🌲The Legend is here: “The Mount Erie Bigfoot”🌲

CHAPTER ONE – THE DASTARDLY PLOT

“And don’t forget the pumpkin spice!” Mom called. 

“How could I forget the pumpkin spice?” I whispered to Wilson. “That’s the seventh time she’s told me to get it this morning.” I double checked my pocket to make sure I had the list. She only wanted a few things but she’d insisted on writing them down, including the pumpkin spice, which she’d underlined three times. 

It looked cold outside, so I put on my coat and gloves. 

Wilson gave a slight whine. I considered taking him to Langley with me. I knew he’d enjoy the walk down there, but over the last few days he’d protested while trudging back up the hill. I don’t think age was a factor; he wasn’t that old. It was almost like the hill insulted him, and every time we got to the corner of our road, I’d have to pick him up and haul him all the way home with the groceries. “I’ll take you out as soon as I get back,” I promised him. 

“Dylan!” Mom shouted from the kitchen. 

“Yes?” My hand hovered over the handle of the front door. 

“Don’t forget the pumpkin spice. Okay?”

“You want me to get pumpkin spice too?” I called. I regretted my sarcasm straight away. 

“Yes!” 

“Okay.” I hurried out before she could say it again. If I had a dollar for every time she’d said those words that morning, I’d have been a millionaire. Or a hundredaire. At least, that was how it felt. 

Mist hovered over the frosty November grass. A light dusting of snow covered the ground and I spotted three sets of footprints leading away from the door. One was Dad’s, and the others belonged to Jamie and Marshall. They’d left early, but I had no idea where they’d gone. Marshall had spent the night at our house. He and Jamie had pretty much kept to themselves but I’d heard his low, sinister laugh every so often. It had kept me on edge all night, but they hadn’t pulled any of their usual stunts, which was somehow even more unnerving. 

Thankfully, there was no sign of them, or anyone else for that matter. Just drifts of milky-white fog billowing through the trees. I grabbed my bike, wheeled it to the muddy lane where a thin layer of ice covered the potholes, and climbed upon the saddle. 

I suppose I was distracted by the cold because I barely noticed how my handlebars seemed to turn way faster than usual. I was kind of groggy too. I hadn’t slept well on account of worrying about my brother and his jerky friend. And on top of that I’d had nightmares, not that I wanted to think about them. Or those freaky bolts of lightning I’d seen in my dreams…

Something crashed in the foliage beside the road.

“Whoa!” I mumbled as I spotted a dark figure flitting through the trees. It was tall and dressed all in black. Something about it made me think of a predator hunting prey. As it turned to regard me, I caught a flash of a pale face below its dark hood. It was hard to make out much in the mist, but it instantly reminded me of Death.

I’d already encountered The Grim Reaper in these woods once, but it hadn’t been real. It had been Marshall Anders. And as I thought about it, this figure was about the same height as him…

I cycled harder and, as I pulled the handlebars they wobbled wildly, like they’d been wrenched from my control.

A second person crashed through the bushes on the other side of the lane. I recognized Jamie’s grin straightaway despite the sheets of ghostly mist. He was holding a phone… he had it in landscape mode. Like he was filming something…

Me. 

Why? 

As I glanced back to the road, and spotted the enormous pothole inches from my wheel, I jerked the handlebar. It shuddered wildly, before coming off in my hands. 

My shout rang out as if it was in slow motion and I half jumped from my saddle. 

It seemed to take forever to hit the ground. 

Splosh! 

My face shattered the thin crust of ice and sank into filthy icy-cold water. It seeped into my mouth and eyes. I pulled my head out and spat  it onto the cold stony road. A voice called “Cut!” amidst a burst of creepy, high-pitched laughter. It was Marshall. I glanced over at Jamie, who stood in the mist filming me. His cheesy grin faded fast. 

“Are you okay?” Jamie lowered his phone. 

“Okay?” I asked, as I staggered to my feet. Mud covered my jacket, and my hair and face were soaked. “Yeah, I’m just great,” I said. But I didn’t sound like me; I sounded like someone else. Someone filled with a twisted, seething fury. 

“Here!” Marshall pulled a thin sheet of tissue paper from his pocket and held it toward me. “You’ve got some mud on your cheek.” He paused before exploding with laughter. I’d never seen him look so pleased with himself. 

“So do you!” I cried, eyeing the puddle behind him. I dashed forward and shoved him in the chest with both hands. I might as well have tried to topple a boulder. He didn’t budge. Instead, he reached down, cuffed the back of my head and sent me stumbling into the grass by the side of the road. I landed hard.

“Hey, Marshall!” Jamie cried. 

“What?” Marshall demanded, his voice as cold as frost. 

“Take it easy.” Jamie reached down to help me up. I refused to accept his hand, partly from anger, partly in case he let go and sent me tumbling back to the ground. Before I could snatch my arm away, Jamie seized my wrist and pulled me to my feet. 

“What?” Marshall sounded genuinely puzzled. 

“You went too far. Why’d you have to loosen his handlebars? We were just supposed to film him wobbling down the track, not flying off his bike!” Jamie replied. 

I stood in silence. Anger continued to pulse through me, but the chill in the  breeze stole some of its fire.

“Did you get it all?” Marshall asked. 

Jamie turned to his phone, jabbed the screen and shook his head. 

“Did you just delete it?” Marshall sounded furious. 

“Yep. Like I told you, you went too far.” Jamie glanced at me. “I’m sorry, Dyls. It wasn’t supposed to go like that.”

I unclenched my fists. I wouldn’t use them… I never did. Besides, what would be the point? Both my brother and his so-called best friend would pummel me into the ground. I was about to brush past them and retrieve my bike when a pair of headlights gleamed in the rolling mist. 

“Quick!” Marshall bolted into the trees. A moment later, Jamie joined him. 

As the car emerged from the fog, I recognized it. It was Dad. He grinned at me, but as he spotted my bike laying there, his smile faded. He pulled over and jumped out of his car. “Are you okay?”

“Sure,” I said, through gritted teeth. 

“What happened?” Dad’s brows beetled together. He glanced toward the trees and frowned as he leaned down to examine my bike. “What happened to your handlebars?” His frown grew at the sound of footsteps crashing through the foliage.

I shrugged. “I guess they must have come loose.” I didn’t like lying to anyone, especially my parents, but snitching on Jamie and Marshall would just make thing worse. No, I’d deal with them later…

“Right. Well, we’ll get it fixed.”

“Mom needs some stuff from the store,” I said. “She tried to call you.” 

“Yeah, I got her message a minute ago. I don’t get very good reception at the gym.” I wasn’t entirely sure that was true. I’d gotten the impression that the gym was Dad’s quiet place. I supposed we all needed one, so I didn’t say anything. “I’ll go to the store. Let’s get you home first, so you can get yourself cleaned up. We’ll take a look at your bike when I get back. Okay?”

“Sure.”

Dad smiled. He’d been in a good mood for days now. Thanksgiving was probably his favorite holiday and it was coming up fast. He’d even taken the whole week off work. But as another distant crash came from the bushes, his smile faded. “Who’s out there,” he said. 

“It’s probably just a deer,” I replied. 

“An awfully clumsy deer.” He frowned in the same way he always did when he knew I was lying. A flash of disappointment gleamed in his eyes, but then he shook his head. “Believe it or not, I was young myself once. I guess there’re times when you have to handle things your own way, but listen, I’m here for you. Okay?”

I nodded. “Thanks, Dad.”

“Sure.” And with that, he picked up my bike and nodded for me to grab the handlebars. Together, we packed it into the trunk. 

“I’ll walk,” I gestured to my muddy clothes.

“Right. Good point. Off you go.”

I trudged home with my father’s car lighting up the mist. He drove slowly behind me, to make sure I didn’t get into any more accidents.

Somewhere in the woods, someone laughed. I wasn’t sure if it was Jamie or Marshall but in that moment I couldn’t have cared less. I’d already decided they’d get what was coming to them, and soon.

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