A Skeptic's Tale
by
Millie Price

          Hai Nyugen stepped out of his Boone’s Butte cruiser, clicked the alarm F.O.B. on his key ring, and headed for the porch. Three packages were stacked by the side of the door. He let out an exasperated sigh rubbing his hairless round face before smoothing his uniform over a thin but toned chest. He and Lan had moved to Boone’s Butte to rekindle their dwindling marriage and start anew, but the change of scenery hadn’t quelled her online shopping addiction the way he’d hoped. Forcing a smile onto his face, he remembered their last couple’s therapy session where he promised to conjure more patience. A task which would’ve seemed impossible while working the city beat, but in the Butte criminal activities were few. Unfortunately, there were other types of dangers in the small mountain town, things Hai and Lan would come to know all too well.

          Opening the front door, he reached for the packages to haul inside when his phone dinged with a notification. He pulled it out. It was a voicemail from Lan. Punching his finger onto the screen, he nestled the phone to his ear with a shoulder and grabbed the boxes.

          Lan’s breathless voice poured through the speaker. “Hey babe, I’m going to be late getting home from my trail run. I want to check something out. It’s…” the signal broke up, “…and I know it sounds crazy, but I swear…. I’ll be careful, I promise.”

          Hai dropped the boxes onto the counter with an aggravated grunt. In the city, Lan had a habit of finding trouble in a desperate attempt to get his attention. He thought things would change once he spent more time with her. He took a deep breath. I promised more patience. He checked his watch. Late usually meant fifteen to twenty minutes. It had been forty-five minutes since the voicemail. He grabbed the phone from the counter and dialed Lan’s number.

          It went to voicemail. “Hey love, I’m getting worried. I’m going to wait ten minutes and then head in the direction of your last location. Love you.”

         Five minutes later he was out the door. Lan carried a GPS tracker during runs and hikes. Finding her wouldn’t be hard. He checked the coordinates on his phone. She was less than a mile away. Pulling his coat tight around his neck, he headed to the deer trail behind the house. The leafless trees swayed with vigor; the cold bite of winter nipped at his nose. He pulled a flashlight from his pocket and hustled toward the coordinates. Rocks and roots jut from the ground, the wind howled, and unseen footsteps skittered through fallen leaves. He shivered. The woods held beauty during the day, but in the evening they were covered in ominous shadows. Suppressing a growing annoyance, he continued up the trail until a red dot blipped on his screen.

          Sweeping the light around a large clearing near a river, Hai’s heart pounded against his ribs. The river wasn’t as high as it was in the spring, but one wrong step would send a person a few miles down the mountain before they could get their bearings. He called out. “Babe. Where are you?” A rustling of fallen leaves caught his attention, and he swung the flashlight toward an enormous tree on his left. A hunched figure dressed in active wear clawed at the ground. He sighed, trying to release frustration. “Lan, hon. What are you doing?”

          She looked up at him, her long black hair stringing over her face like a curtain, her thin but pouty lips a light shade of blue. Then she stood, and Hai stumbled back. In the shadow of the light’s beam, Lan seemed taller, her face sharp instead of round, her body substantial instead of petite. She turned too him with pupils like saucers in the beam of the light. “He is our son! We have to find it for him!”

          He approached her slowly, his patience thin. It was the same type of stunt she pulled in the city. The same nonsense that pushed them to therapy and Boone’s Butte. Hai ground his teeth as he unzipped his coat to put over her shoulders. More patience. I promised more patience. Covering her, he pulled her into his arms.

          “Hai?” Lan pushed the hair from her face and checked her surroundings, her chest heaving. “I, I was on a run and,” she looked up at him, her pupils were back to normal size. “I saw someone in the clearing. A woman I think, she looked lost and then…” her words trailed off. “I don’t know, I guess I lost track of time.”

          He suppressed a huff. More patience. I promised more patience. “Let’s get home.”

 

***

          The next morning Hai awoke with a long stretch. It was his day off, which was perfect because he now had time to confront Lan. Was she still pissed about his decision not to have children? Did she really see a woman, or was it another one of her games? Fixing the bed, he took a moment to remember all the tools from therapy. He couldn’t accuse her outright, had to find a way to open the subject without putting her on the defensive. Slipping into a pair of joggers, he headed to the kitchen. Coffee filled the air. Lan was cooking breakfast. His muscles relaxed. Maybe the conversation wouldn’t be as hard as he thought.

          Her voice floated down the hallway. “Yeah. I’m sure. And the nightmare from last night proved it. I saw something up there Bodie, I just need you all to come.”

          He stepped into the kitchen with a disapproving look. Bodie was one of the sisters from the Revenant Emancipation Department, or RED. They were licensed paranormal investigators and had a good reputation throughout the state, but Hai never bought into ghosts, or abilities. To him, it was a form of entertainment. He sat at a breakfast bar behind the stove.

          She turned to him, still talking to Bodie on the phone. “Yeah, I know. He won’t be happy about it, but he loves me and will understand.”

          Hai dropped his head. Patience, patience, patience. Waiting until she ended the call, he leaned onto his elbows forcing his face to relax. “Okay, I’m listening.”

          She turned off the stove and grabbed plates to serve them breakfast. “I had an awful nightmare last night, and when I woke up I was heading back to the clearing again.”

          “I didn’t hear you get out of bed.”

          Lan’s face scrunched. “Are you saying I’m lying?”

          Hai took a deep breath. “No, of course not, it’s just that…” he stopped. Another therapy rule was to pause before answering with emotion. “When I found you last night, you were talking about finding something for our son. I thought maybe—”

          She cut him off. “You thought I was back to my old ways and starting drama to get your attention.” Her voice was terse, but her eyes were filled with tears.

          Hai dropped his head again. “Kind of.”

          Lan dropped a plate of food in front of him. “Well, I wasn’t. I saw someone up there Hai. A woman. I remember approaching her, then you were there and the sky was dark. That’s not normal. Something happened.”

          “And you called the MacGregor sisters instead of talking to me?”

          “We’re talking now.”

          He huffed. “Maybe you were tired from the run. People see things in the woods all the time when they get tired.”

          “So, you don’t believe me.”

          “That’s not what I’m saying.”

          “Then you’re fine with Bodie and her sisters coming over to make sure.”

          He inhaled, ground his teeth, and then exhaled slowly. “If it makes you feel better, then yes, I’m okay with it.”

          “Good, because they are on their way.” Lan crossed her arms.

          He stared at his breakfast. “Can’t wait.”