by D. S. Elstad
It seemed as though Quinn was Bram’s regular interpreter. Watching him sign for Bram was amazing. He would speak the words while he signed them, sometimes with sound, sometimes silently mouthing the word without actually saying it. At times Bram seemed to be correcting Quinn and laughing, like Quinn had completely signed the wrong word or misspelled it or something.
After about half an hour or so I started feeling restless, wondering if I would get a chance to speak to Quinn and Kelleigh again about Grandma. I was happy to be here with them all, but my thoughts kept returning to the conversation at Uncle Eagan’s house.
“Willow’s mum is a Native American,” Kelleigh informed the group.
“Really?” Melissa sat up. This seemed to pique her interest.
“Yeah, she’s Lakota,” I added, looking to see how Quinn would interpret that word. I couldn’t make out a single sign but a series which led me to believe he had spelled out the word, Lakota. I remembered learning the alphabet in sign language when I was in first grade and what Quinn had done looked similar.
“Ah, so cool… so then you’re part Native American too!” Melissa’s face lit up. She was really impressed with the fact that Mom and I were Native.
“Duh, Melissa, of course if her mom’s Native American so is she,” teased Quinn. Melissa hit him square on the head with a pillow. That started a huge pillow fight. They were laughing uncontrollably and pillows were flying everywhere so I backed out of the way.
“Oh no you don’t,” cried Kelleigh as she pelted me with a long rectangular pillow.
My face stung but I didn’t care; I was happy to blow off some steam. I got Kelleigh back with an overstuffed red pillow with a hard leather backing. She jumped up reaching for a cushion from the couch. I stood, trying to get out of the way, when I backed up right into Bram. He grabbed my shoulders and leaned me to the left just in time to avoid getting smacked in the face with the cushion. I looked up at him, “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” he said smiling down at me, his brown eyes holding my stare. Before we knew it pillows were flying this way and that. Bram dodged a few but one finally caught him off guard and sent him tumbling to the floor. He sat there laughing until Quinn’s voice broke through the commotion, “Quiet down, I’ve got a call.”
Everyone froze as if we had all just been hit by a rush of arctic wind. Quinn put his fingers to his lips motioning for us to be quiet. “Sure Grandpa, Kelleigh and the gang are here right now. We can go out and look around for you.” He nodded his head as he spoke. “Ok Grandpa, we’ll be right over.”
“What’s that all about, Quinn?” wondered Kelleigh as she threw the pillow she was holding to the ground.
“It’s Grandpa, he was driving home from the Nelsons when Cryer jumped out of his truck. She ran towards the park. He’s worried ‘cause it’s dark and was wondering if we could come help him search for her.”
I wondered out loud, “Cryer?”
“Grandpa’s dog,” Kelleigh answered.
“We can help too,” added Bram, looking to Melissa and Sinead. “Sure,” they both nodded and agreed.
“I’ll take you back to the hotel, Willow,” said Kelleigh grabbing her purse and keys.
“You don’t have to do that, I’d like to help,” I answered. I wasn’t ready to go back yet; still so many things I wanted to talk to them about.
“I suppose it’s ok,” said Kelleigh. We all grabbed our coats and made our way to the car. Fitting six people into Kelleigh’s little car was comical, especially with Bram’s long legs. The ride took about ten minutes and my arm was tingling from being trapped behind Sinead. Soon enough we pulled up to Uncle Eagan’s house. He was standing at his truck smoking a pipe and talking to Meriel. He waved as Kelleigh’s headlights hit him face on.
“Thank you for coming to help, children; you know how I am about that mutt.” Uncle Eagan turned his pipe over and let the embers fall to the ground then snuffed them with his shoe. He looked up and smiled, “Willow, you’re here, darlin’?”
“We were just introducing her to some of our friends,” replied Quinn.
“Ah, now I’ve interrupted your fun, haven’t I?” he lamented, folding his arms across his chest.
“Not at all, Grandpa.” Kelleigh drew near her grandfather and took hold of his arm. “Where did she jump out of the truck?”
“Down by the park. I’ll drive over there; you follow me,” he responded, taking hold of Kelleigh’s hand in both of his.
We all began to pile back in Kelleigh’s car when Uncle Eagan called over, “That’s too many people in your car, Kell, you’re going to have a flat. Willow, would you like to ride with me?”
“Um, ok,” I said really wishing I could stay with Kelleigh and her friends.
He opened the squeaky door of the truck and I climbed in. I could hear everyone else laughing and talking. Starting his engine, he looked over at me and smiled. “All is well, darlin’?” he asked.
“Very well; I’m sorry your dog got away,” I answered searching for something to say.
“Yes, she’s getting too old to be out trotting around at night, especially near the park. But we’ll find her; I appreciate your help.” While he spoke I thought about Dad, wondering how happy he’d be knowing what I was doing right now.
Chapter Five
As we neared Killarney Park I began to feel excited. After all Dad had told me about the park I was so anxious to see it, even if it was at night and we were on a rescue mission for a missing dog.
The passing landscape took on a completely different feel the more we drove. The lights from town were back in the distance and we were completely surrounded by the blackness of the night. It felt much later than it actually was and I found myself constantly looking at my phone to check the time.
We pulled onto the gravel entrance and made our way to the parking area. A few cars remained in the lot. “Probably staff working late,” Eagan suggested as he opened his door.
We quickly caught up with Kelleigh and the others and walked about a quarter mile; then Uncle Eagan pointed out where Cryer had jumped out of his truck. He had several flashlights and handed them out.
“Let’s break up into two groups. Kelleigh, you take Melissa and Bram and start near the park entrance heading in towards the road to the lakes. Quinn, you, Willow, Sinead, and I will go straight ahead,” he said, flashing his light directly in front of us, “over in that direction, and make our way to the lake road coming in from the east. We won’t look for more than half an hour. If we don’t find her then I’ll just have to come back tomorrow. I don’t want to keep you all out any longer than that. Kelleigh, do you have your phone?”
“Yes, Grandpa.”
“Good, and Quinn, you have yours?”
“I have it Grandpa.”
“We’ll meet back here in exactly one half hour, understood?”
“Of course, Grandpa,” Kelleigh said as they started off on the path flashing the light in front of them.
“This way.” Uncle Eagan pointed his flashlight in the opposite direction calling out Cryer’s name.
The moon was almost full, creating a glow which made our search much easier. While we walked, Uncle Eagan tried to make small talk, asking about school, friends, and anything he thought was related to teenagers. He and I were together up front while Quinn and Sinead followed closely behind. I could make out a few words of their conversation every now and then. I smiled to myself because Quinn’s tone suggested more than a casual interest in Sinead.
In quick time we came to a more dense area of the forest. The trees were much thicker and a lot more brush had taken over. The path was somewhat overgrown but still visible in the bright moonlight. We took turns calling out for Cryer and then would wait for some sort of response.
In the distance I could hear Kelleigh and her group calling. They were much more vocal than we were so if Cryer were anywhere near, I thought she’d be drawn to their area. After a short while, we all stopped chatting and concentra
ted our efforts on the search. Quinn stepped back a bit from Sinead and walked backwards, flashing his light on the path behind us. Uncle Eagan scoped the path ahead with his light and an occasional whistle. As we pressed on we found ourselves deeper in the forest with the sounds of nature becoming much louder: the chirping of insects and frogs, calls from winged creatures overhead, branches and leaves blowing softly in the cool evening breeze.
Uncle Eagan stopped for a moment to catch his breath, “Not as young as I used to be,” he puffed as he hunched over resting his hands just above his knees. Clearing his throat he called for Cryer and flashed his light ahead a few feet. There in the light’s beam stood the little grayish-white terrier with a nervous look on her face. “There you are, you silly girl!” called Uncle Eagan excitedly as he rushed towards the shaking pup. Cryer quickly looked behind her, yipped, and darted off to the left, back into the woods.
“Cryer!” screamed Uncle Eagan as he rushed off in her direction. Quinn quickly took flight and bolted ahead of Eagan, all the while flashing his light. “Try to cut her off in front, girls,” yelled Uncle Eagan as he struggled to keep up with Quinn.
Sinead and I made a big loop over to the left. I could see Quinn’s light in the distance and quickly cut over to the right in hopes of boxing Cryer in. Luckily the moonlight created enough illumination that I could see ahead of me since I wasn’t carrying a flashlight. I kept track of Quinn’s light and stayed to the right of it, trying to pass it and get in front. After several minutes of running, Quinn’s voice began to grow faint; he seemed to be getting farther away and his light was less visible. I called out but got no response. After running a few more feet I stopped to see if I could make out their whereabouts. A large boulder stood to the side of me so I climbed it trying to catch sight of a light or hear their calls. Nothing. I called out again and waited for a response. Again, nothing–no lights, no sounds, just quiet.
I stood there alone in the dark, enveloped by the blackness with now only a sliver of moonlight peeking through the clouds. Uh oh, I thought, trying not to worry, calm down, you’re ok. After all the camping trips with Dad, the most important thing I had learned was that if you get lost you’re better off staying in one place and letting yourself be found rather than trying to find your way out. Given that this forest was totally new to me, to stay put only made sense.
I called out to Uncle Eagan one more time, and after not getting any kind of response, decided to make myself comfortable on the boulder. I found a flat spot and sat down. The chill of the evening air was wrapping around me so I pulled up my hood and put my hands in my pockets. Ah! My phone. I had totally forgotten that I had it. I entered the number and tried to call Kelleigh but no luck. No service. “You’ll be ok, Willow,” I imagined Mom saying, and then heard my own voice saying it. I know, I thought, just chill. I tried not to focus too much on my surroundings, but it was hard not to. The forest started taking on a whole new life. It felt supercharged with some inexplicable kind of energy.
The moonlight once again surfaced on the forest floor with the passing of the clouds. I stood up and looked all around me, watching the stray beams of light dance on bits of ground and branches. Leaves were gently falling and swirling in and out of the light.
A familiar image crossed my mind. Then suddenly, I panicked; my heart began to race as I swirled around and around, staring deeply into this forest I had never seen before…or had I? I’d never been here yet somehow, now…I knew I’d seen this place before. I smelled it, heard it, ran through it, felt it, was a part of it! Oh my God, I thought as I spun in circles, my eyes piercing the depths of the woods, Oh my God, this is it! This is the forest in my dreams!
I breathed in deeply and closed my eyes; the smell filled my nostrils, damp leaves, moss, the scent of tree bark along with indescribable organic scents, like animal smells. Looking up, the light was as in my dreams; the forest took on the same blue-green glow as the moonlight streamed in. The clouds moved just as I had seen them those times before my conscious self had seen them. And then the sounds: the crackling branches in the distance, the tumbling rocks from the hillside, and, faintly at first, but soon growing in volume, the yips and yelps came.
Along with those sounds, something came over me–an uncontrollable urge to find their origins–the need to move, to run, to seek. Along with the desire to locate the resonance came a loss of myself. I no longer felt aware of who I was or even where I was...I just, was. And so, slowly at first, I began jogging towards the magnetic sounds of the woods. My pace quickened from a jog to a full-blown run, my leg muscles expanding and contracting, my lungs filling, and my heart racing. My body felt lower to the earth, connected to the ground.
The reverberations became hypnotic, drawing me, commanding me to come to them. Then, just as before, all those times in my dreams, I came to the clearing in the woods, the area bathed in the glow of the autumn moonlight. Also as before, the sounds ceased for a moment as I looked around the clearing.
I became aware of the fact that I was standing in the only patch of light. Following the beam I looked down to the ground and there, illuminated, I saw what surely made my heart stop. I was staring down, not at my own feet in sneakers, but two large paws, covered in dark gray fur. I circled around and looked back to discover two back legs and a large tail. I turned again in disbelief and pawed at the ground, unsure of what was happening.
My senses were heightened and I became aware of being surrounded. Looking up, I saw the wolf pack I had seen those many times before, closing in. I felt a deep vibration in my chest and heard a low growl come from deep within me. I let myself go completely with the instincts that were taking over. I faced the encroaching pack, and stood my ground. I felt the skin around my mouth stretch and reveal my teeth in a vicious snarl. The pack quickly backed off, moving slowly back into the woods. As I turned I saw why. The large gray wolf that had appeared in my dreams was moving towards me. Instinctually I knew I needed to cower down, to be submissive. I sensed a power deep within the wolf.
I looked up and found myself being toppled uncontrollably to the ground. The gray was on top of me, its eyes piercing deeply into mine. I felt it trying to communicate. The hypnotic lock of the wolf’s gaze was broken by the sound of a screeching bird overhead. The wolf looked up and released me, then let out a low howl. I rolled over and stood up, eye to eye with the creature. Footsteps and voices were upon us now as the wolf nuzzled close to me, almost affectionately, its eyes holding tightly onto my own just before it turned and ran into the woods.
I shook my head and watched in wonder as my giant paws suddenly became the sneaker-clad feet I had known. Lifting my bowed head I looked toward the direction of the incoming voices as my eyes met the disbelieving stare of Quinn, who was shining his flashlight on me.
“It’s a lucky thing Quinn heard that bird screeching, it’s what led him to you, Willow,” panted Uncle Eagan, trying to keep pace with everyone.
Quinn continued staring at me, wide-eyed. Thankfully, he was being quiet about what he saw, probably because he wasn’t sure himself. And being in the middle of everyone, walking on the path back to the cars, I wasn’t sure what had just happened either.
“Wait a minute,” Kelleigh stopped and looked around, “where’s Bram?”
“He was with us when we started running over here,” Melissa replied.
“Braaaaaammm,” yelled Melissa.
“Really, Melissa? Do you think that’ll do any good?” Quinn asked shaking his head.
“Oh, wow, how stupid of me.”
“It’s ok, Mel, we all have done that one time or another,” Sinead offered.
Kelleigh was waving the flashlight in the air in hopes of Bram seeing it. We were just about to split up and go on yet another search when Bram stumbled out of the bushes, looking disoriented. Quinn rushed to his side and began signing his questions. “He says he just got turned around, that he’s ok, not to worry.” Bram let out a low moan and shook his head.
Sinead walked
over and offered him a drink from her water bottle. Bram gulped it down, then splashed his face, his eyes meeting mine as he wiped the excess water from his brow. A faint smile crept across his lips. I felt a chill as we locked eyes, wondering where he’d really been.
“Well, now, since everyone is accounted for let’s be off, shall we, before someone else disappears,” Uncle Eagan said breathlessly. The excitement of the last hour was taking its toll on him.
Once we made sure Uncle Eagan and Cryer were home safe and sound, Kelleigh suggested taking me back to the hotel. I was more than ready; my shoes were muddy, I felt like I had been rolling around in the dirt – which I guess I had – and was in serious need of a shower. I sat next to Bram and fought the urge to look up at him. I had a feeling that he saw more out there in the woods then he was letting on.
Quinn sat up front but kept turning back, engaged in a conversation with Bram. It was all sign language this time. Bram said nothing in voice, only with his hands, so I had no idea what he was talking about – which was ok because I was lost in my own thoughts. We pulled up to the hotel and Quinn offered to walk me up to the room so Kelleigh wouldn’t have to find a parking space. I said goodnight to everyone, then looked at Bram so he could see my face. “I’m glad you’re ok.”
“I’m glad you’re ok.” He smiled and gently touched my hand. I felt the warm flush on my face again and was relieved to know we were in the dark. That feeling of déjà vu swept over me, leaving me wondering what it was about him that was so familiar.
Quinn and I walked quietly to the entrance of the hotel. He held a door open for me, all the while keeping his eyes to the ground. We stepped up to the elevator. He didn’t say a word, just pressed the button. Once inside, he turned and tried to speak but just stuttered. When he regained got control of his tongue, he paused the elevator and asked, “Willow, am I quite mad?” The look in his eyes was one of complete confusion.
