FLASHING LIGHTS of emergency vehicles; they dodge through
hordes of people, crowding a forested area. It’s dusk, the sun is
almost set. Murmurs ensue, everyone whispers to one another.
A body lay upon shallow rocks in a creek, which flowed to a
larger body of water.
Blood and bodily remains poured into the stream; staining the
clear water a deep crimson. Black birds picked at the innards,
officers had to shoo them away.
I shoved past the crowd of people, nodding to Jim Anders, the
Chief of the ISB in Olympic National Park; who’s also my dad. He
looked at me with sorrow in his eyes.
Once I made it through the crowd, I was at the front of the
line. Officers shoved everyone back, yelling at us to move away.
“Get her away from here,” dad said. Other officers approached
me, grabbing my arms and pushing me back.
“Wh-what? Get off of me! What is this?” I yell. I glance at my
dad, who turns to look at me, shaking his head. “Dad! What are they-”
“Get her out of here NOW!” He yelled.
Car headlights shone on the body. My gaze fell to their face-
it was my sister; lifeless, exposed, broken.
I inhaled sharply. My furrowed eyebrows melted to anguish. My
body grew numb as sobs escaped my throat. I lunged shakily toward
her, screaming in agony.
Officers held me back, leading me away from the scene.
“Let me go, let me see her! Quinn, Quinn!-” my voice trembled,
I spoke through sobs in my throat. “Quinn, no, please! Say it isn’t
her… SAY IT ISN’T HER!” I squealed.
Dad turned away, placing a white sheet over Quinn’s body. Her
blood soaked the sheet. Her head bobbed with the wave, hitting the
same rock over and over.
Cameras flashed as dozens of reporters asked my dad for
information. He sullenly shoved through the crowd.
I ran. I ran as fast as I could and as far as possible.
After countless steps, I reached an overlook. A long, winding
river trickled beneath it. The breeze was distracting; it was a
beautiful evening.
I sat down, holding my knees in my arms, resting my chin on my
legs. I close my eyes-
Quinn and I are running through the forest, giggling as we go.
We reach the overlook. Quinn takes a deep breath, looking at me to do
the same. I do. The air clears my mind.
We sat down together, admiring the view. I plucked a purple
flower from the ground and placed it in Quinn’s hair. She smiled
softly.
“Why don’t we come here anymore?” I ask. Quinn pulls the flower
and admires it.
“I don’t know, but we should more often.” She softly smiles.
“I wish we could stay up here forever,” I say, laying down. I
close my eyes.
Quinn looks out toward the water melancholically. She rests her
cheek on her knee, looking at my carefree self.
“Yeah, me too.” She admits.
I open my eyes, looking out toward the water. Tears gush down
my cheeks. “Oh, Quinn.”
I stand up, gazing down upon what Quinn’s last moments were. I
take a deep breath as I step forward. My foot is dangling over the
edge of the cliff-
In my peripheral, I noticed a large footprint beneath my own.
My shoe isn’t remotely close to filling the print.
SNAP; a twig crunched.
“Who is that? Who’s there?” I ask, wiping tears from my eyes.
I turned my head slowly, looking up from the ground; staring at
a large pair of feet.
The toenails were thick and elongated. Its legs were long and
bent, covered in long hair. Up to the mid-section, its ribcage was
wide. It was covered head to toe in reddish brown hair, except for
the center of its face. Its mouth is slightly ajar, its teeth are
sharp with extended fangs. Shadows cast across its face, forming a
horrifying expression.
I lose my footing at the sight of it and stumble backwards,
screaming. My foot slips on loose rocks-
I tripped, leaning back.
I open my eyes. I’m still on the edge, my feet are steady.
Looking down, I shiver at the sight of jagged rocks. Turning my head
straight, a large, fuzzy hand holds mine, keeping my balance. I yank
my hand away. Looking up at it now, the shadows cast a sheepish
expression.
The being looks around nervously, twiddling its fingers. It
mopes and walks sadly toward the treeline. It walks past me, turning
around and looking at me. My expression is stuck in shock.
“This is not real, I fell to my death and am imagining bigfoot
saved my life. Ha!” I run my hands over my face and smack my cheeks.
It approaches me. I flinch and shut my eyes tight. After a
prolonged time, there is a gentle graze above my ear.
When I squint one eye open, it’s gone. I touched the side of my
head where I felt the subtle pressure.
I pulled a purple flower from my ear. I look at it
inquisitively, my face lightens.
I ran into the woods.
“WAIT!” I shout, chasing down its tracks. I trip on a vine
protruding from the ground and crash- hard.
I pull my knee up, wincing at the open gash on it. A large
shadow clouds over me.
Bigfoot itself was standing above me.
I looked at it apologetically, it huffed and sat down in front
of me.
It tapped my knee with interest, intrigued by the blood coating
upon it. I inhaled sharply, it looked at me with concern.
It placed leaves on my knee, and pats it before getting up and
departing. I gawked at it, deliberating if what I just witnessed was
reality.
I arrived at home, opening my front door, my mouth agape and
expression awestruck. My dad raced up to me, grabbing my shoulders.
He was speaking to me, but I couldn’t hear anything. I tilted my
head. His expression was distraught yet frustrated.
“Dad, I think I just saw bigfoot. And I think it’s Quinn
reincarnated.” I stiffly walk past him. He turns his head slowly,
looking at me with worry and intrigue.
There is a note on the fridge the next morning from dad.
“Please don’t turn to drugs right now, I’m here for you. See you
later, kiddo.” I chuckle, shaking my head. I needed to understand
what happened last night- if I actually encountered what I think I
did.
I arrived at the overlook again. The crisp air and bright sun
caressed my cheeks. I sat on the edge, dangling my legs over, leaning
back on my arms.
The sound of a loud THUD settles next to me. I peek with one
eye, only catching a glimpse of the large torso. Extending my neck
upward, I see a large, furry head of hair.
Its eyes are closed, mimicking me and welcoming the breeze on
its face. I chuckle as its hair waves in the wind.
We bask in the sunlight like this for a while, just enjoying
the company of one another. The understanding from it to me is
astonishing; to coexist, even if silently, comforts me. I close my
eyes.
SNAP!
I dart my head around to find my dad. He pushes branches out of
the way, “Autumn, I told you not to come out here!”
The being is gone, I look around for it; as if it’d be
difficult to see such a massive creature.
“I just came up here to think, dad. Sorry.” I turn back and
look out. He sighs and sits next to me. I rest my head on his
shoulder. The breeze softly caresses our faces. I smiled, content.
“Quinn would love to be here right now,” I said. My dad takes a
deep breath.
“Yeah, she would.” He replied.
We sit like this until the sun begins to set.
There was a rustling behind us. Bigfoot peeks from behind a
tree. My dad and I turn at the sound. My dad fidgets around,
attempting to stand up. I hold his arm, “Wait, don’t.”
He looks at me then up to Bigfoot, sitting back down calmly. He
watches it with curiosity and acceptance. Bigfoot exhales
comfortably, closing its eyes and basking in the fresh air.
It turns around and gently walks into the forest, pushing
branches out of its way. It disappears into the trees.
My dad’s eyes widened with his mouth agape. I laughed at him,
“Told you.”
He rubs my head. We laugh together and he wraps a nurturing arm
around me.
“I think she’ll be alright, kiddo.” He says reassuringly.
I close my eyes loosely and a warm smile crosses my face, “I
know. She showed me.”