Chapter Four
It’s a nice sunny day at McLaughlin City National Park and Wildlife Reserve. Birds are chirping, squirrels scrambling around and children are at play. In the bushes, a few feet away from the main walking trail is a mound-like growth of grass. It is shaped similar to a human body.
Archan sits up suddenly emerging from the inside the grass mound. He easily rips through the grass that had grown over his body like a grass blanket.
Disoriented and confused he says, “Huh? Where am I?”
As he rests back on his hands he realizes that his hand doesn’t hurt. He quickly pulls his hand in front of his face to examine it. No signs of injury. He does a quick bodily damage check and finds no bruises, scrapes or pain from any part of him. Even his fake moustache is upholding.
“What in the world? Did I dream all that? But it seemed so real and how’d I end up here?”
He stands up and walks to the main path beyond the bushes. As he walks he tries to gather all of his memories or at least what he wonders are his memories.
“A bird-like flying creature, a talking teddy bear thing, a rock-man, and a glowing ring? What did I drink last night?”
He looks at the ring and to his dismay it’s still the ugly thing it was when his father first gave it to him. No glow.
“What a night. I must have been drugged but by who?”
The park is only two miles from his apartment. He had always wished he lived closer because he loved checking out all the animal exhibits when they first arrived. He must’ve seen the endangered bird exhibit twenty plus times in the 6 months it’s been there. Being such a short distance he decided to just walk home instead of busing. Also, he feels so rejuvenated as he walks he starts to ponder, “If I was drugged, shouldn’t I be feeling the after effects? Instead, I feel like a million bucks. Maybe I’m still drugged.”
Making it back to his apartment in extremely good time, he opens the door and thinks, “Man, that was the fastest I’ve ever walked back from the park.”
“I’ve been worried. Squawk. Loser. Squawk.”
“Not now, Snick.” Archan said as he approached Snicker’s bird cage. He notices that the bird dish is nearly empty. As a precaution, he always has tried to keep the dishes full before a job in case he was ever arrested. So the birds would be okay until he made bail.
“Wow, you little pig you. Let me get you some more, but you got to make this last. I don’t know what happened last night and my pockets are empty, so it’s probably safe to say I didn’t get paid.”
As he passes the other two cages, he notices their dishes are almost empty also.
“What? Did you three have a party and not invite me?”
After he refills each dish, he sits down at his desk and starts to try to figure out what happened last night, if anything. He removes the fake facial makeup and moustache. To his surprise there’s not one scratch or bruise on his face. No chipped tooth or any signs that he was almost beaten to death.
“Who would have drugged me? And with what? When? Man, it seemed so real.” He stares into his mirror perplexed.
The message recorder on his phone beeps twice indicating he has new messages. He reaches over and pushes play.
“Beep. This message was left May 20th at 1:05 pm. Son, this is your old man. I was hoping that you were there. You know how much I hate these infernal machines, but something fishy is going on over here, I just know it. It’s related to some damn capitalist corporation based in your city. Well, at least that’s what some of the people over here are saying. Anyways, you can reach me through this pansy big city tourist. Damn things we got to do for money sometimes. Anyways, call me ASAP at ....”
Archan writes down the number. He started to check his watch but then realized that knowing his dad, he could be anywhere in the world literally.
“Well, at least I can guestimate he called within the last twenty four hours.”
The next message starts to play, “This message was left May 23rd at 2:34pm.”
Baffled, Archan asks himself out loud, “What’s going on?! Today is the twentieth. Isn’t it?”
The message plays,” Son, what the hell is the hold up? Are you mad at me or something? We don’t got time for all this now. Something big is going down here. I’ve never seen so many armed men in this part of the jungle, especially ones in business suits. You need to call me son.” His father repeats the number again then hangs up.
“What’s happening? I couldn’t have lost three days, could I? What happened to those three days?”
The answering machine continues, “This message was left May 24th at 11:47am. Yo, Babukas where you at man? I haven’t heard from you or my friend you were supposed to work for in a few days now. I’m starting to get a little worried. Yo, call me at work. Later.” The machine cuts off.
“Four days? No wonder the bird food was almost completely gone.”
He turns on the television and immediately turns it to the weather channel. The date and temperature are stationary on the bottom of the screen. May 24th and 75 degrees.
“So, I lost four whole days. This is too weird. I better call pops.”
He picks up the phone and dials the number he jotted down. A man picks up whose voice Archan doesn’t recognize.
“Hello?”
“Yes, can I speak to David Babukas?”
“Who?”
Archan remembers that his dad doesn’t ever go by his real name. Instead, he goes by his nickname. He told Archan chicks dig it.
“Can I speak to Rugged?”
“Oh, sure. Hold on.”
A man with a raspy voice speaks on the other end, “Rugged here.”
“Dad, it’s me.”
“Dee? About damn time you called. I was getting worried, you okay?”
“I hope so.”
“What do you mean son?”
“Never mind, I’ll figure it out. So, what’s so important?”
“Oh, it’s almost too late to mention, but some camera corporation came over here armed to the teeth...”
Archan interrupts, “The Katsuya Corporation?”
“Yes, but how did you know?”
“It’s a very, well let’s just say, well known company. Sorry, go ahead.”
“Anyways. Rumor is that they were here looking for the legendary Shelto, a man-like creature named after the first person ever to see it. Well, claimed to see it. You know how that goes, damn wackos. Anyways, this creature is said to be more beast than human but there are no photos or any real proof besides some footprints and a few so called eye witnesses. I personally don’t buy any of this bull, but obviously the Katsuya people must have. Also, seems that they caught something by what the local natives say. Well, the corporation has closed up camp and headed back overseas anyways, I guess.”
“And why does this concern me?”
“Cause if they did find it and you get proof, we’d be famous. And of course you would share some of the fame with your old man right? But you can keep the fame and give me a little of the dough. Most important is the prestige of making a discovery like that. And if anyone can snoop around and not get caught, it is you son.”
Archan thinks that if what he vaguely remembers is true, then no he can’t. “But it can’t be true. Where are the bruises? Or the information that I was supposed to retrieve?”
Thoughts of that building and what he feels in his gut happened sends chills down his spine. Then he starts to wonder if this was some kind of foretelling of events that are going to happen if he “snooped” around that building? Was that Chee-Chee thing the Shelto creature his dad was talking about? And what happened during those four missing days?”
Being on the phone with his father made another question pop up, “And what about the ring?” He looks down at it. It’s glowing like he remembers it did when he was free falling.
“Hello? Dee, you there?”
“Yeah...hey dad. What’s up wi
th that ring you gave me?”
“What’d you mean? It was supposed to be some kind of mystical ring but it was proven a fake. I thought you might like it. I had heard that in the big city, big jewelry was in, so I gave it to you. What, you don’t like it?”
Puzzled and looking at the brightly glowing ring, “Naw, it’s not that it‘s...”
Rugged cut him off, “That’s good, but I need to get off city boy’s phone. I don’t wanna lose what I getting paid for right? Well talk to you later boy. Love ya.”
“Yeah. Bye Pops.” They both hung up.
Archan is staring at the ring; it’s still glowing. “Wow, what is really going on here?”
A deep voice startled Archan, “I am here to answer that.”
Archan turns to find a griffin sitting in his living room. It’s the same creature that appeared when he was falling.
“My name is Cana.”