by Deb Stratton
There is an odor, but it is mostly the odor of stale indoors air with a touch a dampness and if I may say, similar to my wet dog. Stem and the others I have met
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all seem to have brushed hair and it is so clean it is almost shiny. Not matted down or similar to a dread lock. It actually looks groomed.
I have noticed that they all have teeth that are very real and similar to mine. Her eyes are very large compared to mine and her nose is much wider. I don’t want to tell her that I want to leave. While she is speaking I remain silent. While I am staring at her that is all I can think about though. I am thinking about going home.
Barka then introduces me to the new female she has arrived with earlier. Her name is Pine and she is a medicine worker. This is a Bigfoot doctor? Pine explains to me that some residents here are very advanced and some still stuck back in the old days. They refuse to grow or educate themselves. She also says that their family is very similar in many ways.
They have discovered that the most successful family members are those that have bore a child with the humans. She continues on to provide examples of what some of their great hunters have accomplished that have actually bred with Native American Women. Her words are keeping me in a speechless daze. I feel the tears again. The type of tears that just fill up your eyes enough to make things foggy. I knew if I blinked they would run down my cheeks, so I tried to look away.
I wanted to clarify what she was saying. “Are you telling me that I was brought here to become a worker?”
I wait.
She replies simply, “NO you have not. Originally yes, and then Stem saved you.” I will be saved for another purpose at a later time. As she stands up and steps back for a moment, they speak in a quiet voice. It was almost a kind and friendly kind of chat that you see old friends conduct on the streets in passing.
As they finish up their conversation, Barka is kind in letting me know that if I need anything to leave a message with Stem and they will tend to my needs as quickly as possible. Well, I need to be free. That would be my only need at this moment.
I am going to just get that thought out of my head for a day or two to avoid upsetting myself. I am shocked, surprised, bewildered, overwhelmed and amazed at what has unfolded here today. I am in Bigfoot territory and nothing at this moment is going to change that. I feel so upset that I cannot change what is happening. I have no control of anything that is going on around me and I have no clear instructions on what I am supposed to be doing or what I can and cannot do. I set my sack to the side and stand up. I
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decide that I am going to glance out into the pathway to see what is going on out there.
I get closer to the doorway and see to the left the pathway to the large area with the waterfall. There are many others down there talking and small hairy children playing and running. I cannot hear the words but the sounds echo down the pathway well.
The weight that they carry around is causing a rumbling and trail of noise. They are solid and strong. Their intelligence is more than anyone above the ground would have ever guessed. I am anxious to go and explore. I will wait though. I will wait until it is a good time, or until Stem or Barka tell me what I am to do next.
A day went by, then another. I was given a cot to rest on and the sacks kept coming with my daily meat meal and water. The pathways were filled with busy beings traveling to and from their home areas, I am guessing. I curled up on my cot just watching them live their day to day lives.
I lifted my arms high to stretch for a few moments. Sitting and laying so much was starting to take a toll on my health. I longed for a walk through my neighborhood or a jog through the park. I am sure of one thing and that is that after seeing what I have seen
and knowing about this Bigfoot Culture down below I may never be able to live life above again without the fear of being taken or trapped. I would love to get a message to all of those Sasquatch Hunters that are laughed at because no one believes.
The earth shook as I sat and nibbled on my meal. The heaviness of their steps in the pathways made the lighting sway and the walls rumble. I used my sacks to pull together a covering. It was a handmade blanket of sorts. Even though it is not filled with cotton batting and fabric that was store bought it was bringing me a sense of comfort.
Stem entered the room smiling. It was a big creepy friendly smile. I was curious as to what could be causing him so much happiness. He had spent much of his time going in and out of the room doing what must be his work.
So, I asked. “May I ask why you are enjoying this day so much? And also may I ask if you track days down here? I am wondering how long I have been here and if this is where I will be staying.”
I stood up and stretched again and then sat down on my cot with my hand made blanket and waited for his response.
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“I am your new keeper.” Stem announced gently.
“My family comes from many years of Tree Warriors and we have chosen to bring you into our family. You are a gift from above.”
I laugh just a bit and reply, “I am flattered that you have chosen me, and a bit humbled. However, you must know that I am in unfamiliar territory and lived a very different life than the ways I have seen your family living here.”
I wait for him to respond. I am impressed with the language and intelligence he presents me. He walks over to the small fire and puts some dark colored rocks on it. The rocks are dark black and they look just like the coal I have seen in stores during the holiday season.
As he moved them around with a large stick, he turns and smiles again.
He says, “Your name is Emily and part of your name is also part of my name.” According to the tree fathers you are my chosen one. I will take care of you and your needs. You will be shared with no one. I will not allow the others to breed you or use you as a worker.”
I am very nervous and my hands are grasping each other. They feel sweaty. I want to cry and beg to leave. I am afraid that if I do this it would make him angry. So I told him nothing.
An older hairy man came in the room and said hello. Stem asked him to leave us for just a few more minutes. He stepped back out into the pathway. He moved closer to me and reached out for my hands. I complied and gently he pulled me to my feet. His scent, his touch and his eyes were captivating.
His voice gently says, “Em let’s go meet the others. I would like to see your face filled with a smile and not fear.”
I walked with him hand in hand to the pathways and even though he towered over me by at least 12 inches. I felt safe and excited to see what was out there. We walked and walked until I thought we would have never seen anyone ever again. Suddenly we came upon a new area to me filled with many others.
As we turned the corners of the path, a young one ran up and begged Stem to run with him. It seemed to be a game they were playing in the large area where everyone gathered.
I looked in all directions and I have seen hairy men and women talking, cooking, and turning to look in my direction. I had also seen 2 other Bigfoot males with
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human females. They were beautiful and even though they were not from my subdivision, I am sure they were from my area. I smiled as they smiled at me. They did not look harmed or scared. They actually seemed happy and adjusted.
One female was braiding her gentleman’s fur. She seemed to be grooming him and he laughed and spoke to the others around him while she tugged on his hair and warned him not to move. Amusing... Were they a couple?
The facial features of those men are very human like, and although the hands and feet are quite massive, the similarities are there. I am starting to wonder if Stem and these other men are part human. The hair or fur covers their bodies perfectly and I can see that there are some grooming techniques they are using to cover their private areas. Something that I was not wanting to notice or see, but it was there.
I stood back when he announced my name. Everyone smiled and said hello. There was one femal
e that was not human that was glaring at me. She did not want to acknowledge my presence. This was ignored by the others and the pride in Stems voice kept the group happy.
I was his gift and he was beaming with joy despite the warrior inside of him that could be the complete opposite. Stem walked to a table and retrieved a braided hair band. It was made from flowers and he placed it gently on my head. I noticed the other females also had them on. It was Very lovely. I felt lovely. I also felt a bit strange. Stem says his farewells to the group of others and we headed down the path once again. We are not walking in the same direction that we came from so I am excited to see more.
He says to me, “I will not leave you alone or at risk of feeling helpless. I will share with you my family and my home. What I am and what I have will live inside of you.” I smile and thank him.
He takes my hand once again and begins to explain what he is showing me. “The pathways travel for many miles in all directions, each pathway leads to other areas where groups of Tree Warriors or in your words, Bigfoot families live. We have leaders just as you do. We have elders and children. We have jobs that are assigned to each member of the groups and we have no currency. Here we live without greed or hate. We only know how to survive and to care for who we love.”
I am without words, so he continues. “Our culture is real and unchanged in many ways, and yes we have been
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seen by humans. We travel alone as to leave out the risk of exposing our families and groups to the large population above.”
I just had a deep understanding for what he was describing to me. A large underground life filled with primitive hair covered beings. That also included evolving and breeding with humans. In that moment, I became saddened. I was sad that I was forced to leave my happy life above to come down below to satisfy their growing culture. I kept my sadness in and he discovered it quickly.
Right then he lets go of my hand and takes me into his large arms. He rubbed the back of my hair and then straightened out my flower crown and began walking again. I was walking where he walked and stopping where he stopped. He continued to show me other rooms, homes and areas. There were kitchens and many rooms in every direction. We then came upon a very well-lit area.
It was a medical room. I am sure this is where he was intending to take me from the beginning. Barka was there with her assistant.
She says to Stem, “You may leave her with me while you do your work, I will see to it that she is returned by nightfall.”
Stem releases my hand and smiles. He thanks Barka and leaves the area to the pathway on the right. I felt alone again and only Barka could provide me the answers that I needed to make it through this traumatic change in my life.
“Please have a seat Emily I am to provide your exam and your introduction to our elders.” She said. Then she continued, “I will start at the beginning with the questions that are most commonly asked of me and then if you would like to talk more, I will be happy to answer your questions.”
Barka continued to check my hair and skin. She looked closely at my nail beds and knees. She looked at my teeth. Checking and rechecking my body and placing a finger on my ear tag. The ear tags never became infected. I am shocked of that. I am instructed to take a flat moss like tablet that looks like compressed dirt.
Knowing that I am underground and dirt is great in abundance does not surprise me that I am actually going to eat it. I am told it is nutritional and will help keep me healthy. I am also briefed on how to maintain my cleanliness and female issues. I am concerned about this. I am concerned about my mental wellbeing and my anxiety.
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As she paced around the room gathering items to place in yet another sack, she continues to tell me that there are many others I will meet from up above. That most are workers that have chosen to stay and become a part of their communities and of course some are also what she had previously described to me as breeders. There is no way to leave without disclosing what they have protected for so many years. That needs to be eliminated from my thoughts. She nudges me and asks me kindly to stand up. There is a wall with marks on it and I am backed up to it so that she can see how tall I am. 5 foot 8 inches is what I am thinking and have no idea what kind of measuring system could be used down here. The measuring marks looks like a collection of all of the humans that have passed through this room over the years.
I am guessing there are more than a hundred marks and they all have a number next to them. My number is then added next to mine. I am officially part of the collection.
“Barka, can you please tell me more? Can you tell me how old you are? If you are a Bigfoot or Sasquatch species, how long have you lived here? Do you know that people up above do not know about your homes down underground?”
There that should get me a few answers. She says that up until just a few years ago, there was no developed system for marking what we call days or years. When that was introduced by a human that was brought down, the learning began. The teaching was at first very difficult learning how to identify objects with vocal words. At that time she was just old enough to find a mate, and so she is estimating that she is about 30 years old.
Well. She stood in thought for a moment and then said, “I have only been up above one time, and that was when I had begged my elder to take me.
The travel is very limited up there and it is only for hunting and collecting items that we are in need of.” She continues, “When I had gone up, we ran through trees and gathered items. I wanted to spend the time I had looking at everything. I wanted to see the sun and animals. I wanted to see buildings and people.”
In her sadness she continued once more to say, “Your world is filled with noise and fear. It is very busy and according to our history, the world up above has
never been able to accept our species as intelligent or equal. We are hunted and leave behind a legacy of something that is frightening and harmful.”
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I am obsessed with her words. I want to hear more. I want to comprehend what she is saying and convince myself that all is well. Suddenly I grabbed her in fear as a loud painful scream echoed down the pathway. It was a scream that sounded like pain and torture had just become someone’s fate. I continued to listen in hopes that it would stop and then the pounding and thumping through the walls and pathway began. Shaking all around until I seen several large warriors run by. There must be an emergency. Something is happening and I am frightened.
Barka gently removes my hand from her hair covered forearm and looks out of the doorway.
She glances each way and says to me, “Let’s get finished up so we can get you back to your warm cot.”
She then takes out a large wood box and fits me with some shoes. I am happy to see mine there and point out the ones I had come with.
There are also pants and sweatshirts in the second box and I fill my sack with all that she allows me to have. I am thrilled about the snow hat that I see. I feel like I have just won the lottery. She then tells me, that she wishes me well. We may see each other from time to time and when I choose to mate or bare an infant she will care for me.
Chapter Five
I wake up with Stem and Barka standing over me. I am on my cot and my sack of treasures is next to me. I am told by Barka that I had become faint and that Stem had carried me back to my cot in his area. I know that the words mate or child rearing may have made me collapse from stress or fear. I had no words to describe the feeling that came over me and felt disgusted by the thought of it all.
I thanked Barka and Stem and ask to rest for a few minutes on my own. They comply and walked over to the entryway to talk more. I just want to lay here. I just want to drift away and give up. I want to cry. I want to go home. I fall asleep. If only for a moment.
Just as quickly as I had fallen asleep I wake up. I was looking around for my sack blanket and my new bag of goodies. I really want to wear that snow hat and sweatshirt. I dig through the bag and quickly put on my new items, feeling
like I just left a shopping mall. I sit up and look over across the room.
Stem is sitting there alone tinkering with a homemade wood flute made out of several hollowed out tree stems. He is using a dried brown vine to wrap around it. I sit weeping with the thoughts of being here
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for the rest of my days. Stem senses my sadness and asks me to come and sit with him.
He tells me that I am free to explore the area and even take the pathway to the common area for bathing and grooming but to please take him along at all times. I feel his sincerity and thank him once again for his kindness. I am at a loss at what to actually say or do because in my world, up there, there is constant entertainment. There is always something to do. There is no TV here. There is nothing to do here. At least when I go camping there is something to enjoy. Like fishing or building a bonfire. Cooking or cleaning that would be time consuming.