In a cold forest, hides a creature of myth. Two opposing groups have come to find it. One seeks answers to a mystery. The other... a trophy. Who will reach it first? And what will they find when they do?
No one moved. No one spoke. It was as if our bodies had refused to function. I wasn't alarmed. The sensation made sense to me. Our brains needed a moment to catch up with our muscles. Trust me, if you ever go toe to toe with a monster from another dimension after it devours a pack of psychos who'd kidnapped you and used you for Sasquatch bait, you're gonna need a minute.
What brought us out of it was seeing the Sasquatch breathing heavily as it came down from its adrenaline high.
Its shoulders seemed to slump now, its chest rising up and down in steady rhythm.
The three of us went to it. Stu and Sky looked as concerned as I felt. But aside from the fatigue that showed on its face, it appeared to be okay. A little battered and beaten. But weren't we all?
Sky moved closer to it, raising her hand in a caring gesture.
By now, we weren't worried that the Sasquatch would turn on her. We'd all been through a lot together and there was a special feeling that permeated through us now, a sense that we were all allies here and on the same side.
The Sasquatch didn't protest as Sky touched the side of its face.
I recalled the time that Sky had shared with it during the ride here in the back of the panel truck. But the Sasquatch had been sedated then. Now that it was awake, and she could look it in the eyes, I knew that this moment had to be more profound for her than any other. She'd sought this creature, and others like it, her entire life. I could see that this offered a validation for her that few ever experience. She'd given herself to a purpose. And now that purpose had come full circle.
She removed her hand and stepped back, a look of joy and contentment in her eyes.
The Sasquatch looked at Stu and offered the faintest of smiles.
Stu nodded back. The moment between them was brief. But it was enough.
Then it turned toward me.
I'm not sure how I knew, but I felt as if the Sasquatch was silently telling me goodbye. Until a few hours ago, I never even knew that it existed. And now I knew that not only was it real, but it was also my friend.
"Thank you," I said.
It nodded to me slightly, then turned toward the veil.
The thought of it going back though this veil, the one that led to the Kraken's lair, filled me with dread. But I soon realized that there was nothing to worry about. After having birthed the Kraken into our world, the veil was now wide enough to see into. I could tell that the world beyond was big and open. Part of it was swampy. But a lot of it was dry and forested. By all probability, The Kraken had slithered away and disappeared under the water, blinded and beaten and no longer a threat to anyone in its world or ours. The Sasquatch would be safe on the other side and free to make its way home. Wherever that may be.
Reaching the veil, it took one more look at us and then stepped through.
Almost immediately, the veil began to close. It was as if it could sense that the energy that the Sasquatch had brought to this place was no longer here. With that energy now gone back to its place of origin, the rift was able to heal until there was no visible sign of it anymore.
But the heavy vibration still hung over this place.
I could feel it. And I knew that under the right circumstances, there was a very good chance that this doorway, and others like it, could be opened once again.
And probably would be.
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