by Deb Stratton
The next turn came and after thirty minutes we are in another large common area like the one near Stem’s.
I smiled as much as I could nervously to show everyone that I was happy to see them. And I really was! There were so many others like myself and more than a dozen other woods people. Stem said nothing for a moment while he stopped to remove some of the sacks from one of his branches. He removed five large sacks that were stuffed to the tops and everyone came to gather them up. This must be how they are distributed to them daily or weekly. I am unsure of the frequency because it was my first day.
I have become frozen in my steps and then step back. My jaws feel like they are trembling from fear and I feel like I cannot swallow. This time as my eyes filled up, I was able to open them widely to look pleased and then looked again at the beautiful woman a few feet away. The tears did not come and I wanted to go back to my cot and forget this day right away. She was about 25 and her tags said 389. She was happy and kind and expecting
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a baby. I am guessing she was seven months along or so. She collected her sack and went to sit with other females. Some are human some are not.
Now I still think at this present time that some of the Bigfoot or hairy warriors may be part human also. I had really never done my homework on a Sasquatch or Yeti. I know that Bigfoot was seen years ago according to a class I had in school. It was down in Arkansas in the
70’s before I was old enough to read. The sightings were of a Beast or Bigfoot. I had seen a gas station when we traveled that way in my teens with a Sasquatch/Bigfoot section that had t-shirts and other memorabilia.
I had never given it another thought. It was not really in my interest maybe because no one in my family that day pointed it out or seemed alarmed. I had no intention of standing there with the meat sacks remembering so long ago. It just sounded so unnatural and yet at the same time very natural. Number 389 walks up and disrupted my thoughts and said in plain English, which was wonderful to hear, that her name is Olive. She is speaking to me and no one is telling her to stop or that it is forbidden so we just continue on. She tells me that she is from Kansas City and is currently mating with Earl. Yes, she just said it. Outloud. She is tagged and mating with a Bigfoot man. I see Earl walk up behind her. It had to be him because she takes his hand and he touches her belly gently. She introduces
me to him and he is delightful and kind. He takes the sacks from her and they say farewell and head down a pathway.
Wait! I had so much to say to her! I want to ask her about her life here. I need to know more. Stem notices that I seemed sad that she was gone. He said quietly,
“You will see her again. We will always come here to visit and deliver our meats.” I felt so happy that he had said that. I needed to be around another woman to feel secure and make sense of all that was happening in the past week or two.
I spun around quickly to follow him and wham, walked right into the branch he was carrying. I felt something wet on my face and my eye closed quickly. I was bleeding and I was able to taste the trickle coming down to my lip. I kept walking and when he turned the corner to make room for me to walk beside him he took notice of my injury.
It was throbbing and he quickly took a look around for something to place there. A crate room was near us and he swept in quickly grabbed a few leaves, and held them to my wound. He then took the strip of vine off of a sack and used it to wrap around my forehead holding the leaves in place. My eyelid or eyebrow felt like it was open and I was concerned.
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I nodded to him after he wrapped it and said,”Do you think it is ok?”
He said, “Your outer skin is thin but your inside is strong. You will heal but we will stop and see Barka on our way back.” He waved to someone inside the doorway where Olive and Earl were.
Low and behold I see an amazing new hairy male. He is bearing gold locks and a beautiful smile. His hair is not overbearing and somewhat trimmed. It is sheen and it looks like glitter in the light, I am led away after the bags are given to him to finish our work. I asked Stem who that was without sounding too interested and he said Soil, but I knew in my mind, that he was special. I shall call him Sparkle. I giggle to myself and then remember that I am need of medical care and with a swoop and a hug Stem picks me up and continued to carry me down the paths to Barka’s office. I can hear his heartbeat and carrying me takes no effort at all for him, his breathe is steady and not animal like at all. There must be some secret to cleanliness I have not been shown yet. My list of questions got larger every moment of the day.
Barka is sitting on a stump drawing on the floor of her office with a stick when we arrive. Just little doodles of a daydreaming Squatch. Good thing I showed up to keep her busy. Stem sets me down on the cot and points
to my leafy bandage. “Oh what has happened Em?” she said.
Oh well, “just not paying attention I guess and walked into a big branch.” I said. She lifts the leaves off and uses some sort of sponge like material to dab at my eye. I expected some real medical kit to come into play at this moment but I am quickly wiped, blotted and rewrapped with a smile. Hmmm. What a great way to spend the next few days worrying about an infection. At least she did not tie a piece of meat to my face.
“Stem, I want to you to keep this wound clean and bring Em back in a few days if it looks a different color.”
She ordered. Good advice Barka. I need my eye. I need a ladder. I need my Doctor. Stem thanks her and asks me if I would like him to carry me back. I gladly accept because my legs were tired out a bit and I was hungry.
“Yes, please. May we eat soon and find a crate?”
When does he use a crate? Stem is a large being. He must need food and a reason to use the facilities at least ten times a day. He gently picks me up and I know that we are close because of the location we are in.
The commons are empty. There is NO one in sight. I need a clock. It is funny how my time was always so important and that I needed to know every minute
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what time it is. NO luck here, it is time to be awake. And then it will be time to be asleep. That just about sums it up. Stem carries me behind a large stone wall that is attached to the waterfall and magically what is glistening with beauty is an indoor cave pond. I am gazing at the blue water and gentle steam rising from it. He sets me down on the ledge and with no further a due jumps right in. He goes under then splashes up and really gets a few waves going. There is fresh water falling in and water running out, which somehow must filter this bathing pool. The water is still clear. NO hair. I look at him and take my sweatshirt off. I have little extra clothing and keep that shirt and my shoes to the side. Everything else I wear and am considering hanging to dry overnight for fresh clothing. I slide in the water and while I am enjoying the warm water and beauty, I watch Stem float around a bit and he smiles. When his hair is wet and weighed down I can see his muscle tone and body shape. It is very surprising to me how manlike he is.
He grabs the back of my hair with a tug and splashes water on my back and my head. Careful not to get my eyes wet. He is tending to my needs and I am also really enjoying the atmosphere in this area. It is almost vacation like. I think I am about to turn my lemons into some lemonade.
Chapter Seven
Lying still I open my eyes and drift back off. I open my eyes again and see Stem over by the fire stirring the coals. I feel refreshed from the swim last night and also am happy to have my clothes hanging to dry nearby. I never noticed the way the roots come down into ceiling above me. I am awake now, and so far most of my days just drag on from one to the next. I am thankful over and over again that I am still alive and that I am not starving. I am not excited about the smell of smoke while I sleep and would be really excited to smell something good today. Like laundry detergent or a candle. Something pretty would be nice.
The smoke fogged the room and as the fire started burning more the area became clearer. Not only did the room clear but my mind did as well. I had
a clear vision now of what was happening here. Maybe I needed to keep reminding myself because the reality of it was too unreal.
I am trying to change my clothes in the most modest of ways that one can in a large room filled with smoke and a large Bigfoot named Stem. I excuse myself to the small room that has a crate in it and dream of a cup of coffee. I would like to just take it easy for the day
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and daydream on my cot about life and what is happening around me. As I head towards the fire to sit by Stem he looks at me and says to me that he is sensing that I am worried or afraid. I am not sure how to respond. I want to ask him if I may go home and then on the other hand I am intrigued to find out more about his life. I feel a connection to him. Maybe because he saved me from leaving that meeting with someone that was not as good as him. His eyes look lonely and even though he is very content with his life here he must know there is more. He must know that humans above the ground search for him and his kind and want nothing more than to capture or hunt him down for the big find.
I think about that more and more. All of the years I had seen a Bigfoot toy or sighting on the internet I had really never gave it a second thought. Fear was trying to crawl into my thoughts like a bandit. I was not going to let it win. Once, my mother had told me that we write the story of our life before we are born.
I am now wishing I could call my mother and tell her that I have solid proof that I did not write my book of life. I cannot even envision me back then writing onto the pages that I would get married, have children, get divorced and get kidnapped by a Bigfoot. I am sure she is looking for me. I am sure she is yelling at my ex-husband and blaming him for it all.
I lay my hand over on Stem’s hand and ask him what this day has in store for us. Do weekends exist here? I wish it was Sunday. Maybe it is. I have no way of really knowing because there has been no good way to really keep track of my days. He asks me if I would like to go to meet his family. What a coincidence! I was just thinking of mine and now he is offering to share with me his. I thank him and say yes, “Yes Stem, I would really like that.” I reach for his stick and poke at the fire. It’s not so bad here, at this moment, it is just two beings connecting and it feels safe. It feels almost like home. For a moment.
Stem walks to the other side of the room and gathers up a couple of sacks. We will be taking them meat of course, what a lovely gift. Maybe they are hungry or old. How old is Stem? If I had to guess, I would say very close to my age, but I am probably way off with that guess. For all I know he is a hundred years old or more. He could be younger than me. I have nothing to compare him to as I have only met Barka and the young ones. When we visited the other side, I guessed they must be about my age also. I am excited to find out more.
I stand up as and walk towards the door meeting him and he does a quick wave to send me ahead of him.
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Once in the hallway we take a right turn and start walking. I had never been right on this path and am anxiously awaiting the visit we are about to have.
As we walk farther and farther we pass many other rooms similar to his. Open rooms with small fires and trinkets are in sight. Some findings from up above they must be. I saw camping lanterns, a trash can, and even a hammock. Oh those crazy campers, running off leaving their goods just because they heard a noise. Now the source of the noise, if the news caught on would keep people from camping for many years. The people searching for these families are right. The proof is right here walking next to me. One big hairy man. Kind, generous and concerned about feeding others and keeping his fire going. The miles of tunnels and rooms are so massive that I cannot even absorb how big this place must be.
I trip gently on a small rock and stop to pick it up. He makes this noise like a man in the choir clearing his throat. I show him my rock and he reaches out to touch it. “Mmph” he says and does a slight shoulder shrug before handing it back. This was no ordinary rock. It was a jagged little stone with a hole in it from one side to the other. It is a tiny hole. I know from the old stories of hag stones that this rock must have once been in a stream. The running water made this hole through it and so the story goes, they are useful for many things. I
would really like to have a book on this to read while I am here. I have seen nothing even close to writing or paper so that may not ever happen. I am surely happy to have this rock. I have an idea. I will work on it later when we arrive back at our room. I slip the stone into my pocket and keep on moving forward. I am really beginning to enjoy these walks. We have walked a long way in the past hour and finally reach a large common area.
As we walk through the entryway, we are greeted quickly with very kind looks and I am very sure at this moment that these others are his family. The females were so kind to come up and touch my hair. The two of them took my hands and summoned me to sit with them while grinning. They looked young but not too young. I still find myself trying to guess ages like I work in a carnival. Step right up; let me guess your age. I think they are all twenty or forty. I just do not know. But then, I see her.
The mother. He takes her gently my way, hand in hand, and presents her to me. The proud neck is showing. She is stunning. She is just a few inches taller than me and her breasts and stomach area are covered with a makeshift braided sack with hair on it. Very nicely done. She takes me in her arms and feels my hair. Her
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fingers are more bulgy than a human’s so they do not go through my hair strands easily. She goes up and down while burying my face in her shoulder of hair.
I reach around and pat her back gently the way I would to any stranger that comes along and feel that this is going very well. She releases me and says that she is very happy to see me. She explains that she had waited many years to see Stem choose his breeder and that I am a good choice.
I fill my eyes again, filling with the small tears that are just a warning of a flood coming. She said that word again. Breeder. Maybe it is just their newly discovered language that is incorrect or it is true that Stem chose me as his future mate. I am sad and unusually unafraid of this. I want to be kind and will not say or do anything to displease him in the presence of his family. He has been kind to me and I feel that tonight when we are back that I may discuss this with him. I have to find the answers that will guide me to a sign of what is next.
My thoughts disappear quickly when I get a glance of the large fire pit across the area and what is on it. It is a large hog, which means pork is cooking. I am the happiest I have been so far to see this. It was something familiar. His sibling placed a beautiful twig crown on my head while walking by and at that moment things could
not feel more right. The food and family make it a perfect visit.
As we sit throughout the morning and eat fresh meat while talking about the family, I am feeling good. I am also in need of a crate very badly. I motion for Stem and ask him where the area is to relieve myself and he points in the direction of the room. This one has quite a bit more odor to it and I am sure with this many family members the crate must get used more often by them as well. I go and look around. I use my leaves and feel unusually upset to my stomach. I brush it off and head back out.
This day had me a little more on edge than I had thought and it feels like I just want to lie down. I feel tired. I want to leave.
I sit down and prop my head up against the wall. I sit with my eyes closed just to rest for a moment while they all continue with their gathering. Stem takes notice and all I feel is a touch to my forehead. His large hand gently calls me to open my eyes. I must have fallen asleep for a long period of time. A much needed rest but unusual that I could sleep in this environment.
“We will go now; it has been a long day for us all.”
He said.
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Everyone gathers and waves us off. I still feel tired and he is sensing this. He then picks me up and carries me down the path saving me from dragging my tired legs. I look up and smile. Always giving thanks for the kindness he shows. H
e has a thoughtful and caring nature which is such a blessing. He does not even struggle to hold me the entire way down the mile long path. It could be longer than that. I keep my head on his shoulder with my eyes closed to avoid an awkward glance. If he thinks I am sleeping it may be easier for both of us.
We enter the doorway to our room and he lays me down on my cot. What a great feeling it is to just rest. I am so glad to just lay here a moment. I hear the fire stir and some clinking around. My stomach feels better and I decide to just fluff up my sweatshirt for a pillow and stay put for a few more minutes.
More clinking around comes from his side of the room. I sit up and look over. He is raising his eyebrows at me while putting some meat on a stick to warm up.
I laugh a little because that meat is by far the best now that I have warmed it. He offers. I snarl a little with no interest at all in meat. He grabs a little sack of the mushrooms and adds them to the stick. I may actually try one of those. The last ones I hid in my pocket and lost. I had always liked the taste of mushrooms. I am