My nosy self
"Are you ok? I'm sorry sir. I will clean it before you leave to avoid stepping on it."
I cleaned my black trousers off from the few chips and salt that landed on it.
"I'm fine, it's ok. Go tend your wound first. I will wait," I said smiling at her to make her feel better.
She rushed inside and took five minutes to come back out. She has put a stick on the wound and started cleaning the mess.
My eyes gazed at her for the first time. She looked very young, had golden hair tied up in a ponytail exposing her pale skin and small frame. She then lifted her head and looked at me smiling exposing her dimples and her beautiful large brown eyes. I smiled back and nodded to make the awkward silence between us feel even worse. She left and soon returned with the change.
"Keep the change, it's fine," I said as I stood up, wearing my light jacket.
"Thanks for your service," I grinned, trying to look at her badge to see her name.
It was too small for me to read from the distance we were at, so I couldn't make it out.
"Courtney," she answered, returning a grin.
Turning around towards the cash register, she opened it to put the cash in place.
"Yeah, thanks Courtney," I replied and then left in search for the location, hoping I manage to find it before sundown.
It was already dark and I could barely see. I switched on the car engine and thought of finding a motel somewhere nearby. I started driving and I kept looking to my left and my right hoping I would find a place to sleep for the night. Nothing seemed to be close by except for one house here and there.
I then saw a small one floor house made of wood close by and decided to stop there. I knocked at the door twice before a very tall man with a long ginger beard and hair showed up.
"What do you want?" He asked with a very rough, country style tone.
"Are you one of those pranksters I had to deal with last week?"
I looked at him and his big fat beer belly.
"Sorry to disturb, sir. But I was wondering if you can help me find a place to stay for the night. I was trying to find .."
He shuts the door in my face and left me there staring at it for a while. I thought he was very rude of him and started walking towards the car with an upset face.
"F***er" I mumbled to myself, unlocking the car.
I could have sworn that as soon as I lifted my head whilst opening the car door I saw something running into the woods. I stared at the trees for a while, then I notice something from deep into the woods. I kept staring straight at the forest and that is when I notice that there was something between the trees staring straight at me.
My heart started beating fast at the thought of some adventure, hoping that that thing had to do with the picture I got from my boss. I knew that whatever I saw was looking straight at me, not moving a muscle.
As a journalist one can only imagine the things we end up in. To get the job you have to have the will to work in dangerous environments as well as curiosity which would help you venture further into anything that looks and feels mysterious. It's in my nature to be courageous, partly from past experience and partly from growing up with my courageous father that was never afraid of anything.
Dad used to train me not to feel fear by exposing me to things that looked scary for the age I was back then. He would tell me things like; "keep looking at it. Think of what you can do to stop yourself from being afraid of it." He used to train me to fight, telling me that in case I found a few bullies in the streets, I would know how to protect myself. Training hard made me stronger both in person and in character which made it difficult for me to be frightened by something.
One would think that watching someone or something stare at you from between the bushes and trees would make you want to run off like a coward, but me being me I decided to go and get as close as possible to whatever was hiding, hoping I would get a better glimpse of it which would help me figure out if the thing in the picture was the same one I was observing in front of me.
I had only a few more meters to go, making the creature clearer, before a panicked voice halted me in surprise.
"Don't! Don't take any more steps," he screamed out, running to my side.
Watching him approach I decided to hide the photo and place it somewhere safe and away from sight, trying to see why he is stopping me to walk any further.
Fixing my throat I took one last glance at the forest, noticing that the creature that inhibits it was gone. As puzzled as I was I couldn’t further track the creature so I ended up waiting for the guy to reach me.
"Sir, the forest is too dangerous for a human to enter. Trust me I know enough to give you full detailed stories of things I have witnessed," he said shakily and breathless, noticing his wrinkles all over his face.
"That's great! A story is what I need!" I mumbled to myself before he took the last few steps.
"Are you from this area sir?" I asked curiously, thinking that he could lead me to something.
"I live here, yes. My family lived here for a very long time. Stay away from danger young boy. Trust me, it is not safe for you here unless you know this land well. Anyway, what brought you here? We don't get much tourism in these parts."
Observing the darkness of the forest again, hoping that I would see that thing once again, I decided to show the picture to this old man and see if I notice any reaction from him. My eyes gazed at the blurred figure that looked like it was something evil.
"Kid, that thing. Don't. I won't say its name. It dangerous to call it. Why are you in search for it?"
"I am a journalist and I got a task to find out more about it. All I know is that this picture was taken somewhere around this forest."
I waited momentarily to observe his features before asking him further.
"Can you tell me something about it? Anything... maybe a story?"
"And the one who took the picture, where is he?" He interrupted, ignoring my questions.
I shook my head feeling puzzled that this question never popped up in my head. Normally John, our part time photographer would be the one to take the pictures when I am in office, but I haven't seen him in days.
This guy took one last glance at the picture, then returned it to me with a sigh. Looking around him feeling insecure, he held one hand over my arm and got closer to me.
"Listen to me, forget about it and go home where it is safer," he said in a whisper.
"I need to know," I said back frowning in thought.
Ignoring me, he left my side, walking back into his car. Deciding not to follow him, I glanced around me for one last time before I started walking back into my car. Breathing out, I sat down on the car seat and closed the door, placing the picture on the passenger seat. Gulping half a bottle of water down, I started the engine and drove off thinking I should still find a place to stay for the night.
Switching on the radio I checked for any news station that was forecasting in such a late hour but I was too far away from the city for the radio to work. Instead I could hear the disturbance which always made my ears burst. Quickly I pressed the off button, feeling relieved that the noise was gone.
On my way, I observed the darkness of the forest, wondering if I should go and check it out the next morning. Having someone that knew its paths would have been ideal, so that I would avoid getting lost but I was here alone and if I needed to impress my boss I had to do this on my own.
Suddenly I see some light coming from a nearby house so I decided to park somewhere close and knock at the door. Observing the house, it was made of wood which reminded me of my parents' small summer cottage we had in the outskirts of London which we stayed at every summer. I waited for a while and there was no answer. I knocked harder this time, trying for the last time before I started to walk myself back to the car.
"Who is it?" Someone shouted politely after a few seconds. I heard some light footsteps approaching the door.
Turning back towards the door I fixed my throat, thinking of how I should introduce myself.
"Hi, you don't know me but I would like you to help me find...."
I hear a lot of clicks from the dozen locks and then I see a young breathtakingly beautiful lady that appeared before me.
Her high cheekbones were blushed, and had very long brown hair, down to her butt. She was just wearing blue shorts and a bra that exposed her large breasts.
"I am so sorry if I am intruding but I need your help, please. I have been travelling for a very long time and I need a place where I can rest for the night."