by Clayborn, JJ
Edgar sighed and looked around. There was no way that he was going to have enough time to investigate down there tonight and make it back to the cabin before sunset. Besides, he reasoned to himself; he didn’t have any rappelling gear anyway. Edgar fished a roll of caution tape out of his bag and marked off the area around the hole. Although this was a national forest, a few people lived nearby and there were many hunters who frequented the area. The last thing he wanted was for someone to fall in.
As he finished up, he noticed many small bits of white material littering the ground. He pulled out his knife and poked at a few of them. The knife blade made a distinctive clink sound, and it dawned on him that this was some sort of metal fragment. He had never seen white metal appear in the wilderness naturally before – especially not in the forest that he patrolled for years. Edgar scooped a couple of pieces up and put them into a container and secured it in his bag. He double checked his map and marked the impact spot on his paper map as well, just to be sure he could find it again, and then he set off back for the truck.
The walk back to the truck seemed to go faster than the walk to the crater. The drive back to the city definitely seemed faster. A hundred thoughts raced through his mind. He got back to his house and kissed his wife hello, before immediately sitting down at the computer. She looked at him quizzically, but he explained that he would fill her in on what happened in just a few minutes. He sent off an email to the astronomer who called him and explained what he had found and described the scene in detail. After that he picked up the phone and called his cousin, Robert Kelly. Robert’s mother was a sister of Edgar’s mother.
“Hello, Robert?”
“Yes?”
“It’s Edgar. Are you still working as a metallurgist for Omnicorp?”
“Yep. Just had my six year review yesterday, in fact.”
“I need a favor.” Edgar relayed the story to Robert about the late-night phone call and the discovery of the impact site. “So, once I found the crater the ground was littered with small, white, metal fragments that I’ve never seen in the forest before.”
“How big are they?” Robert asked.
Edgar shrugged to himself. “Maybe the size of my pinky,” he said.
“And is the surface smooth or rough?” Robert clarified.
“It’s very smooth, but there are little pits here and there.”
“And how heavy is the fragment?” Robert continued.
“It’s actually pretty heavy for its size,” Edgar said, feeling the piece in his palm. “If I had to guess, maybe somewhere around a half a pound?”
“So, about 225 grams, give or take? That’s unusually heavy for a sample that small. It has to be pretty dense whatever it is. I tell you what, overnight it to me and I’ll conduct a complete analysis and find out what we’re dealing with.”
Edgar hung up and put the samples in a box addressed to Robert’s company in Florida. After that, he explained to his wife what had happened. She thought he was crazy and didn’t understand how a “space rock”, in her words, could be so exciting to anyone.
Tuesday, November 4th
The next morning Edgar rose early, ate a hearty breakfast and checked his email. Chad Dickhaut had responded to his message from last night.
Thanks for the email, Ranger Tarbell.
Based on my calculations of the meteorite’s mass and velocity, as well as the size of the crater that you discovered, the final meteorite that you are looking for should be quite small – not much bigger than a baseball.
The metal fragments you found are curious, but I think they may be unrelated. If the meteorite were made of metal it would have left a significantly larger impact crater. Perhaps there was an old car or plane wreck and the meteorite smashed it upon impact. I really couldn’t say.
I look forward to seeing what you find.
-Chad
Edgar set out from the house. His first stop was the post office. He waited outside in the cold winter air rather impatiently until they opened. He walked straight to the counter and confirmed overnight shipping of the metal fragments to his cousin. He double checked with the postal clerk that the package would arrive tomorrow. Once he had his confirmation, he told himself that there was nothing more to do on that front except wait for the analysis.
Edgar drove back to the Ranger Station in silence, mentally reviewing the email from Chad. Once back at the office Edgar placed the paper map of the area on his desk. He put fresh batteries in his GPS unit.
Edgar studied the map methodically for many minutes. He could see that the impact site was easily accessible from Lone Oak Road and was only about a mile from the road, across fairly flat ground. He loaded up his bag with food, water, medical supplies, and all of the repelling gear and flashlights that he could carry. He also grabbed the high-end camera from the closet to document what he found.
Edgar punched driving directions into the GPS and set off. This time he stayed on US Highway 78 and skirted around Holly Springs to the south. He took the exit at CCC road and got back on State Route 178. That road eventually turned into Lone Oak Road. Once he got into the general vicinity, Edgar found a nice flat shoulder of the road and pulled off to the side. He loaded up his equipment, locked his truck, and set off on foot.
About 45 minutes later Edgar was at the impact site. He took his bag off and began staking out his anchor. He tied a secondary anchor to a nearby tree, just in case. Once he was satisfied with his handiwork, he tied a piece of rope around his bag and lowered it down into the hole. Then he tied another rope around his waist and began the slow decent.
After about ten minutes or so, being experienced with rappelling, Edgar stood at the bottom of the cavern. He untied himself from the rope and turned on a flashlight. He set out from the opening and walked toward the back of the cave. His light fell across the meteorite and he stopped in his tracks and let out a low whistle. That’s a hell of a lot bigger than a baseball.
Friday, November 7th
Robert Kelley hung up the phone, momentarily contemplating throwing it across the room. He was frustrated beyond belief. He missed the phones of his youth; the ones with the cords that you could slam down to hang up when you were feeling especially frustrated as he was. His cousin, Edgar, called him out of the blue, asked him to analyze some mystery metal sample that he found next to a meteorite impact, and now Edgar won’t even return his calls.
Robert fumed for a while, but the more he thought about it, he began to worry. Robert paced the room, talking to himself. “Edgar mentioned something about a cave at the impact site, what if he fell and hurt himself? Does anyone else even know he is there?” Robert spoke with Edgar on Tuesday night. The sample arrived on Thursday. Edgar didn’t answer the phone on Thursday evening, or today. He still hadn’t heard from Edgar.
Once his logical thinking began to take over he became increasingly worried. He picked up the phone and dialed the main branch of the Forest Service Office in Memphis.
“Forest Service Station Memphis, Ranger Hutchinson speaking.”
“Hi Ranger Hutchinson, can I speak with whomever is in charge?” Robert asked.
James Hutchinson sat upright and paid attention. “I’m actually the senior agent at this location, what can I do for you?”
“Oh.” Robert paused and tried to figure out exactly how to phrase this without sounding crazy. “I think one of your Rangers is in danger.”
“Why do you think that?” James Hutchinson was interested in the report, but skeptical.
“Well, one of your Rangers, Edgar Tarbell, is my cousin. He called me out of the blue the other day and asked for my help and I haven’t heard from him since.”
“Did he say what he was doing?” James asked, being thorough and taking notes.
Robert nodded to himself. “Yes, he told me about a meteorite impact. Apparently he got a call from some astronomer about an impact and he went to check out the crater.” He briefly thought about telling Hutchinson about the strange metal fragments, b
ut he decided against it for the time being.
James thought about asking specifically what Robert was asked to help with, but he had more pressing issues at the moment. “That is interesting. Come to think of it, I haven’t heard from Tarbell in a few days either. It’s not uncommon for any of us to off-grid for a day or two if we’re out in the remote stretches of the forest where there are no cell towers nearby. But I haven’t heard anything at all. Let me see what I can find out.”
Robert thanked James. He agreed to email a copy of his report to James’ phone in case it helped and hung up the phone. He realized that it was out of his hands now. While he felt somewhat better about James being on the case, he still could not help but worry and found himself pacing the floor again. He reminded himself that he had nothing to do now but wait.
* * *
Well, that was weird. James immediately clicked his phone over to the directory and began trying to call Edgar. The phone rang several times before going to voicemail. He hung up and tried again, but he got the same result. Finally he broke down and texted him, asking him to call him as soon as he got the message.
It was still fairly early in the morning so James went to the office and began looking for clues as to where Edgar might be. He found the logbook and saw that Edgar noted his conversation with Chad Dickhaut about the meteorite and that he was going to check it out. This certainly corroborates what Robert just told me on the phone.
James dialed another number from the directory.
“Hello?” A woman’s voice answered.
“Olivia, it’s Ranger Hutchinson over at the station.”
She responded very worried. “James, I wasn’t expecting you to call. Is everything okay? Is Edgar hurt? Why didn’t he call?”
“That’s what I’m trying to figure out,” James tried to sound reassuring. “When was the last time you heard from Edgar?”
“Wednesday morning. He was packing a bag and heading out to investigate some space rock,” she said. “Do you think he’s hurt?”
“I don’t think so,” James offered, hoping he was right. “You know that sometimes we go days without checking in. He probably just didn’t charge his phone.”
“Is there any way you can check on him?” She pleaded.
“Of course, I’ll head out right away and see if I can track him down.”
“Thank you, James,” Olivia said as she hung up the phone.
James had a bad feeling about the situation and began packing a bag. He threw in all of the standard gear he usually carried, plus some extra flashlights, blankets, food, water, and medical supplies. He folded the map from the Tarbell’s desk and shoved it into the bag. James resolved to not leave the woods until he found Edgar Tarbell. The more he thought about the situation, the more unusual it seemed to be. Sure, his cell phone could have died, but the radios too? Not likely. And the radio in his vehicle as well? That was even more of a stretch. The most likely explanation for Edgar not checking in is because he couldn’t. James feared the worst. He’d never lost a Ranger at his station and desperately hoped that Edgar wouldn’t be the first. James walked over to the whiteboard mounted in the office. He wiped it clean and wrote in big letters:
Tarbell missing in Holly Springs NF.
Hutchinson to locate.
Nov 7 – 07:30.
He circled it with a bright red marker thinking that if anyone else from his team came into the office, they would at least understand what’s going on and where he went. James was always very thorough. He always liked to leave some indicator of where he was going to be and, if possible, some estimate when he would be back. If he was overdue getting back it would help people know where to start looking for him; something that he picked up from his time in the Marines.
James cared deeply about the people that he worked with, especially the more junior agents like Tarbell. He trusted in their abilities, but a small knot of worry ate away at him. Edgar was his friend, even outside of work. Edgar was there to help him when his marriage fell apart. He didn’t want to imagine what it would be like if Edgar had died. James could not even begin to think about he would tell Olivia. He had to find Edgar, and Edgar had to be alive.
As Hutchinson drove out to the forest, he called up a map of the area on his in-dash computer. Since he was a supervisory agent his SUV was equipped with a laptop that had a mobile Wi-Fi hotspot in case he needed to file emergency reports from the field. His mind raced through all of the possible scenarios. What if the meteorite was radioactive? No, that’s nonsense. What if the meteorite made the ground unstable and Tarbell fell and hurt himself? I could probably call for an airlift, assuming it’s not too late… What if he stumbled across some poachers and they shot him? It’s happened before. There would be a massive manhunt and we’d bring them to justice. What if he got mauled by a bear? No, they’re all getting ready for hibernation. But, seriously, what if the meteorite is radioactive?
James took the northern road and drove to the hunting cabin that the service maintained at Little Snow Lake. He looked for any sign of Edgar. He could see that someone had been in the cabin fairly recently, but he saw no signs that it was definitely Edgar. He sighed to himself. Of course it can’t be that easy. He adorned his backpack and set out to search for Edgar.
He walked through the woods for hours calling Edgar’s name. The only response he got was the eerily quiet sound of forest. Why the hell won’t you answer me? He searched for hours, occasionally stopping to rest and eat, or to drink. He would often climb to the top of a hill and look to see if there was anything telling in the valleys below.
After about the third time to the top of a hill he suddenly had a thought. He pulled his backpack off and removed the map he took from Tarbell’s desk. He scanned the map systematically and then he noticed a small faint pencil line. Son of a bitch. Why didn’t I check this damned thing hours ago?
James checked the map again and looked around for landmarks. Chewalla Lake is due East of me, and this East-Southeast of there... He pointed out the features to himself as he translated the map to the surrounding landscape. So, I have to head that way. He studied the path as he thought to himself and noted several hills and valleys between there. This is going to be fun. Why can’t it ever be flat ground?
By the time he had hiked the three miles to the mark indicated on the map the sun was fairly low in the sky. James crested the ridge just west of the impact site and stopped in his tracks. What the…?
James felt his heartbeat quicken and the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. A large cloud of fog hugged the valley floor. The fog was not very dense and James could easily see through it, but it definitely had the effect of creeping him out a little. Whatever this fog was, it was the strangest weather phenomenon that James had ever seen. It only seemed to be confined to this particular valley.
James steeled his nerves and slowly, cautiously, began creeping down the hill into the valley below. “Tarbell!” He cried out periodically for his colleague. “Tarbell, can you hear me?” No matter how many times he called his only response was eerie silence. James broke out a whistle and tried blowing it, an old survival trick. If Tarbell heard the whistle blast, he should respond with his own. Dread started to fill James as his whistle blasts were met only with deafening silence.
James descended to the valley floor, putting his bag down and walking cautiously about. The sun began to dip behind the hills and fog thickened, obfuscating the landscape. Somewhere around here was a hole in the ground that he did not want to fall into. He continued calling out for Edgar every few minutes as he searched. Part of him tried convince himself that Edgar was fine and was probably back on his way to the office by now. The other part of him wondered about this fog that was gathering around the bottom of this canyon, whether or not it was related to the meteorite, and whether or not it was harmful in any way.
Twilight flooded the valley. James would have not thought it would have been possible for this valley to become any creepier, but he would have been
wrong. He felt the sweat bead on his forehead as his pulse quickened. Despite being evening in early November, he was sweating. He desperately wanted to run and come back in the morning, but he was honor bound to keep looking. He would never forgive himself if something happened and he could have prevented it.
James broke out an LED flashlight and shone it around him on the ground. The light made the fog glow in a light blue hue that made James feel particularly on-edge. As he walked around the valley floor, he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. A cold chill went through him and he shivered uncontrollably.
He felt like there was something, or someone, close by, watching. He frantically shone his light about into the fog, trying to find whoever was watching. The last sliver of sunlight disappeared in the west. As he turned around he saw a shape in the fog and he jumped. “Jesus, Edgar! You scared me.”
Edgar stood there unmoving, staring at him.
James was irritated at Edgar, but happy to see him. “Didn’t you hear me calling you?”
“No, sorry.” Edgar simply stood there. There was a moment of awkward silence. “What are you doing here?” Edgar finally asked.
“Looking for you, as a matter of fact. Your cousin, Robert, called and was very concerned about you.” James moved closer to Edgar and shone the light over him quickly, checking for injuries. “He said that you contacted him and had mentioned a meteorite and some metal samples and he wasn’t able to reach you.” James felt very awkward.
“Yeah, sorry, my phone died.” Edgar turned and walked away, toward the south.
“Hey, wait a minute!” James followed him. “What are you doing out here? Aren’t you going to fill me in?” He reached out and grabbed Edgar’s arm and tugged on him to stop.