Stranger in the Woods

Chapter 6

“I don’t know if I can confide in him Milo?”  I said.  I tried not to stare at the carcass while I ate a ham sandwich.  

“Well, we’re going to have to do something with this.”  Milo pointed his thumb over his shoulder.  “It’s a shame if we just let it…well, disappear.”

“If I did not believe that the truck driver saw a second one I guess it wouldn’t be so difficult.  But with the thought of another one alive.”  I set the rest of my sandwich down and took a sip of coffee.  As I took a drink the light steam from the coffee rose moved along my face.  It was subtle and pleasant.  It contrasted the stark, harsh reality of the decision I was trying to come to terms with about the unicorn.  It was a decision that I should never have had to make.  I mean, unicorns are not real.  However, there was a dead one laying on the floor in front of me and apparently at least one more roaming in the woods not for from here.    

“You don’t have to mention it.  Just this one.”  He motioned again with his thumb.  I could tell that he was very nervous because he too had no idea of what to do.  When I had returned from talking to Brad he had been in his office searching on the Internet for information about unicorns.  He was frustrated that he could not diagnose this problem like he had all the others in his life.  It didn't help him that all the websites that dealt with unicorns were not what one would call the most scientific.

I set my coffee down and shoved my hands into my coat pockets in renewed frustration.

“I don’t know what to do!”  I stopped a protest from Milo with a raised hand.  “I don’t know, but we have to do something.  You’re right, we don’t have to mention the second one.  I have to report something.  I guess if they dig deeper into it, like talking to Brad further, well, they’ll find out what he has to say and can make their own conclusions.”

“We could just say it was a horse.”  Milo looked blankly at the rest of his food that sat on the workbench.  You could see the disgust on his face and I was sure it was not just the ham sandwich that warranted the look.

I exhaled deeply, shaking my head.  Whatever I wrote in my article would be trite.  I could never capture this story.  Either a horse was hit; no big deal really, especially when it could not be connected to an owner.  Or a Unicorn was hit.  Yeah, right.  Ironically, we did have proof for that.  We could actually back up that story.  I walked over and picked up the horn.  Milo had not cleaned it.  

“I’ll talk to Ron.  I have to take my chances.  Of course, I don't know what version of the story I'll tell him.  Either the one that is false that is believable or the one that is true that seems unbelievable.  Who knows, whatever I tell him, he may kill the story, or he may have an idea of how to deal with it?  That is the safest way to proceed right now that I can think of.”

“I think that you’re right.”  Milo stood up slowly.  Without looking at me he said, “I’m going to work a little more on it.  I don't think I'll clean it or really anything else.  I don't want to do anything too invasive.  I don't know what I'm really dealing with and I could just see me destroying the only specimen that mankind will ever have in their possession.  Anyway, call me when you talk to Ron.”

As I left, I could smell a freshly lit cigarette.