“We have a long drive. And I want to hear everything. I want the whole story,” Sam insisted.
“All right. My memory is still a touch spotty, but I’ll do my best.”
“Please,” the boy said.
For the remainder of the drive home, Vance told Sam, Tashi, Nuks, and Nerida the tale that had led them all to that fateful moment in the sanctuary. Sam loved hearing about his mother in a way that he’d never known her. It was comforting to him. He also enjoyed learning a bit more about his father at the same time. It was an escape into the past that helped him forget the present.
“Tell it again,” Sam demanded when Vance had finished the story.
“The whole thing?” Vantana asked.
“The whole thing,” Sam confirmed.
The doctor complied, and this diversion eased the pain for a spell, at least until they arrived at Sam’s house. Walking inside the home he had shared with his mother brought him instantly back to the present moment and the reality of the life that now lay before him. Like Sam, the house felt empty inside. He immediately dropped his backpack and retreated to his room.
In the days that followed, Nerida would frequently stop by and try to persuade Sam to go outside and play. Tashi offered to help train him in various fighting styles—something he had badgered her about—but Sam remained uninterested. The only person who could truly understand his sorrow was Vance. And he was taking it just as hard.
“We’re quite a pair, you and I,” Vance quipped over a dinner that Miss Bastifal had prepared for them. “Misery loves company. Add to it that I already enjoy your company, kiddo, and we’ve got ourselves a perfect storm of self-pity.”
Nuks had a particularly difficult time with the loss. The raccoon-dog was convinced it was all his fault. He was the one who’d made it possible for Ettie to clean the attic and find her feathers. If it wasn’t for him, she’d still be alive, he contended. No matter how much Sam tried to explain that he shouldn’t blame himself, Nuks was racked with guilt. Finally Sam had to order the creature to forgive himself and explained that if he wanted to make Sam happy, he wouldn’t mention it ever again. Nuks obliged. The raccoon-dog was continuing to go to school as Sam, which eventually prompted Tashi to complain to Vantana directly, after Sam ignored her pleas to return.
“We gotta move on,” the doctor told him unconvincingly one night before bed. “You can’t be sendin’ Nuks out in your place. You gotta live your life. That’s what she would have wanted.” Sam nodded numbly. “I’ve directed Nuks not to indulge you any further. It’s time you had a normal day and went back to school.”
“I guess,” Sam said reluctantly, turning toward the stairs. He was just about to head back to his room, when he thought of a question for Vance. One that felt strange to ask. “I always called you Dr. Vantana or Vance, but now—”
“Yeah, I know,” he replied. “What would you like to call me?”
“Dad,” Sam said matter-of-factly. Vance smiled.
“I’d like that very much, Son. I’d like that very much.”
Sam grabbed his book bag and then suddenly remembered—
“Wait. I’ve got a gift for you,” he said.
Vantana looked to him, surprised. “A gift?”
Sam retrieved the square package given to him by Squishy and handed it over.
“Squishy said I was supposed to give this to you when our journey was over,” Sam explained. Vance unwrapped it and stumbled back a step in shock. His face lit up and his eyes watered.
“I’ll be darned,” he said. Sam leaned in to take a look and immediately understood why his dad was now grinning from ear to ear. It was a picture of Vance and Ettie on their wedding day. They stood with Woodruff Sprite and Squishy. Everyone looked a little younger, except for Sprite, who appeared exactly the same.
“I have the perfect place for it,” Sam said as he took the photo from Vance and set it on the mantel in place of the one with his fake dad and Ettie in front of the lake, which Vance snatched up and examined.
“I know this image—not the guy, of course. He wasn’t there when I took it.”
“You took it?” Sam asked.
“From what I can remember…it’s where we went after the sanctuary. Your mom never had her picture taken before, so I took one,” Vance revealed. “Maybe we can have that other guy removed or somethin’.”
“I’m sure we could,” Sam said as a loud bang was heard coming from upstairs. Sam rolled his eyes. “I better go see what Nuks has broken now.”
“School in the morning,” Vance reminded him. Sam nodded, and Vance pulled him into a hug.
“Good night, Son.”
“Good night, Dad,” Sam replied. Saying that made him smile, and smiles were hard to come by.
When Sam entered his room, he was surprised to find that it wasn’t Nuks who had made the noise. Rather, it was Dr. Henry Knox. Sam hadn’t been expecting to see the gryphon in human form so soon after the events at Lake Baikal, but there he was sitting in a chair at Sam’s computer desk, dressed in a sweater and tweed jacket, his signature hat resting on the desktop.
“Hi, Sam.”
“What are you doing here?” Sam asked him harshly.
“I wanted to check in and see how you were.”
“How do you think I am?” Sam replied, irritated.
“I did not come to argue with you about what is done. I am here because I imagine you have questions only I can answer.”
Sam eyed him a long moment. “What does it mean to be half swan maiden?” he asked.
“It means you’re a hybrid creature.”
“Does it mean I have powers?”
“Yes.”
“What are they?”
“Only Gaia knows, but I can speculate that they will likely involve shape-shifting.” Sam considered that. And then he concentrated on his hand, trying to make it change into a flipper. Knox chuckled. “It is not that easy. Hybrids are unpredictable creatures, but I would surmise that whatever the magic, it won’t appear until you mature.” Sam dropped his hand to his side, suddenly feeling silly. “How’s Vance?” Knox asked.
“He lost the love of his life twice and found out he had a son he never knew. Not great, but we’ve got each other now, right?” Sam answered sarcastically.
“I really hope you eventually come to understand—”
“You didn’t have a choice, I know,” Sam quickly replied. “But I did.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I could have stayed home…never boarded that bus to Death Valley. I guess the name of that place was a hint, huh?”
“You had a destiny, Sam,” Knox told him. “It was unavoidable.”
“Well, then I wish I’d never met you, never had that dream, never known any of this….I’d still have my mom.” Sam retreated to the window of his room, turning his back on Knox.
“Sam…please—” Knox began.
“Just go away. I never want to see you again,” Sam demanded. “And here.” He tossed Knox his DMW badge and turned back toward the window. Knox sighed heavily. As Sam gazed out the window of his room, the tears returned. What would become of his life now? How would he go on without his mom? Knowing that Vance was his dad was great and all, but it didn’t fix this—it didn’t even come close. He wanted his whole family intact. The way it was supposed to be. The way he deserved it to be. In the emotional cage match that was taking place in Sam’s head, anger was soundly defeating sadness.
Sam wanted to hit something, scream, kick—anything to get this fury out of him. He was mad. More furious than he’d even thought possible. He could hardly see straight….And then something caught his eye—movement outside on the street below. It was his neighbor from across the way—his teacher Christopher Canis. He was simply fetching his mail, but Sam suddenly saw in him the one thing he needed now mo
re than ever: hope. Sam spun back to Knox, who was just about to leave.
“Is she still alive?” Sam asked with renewed determination. Knox eyed him. “But she’s someone else now, right? She doesn’t remember who she was?” Seeing Mr. Canis had reminded Sam that his new teacher had once been a mythical creature: a cynocephalus named Chriscanis who was returned to Gaia after a fight with the Beast of Gevaudan. Sam had thought then that his friend was gone forever, until a human bearing a striking resemblance to Chriscanis moved in across the street. The teacher didn’t remember his former self, but Sam knew that Gaia had granted the creature his wish to be human.
“Sam…I do not control Gaia. And to even discuss this is a violation of—”
“Please,” Sam pleaded. “Just tell me if it’s possible.”
“I’m sorry,” Knox said.
All the hope Sam had briefly felt began to drain from his body, until Dr. Henry Knox met Sam London’s eye and did something that changed everything.
He winked.
Wes Jenkins’s diner was a local favorite, known for its large portions, cheap but tasty breakfasts, coffee strong enough to keep a farmer farming from dawn till dusk, and Sunday dinners like Mom used to make—only better. It was a busy place, but for a small town like this, “busy” was relative. Wes’s wife, Charlotte, did all the baking, and he did all the cooking, except for Sundays, when Charlotte insisted on making the meals. It reminded her of Sundays with their kids, who had all moved away and relegated the tradition to the holidays.
Though retirement was out of the question, Wes and his wife were getting older and—despite his outward denials—needed help running the restaurant. This was why Wes was so thrilled that his new hire was working out so well. She was a hard worker, kind and conscientious, even though she remained a bit of a mystery. Wes had been out fishing when he’d come upon her sitting on the lakeshore staring out at the water. The woman didn’t say much about herself, except that she was looking for work and a place to live. He could tell that she was good people, just maybe a little down on her luck. So he offered up their guest room and then gave her a job at the diner waiting tables. The woman took to it like a duck to water, and the customers loved her. She was always exceedingly positive, but Wes sensed there was something missing from her life. He would frequently catch her staring off into the distance between the breakfast and lunch rushes. She never discussed her past but would talk a lot about wanting to travel, and London was an often-mentioned destination. The woman didn’t say why, just that she felt like she really needed to visit there.
Another oddity—if you could even call it that—was her enjoyment of a particular song on Wes’s antique jukebox. Whenever it came on, she’d smile bigger and there was more bounce in her step. He suspected she’d been using her tip change to keep the tune in rotation, but he didn’t mind. It was an oldie but goodie from a group called the Turtles. The song’s name was “Happy Together.”
* * *
* * *
Sam London will return in Search for the Swan Maiden.
Memorandum
Date: ████████
To: DMW Rangers & Administrative Personnel
From: Dr. Vance Vantana
Subj: Creatures linked to Case SL002
The following is a list of the mythical wildlife connected to Sam London’s second case. At my request, the department’s forensic arts division has provided illustrations for reference.
Adaro
Origin: Solomon Islands
Known Abilities: Controls poisonous fish
Favorite Food: Filet of soul
Comments: They ruined rainbows.
Bishop Fish
Origin: Somewhere annoying
Known Abilities: Being annoying
Favorite Food: Something annoying
Comments: See above
Finfolk
Origin: Orkney Islands
Known Abilities: Shape-shifting, sorcery
Favorite Food: Seahorse
Comments: Zero sense of humor
Loch Ness Monster
Origin: Scotland
Known Abilities: Super speed
Favorite Food: Fast food
Comments: Hang on for dear life.
Lusca
Origin: The Bahamas
Known Abilities: Camouflage
Favorite Foods: Crustaceans and/or humans
Comments: Shark + Octopus = Run!
Makara
Origin: India
Known Abilities: Unknown
Favorite Food: Gulab jamun
Comments: One strange-lookin’ critter
Ningen
Origin: Antarctica
Known Abilities: Transmogrification
Favorite Food: Snow cones
Comments: Avoid Antarctica, please.
Nuppeppo
Origin: Japan
Known Abilities: Unknown
Favorite Food: Ōtoro (extrafatty tuna)
Comments: Bring perfume.
Scorpion Men
Origin: Mesopotamia
Known Abilities: Venomous sting
Favorite Food: They don’t play favorites.
Comments: A tail as old as time
Skunk Ape
Origin: Florida Everglades
Known Abilities: Poisonous odor
Favorite Food: Stinkbugs
Comments: Try not to hurl.
Additional creatures (pending verification):
-
-
TRANSMISSION INCOMPLETE.
DMW case files are presented in the following format: #XXXXX-XXX-XX.X. This ten- or eleven-digit code consists of both letters and numbers.
The initial series of letters and numbers represents the investigating ranger and the case number involving that ranger. These particular files are associated with Sam London (SL). As this is Sam London’s second case, the files are designated as 002.
The second series of three numbers indicates the applicable DMW offense code. In this instance, offense code 130 is used, which is broadly defined as a “creature-involved incident.” Although this particular case involves several types of violations of Phylassos’s law, the catalyst for these additional crimes was a single creature-involved incident.
The final number pertains to the section of the file for those files with multiple sections. Numbers that appear after the section and are separated by a period indicate subsections.
SUBJ: This is the subject or subjects of the section.
SOURCE: This notes the source or sources of the information included in a particular section. These sources are designated by an abbreviation. Below is a list of relevant abbreviations:
SA: Special Advisor
MC: Mythical Creature
ODB: Operational Debriefing
MR: Medical Records
SR: Surveillance Records
BG: Background Investigation
WS: Witness Statement
PR: Public Record
DATE: This is the date on which the incident or inquiry took place.
FORMS: In some instances, case files include forms used by DMW personnel to record information from witnesses or intelligence sources related to an investigation. For example, FD-11 is an Activity Report that draws on information procured from witnesses, informants, and surveillance to monitor important persons related to a case.
SPECIAL CLASSIFICATIONS: Files that are administrative in nature are given a classification code in the 400s. For example, classification 470 is reserved for personnel records and 480 for employee medical records. Specific file numbers of these records have been withheld due to privacy concerns.
American Samoa
nps.gov/npsa/index.htm
Biscayne National Park
Florida
nps.gov/bisc/index.htm
Crater Lake National Park
Oregon
nps.gov/crla/index.htm
Everglades National Park
Florida
nps.gov/ever/index.htm
Falling Waters State Park
Florida
floridastateparks.org/park/Falling-Waters
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
North Carolina, Tennessee
nps.gov/grsm/index.htm
Redwood National Park
California
nps.gov/redw/index.htm
Cabo de Hornos National Park
Chile
chile.travel/en/intereses-destacados/national-parks-and-reserves/cabo-hornos-national-park
The Selkie of San Francisco Page 30