Jared's fingers stopped tracing her face. "Well, almost."
Maria shot up, worry etched on her face in an instant. "What do you mean, 'almost'?"
He had no right to fault her; this was a reaction he'd created. Even though she was responsible for how she reacted to the world around her, that didn't change the fact that he'd constructed this context for her and it was going to take time to undo, a lot of time, but time he now had. "There's one more thing I've got to do."
"But you said—" Maria's happiness began to crumble. He took her hand in his.
"A quick phone call, babe. Nothing more."
She squeezed apprehensively. "Promise?"
He nodded before leaning in and kissing her cheek. "I promise," he whispered. Then he stood up and wiped his now sweaty hands on his pant legs.
Now or never.
"I'll be right back," he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and stepped outside.
The sun was bright and warm. His heart thumped in his chest as he unlocked the screen and dialed the number that had been left in a voicemail he received after coming out of the mountains. Roger’s number. His thumb paused over the SEND button. Could he do this? Would he say something dumb? Now and tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after that. He had to sell it to make this work.
And the sell started with a phone call to the last person on the planet he wanted to talk to.
Jared pa
ced the sidewalk in front of the house where the woman he loved had grown up. Where she sat inside, waiting on him, so they could get on with their lives.
Ring.
Ring.
On the third ring Roger. "Ah, Mr. Strong. A pleasant surprise. How can I help you?"
Jared's pulse galloped at the vexing voice on the other end but he forced himself to remain level, calm. "I wanted to let you know that you win. I'm done." Silence greeted his comment. Jared waited.
When Roger spoke again it was in a measured, practiced tone and rhythm of a man who'd made millions by getting other people to do what he wanted them to. This was a man who probably spent the better part of every day perfecting the fabrication that he was. "What do you mean? Are you giving up?"
Jared noted the joy in Roger's voice. He'd let the man have this win if that's what it took. If it meant that this man and his goons would leave him and Maria alone then these next few minutes, this effort, was well worth it. "Yeah," he said. Truthfully.
"You've made me a happy man, Mr. Strong." It was the last thing Jared cared about.
"Yeah, well, anyways. It's all yours." Jared pulled the phone away, his thumb drifting to the END button when he heard Roger's voice, this time with a hint of the loss of control added. Jared smiled. It was working.
"Wait!" Roger rushed. "Don't hang up. Don't you want to talk about our arrangement?"
"There's no arrangement," Jared finally answered. Stay with it. You've got to sell this.
"I thought you said—"
"There's nothing to hand over to you that you don't already have and I'm pretty sure you're not the type of man who pays people for nothing. I've got nothing to give you so I don't expect anything from you."
"Mr. Strong, come now. Part of the deal was that you were to hand over any information we didn't already have. You're not reneging on the deal, are you?"
Jared could feel Roger's frustration rising, it was there, in his voice. This made him almost as happy as the prospect of spending the rest of his life, starting at the end of this phone call, with Maria. "See, that's the thing. There's nothing to give you because there's nothing there. I've spent the last twenty years of my life chasing legends."
The lie was effortless. It should; he'd practiced it over and over on the drive to see his wife. This was serious, the moment he delivered on his responsibility to those wonderful animals. It was the moment he repaid his debt to them. He would change the fate of an entire species, at least until humanity overstepped common sense and good stewardship and finally invaded even the deepest reaches of the Olympic range. But by then the human race would be so far beyond help nothing would change anyway. We're already on the course to self-destruction and there are going to be casualties, a lot of them. But those animals, those beautiful, peaceful beings, I'm going to do my part in giving them as much time as I can. He was actually quite proud of himself. "A little bit of unsolicited advice?" he offered over the silence. "You'd do well to invest your money somewhere else."
Roger's reply was hot, loaded with venom. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying Bigfoot doesn't exist."
Epilogue
Four Decades Later
"Jared Strong was a Bigfoot hunter," the widow, Maria Strong, said to the gathered throng of lifelong friends and family. "He was a loving husband and he was a great father." Her elderly voice, a voice that had formed millions of words over her long life, finally cracked under the weight of the moment. She paused to draw a deep breath, taking strength in the angelic faces of her daughter and son, Jared's daughter and son, their spouses, and the six grandchildren they had blessed them with. In those faces, her resolution grew. "And he was a passionate researcher."
She looked around the atrium, amazed that this was because of him. Her heart swelled with prideful joy. His legacy would live on, long after today, long after she was gone. "He would have been honored to have this new wing for scientific research named after him," she smiled through tears she swore she wouldn't cry. "But," she wagged a playful finger at the two hundred elementary school children filling the ample space, "he would also tell you that your journey doesn't stop here. It doesn't stop at the first roadblock or the first challenge you face. It doesn't stop when someone tells you to go no further. You have a responsibility, to the gift you've been given and to the people who will come after you, to keep pushing on, searching and exploring. If he were standing here he would tell you that there are a million questions we don't have answers to and only science can provide them. Each one of you is a torch that will not only eradicate the darkness of ignorance but a torch the rest of us can follow toward enlightenment. Jared would tell you, as surely as I'm standing in front of you, to never let anyone extinguish your flame."
The atrium exploded in applause from excited children and their proud parents. Maria Strong, seventy-five years old, swooned. The excitement of the day, the memory of her husband who had died five years prior, as a grouchy-but-loveable man who finally found his own way through life, was too much for her. As always, her son and daughter were there to support her.
"Come on, Mom," Kessi said, holding Maria's hands, "let's get you home."
"Yeah," Adam smiled at her side, his arm around her waist, "it's been a long day."
They led her to the entrance, the crowd splitting apart to allow them through. Kessi and Adam smiled at the children, reassuring them that Mrs. Strong was okay, she was just tired. Reassured, they went to explore the new research wing of the school the family had paid for, in accordance with Jared's wishes.
At the entrance, Maria squeezed her children's hands and the entire family turned as one to take in the majestic beauty of the domed ceiling, with the large windows that extended the full height of the second level to allow in as much of the Pacific Northwest sun as nature would bless them with.
"Dad would be proud," Kessi whispered.
"I know, honey," Maria agreed, a tear trickling down her cheek.
Adam was there to wipe it away.
"Promise me you'll bring my grandchildren here often," Maria hated sounding like she was begging.
Kessi squeezed her hand and Adam hugged her. "Of course," Adam assured her. "We'll come all the time, I promise."
Maria smiled without taking her eyes off that domed roof ... and that single beam of sunlight that shone through it, striking the opposite wall. I love you and miss you, Jared Strong, Maria sniffled.
Adam made to wipe her tears again but she playfully swatted his hand away. "Let's go," she said to her grandchildren. "I'm hungry. How about you all? Looks like you haven't eaten in weeks."
Together, one happy, close family, the Strongs walked out into the day, leaving the Jared R. Strong Memorial Science and Research Center to the hundreds of children exploring it.
The children who were the future of the species.
END
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This novel was an adapted work from the first season of the author’s audio drama, “Subject: Found.” If you’d like to listen to the thrilling, fully-produced drama, you can subscribe at on the website, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Spotify, the RSS feed, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
About The Author
Paul Sating is an author and audio dramatist, and self-professed coolest dad on the planet, hailing from the Pacific Northwest of the United States. At the end of his military career, he decided to reconnect with his first love (that wouldn’t get him in trouble with his wife) and once again picked up the pen. Four years on, he has numerous novels release or in the works and hundreds of thousands of downloads of his fiction & nonfiction podcasts.
When he’s not working on stories, you can find him talking to himself in his backyard working on failed landscaping projects or hiking around the gorgeous Olympic Peninsula. He is married to the
patient and wonderful, Madeline & has two daughters—thus the reason for his follicle challenges.
Acknowledgments
This book was a Bucket List item for me, burning in my gut since I was 8. And it wouldn’t have been possible without the love, support, and help of the following people.
First and foremost, my incredible wife, Madeline. There is no more powerful force in the universe than you. Thank you for always standing by me, believing in me, and lifting me up when I insisted on kicking myself down.
My daughters, Alex and Nikki, for always watching me and keeping the pressure on, to make sure I set the right example for you, in the best and only way I knew how. I’m the luckiest father on this rock.
Kevin Baker. Because of you, this book exists. It’s as simple as it is powerful. Thank you for changing my life! Never doubt that you have.
To every single Patron of my audio dramas. Without your constant support I couldn’t have done what I did. I wouldn’t have believed that people wanted to hear the stories I had to share had you not been there for me, month after month, sending those encouraging messages, getting excited about what I was excited about, and providing the support I needed to be able to do this in the first place. To Brent Moody, Kevin Baker, Ian Truman-Mason, Alain, Elsa Howarth, James Marlee, Claudia Elvish, Nate Vanilla-Warford, Zane Desjarlais, Genesis Murray, Adam Burke, Cynthia Waddill, Morgan Barber, Dan Foytik, Shelley Perrin, Dohai, Sylvia Lynn, PB Sebastian, Sarah Werner, Philip Flynt, Anthony Dallape, Matthew Eckermann, Brian Tapia, Sandy Smith, Stacey Holbrook, Glen Collins, Raymond Camper, Cheyenne Bramwell, Patrick Monroe, Robert Chauncey, Sam Mercer, Erin Karper, T Jane, Jon Grilz, and Ryan Bayer, thank you for your never-ceasing, always-awesome support!
To Mom. Thanks for ‘hatching’ me! We’ve come a long way and I’ve enjoyed these steps we’ve taken together.
