Tails of Ugly Creek

by Cheryel Hutton

  “So you haven’t flown off to Planet Dog after all,” Shay’s voice came through the phone.

  “Everything okay back in Ugly Creek?”

  “We’re all fine, including that cute new cousin of mine.”

  I smiled. “She is pretty awesome, isn’t she? Thanks for taking care of her.”

  “She’s having a great time. She plays with the dogs at Ace’s, then we go to Aunt Ruth’s and she plays with Scrappy. She plays with the demon cat too. I was worried about her at first, but she can hold her own.”

  I smiled. “That’s my girl.”

  “I don’t know what we’ll do if your dad shows up, though.”

  “If he does, just try to stall him. I’ll be home soon, I promise.” One way or the other.

  “The only problem around here is that boyfriend of yours.”

  What the hell? “Hunter? He’s not my boyfriend.”

  “Whatever he is, he’s having a fit. He calls, he comes by, he’s obviously very upset.”

  My heart did a shameful little dance. “I thought he’d gone to California?”

  “Nope, he stayed here.” Shay sighed. “I can’t figure out if he’s scared you’ve been possessed by a dog, eaten by a dog, you possessed a dog, you ate a dog, or if he needs you with him when he checks himself into the mental hospital.”

  “Oh good grief.”

  “What I do know is that he’s afraid he’s lost you for good.”

  “Why? Because he can’t explain how I became Trixie? Tell him a magician doesn’t reveal how she does her tricks.”

  “Being a little hard on him, aren’t you? You said yourself, it’s scary to see somebody you care for shift.”

  “Yeah, well it’s hard to watch the man you love run screaming from you.”

  “Ouch.”

  “Yep.”

  “Look, I know this is hard for you, Terri, but the man is obviously miserable. I doubt he’s eaten or slept since you revealed your furrier side.”

  I tried to swallow the lump forming in my throat. “He’s really that upset?”

  “Yes, he is. No matter what you decide to do, you know I’ll support you. As your cousin and friend, I advise you to think about the situation very carefully. Remember, you told me to give Ace time, and you were right.”

  We hung up, and I reheated my food in the room’s microwave. Nothing tasted very good, but I was hungry enough to eat anyway. Was I being too hard on Hunter? I had forced the truth down his throat. There was a part of me that argued his inability to believe had something to do with his father, and that his reaction to my shift might have come gift wrapped with his dad’s disapproval.

  I flipped off the light and fell onto the bed. My head was pounding and my broken heart was trying hard to grow some hope. “Don’t,” I told the organ. “You’ll just get torn apart again.”

  I closed my eyes. I’d lie there until I felt better, then I’d head back home. There was no sense in hiding out. I had to go home and face the disaster my life had turned into.

  ****

  Over the next few hours, I slept better than I had in a while. Hunter was somehow nearby, and I felt his support. Meanwhile dreams swirled and danced in my mind. Twisting and slipping from one bit to another, the images played a song for me, leaving a blueprint in my mind when I woke to darkness. As I pulled myself from sleep, a book I wanted badly to write came together—puzzle pieces sliding into place. It was different from anything I’d ever seriously considered writing. It would take a lot of work, but I knew what was wrong with the women’s fiction series. I didn’t have many women friends. I was making up stories from bits and pieces, and my material was getting scarce. I wanted to write scary. It was much easier to make that up. In fact, ideas were swirling around in my head like flies in the summer.

  I couldn’t wait to get started, but my laptop was miles away, and I didn’t want to take the chance of losing the vision. I had to start as soon as I could. I’d have to do this the old- fashioned way.

  I swirled and spat out mouthwash, ran a brush through my hair, and pulled on my sneakers. It was cold outside, and I was shivering by the time I got to my Fiat. It wasn’t until I got in the car and saw two on my dashboard clock that I realized it was seriously early morning. What would be open? Gas stations, yes, but I really wanted a better choice than that. Then I saw the sign: Walmart. Open twenty-four hours, and had everything a writer could need.

  I bought two packs of my favorite ballpoints, assorted notebooks, sticky-notes, snacks, a bright purple pair of ear buds for my MP3 player, and a pack of colorful paper clips just because I liked them. As I headed toward the checkout, I saw a nice shawl and grabbed it too. This Florida girl was cold.

  Back at my hotel room, I made a cup of tea and made use of my pretty new supplies.

  ****

  I looked up blearily to see bright sunshine cutting sideways through the window and across my hotel room. The annoying buzzing sounded again, and I stumbled to where I’d dumped my cell in the heat of inspiration. It was Hunter calling. Again.

  Sighing, I told the thing to ignore the call and fell face-down onto the bed. It was obvious I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer. As much as I didn’t want to interrupt the glorious gush of inspiration, falling asleep again at the writing desk wasn’t going to get me anywhere. Sleep pulled at me, and I didn’t have the strength to fight anymore.

  Three hours later, I woke to a head full of muse-inspired story and a buzzing I vaguely remembered dreaming about. I fumbled for my phone, swiping it on without really looking at it. “Hi,” I muttered.

  “Terri! I’m so glad to hear your voice. Are you all right?”

  His voice sent warm shivers over my body. “Didn’t Shay tell you that I’m okay?”

  “Yes, of course she did, but I really needed to hear that from you.” He inhaled. “And I need to apologize for the way I acted when you…when you became…”

  “When I shifted.”

  “When you shifted.”

  The icy lump that had been living in my heart started to melt. “I’m sorry I scared you.” I swallowed back tears. “I didn’t know what else to do. You’re one hard-headed male, Devereux.”

  “That bad, huh?”

  “Let’s just say you’re exceptionally good at that denial thing.”

  He groaned. “The Bigfoot was real, right?”

  “Among several other folks.”

  “Please don’t, I’m not sure I can take all this.”

  It was probably a little mean, but I smiled. “You’ll be all right.”

  “As long as I don’t lose you I’ll be fine.”

  Tears blurred my vision. “Are you sure you want to be with a socially awkward, half-girl half-collie, with writing issues?”

  “I don’t know.”

  I held my breath.

  “That writing issue thing is a hard one to ignore.” He made a little thinking noise. “Maybe you could let your collie half try to write the next book. I know the paw to keyboard might be an issue, but we could get her one of those stick things disabled people use to type. She could hold it in her mouth, or maybe we could strap it to her head.”

  “You’re funny, Hunter.” Warm affection filled my chest. “I like that in a man.”

  “So, when are you coming home?”

  “The thing is, I got some great advice, and while reading one of my long-time favorite novelists, it all sunk in. I started a whole different book, in a different genre, from the beginning and it’s all coming together.”

  There was silence for a moment. “You could write here in Ugly Creek.”

  “I know, Hunter, but I’m afraid I’ll lose the flow of my book, and I just got my mojo back. There are a lot of distractions back there.” Then it dawned on me. “And you’re not supposed to be one of them. I thought you were leaving.”

  “I discovered I couldn’t do it. I had to stay and try to convince the woman I love that I’m really not as hard-headed as she thinks.”

  “I’m not
so sure about that.”

  “Maybe I could be trained?”

  I laughed. “Maybe. I could see if the leprechauns have any ideas.”

  He let out a sound that sounded like a scream stifled by a groan.

  “Easy there, Devereux. They don’t usually bite.”

  “I have to say, you tried to tell me.”

  “I’ll be back as soon as the word rush lets up.”

  “See you then. I love you, Terri.”

  “Love you too, Hunter.”

  We hung up, and I took a moment to get myself calmed down. Then it was time to get back to work.

  I called room service for a pot of coffee and a sandwich assortment. No, I’m not a coffee fan, but this was an emergency. While I was waiting, I went back to the spiral bound notebook where I had spent so many hours spilling out what would either be my best book ever, or the worst thing I’d ever written. Sometimes I was sure it was one, then I’d be positive it was the other. Either way, I was obsessed with finishing.

  Chapter Twenty

  My cell phone said it was Wednesday morning, two days before Halloween. I was heading down the Interstate toward Ugly Creek, excited to get back to the people I love—and who love me back. Tucked carefully in my small suitcase were two spiral notebooks and an inexpensive laptop containing the new, improved first draft of my latest novel. It had come so quickly I’d had a hard time writing it down even with the weird shorthand I’d developed for myself over the years, so I’d finally gone back to Walmart for a little laptop so I could type the thing out. I couldn’t wait for my agent to read the manuscript, but I wanted to clean it up first. I had emailed a copy to Hunter. I wanted to know what he thought.

  It was a much improved book, I was certain of that. The plot and characters were totally different from anything I’d written before. Well, except the handful of short stories I’d written back in high school. The ones I’d proudly shown to my English teacher, Ms. Hanson. I was a good student, and teachers liked me. That day, my teacher told me I had talent, but she was ashamed of me for wasting my potential writing not just commercial fiction, but the crass, ugly genre of horror. I gave up writing for years, and when I did start writing again, I wrote the more feminine, dignified genre of women’s fiction.

  The manuscript I’d just completed was not feminine, not dignified, not women centered. It was bloody and violent and scary. And I had enjoyed every minute I’d spent writing it.

  Okay, I admit it. I was pretty damn proud of myself. Yeah, I’d have to write the contracted manuscript, but somehow that didn’t seem as daunting as it had just a few days ago.

  I had worked hard and long, and I was thrilled to be going home. Well, to Aunt Ruth’s house actually. I was anxious to see Shay and Ace, and I missed Rose terribly. I might not have known her long, but we were connected in some inexplicable way.

  Then there was Hunter. I knew there were things we would have to work out, but for the first time ever, I believed there might just be a relationship in my future. Maybe even a husband and children.

  I was afraid to hope too much though. Deep in my heart was the fear that home and family were not things I could have. Maybe I was just too different. Maybe no man would be willing to take on the craziness of a wife-collie. And the idea of babies scared me to my very soul. I groaned and forced myself to focus on the road. It looked like it might rain, and drivers seemed to take more risks in the rain than when the roads were dry.

  The closer I got to Ugly Creek, the darker everything became. Ominous clouds were gathering and I knew a storm was in store for the area. I hadn’t heard any thunder or seen streaks of lightning yet, but it was only a matter of time. I hoped the storm would go in a different direction, but that didn’t seem to be what was happening. Oh well, it wouldn’t kill me to get wet. I wasn’t crazy about thunder and lightning, though. Not to mention tornadoes. They weren’t the huge ones like out in the Midwest, but they were terrifying just the same.

  I took an exit for gas, snacks, and to check my phone for a weather update. Twenty minutes later, I had a full tank, was munching on chips, and knew there was a seventy percent chance of rain that might include thunderstorms, and there was the possibility of severe weather later in the day.

  I headed home and hoped the weather wouldn’t be too bad. All those hours with my head in my own world, and the weather had been sunny and beautiful. Now that I’m finished and could take a break, it does this.

  Not that a little rain was going to dampen my mood. I was pretty sure I could get my career back on track, I had a little sister to love, and Hunter had finally come over to the strange side. I was a happy girl.

  There was some sort of tie-up just outside Knoxville, slowing the traffic to stop, go two feet, stop again, repeat. I turned on some classic rock and munched on a candy bar. Hopefully it wouldn’t be too long before I got home. Home, yeah. It felt entirely too good thinking of Ugly Creek as home. It felt right. Maybe I should just stay there. The people were accepting of odd, and there was plenty of room for my alter-ego to run and play. Maybe Hunter and I could make our home there. The idea had me smiling.

  Finally traffic cleared, and I was once again on my way. The clouds were darker now. Before long I had to turn on my lights and wipers. It wasn’t raining hard, but Mother Nature was obviously gearing up for a long, wet afternoon.

  I smiled at the thought of curling up somewhere with Hunter while outside the rain played relaxing melodies against the roof and windows. Awesome.

  A loud clap of thunder startled me so badly I jumped and hit my knee on the steering wheel. I laughed at myself and waited for the next one.

  By the time I turned off the Interstate onto the Ugly Creek road, it was raining lightly at a steady pace. My phone buzzed and I smiled when I saw Shay’s name.

  “I’m almost there, psychic.”

  “Good, your dad was here.”

  “What did he do?”

  “Nothing, actually. He came up the front steps, and I heard the back door shut. I opened the front door, but he was already heading toward the kennel, he wandered around that for a while, then took off through the woods. I found Rose’s clothes on the back porch. She used the scent of the other dogs to confuse him, didn’t she?”

  “Yeah, but it won’t last long. I’m just about to the city limits, I’ll look for her.”

  “Be careful, Terri. The weather woman just said they think a tornado touched down near Farragut about ten minutes ago.”

  “I’ll be careful, and I’ll let you know as soon as I know something.” I clicked off the phone and headed toward the most logical place, Aunt Ruth’s house. It was just as likely she’d headed toward the woods.

  Hunter’s car was in the driveway, and I saw him at the house, running around yelling for Rose and knocking at doors and windows. I dove out of the car and onto the front porch. I unlocked the door and rushed into the house. “It’s me, little sis. Are you here?” It was obvious pretty quickly that she wasn’t there.

  Hunter came up beside me. “Any ideas?” he asked.

  “Actually, I think I might know where she is. Wanna come?”

  He grabbed me and kissed me until my bones dissolved. Then he grinned at me. “Let’s go find Rose.”

  I somehow thought to grab my bathrobe from the kitchen, then we were on our way.

  By the time we reached the little clearing I recognized from before, it was raining so hard you could shower out there. I got out and headed in the direction I’d seen Rose go the other night, and heard Hunter right behind me. I called out for her, but wondered if even her ears could pick up in this deluge.

  Then a familiar collie puppy came trucking out of the foliage so fast and hard she almost knocked me down. I sat on my heels and held the dog close for a moment, then stood and put my hand on Hunter’s arm. “It’s okay, you can stop calling for her now. Let’s go.”

  He looked at me, then at Rose, then back at me. Even with the dark cloud cover and the pounding rain, I could see the color drai
n from his face. “If you say so.”

  I hurried Rose to my car, put her in the backseat, and wrapped her in my robe. She was shivering, so as soon as I got in I started the car and turned the heat on full blast.

  Hunter climbed in the passenger side and fastened his seatbelt with shaking hands.

  “Furry runs in our family,” I told him.

  He groaned, leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes. I was impressed with his lack of freaking out. Maybe there was hope for the man after all.

  It was all but impossible driving with the rain coming down so hard, but I slowly headed back toward our neighborhood. Thankfully, the rain slacked off, and it seemed that maybe the storm was over. Then I realized. “Is the sky green?”

  Hunter leaned forward so he could look up better, and Rose put her paws on the door’s armrest where she could see. She barked quick and sharp, and he sucked in breath and muttered. “Oh crap.”

  We were at Aunt Ruth’s by then, and it only took a moment for the three of us to run into the house. Hunter and I grabbed blankets, pillows, couch cushions, whatever we could find. Rose and Scrappy joined us in the hall.

  Rose tugged on a blanket with her teeth, pulling it toward us. She shoved Scrappy toward the blanket then stuck her nose under the edge and scrambled trying to get under with the cat.

  I pulled the material tightly around them, and a moment later, my sister was human again. She held onto Scrappy, I snuggled her against me, and Hunter held me close.

  We discovered that during a tornado, the wind really did sound like a train. As it blew around us, the house shook hard. The wood creaked and groaned, and I was pretty sure I heard Rose crying.

  Hunter stretched one leg out, then the other, did some kind of twisting movement, and he was on the other side of my sister. He reached a long arm around both Rose and me, and we had her locked securely between us. “It’s going to be okay,” he told her.

  She snuggled between us, Hunter and I held hands, and we waited. The roar and pounding was terrifying, the lights went out, I heard glass breaking, and the roar got even louder. It seemed to last forever.