The Artist and The Yeti

by James Hemmington

  Dougie McQueen loved this bit; he loved it so much he kept visiting the toilet in his excitement. He knew he shouldn’t have had that huge tankard of beer with Fraser and Conrad, to calm his nerves. He was sitting at a table in a hotel conference room. The table was neatly laid out with a red tablecloth, glasses of water, and his name stamped on a white nameplate in big bold black letters. Sitting to the left of Dougie was a most distinguished vet, Professor Hugo Tyfield, who was straightening his nameplate to make sure everyone in the room, mostly journalists, could see it.

  This was Dougie’s big hero moment, a moment that would bring him fame and make him a legendary hunter. People would write books about him. He would be notorious and mega famous, at last. On the right of Dougie was a stand and on it was a huge picture of Titus, and he looked scary.

  The room was buzzing with questions from the floor. Dougie described how he had caught the yeti. He pointed to a pair of boots placed neatly on another stand, explaining that the creature was clever enough to wear these to hide its footprints.

  Professor Tyfield announced that he had examined the creature and was in no doubt that this was indeed a genuine Yeti, the first ever discovered.

  The show, and it was the most unusual of shows, went on for ages. Dougie droned on and on about his hunting skills and expert techniques, his patience and determination to capture the creature, at whatever cost. He was prepared to die in the final hunt if it meant showing the world that the Yeti, a supposedly mythical creature, really did exist.

  He made no reference to his assistant Fraser, who was standing at the back of the room arms folded, raising his eyes at almost every statement from the great exaggerator, Dougie McQueen. Conrad stood next to Fraser slurping from yet another tankard of beer. He was enjoying the moment.

  Titus was not happy. He had spent days in that horrible cage. Around him was constant activity. Teams of people would sit and observe him, making notes on every movement and sound he made. Frequently he was put to sleep by a vet who seemed to get great pleasure from firing tranquilliser darts into him for regular examinations, x-rays, scans and lots of other medical procedures designed to understand the workings of this most magnificent creature.

  Professor Tyfield was in awe of just how perfect a creature Titus was. He wanted the world to share this wonderful thing and arranged for the zoo in Geneva to display Titus for everyone to see. Professor Tyfield also owned the zoo and was hoping to make money from the huge number of visitors that would line up to see a real, genuine, Yeti.

  30

  Paris sat in her bedroom. She should have been tucked up in bed but she had things on her mind. Well one thing, her friend Titus. What must he be feeling, locked up in a zoo like a prisoner? He did not like crowds, he did not like being away from home and she was sure he did not like Professor Tyfield. Deep in thought, Paris knew she needed to do something, but what? A text came through from Skyla, the usual ‘twinkle’ ping. Paris jumped! She opened the text, it said, ‘P, need to do something about Yeti, saved you, must save him. Will come early tomoz to sort. Sky x.”

  Black Magic by Little Mix was playing, just like it did on the morning of the holiday, but this time Paris had not set her alarm. Where was it coming from? It was early and the song was getting louder. Paris sat on the edge of her bed; it was coming from the open window. She shuffled across to the window and there in the street was Skyla approaching the house. It turned out she’d lost her headphones, so music had to be played from the phone speaker, full volume!

  The two girls sat in Paris’s bedroom with a cup of filtered coffee. Instant coffee had not been seen in the Palmer household since Albie was born. Paris was so pleased Skyla wanted to help Titus, but it all seemed impossible. She still dared not tell her parents that Titus saved her; they would surround her with more specialists!

  Skyla was on fire, she had already thought of a plan to at least get to see Titus in the zoo. Maybe they could do something miraculous once they were there. Paris started to feel positive; Skyla’s plan was as clever as they come.

  The services of Toby were called upon once again; he loved a challenge, and he loved doing voices. Skyla had given him a script with strict instructions. He had to practise a number of times. A Swiss accent was a tough one to pull off, without sounding like the chef from The Muppets. Later that day the phone rang; just before the Palmer family sat down to enjoy a meat-laden barbecue, prepared expertly by dad. Mum answered the phone. The voice sounded distant, it was hard to understand and mum grimaced as she tried hard to hear each heavily accented word.

  “Hello Mrs Palmer, my name is Kurt Dineheart. I live in Geneva and I have news for you.”

  “What news,” said mum, suspecting this was a cold-caller selling a must-have product that she would never use, like a non-drip ceiling mop!

  “Well Mrs Palmer, I know who saved your daughter, after that horrible crash, very upsetting.” Toby was following Skyla’s script; his throaty impression of a Swiss person was spot on, in his view, although he’d never met a Swiss person!

  With no time to lose, the next day the Palmer family, plus Skyla; were on their way to Geneva, to finally meet the apparently very shy person that had saved Paris on that fateful night. Why this person hadn’t come forward earlier was a complete mystery.

  Dad splashed out on a very expensive hotel. He expected a major press conference, once they finally got to the bottom of what happened to Paris. The full story of her survival and return home would be massive news.

  As they prepared to rest up for the night after the long journey, Paris suggested that while they were here in Geneva they should take the opportunity to see the Yeti. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Dad was reluctant, he wanted to get on and find Mr Dineheart, especially as he was having trouble contacting him again. Mum was more enthusiastic; and agreed they should go.

  Pairs and Skyla woke early the next morning; they wanted to get straight to the zoo. After breakfast, no cornflakes only muesli, they all set off, except for dad who was trying to set up the meeting with Mr Dineheart for that afternoon.

  When they arrived at the zoo just before opening, there was already a long queue forming. It took a while to reach Titus’s enclosure. It was a sad sight. Titus was in a huge pen, with a wide glass wall where visitors to the zoo could line up and peer in at the exhibit, the 9 foot 6 inch Yeti. Visitors reacted to Titus with a sharp intake of breath; he truly was the most magnificent of creatures. In the pen were ropes, swings and logs for Titus to climb. That was not what he did!

  Eventually the Palmers and Skyla reached the glass wall. Titus was sitting on a large stone, just staring at his feet; oblivious to all the humans pressed against the glass trying to attract his attention. Then those tall deer-like ears pricked up, he sensed something. Paris got herself right to the front. Titus glanced over towards her, everyone at the glass aimed their cameras; at last the yeti was looking over towards them.

  Then Paris heard someone call her name - in her head. She heard it again; Titus was speaking to her. “Paris, can you hear me?”

  It was definitely Titus’s voice in her head. She responded without physically saying a word. “Yes, I can hear you. Can you hear me?”

  Paris and Titus fixed their gaze on each other. There were hundreds of people around but they were not aware of them. The two had a private conversation in their heads.

  “Titus, how can I hear you?”

  “We have a connection, I wasn’t going to let that change when you got your memory back. We are friends.”

  “How did this happen to you?”

  “I tried to lead the hunters away, but it went badly wrong and they captured me. But never mind that, I’m so glad to see you Paris.”

  “There must be some way I can help you, I can’t leave you like this.”

  The crowd gasped as they saw what they thought was a smile, as the Yeti looked directly towards the crowd. He did that when he told Paris how she could help him, and straightaway she left to do just that.<
br />
  On their way back to the hotel Paris’s mum couldn’t stop talking about the Yeti. “Your dad will regret not coming today. Its face, did you see it? It seemed so sad; its expressions were so human like. Paris, I’m sure it stared at you at one point, did you notice?’

  “No mum.”

  This time Paris hatched a plan herself. Later that morning she left a note in the hotel room while she and Skyla sneaked out. It was a three-hour journey to Zermatt and Titus’s cave. Paris promised Titus she would make the journey as fast as she could and she promised Skyla a trip she’d never forget.

  31

  It was a long trudge through deep snow. Paris and Skyla passed the place where the helicopter crashed, though there was no physical sign of that now. They carried on deeper into the mountains, through woods and sweeping fields of even deeper snow. The air was still and the afternoon sun warmed their faces. When they spoke it sounded like they were shouting, the air had no other sounds to carry.

  Paris knew they didn’t have that far to go; the cave was well hidden, practically impossible to stumble across unless you knew exactly where it was. Her connection with Titus steered her towards the cave like a homing pigeon.

  They started a steep climb up to a high ridge, leaning heavily forward as they slowly made the ascent. When they reached the peak the view was stunning. In every direction all you could see was silver-blue mountains, emerald green forests, numerous turquoise lakes scattered across the landscape; and of course pure untouched stretches of snow. The sun heightened the wonderful bright colours. Paris wished she had an easel and paints with her, it was the best view she’d ever seen.

  There was an abandoned hut nearby; outside of it was a rusty wheelbarrow with no wheel and an old wooden sledge, both half buried in the snow. Within ten minutes the girls were inside the cave.

  Paris headed immediately for the wooden block and carefully retrieved the red marble, wrapping it in a piece of linen cloth. Meanwhile Skyla stood in the centre of the cave open mouthed. She was simply amazed, trying to take in every detail of Titus’s extraordinary home. The painted walls were remarkable.

  “Quick,” said Paris, “we need to get back before dark.” Paris ran to the exit, she had spent many an hour in the cave, Skyla on the other hand couldn’t help but back out slowly.

  Outside they followed their tracks back the way they came. As they walked Skyla wanted to know more about Titus and Paris’s time with him. The two friends chatted intently and didn’t notice the movement behind them, not until the wolves were just yards away, and the sound of their panting caught the girls’ ears.

  Skyla turned first; all she could see was a massive pack of wolves charging towards them. They growled as their gaze met Skyla’s terrified eyes.

  “Run,” the girls screamed together, instinctively breaking out into a sprint towards the steep ridge. They struggled in the snow, but it was slowing the wolves too.

  When the girls got to the ridge the wolves were almost upon them, yelping with excitement as they closed in on their prey. Paris suddenly tripped and landed with a heavy thud, right by the abandoned hut. For a moment she was stunned and couldn’t move, but instantly in her determination to survive, she got up and made a break for the hut calling to Skyla to do the same. As she approached the door, to her horror she noticed a huge hole, one side of the hut was missing. She stopped and burst into tears, too afraid to look over her shoulder at the approaching menace.

  Skyla had other plans; these wolves were going to go hungry today. She’d grabbed the sledge and with all her strength pulled it free from the snow. It was rickety and some of the wood was rotting, but the runners were intact. She pushed it towards the edge of the ridge, screaming at Paris to dive on.

  With both girls on board the sledge tipped over the ridge and quickly gathered pace, somehow it held together. Skyla was at the front using her weight to steer and Paris behind her held Skyla’s coat as tightly as she could, her eyes closed tightly shut. She felt something nip her ankle; a wolf managed a glancing bite, ripping her boot, before the sledge pulled away from the pack.

  They hit such a speed that the wolves were quickly left behind. Skyla was almost enjoying the ride. She shouted instructions to Paris and the girls leaned from side to side to steer the sledge away from the trees. Paris kept her eyes closed but Skyla kept glancing back, reassured each time as the wolves became more and more distant.

  All seemed safe at last then with no warning the sledge hit a rock and flew into the air. The girls hung on but they struck a tree, coming to a sudden and painful stop. Skyla sat up wiping snow from her face and hair. Next to her Paris was completely still.

  Skyla got up quickly; the wolves were still coming. She tried to wake Paris; if they could climb the tree they just hit, they should be safe. Skyla pulled Paris to the base of the tree, scampered up to the low branches and tried to pull Paris up to safety behind her. It was no good, Paris was such a dead weight. Skyla kept shouting her name, panicking now the wolves were so close.

  She dropped back onto the ground next to the bundle that was Paris. Skyla grabbed a large piece of the shattered wood from the sledge and stood in front of Paris, holding the wood like a light sabre. For a second she wished Freddie Smith had taken her to that Star Wars film so she might have an idea of how to use a light sabre.

  The lead wolf leapt towards the girls, Skyla whacked it and it rolled away squealing, a second wolf did the same and yet again Skyla batted it away as if she were playing cricket. The pack stopped in their tracks and stared ominously at Skyla.

  This time a group of four wolves leapt upon the two weary girls at once. Skyla tried one huge swipe. Then, oddly the wolves dropped one by one. Falling from their mid-air leap as if they were playing dead. In a moment all of wolves were as still; it was weirdly quiet.

  Fraser Campbell emerged from nowhere, a dart rifle down by his side. Unbelievably he was wearing his blue kilt despite the deep snow.

  “You did well lassies,” he said calmly.

  “I knew I recognised the wee lassie Paris, she was with the Yeti the night he saved us. I knew you were up to something and lucky for you I followed ya.” Skyla fell to her knees in relief; Paris started to wake, wondering what was going on.

  32

  Fraser could get into the zoo anytime he liked; as co-hunter of the legendary Yeti, he had privileged access. Tonight he had two guests, Paris and Skyla. He led them to Titus’s enclosure and left the girls with Titus while he stood guard. Paris pulled out the red marble and threw it over the thick glass window into the enclosure. Titus caught it, looked proudly at Paris and smiled.

  Skyla could hear Titus grunting and Paris listening and talking back. They clearly understood each other. How they did Skyla did not understand. She watched them as Titus held his hand up to the glass wall and Paris did the same on the opposite side. For a tiny moment Skyla felt jealous.

  After rushed goodbyes, the girls made their way back to the hotel, where a strong telling off awaited: Where had they been? Why were they so late? Dad was doubly angry; it seemed their contact in Geneva was a complete hoax, there was no trace of a so-called Mr Dineheart. They were returning home on the next flight.

  The next morning Dr Hugo Tyfield arrived early at the zoo. He wanted to examine Titus before the zoo opened. He was then going on to a meeting of the most eminent scientists, to decide what to do next with Titus. He waved to the security guards as he passed through the entrance and used his electronic pass to get through the various gates that led to Titus’s enclosure. Dr Tyfield was carrying a huge bag of assorted fruit; he so wanted Titus to trust him. When he arrived at the enclosure Titus was gone, it was as if he had evaporated into thin air!

  It didn’t take long to get the fire going, a nice vegetable broth would do the trick; he was starving. Titus sighed; it was so good to be back home, in his cave. He placed the red marble back on the wooden block, he called that one the ‘return home marble,’ it had transported him back in a jiffy. From now on he
would make sure that man would never find him again. He looked across at the bed where Paris had made her recovery; the petals were colourless and tired. He missed Paris, he missed her company, but other than that, all was well.

  33

  Five years passed. Paris and Skyla were on a year’s break before starting uni. They were two days into a camping trip in the Rocky Mountains of North America. They had made a campfire, put up their small tent and were toasting marshmallows. Tomorrow they were expecting Paris’s famous friend, Archie Harper, to join them for some time away from his inventing!

  It wasn’t long before their conversation turned to Titus, and all those years ago when Paris nearly lost her life, especially as this was the sort of place he may often visit, according to the ‘Big foot’ legend. He of course saved her and ever since then Paris thought about him virtually every day.

  Skyla suddenly became quite still and disengaged from their conversation, she’d seen something in the thick of the forest, something hairy. Whatever it was it hadn’t seen the girls. Paris, noticing Skyla staring intently, looked towards the same spot. She could see it too, it was probably a bear and maybe they needed to run.

  Then they heard a whimpering sound. The girls dropped their marshmallows and slowly, almost on tiptoe, made their way over to the noise. There in a small clearing they found a Yeti, holding its leg, its foot was stuck in a bear trap.

  Paris immediately called Titus’s name, but it wasn’t him. This Yeti was much smaller; with long flowing hair down its back, a female without a doubt. The two girls attempted to reassure the Yeti, it was scared and tried in vain to run as soon as the girls approached.

  Paris knew what she needed to do. It was always with her, the green marble. She pulled it from her bag and held it gently. That dizzy feeling came over her, as it did each time she held one of Titus’s special marbles. He told her if ever she was in trouble and needed him, this was how to let him know. Though not in trouble herself, she hoped it would work.