6 Maple Leaf Hunter

by Maddie Cochere

  Emily stepped over to give me a hug me. Dan followed by embracing me in a bear hug so tight, it felt as though my lungs momentarily collapsed.

  Mick introduced Alex, Darby, and Nate, but other than Emily hugging Alex, which he didn’t seem to mind, the remaining greetings consisted of handshakes.

  “How was your trip? Are you hungry?” Emily asked. “We held dinner for you.”

  The lodge wasn’t as large as I had envisioned. The exterior was attractive and made from logs. The lobby was rustic with a crackling fire in the fireplace. It seemed out of place to have a fire going in August, but it was comfortable and gave the room a welcoming appeal. A bearskin rug spread out in front of the hearth looked inviting as well. I knew it was bearskin because the head was still attached. Taxidermy of large fish and forest animals adorned the walls. The largest mounted item in the room was a moose head above the fireplace.

  “Wow, this is amazing,” Darby said.

  “Pretty cool,” Alex said, nodding his head in agreement.

  Nate wasn’t quite as enthusiastic, and I knew the mounted animals played against his sensitive nature. He looked around and commented, “There are a lot of stories here, aren’t there?”

  Someone behind us said, “Sure are, and I’d be happy to tell some of ‘em to ya if ya’d care to listen.”

  We all turned to see an elderly man in green overalls shuffle slowly into the room.

  Emily asked, “Dad, do you remember Mick Raines? He and Dan attended college together. You met him at our wedding.”

  The man looked Mick up and down and said, “Can’t say that I do.”

  Dan stepped over to stand beside me and said, “This is Mick’s wife, Susan.” He pointed to Alex. “This is his son, Alex, and these two men are their friends, Darby and Nate. Everyone, this is Emily’s dad, Beau.”

  The old man smiled all around and said, “Nice ta meet ya.” He then shuffled toward the front door.

  “Dad, do you want to have dinner with us?” Emily asked. “There’s plenty, and you’re welcome to join us.”

  “No,” he said. “Not hungry.” He grabbed a fishing hat from a hook on the wall and plunked it on his head before walking out onto the porch. Through the window, I saw him settle into a rocking chair.

  Emily appeared despondent and said, “He doesn’t eat much anymore, and he sits in that rocker all day long.”

  “How old is he?” Nate asked.

  “Dad will be eighty-seven next month,” Emily said. She realized she had cast a gloomy pall over us and said, “Where are my manners? Come on into the dining room and have a seat.”

  She led the way to another comfortable room with dark wood paneling and smaller animals mounted on the walls. A large wooden table was already set. While we all took seats, Dan went into the kitchen and returned with a huge pot of stew. He ladled large, steaming helpings into bowls and passed one down to each of us. Emily set in motion a basket full of toasted and buttered English muffins.

  The stew was hearty with meat, potatoes, carrots, and peas in a thick brown sauce. We all behaved as if we hadn’t eaten in days, and we ate with gusto. Alex and Nate helped themselves to seconds. Emily served a pecan butter-tart for dessert, and everyone showered her with compliments on the delicious meal.

  “We have a freezer full of moose, so I make the stew at least once a week,” she said. “Everyone seems to like it.”

  Color drained from Nate’s face. “Moose?” he squawked. “I just ate a moose?”

  I tried to hide my smile, but Alex laughed raucously and said, “You didn’t eat a whole moose, Nate. You only ate some of it.”

  Dan was perplexed and asked, “You’re not a vegetarian, right? And you liked the stew, yes?”

  Nate’s voice was a little high as he said, “I know it probably seems silly to you guys, but I have an aversion to eating cute animals. You know, the whole Bambi, Thumper, Secret Squirrel thing.”

  “Secret Squirrel?” Alex asked. He was still laughing. “Who’s Secret Squirrel?”

  Nate smiled and asked, “Don’t you ever watch old cartoons? He was only the best spy squirrel ever. Agent triple zero, and he had a machine gun cane. Anyway, today I ate Bullwinkle. I might never be the same again.”

  “Bullwinkle wasn’t cute,” Darby said with a grin.

  I think Nate realized how foolish he sounded, and he let the subject slip away with some humor and laughter. But Nate really was the type of person who tried not to step on ants and would become teary-eyed if he accidentally ran over an animal in the road – even an already dead one.

  After dinner, Emily and I washed and dried the dishes. The guys went into the lobby to sit around the fire, and laughter would occasionally ring out from the room. When our kitchen duties were finished, we carried a pot of coffee, cups, and a plate of butter cookies into the room to join them.

  I noticed Beau wasn’t on the porch or in the lobby. I wondered where he was, but it was none of my business, so I refrained from asking. I sat down next to Mick on the sofa. When everyone had coffee, I asked, “Were you telling fishing stories?”

  Darby laughed and said, “Mick and Dan were reminiscing about their college days.”

  Mick reached for a cookie and said, “Dan lived on campus, but it was a hectic time for me with Alex being a baby. I still managed to have fun between classes though.”

  I didn’t press for any details of the stories they had just told. It was a time in Mick’s life we didn’t talk about very often. He had married right out of high school, and his wife became pregnant soon after. Instead of growing together as a family, they had grown apart over the years. When Alex was fourteen, Mick and his wife entered into a non-contentious divorce. I met Mick at that time, and when he didn’t tell me he was still married, I slightly freaked out and almost stopped seeing him. I smiled thinking about it now, but it certainly wasn’t anything to smile about at the time.

  “What about the fishing stories?” I asked, changing the subject. I pointed to the largest fish on the wall. “Who caught the fish with the sharp teeth?”

  “That’s a muskie,” Dan said. “I caught it two years ago. It was cold and raining that day, and I had a good feeling about catching a muskie, but I never dreamed I’d land one that big. Talk about a rush.”

  The guys all made appreciative noises, but I wanted to fish for cute little fish like bluegill, not big ugly fish with sharp teeth.

  “What did you use for bait?” Darby asked.

  He lit up and said, “I had a spoon on.”

  The next several minutes presented an animated Dan as he recounted his experience with the fish. I looked around at all of the guys and saw they were enrapt by his storytelling. I glanced over to Emily, and we exchanged smiles.

  After Dan finally had the muskie mounted and hung on the wall at the lodge, Alex excused himself to use the restroom. Emily went to the kitchen to refill the cookie plate, while Darby and Nate walked the perimeter of the room to look more closely at the animals on the walls. I leaned my head against Mick’s shoulder. The atmosphere in the lodge was peaceful and comfortable. I wished Lizzie could be with us, but I knew the animals would terrify her, and it was the right decision to leave her with Grandma and Grandpa.

  “Emily,” I said when she returned from the kitchen. “None of us have cell phone signals here. Do you have a public telephone?”

  She shook her head and said, “It’s by choice we don’t have telephones or televisions on the property. We handle all of our business online on an old dial-up computer in the office. It’s not the most modern setup, but it’s served us well over the years.”

  Dan said, “If you need to make a phone call, you can walk to the general store and use their pay phone. There’s a path heading east out of the parking lot. If you take that, it will lead you to the main road. It runs right by the store, and it’s only about a half hour walk.”

  Nate looked aghast. “What if you have an emergency?” he asked.

  “We’ve had a few emergencies,�
�� Dan said. “We send an email. Emergency emails are constantly monitored, so the response time is pretty close to the same as a phone call.”

  It didn’t sound like a good emergency plan to me, and I didn’t like it that I couldn’t call home to say good-night to Lizzie. I would have to talk with Mick’s mother tomorrow and let her know I might not be in touch as often as I had anticipated.

  Alex came out of the restroom and asked, “Where is everybody? Are we the only ones here?”

  Dan and Emily both seemed uncomfortable. Dan finally said, “There are four hunters in two of the cabins. No one is staying in the lodge, and we don’t have anyone in the campground.”

  Mick was immediately concerned. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “I thought you’d be full up with bear season starting.”

  “Business has fallen off the past two years,” Emily said. “If things don’t change, we’re going to have to sell the place.” She looked crestfallen.

  “What happened?” Darby asked. “This place is gorgeous. I can’t imagine why you’re not at capacity.”

  Dan raised his eyebrows and gave Emily an inquisitive look. She slowly nodded her head as if to give approval for him to speak.

  He took a deep breath before saying, “It started almost three years ago. Two families staying in the campground checked out early. They didn’t say why, but they were definitely in a hurry to leave. We found out later from another couple that they left because they heard a Sasquatch in the night.”

  “What?” Nate yelped. “You have a Bigfoot in your forest?”

  Understanding that Dan and Emily were serious, and their business was in trouble, I fought back my laughter, but the look on Nate’s face was priceless. We all knew he was afraid of ghosts and prone to passing out when frightened, but none of us knew how he felt about a Sasquatch – until now.

  “I guess we do,” Dan said. “You call them Bigfoot in the states. Up here, we call them Sasquatch. Those first two families who checked out were camping in tents, and they didn’t feel safe. But it wasn’t too long before other guests were frightened by sounds when they were out fishing or hunting during the day. Many of them said they saw the creature. Our repeat customers stopped coming back, and between reviews on internet travel sites and word of mouth, our business has dropped off to almost nothing.”

  “Have you had anyone go out and try to find it?” Darby asked.

  “When word got out we had a Sasquatch on our property, the place was crawling with Sasquatch hunters and reporters. But they were skulking around in the forest, and three people were accidentally shot in one week. The injuries weren’t serious, but no one turned up anything either. Everyone finally realized it was too dangerous with hunters and bears in the area, so they all cleared out, and no one’s come back.”

  “What about the other campgrounds in the area?” Mick asked. “Is their business down, too?”

  Dan shook his head. “The nearest camp is Rice’s Ponderosa about twenty miles down the road. Richard Rice is a good enough fellow, but his place isn’t nearly as nice as ours. He says they haven’t had any problems at all. No sightings or sounds, and the last time Emily talked with his wife, she said they picked up quite a few of our customers. We’re like the house on the block everyone skips at Halloween because it’s haunted.”

  I glanced over at Nate. I was sure he would pass out any minute now.

  “Have you ever seen or heard one?” Alex asked Dan.

  He looked at Emily again before saying, “I haven’t seen one, but I’ve heard one, and I have to admit, I understand why people left.”

  “Why?” Nate asked.

  I had to look away to hide my smile. His eyes were wide with fright.

  “It’s a horrible noise,” Dan said. “It’s like a high-pitched scream. It sounds like someone is murdering a woman in the woods. I’ve heard the sound in short bursts and another time as one long scream. It’s really terrifying.”

  Mick looked over at Alex and said adamantly, “Do not roam around by yourself. If you want to look for rocks, make sure you have someone with you. We’ll check out the rock quarry in a few days with Dan. Ok?”

  For once, Alex didn’t argue or bring out his smart mouth. Instead, he said thoughtfully, “I’ve done some reading about Bigfoot. There have been a lot of sightings in Ohio.”

  “There have?” Nate asked, his eyes still wide. Darby reached over and patted him on the knee. Nate’s reaction, and then Darby’s reaction to him, was the last straw and struck me as incredibly funny. I struggled to hold back laughter and had to bite my lip.

  Alex asked Nate, “Don’t you ever watch the news? Not only have there been a lot of sightings, but there’s a Bigfoot conference at Salt Fork State Park every year.”

  Nate leaned back in his seat and let out a sigh. The Bigfoot talk had completely overwhelmed him.

  Alex continued, “I’ve done quite a bit of reading and research. I wanted to know if there really was such a thing as Bigfoot, and I’ve come to the conclusion that they’re out there.”

  Nate groaned and slumped farther down in his seat.

  “But no one in modern times has ever been hurt by a Bigfoot or a Sasquatch,” Alex went on to say. “Some people think they’re supernatural beings, and they can disappear at will. That’s why there are reports of them being seen, but there are very few reports of them being tracked or followed.” He paused for a moment before saying, “I’m not afraid.”

  Dan looked sober as he said, “If you heard one, you might change your mind.”

  Alex shrugged his shoulders and said, “I also read a bright spotlight will cause one to leave you alone at night more than loud noises or even warning shots from a gun.” He looked at Nate and said, “You need to carry one of those bright LED flashlights with you.”

  Nate nodded his head vigorously.

  Mick looked affectionately at his friends and said, “I’m really sorry to hear this. I don’t know how I can help you, but I’ll do anything. Just tell me what to do.”

  “Thank you,” Emily said, “but we’re baffled. How do you tell people there’s no Sasquatch when they’ve heard it?”

  We all sat quiet for a few minutes. The crackling fire was comforting, and the room had such a serene feel, it seemed impossible there could be anything wrong here.

  “I’ll tell you one thing I’m doing,” Mick said. “I’m paying for everything while we’re here. No free rooms, campsites, food – nothing free.” He looked over at Darby and Nate. “I’ll take care of your bill, too.”

  Everyone protested, but Mick refused to listen. He turned the conversation to sleeping arrangements. “Where’s everyone staying?” he asked.

  “Nate and I can stay in the RV,” Darby said. “We’ll hook up at one of the campsites.”

  Nate appeared alarmed at the idea of staying in the RV. I’m sure he was worried about staying in the campground with a Sasquatch on the loose.

  Alex saw Nate’s reaction and said, “Don’t worry about it, Nate. I didn’t read anything about a Bigfoot knowing how to open a door.”

  “Do you want to stay with us?” Darby asked Alex. “You might get to hear one in the night.”

  Alex looked at his dad and said, “I’d like to stay in one of the cabins.”

  Mick thought about it for a few moments before saying, “I think that would be all right. Just be sure to keep your door locked.”

  “What about us?” I asked Mick.

  He smiled and said, “We’re staying here in the lodge, and I suggest we all get some sleep if we’re going to get up early and get out on the river.”

  “Would you mind if I slept in tomorrow?” Alex asked. “I’ll go out on Wednesday, but I think I’d like to hang around here for a day. I’ll swim, maybe fish from the dock, and I can give Dan a hand if he needs help with anything.”

  “It’s ok with me if it’s ok with him,” Mick said.

  “Fine by me,” Dan said. “I can use a hand with the fire pit out back.”

  Emily
led me up to our room while Mick walked out with Darby and Nate to grab our suitcases from the RV. Dan took Alex over to the cabin nearest the lodge to show him around and make sure he was comfortable.

  When Mick entered the room, I asked, “What do you think about all of this? Do you believe there’s really a Sasquatch out there?”

  He opened our suitcases on the bed and began putting his clothes away in the dresser. “I don’t know,” he said. “There’s obviously something going on to affect their business like this.”

  I didn’t say anything. I took his lead and began unpacking.

  “Are you sure you want to get up early and go tomorrow?” he asked. “You can stay here with Alex if you’d like a day to relax.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it,” I said. “Unless you want me to stay here to keep an eye on him, I’m looking forward to going.”

  “No,” he said, gathering me into his arms for a kiss. “I want you to go. I want to see you put a worm on a hook.”

  I pushed him away with a light tap on his chest and said, “I can hold my own in a boat. You’ll see.”

  He laughed and said, “Ok. I’m setting the clock for four thirty.”

  Chapter Six

  The rain finally dissipated.

  I was dry in my rain gear, but my arms ached. It didn’t help that my right arm was still bruised and sore from the fall at the mall. At least my back was no longer bothering me. This shouldn’t have been so hard.

  “Susan? You ok back there?” Mick asked. “Can you lift a little higher?”

  We were carrying our canoe over a muddy path on our way to yet another lake. I played enough racquetball that my weight and stamina had returned to pre-pregnancy levels a long time ago, and my upper-body strength was strong. Why was I struggling to help carry the canoe? It couldn’t weigh more than a hundred pounds, and with Mick in the lead lifting the heavier end with the gear, this should have been an easy task.

  I was breathless as I called up to him, “I’m trying, but it’s harder than I thought it would be.”

  “The ground’s uneven and slightly uphill,” he called back. “We’re almost there. Just a little farther.”