Deer


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Deer


The International Year of the Beast

Chapter 2


Deer






“Nah.” Devin roused himself onto his one good elbow and stared at the snow around him. There he was right beside the fir tree he had crashed into with no sign of campfires or ash, or footprints, or anything that would signify everything that had gone on was anything more than a dream. He laughed, “I wish” he said aloud, “Even Vincent people would have been preferable to this!” A sob caught in his throat as he realised his predicament, but because the ‘dream’ had seemed so real he felt at his broken arm just to reassure himself. Sure enough his arm lay at his side painful and broken just as he’d remembered.

He did however, feel better than he had when he had fallen asleep eons ago, however long that was, he felt rested and no longer hungry, but that he was still out there on Mount McKinley alone as before, smashed skis and smashed arm proved that everything he had thought had happened, his rescue and all, had been nothing more than a dream. “What an imagination eh old boy.” He told himself jovially, “Vincent people! Fur ball is gonna love that one, when I get to tell him.” Devin laughed loudly, but not so loud as to bring down an avalanche for he knew all about such dangers. Even so the sound of his laughter brought forth a muffled shout from the other side of a snowy crag and Devin’s heart sang! “Over here!” He called hoarsely, “I’m over here!” He had never been so glad to see the sight of another human face in all his life as one by one over the rise came his rescuers bundled in thick jackets of all colours but bearing the one same slogan across the front and back namely, ‘McKinley Rescue Services.’

“Boy, am I glad to see you!” Devin blurted as the first rescuer dropped to his knees at Devin’s side. “What took you so long?”

“Sorry about that. We’ve been searching the wrong west side.” Devin chuckled, “I’ve heard of women getting their left and right mixed up but never a rescue team not knowing their east from their west.”

“It wasn’t that.” The fellow told him, “We had the right side, but all searches turned up nothing, and it wasn’t until the recording of your message was played back that it was discovered that you had said ‘from you on the west side.’ That’s where the discrepancy came in. You thought you were talking to the McKinley rescue station, which is where we’re from, but in actuality your call had been redirected to the next station on, and therefore they’ve been searching for you on the wrong side of the mountain for days. You seem in pretty good shape though I must admit for a guy that’s been out on the snow for five days and nights.”

“Five what!” Devin exclaimed, “But it only feels like a few hours.”

The men in the rescue team, looked from one to the other, “You must have been out for the count, it was five days ago your emergency call was logged, and the search has been on ever since.”

Bewildered, Devin found it hard to believe, even harder to imagine that he had remained in tact all that time, and no pack of wolves had been by to eat him while he lay unconscious. As if thinking along the same lines one of the team told him, “You’re one lucky fellow. There are no tracks to signify anything has been near or by you since you arrived at this spot, and no fresh snowfall either. Here, let me fasten this cable around you and we’ll soon have you airlifted out of here.”

There was no more time for talking as the team made sure their patient was safe with his arm splinted sufficiently to withstand the movement up into the helicopter that now hovered above him. Besides which the sound of the rotors prevented anything other than a shout and that was something that was to be avoided at all costs, it was a risk using the air ambulance some said, but it seemed that the slow dull approaching thud, thud of a helicopter did not do anything untoward to the snow laden heavily in the mountains whereas a sudden noise or shout might. Rebounding echoes could cause colossal damage to hundreds of homes and lives.

And there was hardly time for thinking as Devin was carried up and away from the mountains and airlifted to the nearest hospital where insufficient insurance on his part meant all he could afford was a few x-rays his arm caste and one day in hospital but Devin did not mind since his father was a doctor and any treatment he might need could be obtained at home in the tunnels where he was sure he would receive a warm welcome. However, first he would need to return to his hotel, pack up his things and book a flight back to New York, all of which would be after he had had time to sit and ponder at length in the hospital all that had taken place out there on the mountain, or rather what he had thought had happened out there on the mountain.

When he thought about it long and hard it had to have been a dream. And yet, had it not, then those people with the faces of a mountain lion knew how to conceal their tracks, to such a degree that no trace was left of them that might be followed. That indeed was possible since in thousands of years only a handful of people had stumbled upon them…no…not stumbled upon them…no one could stumble upon them they were too clever for that, but rather those people, the Vincent people would have rescued someone from a frozen death out on the snow and ice, mended them and set them on their way…Devin paused…and with heart beating rapidly he remembered one sure fire way to know for sure if he had dreamed it all, or the Vincent people did in fact exist…slowly, heart in his mouth, he drew back the cuff of his sleeve covering his good arm by rubbing it along the covers of his bed. It was difficult, the cuff kept bouncing back to cover the area he so wanted to see, but bit by bit with patient manoeuvres Devin was able to keep the cuff from sliding back and from there raised the arm to his face where with his teeth, he pulled the cuff even further up his arm…closed his eyes tightly and prepared himself to look at his wrist where all would be revealed…

*** *** ***

Vincent woke with a start, he’d been dreaming, and for a few seconds he felt disorientated unsure of his surroundings, until he heard the soft even breathing of Catherine his wife snuggled at his side. He smiled, reached out a hand to brush a wayward lock of honey gold hair from her face and with a tender smile brushed his lips across her forehead where the hair had lay.

Catherine murmured sleepily, “What time is it?”

“It’s still night, sleep angel, there’s no need to rise just yet.” He told her gently and watched her smile with deep satisfaction before asking, “Hold me, Vincent. I love being in your arms.”

Gladly Vincent obliged, he loved cuddling her close, but he could do sleep. The remnants of his dream flittered on the edge of his consciousness and he drew them out one by one analysing every detail. He had been standing on a mountain with Devin, snow covered and icily fresh where he could remember taking a deep breath of the cold air and loving the very flavour of it on the back of his throat. And the sights, there were so many to see all at once, that he had not known where to look first, yet all around the same sparkling white dazzled every corner of his vision. Yet it was beautiful, so, so beautiful. And that’s when he had awoken, he’d been there out on that mountain with his brother filling himself with the wonder and splendour of all God had given mankind, when suddenly instantly he had been propelled back to his home beneath the streets of New York City as far removed from the freedom and isolation of the mountains as could be, yet in many respects as close as could be, since both places were made of solid rock but there the similarity ended.

Sighing deeply, Vincent snuggled down beneath the covers with his sleeping Catherine, the dream made no sense he had never been to the mountains and likely never would. Just because Catherine had made one dream come true it didn’t follow that others he had would come true also, besides having Catherine made up for everything else he might have to forfeit and he would have it no other way.

He drifted, his mind and eyes growing heavier with every soft breath that Catherine uttered, until suddenly he was awake again, and his eyes glued to the chamber where one solitary candle burned he listened and watched the entrance expecting at any moment that someone should peer inside.

“Vincent?” A soft whisper enquired.

Relaxing Vincent replied, “Father, what’s wrong?” Catherine stirred at the sound of her husband’s voice, something in his tone bringing a sense of urgency to her unconscious mind. “What is it Vincent, is someone sick?”

“No, Catherine, go back to sleep.” Father begged remorseful that he had woken her, I just wish to speak with Vincent a moment.

“I’m awake now, and besides I need…” reluctant to say what she needed Catherine rose from the bed, missing her husband’s closeness in that instance and pulling a thick woollen robe around herself she headed for the ‘bathroom’ area and therefore showing what she needed without further words.

“I’m sorry, Vincent.” Father repeated in his daughter in law’s absence “I really didn’t mean to wake her. And had you not been awake I would not have woken you either.”

“That’s alright, come sit by the brazier, the tunnels are cold even if you have only walked from your chamber to mine, I take it you have? You’ve not been in the hospital chamber have you?” Vincent asked with some alarm.

“No, no, all is well. I have just left my bed to come to you. I could not sleep. Vincent, it was what I said earlier, I had no right to place that upon you, no right to presume…”

“Father sit down, please, here let me put this rug around your legs.” Making sure his father was as warm as he could make him Vincent put a kettle on to boil for some tea, and was just stoking the brazier with more wood when Catherine returned and told him, “I’ll do that my love, you see to Father.”

“Thank you Catherine.” Walking to where he could draw a chair alongside Father’s Vincent took up a seat next to his parent, “Now tell me what’s bothering you so.”

Father sighed, “Its what we discussed earlier. You know about Devin seeing someone like you?” This piqued Catherine’s interest, “Someone like Vincent?” She enquired breathlessly.

“May as be,” Vincent told her, “We don’t know for sure.” Catherine wandered to Vincent’s side and laid one hand on his shoulder searching Father’s eyes for more clues. Father sighed heavily, “I hate it when this happens, I’m sorry Catherine my dear, but I suggested to Vincent that the dreams he has been having about Devin…”

“They are no dreams Father.” Vincent interrupted.

“As you like, whatever, that is immaterial here for the moment, what is important is that I should never have suggested that Devin was perhaps in the company of people like you Vincent. Its worried me ever since I mentioned that. I should never have said such a thing. We, none of us know whether you are on your own in this world or if there are others like you, but the chances that Devin would stumble upon people like you when others clearly have not would be too remarkable to be possible. Vincent please forget that I suggested such a thing.”

“If it would make you feel better, of course. Besides which I have found it hard to believe myself.” Vincent told him with a grin. Father responded to that grin with one of his own, “Thank you Vincent.” He paused then quiet as he listened to the whistling of the boiling kettle, and no one spoke as Catherine made tea for three, and no one said anything more until each were holding a steaming mug of tea in their hands, when Father admitted, “You weren’t the only one with ominous feelings about Devin. I too have had a foreboding feeling about him for days, and I expect it was that as much as anything else that allowed me to create such a fictitious account as to what your dream might mean.”

Vincent was interested, “You have had feelings about Devin also?” Taking a sip of his tea Father nodded, his spectacles steamed up and he placed his mug on the table and wiped them clear before speaking again, “Yes, I do from time to time, usually when Devin is thinking about home, its like our wires meet and tingle in the middle.” Catherine smiled, Father was describing something that only she experienced with Vincent since becoming his wife and being so much closer to him than before. And describing something Vincent had encountered with people he was close to all his life. “Must be this place.” Thought Catherine out loud, makes us all empathic.”

“Whatever it is,” Father downed the last of his tea, “Thank you my dear that was delicious…as I was saying whatever it is, it can be a blessing and a curse, and it is something that none of us have learned to control to better ourselves. I for one take it to the extreme, whenever I have a feeling like this, I worry myself sick that it is an omen, and I act out of character or say things out of anxiety, when I ought not. Vincent, just forget that I suggested there were people like you alright? Until Devin returns we will not know anything for sure, and that could be a long time yet.”

“On the contrary,” Vincent told his father, “Devin is on his way home now as we speak, he should be here in a couple of days.” Vincent was startled, his mouth dropped and his words slurred as he said them slowly one by one, as if he only just realised the enormity of what he was saying as he said it. Eyes wide mouth to match he stuttered, “How I knew that I do not know, I certainly have not ‘seen’ it.” Father nodded, “Well by your capabilities in the past of knowing beforehand about things, I think its best that we expect his arrival two days from now and prepare the fatted calf. I for one can’t wait his arrival this time, as I’m sure you can’t either?”

Vincent agreed, “For once my brother’s arrival is going to be met with more joy than that shown to the prodigal’s return, Father. With him he’s going to bring answers to questions that have plagued me for weeks. I can only hope that whatever answers he gives I can meet them logically and soundly, and that my dreams are wrong.” Both Catherine and Father looked to Vincent for explanation and he gave it to them slowly and stiltedly, “If my dreams are real…if they are to be believed…if your perception of them Father were grounded…then I will leave this place…and return to my roots and never see you again…” he looked toward where his wife gasped with hand to her mouth, and added, “and that goes for you too Catherine…if my dream is real…if it has foundation…then our dream…our own dream…will…have to…die.”

*** *** ***

“Mr Wells, what are you doing?” Devin jumped and his eyes flew open to look not at his wrist, but rather at a pretty nurse in a blue and white striped uniform and he found the latter to be more entertaining. “Well hello.” He spoke huskily, “I’ve not seen you before.” His brown eyes twinkled with interest.

“And you’ll not see me again, if you continue looking at me like that. Now what are you doing? We might have the heating on in here, but its not as warm as it ought to be, and you have just spent five days in the snow, and need to keep warm, and what do I find? You here stripping off your clothing and running the risk of catching a chill on top of what you’ve already got.” Without asking, the nurse took Devin’s carefully manipulated sleeve and pulled it back down to cover his arm.

“In all due respects madam…” Devin began as she tut-tutted around him checking his temperature by shoving a thermometer in his mouth making speech impossible though he tried…”I shall be…”

“Speak again and I’ll shove it elsewhere” she warmed him. Eyes wide Devin stopped trying to speak and waited as she fussed around him tucking in his bedclothes until she was satisfied that no draught could get in and then removed the thermometer, “Just as I thought, your temperature is down, you Mr Wells, are too cold for your own good, now I will sit just over there and keep an eye on you and if I see so much as a finger lift out from beneath these blankets, you will have me to answer to. Is that clear?”

Speechless, Devin nodded and the nurse smiled, “Besides,” she told him, “I know what you were going to say, you will be leaving tomorrow anyway, I know that, but until then while you are under my care you keep warm, okay, is that understood?”

Again Devin nodded. The nurse moved away, chuckling so he could not see, if he only knew how damn cute he looked with his black hair and brown eyes just visible above the blankets…’I have another more interesting way of keeping you warm Mr Wells…” she whispered to herself as she sat back behind her desk, “unfortunately it would get me fired.”

*** *** ***

Father could not get over Vincent’s revelation, “You can’t be serious! Vincent it’s just a dream.” He half laughed, a chuckle that gave way to incredulity.

“I don’t want to believe it either Father.” Vincent spoke seriously, “But I am seldom wrong about such things. And face it, “ he looked from Catherine to Father and back again, “If there are really people out there like me, then they are family and they will want me back. How can I not go?”

“How can you go!” Catherine having regained her voice shrieked, “I’m you’re family now!” Her hand hovered over her midriff, “And…I didn’t want to say this…just yet…but…” Father eyed her hand shrewdly, “Catherine my dear?” He asked with hope searing his voice, “Are you saying?”

“What?” Vincent looked from one to other of them, “What? Catherine?” His breath held fast and he sought her eyes. Eyes filled with hope and yearning, love and adoration and all she could do was answer him with those eyes and a slight nod of her head.

“You’re with child?” Father’s voice rose, “Really?” Eyes wide with delight tears touched his lashes and he rose to cross the room and enfold her into his arms.

Chin wobbling Tears bedimming her eyes Catherine nodded, “I…I think so, and Vincent…you can’t go…you can’t leave us…not now…not ever.”

“Catherine.” Bear hugging his wife and parent by enfolding the pair into his arms, he kissed her cheek tenderly, “I did not know…I’m sorry…I should have known.”

“No you shouldn’t.” Catherine hic cupped through her tears, “I wasn’t sure, still aren’t sure, so how could you?”

“Well I can tell you for a certainty, my dear.” Father muffled against Vincent’s embrace, “And of course it changes everything. No matter the outcome of your dreams Vincent, you simply cannot leave us. Catherine’s right, here is where your family are. Those others for one reason or another forsook you and we are your family now. A visit maybe, though that would be a nightmare in itself, but you are not going to go away and leave us forever my boy and that’s that.”

Torn Vincent could no more make them understand than he could comprehend it himself. Naturally he didn’t want to leave the tunnels, not even for endless skies and snow capped mountains, but his dreams were seldom wrong, and he had a foreboding feeling that sometime soon, he would leave the tunnels and unless his fleshly family did not accept him back amongst them, then he would never be returning.

*** *** ***

When Devin opened his eyes the following morning it was to find the nurse from yesterday hovering by his bed, he grinned at her, “Don’t you ever go home?” He enquired softly.

“I do, and while you were sleeping I did, and here I am back again, but you dear man are going home today and not coming back again, I hope.” She grinned back at him.

“Should I take it that you’d be glad to see the back of me?” He asked sadly. He hadn’t realised she disliked him that much.

She laughed, “Not at all, in fact I think you are a very attractive man, unfortunately I don’t think my fiancé would see it that way. No, what I mean is, after today I hope you will go on with your life and forget this fast living lifestyle that you have, so that you won’t go crashing into fir trees again at sixty miles an hour. You could have died you know. A broken arm was a small price to pay for such foolhardiness.”

“Now you sound like my father.” Devin groaned.

“Then it’s a pity you aren’t a chip off the old block. Your father sounds a very wise man.”

“He came out of the same mould as yourself.” At her raised eyebrow Devin went on, “He’s a doctor.”

“Oh I see, around here? Don’t think I have heard of Dr Wells before.” She frowned while she considered the name and whether she had in fact heard of it on a prior occasion.

“No I shouldn’t think so, he’s in New York, Manhattan, and he doesn’t practise these days, but he’s forgotten none of his skill. When I leave here, that’s where I’m headed, home to pops, he’ll soon have me fighting fit again.”

“Well just you remember to thank him, and stop taking him for granted. Next time make certain you have sufficient medical insurance when undertaking vacations such as the one. Unless of course you are taking my advice and steering clear of such sports in future?”

“We’ll see.” Devin told her. She smiled. He liked it when she did that, somehow her blue eyes reminded him of the sky and her blonde hair of the corn after harvest, he didn’t think she’d like being kin to a stubble field however, just because her hair was short and spiky, so he refrained from telling her that. She was pretty though, with an oval angelic face, and from what he could gather in her mid twenties. Just the right age for me, he decided, but then as she was already attached…hardly worth going into.

“Well” she straightened as she completed her ministrations, “As soon as the doctor has seen you, you may pack up and go. I shall be on duty until this evening, if you want to say cheerio just come and find me will you? I won’t be far away.”

“Count on it.” Devin assured her, “And thanks for all you’ve done.” She smiled and turned to walk back to her desk aware that he watched her legs as she went.
She was wrong though, he watched not only her legs, but the swing of her hips, her tiny trim waist, the way she swung one arm at her side as she walked and held onto her notes and appliances with the other. He liked her, but she had to be another of those ones that got away. Maybe one day he’d find the right woman, he grimaced, still he wasn’t ready to settle down by a long chalk, still had too much living to do for that.

The doctor arrived late afternoon, long after Devin had expected him to be round, and full of apologies, he hardly spared Devin five minutes before announcing that he was free to go. There were just the normal formalities of signing insurance forms and collecting his medication from pharmacy painkillers for his arm a note for his own doctor of when to remove the cast and that was that. Devin was able to leave. And despite his promise he did not track down the nurse, heading straight for the door to an awaiting taxi previously booked. However, just as he was tossing his bags inside with his one good arm he felt a tap on his shoulder and her cheery voice asking, “Thought you’d try to get out without saying goodbye huh?” He didn’t know what to say, he didn’t even know why she had taken such a personal interest in him, but all was soon revealed.

“I couldn’t say anything in there,” she indicated toward the hospital with a nod, “But I couldn’t help noticing that you have one of these.” With her hand on his arm she steered Devin away from the taxi out of earshot of the driver and where the taxi driver could not see she pulled up her sleeve to reveal a stunning black wiggly line and Devin gasped, going to his own arm at once and with his teeth drawing back his sleeve. “Here let me help you.” She told him drawing the cuff far enough up his arm to reveal the same tattoo and hearing him gasp, “I thought I’d imagined it all. That it was a dream.” The nurse laughed, “That’s the way they like you to think. Amazing people aren’t they? I thought I was going nuts at first when it happened to me. It wasn’t until my fiancé who is also a helper by the way, told me it had happened to him too and we had time to discuss it all, that I knew it had really happened. So if you ever need someone to talk to, you can call me okay? Look here’s my card, just call me, or my fiancé, his name is Paul, either of us will only be too happy to tell you what we know which isn’t a lot, but probably more than you know right now.”

“Thank you.” Devin took the card, noticing first her name, “Sarah Fox, oh you’re a Sister?”

“Yes, thought you would have realised that, seeing me give the other nurses their orders?” Devin shook his head, “No actually I didn’t. So what does this make us?” he flicked the card before her eyes, “Brother and sister also?”

“If that’s what you want. I prefer to think of us as ‘Helpers of the Yeti.’

”The Yeti?” Devin exclaimed in amazement, “is that what they are?”

“I confess to not actually knowing who they are, but every helper, every one that has witnessed something like this and received one of these, “ she indicated the tattoo, “believe these people to be the elusive abominable snowman and when you think about it, what else could they be?”

Devin shook his head, “I don’t buy it. What I know of the Yeti is that they have faces like apes, the Neanderthal man, not faces like mountain lions.”

“But who would know? Have you ever seen a close up photograph of a Yeti?” Devin shook his head, “No, neither have or, nor has Paul, or any of the other helpers. Believe me Devin, this is the only conclusion we have drawn, it all fits and they are worldwide you know. There have been frequent sightings in the Himalayas a few in Alaska, other countries, you know how it is, and any photographs that are to be had look remarkably like our people do they not? You know, tall, muscular and big built. I tell you Devin, this tattoo, makes us helpers of the Yeti, and I for one am very proud of that fact.”

“Well I am too, but the Yeti? I find it hard to get my head around it that’s all. It’s like someone telling me that The Loch Ness monster actually exists, or there are witches in Blair Wood. It’s just so…unbelievable, and if you knew what I knew you would know what that means to me. I can’t tell you though, sorry.”

“That’s alright none of us tell each other explicitly of what we’ve seen, they do ask us after all that we mention it to no one, but from time to time we get together at gatherings, little groups of us and talk about how we might help them. After all, their habitat is fast disappearing, and discovery is imminent. They can’t continue to hide, Devin not like they have remained hidden for thousands of years, too many people are encroaching on their land and there is too much of the kind of sports we love, and yes I know I’m guilty of it too how else would I have met them? But for such sports entering onto their domain they might remain unknown for thousands of more years, but I think, and this view is widely held by other helpers, that soon they are going to be discovered. I’ve only ever seen the men folk, and few helpers have seen any children or women, and so far their particular whereabouts has never been discovered, but it won’t go on forever, it can’t. We believe that these people live in the caves and tunnels within the mountains, and here we see extreme sport fanatics exploring caves and chambers, skiing and snowboarding the mountainside, and the Yeti are going to be discovered Devin, we’re sure of it.”

“You’re possibly right, but what can you do?”

“We Devin, we, you’re one of us now. There is just one thought circulating among us. One guy worked on a database of helpers and logged names from around the world, and he’s working on an idea that just might help these people. I can’t say more than that just now Devin, but use that number, okay? Call me, and when I know what’s happening I’ll update you. Are you with us?”

Devin nodded, “Count me in. I have more at stake here than meets the eye, but like I said…” He shrugged and Sarah added, “You can’t elaborate. Don’t worry, I understand.”

Devin knew she didn’t, he was thinking about Vincent and there was no way she could understand what he meant.

“Give me a ring this time next week okay, evenings after eight, I’ll update you on the progress then, but know this Devin what we are trying to achieve here, it isn’t just to help a handful of Yeti, but rather the whole damned nation of them. We aim to introduce them to the world and help them master a common language that will benefit everyone.”

Devin worried about that. All his life he’d kept his brother’s identity a secret, and now this woman and her friends, the so-called helpers of the Yeti were about to blow their cover because they thought it for the best? Devin wondered what the Yeti would think to that idea, and more importantly what Vincent would think to it. After all if the Yeti were about to be exposed then there was no reason why Vincent shouldn’t join them. No reason at all. Even so Devin was well aware that there was every reason why it should not be so and he was in quite a quandary as to what to do or think for the best.

For now though Sarah was looking at him appealingly and awaiting his reply and he told her, “I call you.” He promised, “A week from today.”

“Thanks Devin, I knew I could count on you to join us.”

Devin just nodded and settled himself into the back seat of the taxi, he was eager to be gone. Home never seemed so far away than it did at that moment and he was eager to be there, but telling Vincent? Devin wasn’t at all sure about that. And until he knew more he might just decide to keep that particular piece of news, as difficult as it might be to keep anything from Vincent, entirely to himself.

To be continued in Chapter Three




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