Page 13 of Something Cryptid This Way Comes
The scent of fries and burgers wafts toward us. I press a hand over my rumbling stomach. Research interview first, food later. “I’m getting a good mix of stories. Recent sightings, ones that are decades old, and encounters that are positive and negative. It’s been really interesting.” I hold up my phone. “Are you okay with me recordingthe interview?”
“Sure.”
I hit the button and set the phone between us. “How old were you when you thought you saw Mabel?”
“Twelve.”
“Where did it happen?”
“In Finn Hunnicutt’s backyard, early in the morning. Summer break had just started, and I’d spent the night at Finn’s for a sleepover. This was at the house he grew up in, not his current home behind the vet clinic. I got up early and went into the back yard to try out my new camera. My parents had given me a Canon EOS 350D for my birthday. And that’s when I saw her. I’ve never spotted her again. I’ve heard that you think you saw her twice?”
I down a mouthful of beer. “Yeah, when I first got to Maplewood as a kid and right before I moved away. Other times, I was in the woods and got the feeling that something or someone was watching me, but I didn’t see anything. Those were probably animals.” Thinking about those moments now, I can easily recall the chill of fear. “I didn’t have any equipment then. Now, I have night vision mode and cameras that can detect heat signatures. Good for trying to catch cryptids, but also to look out for wolves, bears, or big cats.”
He pulls an envelope from the inside pocket of his jacket and passes it to me. “Here’s a copy of the photo. By the time I got my camera up, I hadn’t had time to account for the low lighting of barely dawn and Mabel was moving fast, so it came out blurry.”
I open the envelope and slide the photo onto the bar. Alex points to a long, leafy blur amid the trees in the middle of the picture. Their bend and angle look almost like arms and legs captured in mid-motion, but could easily be branches or vines. The image is too fuzzy to make out details. “Hmm.”
He nods. “Right? I guess you get sent a lot of pictures that are inconclusive.”
“I do.” Leaning againstthe bar, I swipe through my phone’s photo carousel, showing him some of the things people have shared with me. “Most people who reach out are pretty shaken up by what they experienced. That’s why it’s so important to me to investigate and see if sightings can be explained by something mundane.” I pick up the photo by the edge so I don’t smudge it with fingerprints. “Can I include this in my episode about Mabel?”
“Sure, if you want.”
As we finish our drinks, Alex tells me about his experiences photographing the various festivals and confirms he’ll be taking pictures during Cryptid Night.
After he leaves, I reclaim my seat at the table beside Trevor and greet Alaric, Jake, Ever, and Dmitri. Our group has grown in size with the addition of Rory Kelly and his partners Adrian and Zach. The throuple run the pub together.
Hades has enough lead with his leash to visit each of us, accepting pets and watching the floor for any dropped food. Bandit is content to curl up on Trevor’s lap.
Conall brings me a fresh drink and a generous serving of shepherd's pie. He drags over an empty chair and sits, stealing one of Rory’s fries. “I have a Mabel story for you.”
I drive my fork through the layer of mashed potatoes and into the ground beef. “Hit me with it.”
“The four of us went rock climbing.” He points to himself, then to Jake, Zach, and Alaric. “We were about to attempt a new area, but something in the woods kept drawing us away from it. I swear I saw our leafy green goddess. Zach thinks my eyes were playing tricks on me.”
Zach raises his pint. “I still stand by that.”
Conall waves him away. “All I know is, the next day, we heard that area was damaged by falling boulders, and if we’d been there, there’s a pretty high chance we would’ve been injured.”
I pass my fork to Trevor so he can try the pie. “You think Mabel saved you?”
He beams a smile. “Of course.”
“People who’ve been lost in the woods credit her for guiding them to safety. So, it’s possible.”
Vindication flaring bright in his green gaze, Conall turns to Zach. “See?”
“I’ll believe in Mabel when I see her.” Zach bites into his burger. He and his brother share the same strong and stocky frame and could be twins except for their haircuts. Short and blond for Jake and a mohawk for Zach.
“Come to Cryptid Night.” Jake’s suggestion holds a thin edge of challenge. “Alaric and I will be there. So will half of the people sitting here.”
Zach rolls his eyes, but the gesture lacks any heat. “Fine. But only because I’m curious. And you might need me.”
Jake snorts. “Says the man who jumped at the sight of a spider the other day.”
“It was two inches from my face. Let’s see you stay calm in that situation.”
Conall leans back, tucking his hands behind his head. “They’ll do this for hours.”
