6 Maple Leaf Hunter

by Maddie Cochere

  He shrugged his shoulders. “It was ok,” he said.

  “What did you do?” I asked.

  “Nothing much,” he mumbled.

  “I caught a widemouth bass,” I told him.

  Mick laughed and said, “It was a largemouth bass.”

  “Whatever it was,” I said, “it was big.”

  Alex mumbled again, “I heard.”

  I knew it was useless talking to him when he was like this, and I didn’t want Mick to get upset, so I changed the subject and simply said, “It’s beautiful out here.”

  “I could get used to a place like this,” Darby said.

  I was surprised to hear him say that. “Really?” I asked. “You wouldn’t mind being so far from civilization?”

  “I wouldn’t mind it for a year or two,” he said. “It would be easy to work here, and I’d like the change of pace.”

  “You wouldn’t like it if a Sasquatch was in your neighborhood,” Nate said.

  One of the hunters heard Nate and said, “There’s no such thing as a Sasquatch. It’s - what do you call it? Collective hysteria. Yeah. That’s it. One person thinks they see one, and then a million people do. Morons.”

  One of the other hunters called over, “You guys look pretty citified. I expect you’d pee your pants if you saw a wild animal.”

  Alex stiffened, and I knew he was ready to smart off to the men, but Mick slowly moved his hand to rest on Alex’s arm. Dan saved the moment by coming out onto the patio with a platter of breaded fish ready for the fryers. Emily was behind him with plates and silverware. I quickly offered to give her a hand in the kitchen.

  “Those guys will settle down as soon as we get some food in them,” Emily said. “It’s best to just ignore them.”

  “I didn’t think you served alcohol here,” I said.

  “We don’t,” she said. “But we don’t prohibit guests from bringing their own. We get some rowdiness after a good hunt or a big catch, but we’ve never had anything serious.”

  I checked my watch. It was eight fifteen. I wondered if Mick and I would have time to walk to the general store before they closed. I couldn’t believe we didn’t think to do it as soon as we got back. I wanted to call home.

  “Emily, what time does the general store close?” I asked.

  “They close up every day at five o’clock,” she said.

  I suppose my mouth fell open for a second, because she laughed and said, “It takes everyone by surprise, but there isn’t anything open around here after five. If you want to use the telephone, you’ll have to go during the day tomorrow.”

  By the time Emily and I had all of the food moved to the buffet table outside, Dan had a large mess of fish fried. I was happy to see Beau had joined our table when I returned.

  “Beau was just telling us he likes to write poetry,” Nate said.

  “You do?” I asked. “What kind of poetry do you write?”

  The old man’s eyes twinkled as he said, “Action. I used to write ‘bout bears. Now I write ‘bout Sasquatch.”

  I couldn’t help smiling. He had an endearing quality about him, and I knew he got a kick out of telling us about the poetry.

  The conversation had lit a fire under Nate. “I came up with a good one,” he said. “Listen to this. There was a Sasquatch named Harry; who was big and tall and hairy. One day he did drown; it was all over town. Now you no longer need be wary.”

  Leave it to Nate to come up with a limerick. We all broke into laughter. Except Alex, but to his credit, he did smile. Beau laughed especially hard and wiped his eyes.

  “Dinner’s ready,” Dan called.

  We all lined up for the meal, and everyone quieted down while we ate. After having very little breakfast, and a light lunch, I wolfed down a huge amount of food. It was as though my appetite had gone on the fritz, and I couldn’t satisfy my hunger.”

  Dan smiled when he saw my plate heaped with second helpings. “Portaging and fresh air will do that to you every time,” he said.

  I was embarrassed, but not enough to keep me from cleaning my plate.

  After dinner, Beau slowly made his way to the rocker on the porch. The rest of us pitched in to help with the cleanup before moving to the back of the yard to sit around a roaring fire. Benches and chairs surrounded the flames. It was a beautiful night with clear skies, numerous stars, and the full moon shining down on us. I snuggled closer to Mick on the bench.

  Hunting and fishing stories dominated the conversation, but I didn’t mind. The warm fire kept the creeping chill away, and Mick’s arm around my shoulders kept me close to him. I couldn’t believe I was becoming aroused again. He was going to have to shave soon, or I wasn’t going to be able to control myself. I had never seen him look like this, and I caught myself staring at him several times.

  The fire was eventually allowed to die down. Nate pulled a large flashlight out from under his chair and said, “It’s time for us to hit the hay. We have another early day tomorrow.” He turned the flashlight on. An extremely bright beam of light illuminated the nearby trees.

  “Geez, buddy,” one of the hunters said. “What’s with the spotlight?”

  Alex’s annoyance with the men resurfaced, and he said, “A Sasquatch doesn’t like bright lights.”

  The hunter who had expressed his opinion earlier stood from his chair and said with disgust, “You people are idiots. We’ve been coming up here for ten years, and we’ve never-”

  His words were cut off by the most frightening sound I had ever heard. It was just as Dan described yesterday. It sounded like a woman’s terrified, murderous scream. I clung to Mick.

  One of the hunters screwed his face up and barked at Dan, “What was that?”

  I caught the look of dread on Dan’s face. I knew he was afraid the hunters might leave. “It sounded like a rabbit to me,” he said. “A wolf probably got it. You know how they scream when they’re dying.”

  “That was no rabbit,” the hunter said.

  The sound came again. This time, it seemed closer, louder, and longer. Nate aimed the bright light into the trees. He was white as a ghost, and I knew Darby needed to grab him quick.

  “Wow!”Alex said. It was the most energy he had shown all evening. “That’s what a Sasquatch sounds like. Cool!”

  Nate was out cold in Darby’s arms. The four hunters demanded a refund and were on their way home within the hour.

  Chapter Seven

  The down mattress and soft sheets were incredibly comfortable. I sighed happily and nestled deeper into both.

  Sasquatch or not, the evening had been enjoyable, and Mick certainly didn’t deny my advances when we climbed into bed. We eventually fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms. I was surprised I didn’t wake when the alarm went off, and he left for another day of fishing.

  I glanced at the clock on the nightstand and saw it was ten o’clock. It was definitely time to get up. I wanted to go to the store to call home right away.

  After a quick shower, I went downstairs and found everyone already gone but Beau. He was on the porch in his rocker. His chin had dropped down onto his chest, and a soft snoring sound surrounded him. A paper appeared to have fallen from his hand onto the porch. I picked it up to set it on the small table beside him and recognized Nate’s handwriting. He had written:

  Sasquatch, why do you hide?

  In the forest so dark.

  Show yourself.

  I clapped my hand over my mouth to keep from laughing. I set the paper on the table and hurried back into the lodge. He probably penned the words during the night when he couldn’t sleep. He was definitely going to need a vacation next week to recover from this one.

  I checked the chalkboard, and sure enough, Emily had left a note for me. Susan – Breakfast in refrigerator for you.

  She was a sweetheart to leave something for me. I found a plate of fresh fruit and a carafe of orange juice. Bagels and cream cheese were in a conspicuous place on the counter, and I knew she intended for me to hel
p myself to both.

  It was comfortable eating alone in the homey kitchen, and I made sure this time I ate enough food to sustain me on my walk to the store.

  I tiptoed past Beau and walked across the parking lot. The path was easy to find, because it was the only one. It was well traveled with level ground, so it was easy to walk at a quick pace. I couldn’t wait to hear Lizzie’s voice. I wondered if she missed Daddy and me, or if she was having too much fun with Grandma and Grandpa to think about us.

  The woods became denser, and the thought of a Sasquatch encounter entered my mind. I quickened my pace. I didn’t want to be afraid. Alex said the creature wouldn’t hurt a human, and I tried to convince myself he knew what he was talking about.

  The trees eventually thinned, and I came to a clearing with a fork in the path. There were no signs, and both paths appeared to be traveled equally. I had no idea which way to go. I chose the path on the left.

  It didn’t take long to realize this wasn’t the right way. The ground became rocky, and there were enough weeds to signify the path hadn’t been used regularly for some time. The scenery was lovely though, and I decided to look over the next hill before turning back.

  I crested the hill to find the abandoned rock quarry below me. It was stunning. The quarry was a blight on the earth with its scarred rock walls and black pool of water at the center, but there was something beautiful about the carved scene, too. Alex would definitely want to see this. I would have to warn Mick to be prepared to spend several hours when they came here.

  I walked back to the fork and took off at a jog down the path on the right. I didn’t want to waste any more time.

  I rounded a long curve and found myself faced with even more beautiful scenery. The path was wider here and more like a dirt road. Flat, emerald green, mossy foliage grew on both sides. At the end of the road were hills covered with tall yellow grasses. The blue of the sky was intense and the clouds pure white. The colors were so spectacular, I felt like I was jogging into a painting.

  A dead end on the other side of the hill extinguished my joy. Instead of the main road, there was a small cabin at the end of the path. Weeds had overtaken the property, so I assumed the cabin was unoccupied. I approached the building with only a little trepidation.

  I peeked through the nearest window and could easily see no one was inside. Dust was thick on the windowsill. I walked to the front door and pushed the handle down. The door was unlocked and opened easily.

  There was nothing special here. The main furnishings were a table with two chairs, a broken down sofa, and an overabundance of dust. There were small items on the floor - a pair of boots, a broom, and some sticks. A mug and a newspaper were sticking out from under the sofa. I turned to leave, but something made me pause. I turned back and visually swept the room one more time. I finally noticed the table and chairs didn’t have dust on them. I assumed that meant someone had been in here recently. I’d have to ask Dan about the cabin later.

  I closed the door behind me. I was completely stumped as to the location of the general store. I headed back to the lodge to ask directions again.

  I wasn’t as concerned when I came to the heavily wooded part of the path again, and I laughed when I saw the small sign. I had been so worried about the Sasquatch the first time I came through, I completely missed the sign with an arrow pointing to a narrower trail. The sign was worn, but the words could still be read - Walt’s General Store.

  Now that I knew I was in the right place, I made good time, and it wasn’t long before the path delivered me to the main road. Another small sign indicated the store was a quarter of a mile to my left.

  It only took about five minutes before the small store came into view. The exterior was weathered with chipped paint. The words on the side of the building faded into obscurity. I could make out the word Groceries, but the cola logos on either side had become ghostly shadows. The brightest words on the building were Cold Beer. I didn’t see the name of the store anywhere.

  The wooden screen door announced my entrance by squeaking when it opened. I stepped inside and smiled. It was as though I had traveled back in time.

  The floor was made of wood planks, but they were old, gray, and dull. All of the bins and shelves were made of wood, but they, too, were unattractive. The high wooden counter supporting jars of old-fashioned stick candy, pickles, a roll of white wrapping paper, and an ancient cash register was also heavily worn. A wood fan circulated air from the ceiling.

  A thin, bald man wearing spectacles pushed aside a curtain to enter from a back room. He used a cane and walked with a sharp limp.

  He didn’t smile, and he said rather sharply, “What can I get for you today?”

  “Hi,” I said. “I came to use the phone.”

  He made me uncomfortable by giving me an overt up and down look. “You staying down at the Boling place?” he asked.

  I nodded my head and said, “Yes.”

  He frowned and appeared to contemplate the information for a few moments before asking, “Do they have very many people in camp this week?”

  I shook my head. “There were four hunters until last night, but they left, so it’s just my husband, our son, and two of our friends.”

  “Sasquatch scare off them hunters?” he asked.

  I looked around to see if I could spot the telephone. I didn’t want to be rude, but I was anxious to call home, and I didn’t want to spend too much time chatting with the man. I nodded my head again and said, “We heard it last night when we were sitting around the campfire. The hunters freaked out and left right away. Our son says there aren’t any known cases of a Sasquatch hurting a human, so we’re cautious, but not too worried about it.”

  “I saw the Sasquatch on Dan’s property,” he said. “It happened last year. I was on my way down to give Emily some strawberry preserves from the wife. I kept hearing strange noises off the path, so I went to look. I came up on that Sasquatch unexpected like, and it scared the living daylights out of me. I jumped back, lost my footing, and tumbled into the ravine. That’s how I busted up my leg here. I don’t know how anyone ever heard me hollerin’ down there, but I was mighty grateful when a rescue party showed up. I haven’t been down to Dan’s place since.”

  I felt sorry for the man. The encounter had clearly been terrible for him. I didn’t know why I suddenly felt the need to share, but I said. “I saw a Sasquatch yesterday.”

  The man’s eyes showed alarm, but rather than to say anything, he held out his hand and said, “I’m Walt, by the way.”

  I shook his hand. “I’m Susan. Nice to meet you, Walt.”

  “Where’d you see the Sasquatch?” he asked.

  “We were fishing,” I said. “It was a series of three lakes, and we were fishing in a cove off the third lake.” Walt nodded his head as if to acknowledge he knew the spot. “I was looking through a pair of binoculars, and I saw it through the trees at first, but then it moved into clear view on shore. I could see every detail of it with the binoculars, and it was staring right at me.” A slight shudder appeared to traverse Walt’s body. “But then a muskie hit the bigmouth bass we had hanging from our canoe, and it nearly dumped us over. When I looked again, the Sasquatch was gone.”

  Walt smiled for the first time and said, “I think you mean a largemouth bass.”

  I laughed and said, “I don’t know why I can’t remember that. Its mouth didn’t look any larger to me than any other fish.”

  “Sounds like you’ve had a lot of excitement since you got here,” he said. He walked over near the front door and pointed behind a coat rack. “The phone’s over here. I’ve got plenty of quarters on hand, so you might want to buy some before you make your call.”

  “That’s ok,” I told him. “I’ll call collect.”

  I almost laughed when I saw the telephone. It, too, was an antique.

  It took several minutes before the call went through and Mick’s mother answered the phone.

  “Evelyn. Hi, it’s Susan,”
I said. I was relieved to hear her voice.

  “Susan, honey, where have you been?” she asked. “Bennett and I have been worried sick about all of you. We haven’t heard from you since Saturday.”

  “I know,” I said sheepishly. “We planned to call Monday night, but there aren’t any cell phone towers up here, and there’s no phone at the lodge. I had to walk to a little store today to find a pay phone. But everyone’s ok, and we’re having a good time. How are you and Bennett? How’s Lizzie? Is she being good?”

  “Lizzie is a doll, and we’re just fine,” she said. “It’s Joe who’s proving to be a handful.”

  I laughed. “He has a lot of energy for such an old dog, doesn’t he?”

  “He knows Lizzie’s schedule, that’s for sure,” she said. “If we’re late putting her down for her nap, he whines and drags her blanket around the house. He goes in the kitchen and barks when it’s time for her lunch. On top of that, he has his own schedule for his walks and potty breaks. He thinks he’s the one in charge here.”

  I stifled a laugh. I didn’t know if she thought Joe’s behavior was humorous, or if she was upset.

  “What’s Lizzie doing now?” I asked.

  “I’m sorry, honey,” she said. “She and Joe are on your bed taking a nap. They’ve only been asleep for about fifteen minutes.”

  I was disappointed, but I was happy to hear Lizzie was well and everything was under control at home. “Give her a big kiss from Mommy and Daddy,” I said. “I’ll call again tomorrow.”

  “Susan, there’s something else,” she said. “A man was here looking for you this morning. I assumed he knew you, because he knew you were in Toronto. He said he was supposed to meet with you when you came home yesterday, but you didn’t show up.”

  I had no idea what she could possibly be talking about, but then it suddenly came to me. My heart felt like it twisted in my chest. The men from the mall and the stolen gold seemed like such a long time ago, but who else would show up at my house knowing where I had been over the weekend?

  “Did he leave a message?” I asked. My heart was pounding so hard, I could feel it in my ears.