When Sam and Tashi entered the library, the librarian, Ms. Bryce, was in her usual spot at the checkout desk. She was in her midtwenties and always wore her hair tucked beneath a purple knit beret. Ms. Bryce looked over when she heard the door, and did a double take.
“Sam?” the librarian said, appearing confused. “Didn’t I just see you come in?”
Sam realized Nuks must already be waiting for him. The raccoon-dog was supposed to adjust his face before entering the school so they could avoid these kinds of awkward situations.
“Uh…yes,” Sam replied. “Yes, you did. And then I left to get something out of my locker.”
“A new outfit?” she inquired, eyeing his clothes.
“Oh…yeah,” Sam answered. “I spilled some juice on my shirt and had to change.” Ms. Bryce nodded but didn’t seem convinced. Sam was eager to avoid any more questions, so he added hurriedly, “I’ll be in my favorite stack,” before heading to the back of the library with Tashi in tow.
The folklore and mythology section was the predetermined spot where he and Nuks had agreed to meet whenever the time came for them to switch places. Besides the ironic nature of the aisle’s subject matter, the section was well hidden and saw little foot traffic. Sure enough, Nuks was waiting exactly where he was supposed to. He had a book in hand and a duffel bag at his feet. He saw them approach and grinned.
“Sam! Tashi!” the raccoon-dog exclaimed. He held out the book proudly. “Look!” He pointed to an illustration of a raccoon-dog. The caption denoted the creature as a tanuki. Nuks continued excitedly, “It’s me. Well, not me. But one of my kind. Isn’t that cool?”
“Very cool,” Sam concurred. “I thought we talked about you changing your face if you ever came here. Ms. Bryce is totally suspicious.”
“I have to touch someone to do that,” Nuks explained. “And I didn’t have time.”
“All right. We’ll just be better prepared the next time we have to do this,” Sam said.
“Definitely!” Nuks agreed, then greeted the Guardian with a smile. “Hi, Tashi.”
“Nice to see you again, Nuks,” she replied. “Did you bring what we discussed?”
“You two discuss?” Sam asked with surprise.
“When necessary,” she said.
“Just like you wanted, Tashi,” Nuks told her as he reached down to the bag at his feet.
“What’s this all about?” Sam asked. “Dr. Vantana is waiting.”
Nuks unzipped the duffel to reveal a raccoon-dog. This one had pinkish-red fur and a pink nose. When it gazed upward and saw Sam, its eyes fluttered.
“Is that—” Sam began.
“Her name is Nuiko. She is from Japan,” Nuks explained. Sam had a sudden realization.
“Tashi,” he said, turning to the Guardian. “You’re not thinking you’re going to—”
“You said it yourself, Sam London,” she replied. “I cannot leave school on a whim, so I must have someone take my place. I took Nuiko in like you’ve taken Nuks in, and she’s agreed to this arrangement. If Nuks ever got the call, he was instructed to bring Nuiko with him.”
“But you live with a cat lady,” he said. “An actual cat lady!” Sam emphasized, referring to the fact that the woman whom Tashi lived with was a child of Bastet, a creature that was half feline and half human. “Am I the only one who sees how that could be a problem?”
“Sam,” Nuks said dismissively. “We all get along just fine.”
“Besides, I checked with Miss Bastifal beforehand, and she gave her approval,” Tashi reported. “Now let’s begin.” She leaned down to pick up Nuiko, but Sam reached out and grabbed her wrist.
“Wait,” he said in a loud whisper. “You can’t just have her transform in here. What if Ms. Bryce turns the corner? Then what?”
“We do not have a choice. It must be done in here,” Tashi told him. “You will create a distraction.”
“I will? How?” Sam asked, unnerved.
“I do not know,” Tashi responded as she touched Nuiko and the raccoon-dog began her transformation. “But do so quickly.”
Exasperated, Sam stepped out of the aisle, his mind racing with possible distractions, all of which would likely get him detention. But it suddenly didn’t matter, because Ms. Bryce was walking toward him.
“Hey, Ms. Bryce…,” Sam said, placing himself between the librarian and the aisle where Nuiko was currently shape-shifting into a duplicate of Tashi. “How have you been lately?”
“Good. Thanks for asking. I’ve been wanting to talk to you,” she began, pulling to a stop only steps away from the aisle. “I’m assuming you didn’t see the news yet?”
“No, not yet. Why?”
“Have you ever been to Pier 39?” she inquired in her library whisper. Pier 39 was a popular tourist destination in San Francisco that featured restaurants, shops, and other attractions. Sam didn’t know where this exchange with the librarian was headed, but at least it was keeping her from walking into the folklore and mythology section and getting an eyeful.
“Sure,” Sam said. “Lots of times.”
“Do you know the sea lion colony?”
“Of course,” Sam answered. “I love that place.” Sam had stood at the railing with the other tourists to watch the creatures roll around in the sun and to hear them bark.
“Well,” Ms. Bryce continued, “there was a news story I think you’ll be interested to hear.”
“Oh?” Sam said, intrigued. He deduced that this “story” was likely the case Dr. Vantana had called about. Sam’s distraction of Ms. Bryce was not only fulfilling its purpose, but it might even prove to be informative. “What happened?”
“A bunch of tourists saw a man dressed in a seal costume climb onto one of the platforms,” Ms. Bryce explained. “Someone got everything on video, and it’s gone viral.”
“Wow,” Sam said. “That’s pretty weird.”
“That’s all you have to say?” Ms. Bryce asked, surprised by his subdued reaction. “I figured you would have a crazy theory about how this guy was some sort of merman.” Ms. Bryce knew of Sam’s penchant for mythical creatures.
“You said he was a man in a seal costume,” Sam pointed out.
“I know,” she said. “But what if he wasn’t? What if he was a seal in a human costume?” She raised her eyebrows, waiting for his response. Sam nodded slowly.
“Now I get it. That is interesting….”
“Yeah,” Ms. Bryce said as she continued toward the aisle where Nuiko was transforming. “I think we should take a look at one of those reference books. See what we can find!”
“Wait,” Sam said. “Can I see the video? So I know what to look for,” he added hastily, worried the transformation hadn’t been completed yet.
“Sure,” Ms. Bryce offered, but she wasn’t turning around.
“Wait,” Sam said again, this time with more panic in his voice. The librarian paused and glanced back—
“What’s wrong?” she asked, facing him.
“Nothing. I just thought we were going to watch that video.” Sam shrugged, aiming for nonchalance.
“We will, but first I want to grab the book.” Ms. Bryce smiled, disappearing around the corner and into the aisle. Sam’s heart dropped, and it felt like it pulled all of the blood in his head with it. If she witnessed a transformation of a shape-shifting raccoon-dog, Sam’s future with the DMW would be over, practically before it had begun. He was going to have to think quick to avoid a catastrophe.
“I can explain,” Sam shouted as he rushed forward to catch her.
“Explain what?” Ms. Bryce asked. Sam looked past her at an empty aisle, then glanced back to an expectant Ms. Bryce.
“Explain…where the book is you’re trying to find,” he scrambled.
“I’m the librarian,” she laughed. “I think I have a pre
tty good idea.”
“Of course,” Sam replied, relieved at the bullet—scratch that, the cannonball he just dodged. “It’s my helpful nature. It’s like a reflex. Like when the doctor hits your knee and your leg goes up. Someone needs something, and I’m ready to help.” Ms. Bryce eyed him a moment, then turned to the books.
A “Pssst!” sounded from behind Sam and he peered back toward the front of the aisle. Two Tashis and a second Sam were peeking around the first stack. The original Sam frantically shooed them away, before pivoting back to Ms. Bryce, who was pulling a book off the shelf.
“Here it—” she began, but before she could finish her sentence, she sneezed. It was a substantial sneeze and one that took her by surprise. “Excuse me,” she said.
“God bless you,” Sam offered as Ms. Bryce continued to stare at the floor.
“What is—” She knelt down and poked at what appeared to be a pile of animal hair. Nuiko’s hair, Sam concluded in horror. No doubt shed during her transformation. It was at this moment that Ms. Bryce erupted into a sneezing spree the likes of which no creature, human or otherwise, had ever witnessed. Sam lost count at twenty-three consecutive sneezes. They all started to blend together, and some didn’t even finish before the next one began. It was such a violent fit that her signature purple beret flew off her head and revealed a bright purple head of hair. Sam was stunned at the sight but didn’t have time to process it.
“I’m—allerg—ic to—dogs,” Ms. Bryce stammered between sneezes. “But why would there be a—”
Sam helped her to her feet, then guided her to the end of the aisle and over toward the doors.
“Maybe you should go see the school nurse,” he suggested, making sure to use his gravest tone. The librarian nodded. At least, it appeared to be a nod; Sam couldn’t tell the difference between her head jerking back from sneezing and it bobbing in agreement.
“Yes—yes—I think I should,” she was able to say in stops and starts, her nose now red as a beet.
“I’ll stay here and keep an eye on the place until a teacher can come take over,” Sam offered. Ms. Bryce nodded again as she sneezed her way out of the library.
When she was out of sight, Sam rushed back to the book stacks and found his friends one aisle over from the mythology section.
“Excellent distraction, Sam London,” Tashi commended. “Very impressive.”
“Impressive? That was a disaster!” Sam exclaimed. “The poor woman almost sneezed herself to death because of the hair she left on the carpet.” Sam gestured toward Tashi’s double. “It looked like Carl the bigfoot shaved his back in there.”
At that, the Tashi that was Nuiko began to cry. Not just cry, but sob uncontrollably.
“Now you’ve upset her!” Nuks said, putting a hand on Nuiko’s shoulder. Sam felt awful.
“I’m sorry,” Sam said somberly. “I really am.”
Nuks pulled Nuiko into a hug. It suddenly felt weird for the real Sam to see a version of himself hugging Tashi, even if he knew they were both raccoon-dogs in disguise. Tashi similarly was confused and appeared downright mortified by the display. The hug wasn’t what bothered her, though; it was the tears.
“You must not cry if you are going to masquerade as me,” Tashi scolded. “Guardians control their emotions. You must control yours or you will not fool anyone.” Nuiko sniffled and attempted to hold back her tears. The result was the sort of blubbering one would expect from a distressed toddler.
“She’ll be fine,” Nuks assured Tashi. “I will keep a close eye on her. You two should go.”
“Right,” Sam said, rearranging his thoughts from the hug to the awaiting doctor. “Just don’t do anything crazy.” He wasn’t quite sure if the hug fell into that category, but there wasn’t time to ponder the implications.
“You have nothing to worry about,” Nuks told him. “I will be the best Sam London substitute yet!” he declared with a smile a block wide.
“I’m pretty sure I’ve never smiled that big in my whole entire life,” Sam corrected him. Nuks quickly adjusted his grin. “A little less,” Sam suggested, and Nuks diminished it further until it was barely a smirk. “Perfect,” Sam reported. “See you two later.”
Tashi retrieved her bag, and as they headed out of the library, Sam noticed the Guardian glancing nervously over her shoulder at a still whimpering Nuiko. He had never seen Tashi so apprehensive before, but he couldn’t blame her. She had no idea what would be waiting for her when she returned. Sam just hoped Nuks didn’t try out for any sports teams or make dozens of new friends.
Thanks to Tashi’s stealthy instincts, the two slipped off campus unseen and found Dr. Vantana’s government-issued SUV parked on a side street. The doctor was talking into his badge as Sam climbed into the backseat and Tashi took the front.
“I know it’s strange for one of them to show up so far from home,” the doctor said. “I’ve got a message in to Phylassos for his take. We’ll get to the bottom of it. Gotta run. Sam and Tashi just arrived.”
“Hi, Sam. Hi, Tashi,” a voice called out over the badge. Sam recognized it as belonging to Redwood National Park ranger Penelope Naughton. “Trevor says hello.”
“Hey, Penelope!” Sam exclaimed. “Please tell my good friend Trevor that we both said hello back. And that we miss him and value him as a friend.” Trevor was a troll who lived in Redwood National Park, and like all trolls, he was obsessed with the number of friends he could claim to have.
“He’ll be very glad to hear that,” Penelope replied happily.
“I do not—” Tashi began, but Sam quickly shushed her.
“All right, enough pleasantries. Vantana out.” The doctor touched his badge to power it off and caught Sam’s eye in the rearview mirror. “Good to see you, old buddy. You too, Tashi.”
“Same to you, Dr. Vantana,” Sam said, grinning from ear to ear.
“I concur,” Tashi chimed in, buckling her seat belt.
The doctor put the SUV into gear and pulled away from the curb.
“Any problems making the switch?” Vance asked.
“It could have gone a little more smoothly,” Sam said. “Especially if Tashi had told me she arranged for her own tanuki to take her place.”
“It wasn’t important until it became important,” Tashi asserted.
“Blame me, actually,” Vantana said sheepishly. “I knew she wasn’t going to leave your side, so I sent her a note to be ready when the time came.” Sam looked at the Guardian, stunned.
“You had contact with Dr. Vantana and didn’t tell me?”
“It was not about a mission,” Tashi explained. “It was a recommendation that I found to be agreeable.” Sam shifted in his seat and gazed out the window, displeased by her lack of transparency.
“Do you know where we’re headed?” the doctor inquired.
“San Francisco,” Sam replied. Vance nodded.
“Do you know why?”
“A seal in a human suit?” Sam posited.
Vance grinned. “Something like that. You saw the video?”
“I heard about it.”
On the forty-five-minute drive to Pier 39, Sam questioned Dr. Vantana on what he had been up to these past few weeks that didn’t require Sam’s assistance. Vantana revealed he had been traveling the world, visiting national parks to communicate that things were back in order after news spread of the events in Hérault. There existed a great many creatures whose brethren were in the amphitheater the day the cynocephalus Chase exposed Phylassos as Dr. Knox and attempted to destroy the claw, which would have ended the concealment curse. Many of these creatures were worried they might be found guilty by association. Or as Vance put it, “They were as nervous as a bunch of long-tailed cats in a room full of rocking chairs.” The doctor worked to alleviate these creatures’ fears and made sure they knew there wouldn’t be any repercussi
ons. Some of the creatures were also deeply offended by Phylassos’s ruse and felt betrayed when they’d learned he was masquerading as a mere human. That group sounded like it was a little tougher to handle, but according to Vance, “After a whole lot of listening and little talking, they were all as happy as clams in mud.”
“That’s a relief,” Sam replied as he gazed out the car window and spotted the Fisherman’s Wharf area of San Francisco. Vance pulled into the Pier 39 parking garage and parked. They all climbed out and Sam headed toward the sea lion colony.
“Where ya goin’ there, partner?” the doctor asked.
“To Pier 39. That is where the incident happened, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is. But we have no need to investigate that,” Vantana said. “It’s all over the internet. What we need to do is talk to a witness.”
“Oh…okay,” Sam replied. “Like who? One of the tourists?”
“Not exactly,” the doctor answered. “Most of the eyewitnesses spoke to the media already, except one. My guess is that this witness saw more than the others and isn’t talking. I’m hoping a visit from us might change their mind.”
Dr. Vantana led Sam and Tashi a few blocks from the pier to a narrow four-story stucco apartment building whose age showed only because it was crammed between brand-new condominiums. The three of them took the stairs to the third floor and walked to an apartment at the far end of the hallway. Vantana knocked, and a few moments later, the door opened to reveal the witness. It was the last person Sam London had ever expected to see again.
“I knew you would come,” Gladys Hartwicke said with a smile. Then she peered beyond the trio and asked curiously, “Where’s the gryphon?”
SL002-130-20
SUBJ: Hartwicke, Gladys
SOURCE: WS
DATE: ████████
Gladys Hartwicke knew when to hold her tongue. After several weeks of being questioned—more like interrogated—by a series of state psychiatrists, she had been declared mentally fit and hadn’t been bothered since. Despite what she told the doctors, Gladys knew the truth and she also knew to keep it secret. She had seen a gryphon in Death Valley. It had saved her from certain death. And that boy on the bus had been talking with it. Of all this she was certain. There was also the visit from that strange doctor at the hospital, who asked a number of questions and then wanted her to guess the card he was holding and point to the cup that had a quarter in it. She did surprisingly well on those tests at the time and started fancying herself a psychic. Unfortunately, when she attempted to demonstrate these abilities to her friends on bingo night, she only wound up looking foolish.
The Selkie of San Francisco Page 3