building evil robots, you had to
have hallucinated it or dreamed it or imagined you saw something
when you didn't.”
“I know what I saw!”
“The question is not what you saw,” Oliver said, “but
how you interpret what you see, in the words of Isaac Asimov.”
“Ah, because Isaac Asimov knows how to interpret what
I see better than I do?” Elfie asked. “So you think you guys are
the only ones who see correctly?”
“No. But I’m a skeptic,” Yancey said. “And that’s the
difference.”
“I’m a scientist, I‘m a skeptic, too,” Elfie snapped
back. “I saw it and you didn’t. That’s the only
difference. You have the luxury of disbelief. I saw one last night,
and today I saw three of them. Whatever they are, I have no doubt
they exist.”
Yancey's face darkened. He shook his head to himself
and at the others. “Elf, last night, you said you saw a dog.”
“I was wrong. Last night, I saw it in moonlight after
a huge fight with you two. Today, I saw three of them dead-on. They
were not dogs. They’re nothing I would ever want to have for a
pet.”
“Elfie, Yancey,” Oliver said, walking between them.
“Why don't we go back to the campsite and discuss this on home
territory?”
Elfie sighed. “That's a good idea,” she said, as she
reached into her tools and pulled free a sample bag and a scoop.
She reached down to quickly sample some of the cremains then slip
them into the sample bag. She sealed it and then poked the bag and
scoop away with her tools. “Come on. Let's get the hell out of
here.”
****
They ended up sitting in the jeep again. The bunks
had been righted again into bench seats. Elfie claimed one and
leaned back into it. “Whatever they are, they are real, Yancey. I'm
telling you what I saw. Don't you trust me?”
Yancey dropped himself back against the rear bench.
“Yes, of course I trust you. I believe you saw something. What it
was, I don't know, but you saw something.”
“Well, that's something at least,” Elfie said. “I
think whatever was in there is linked to the dead buffalo. I saw
one of these creatures just before the animal distress sound. And
three of them were in the cave with the carcass. Whatever this
thing is may be some of the answer to whatever is going on around
here.”
Oliver added, “Elfie is right. This woman Severin
talked about, Molly. Who is she?”
“Molly Coddle,” Yancey explained, “a medicine woman,
a nice lady, but more than a little crazy. She’ll make something
out of nothing.”
“Maybe she can make some sense from what’s going on,”
Oliver said.
“I don’t know what happened here with Elf, but what’s
going on is simple,” Yancey said. “A bunch of grave robbers were
working with Duryea to make black market money in stolen Indian
artifacts. They probably killed Duryea so they wouldn’t have to
split the loot with a white guy. The buffalo thing is just a
coincidence.”
Elfie said, “Narvel held there was a legend of blood
theft by creatures, the ones he wrote about in his Lakota Book of
the Dead – ”
“You said yourself it was crap!” Yancey snapped.
“I know, I know,” she replied. “And, if I hadn't seen
what I just saw, I'd still think so, believe me. I wish I could go
back and not see it. But, I can't. The way I look at the world will
never be the same again. Now, don't you have enough doubt about
your own knowledge or sufficient trust in me to consider you might
be wrong about this? That there might be something here? Just
maybe?”
“I trust you, you know that,” Yancey said, “and if
you two want to go, I'm there with you. Molly's place is on our way
to the Angel Caves. It's as good as any place to stop for the
night.”
A sudden clap of thunder split their conversation
apart. A drizzle of rain ensued.
“Where the hell did that come from?” Oliver asked,
squinting through the jeep window and up into the sky. “I’d say
it's awfully early for a flash summer
have hallucinated it or dreamed it or imagined you saw something
when you didn't.”
“I know what I saw!”
“The question is not what you saw,” Oliver said, “but
how you interpret what you see, in the words of Isaac Asimov.”
“Ah, because Isaac Asimov knows how to interpret what
I see better than I do?” Elfie asked. “So you think you guys are
the only ones who see correctly?”
“No. But I’m a skeptic,” Yancey said. “And that’s the
difference.”
“I’m a scientist, I‘m a skeptic, too,” Elfie snapped
back. “I saw it and you didn’t. That’s the only
difference. You have the luxury of disbelief. I saw one last night,
and today I saw three of them. Whatever they are, I have no doubt
they exist.”
Yancey's face darkened. He shook his head to himself
and at the others. “Elf, last night, you said you saw a dog.”
“I was wrong. Last night, I saw it in moonlight after
a huge fight with you two. Today, I saw three of them dead-on. They
were not dogs. They’re nothing I would ever want to have for a
pet.”
“Elfie, Yancey,” Oliver said, walking between them.
“Why don't we go back to the campsite and discuss this on home
territory?”
Elfie sighed. “That's a good idea,” she said, as she
reached into her tools and pulled free a sample bag and a scoop.
She reached down to quickly sample some of the cremains then slip
them into the sample bag. She sealed it and then poked the bag and
scoop away with her tools. “Come on. Let's get the hell out of
here.”
****
They ended up sitting in the jeep again. The bunks
had been righted again into bench seats. Elfie claimed one and
leaned back into it. “Whatever they are, they are real, Yancey. I'm
telling you what I saw. Don't you trust me?”
Yancey dropped himself back against the rear bench.
“Yes, of course I trust you. I believe you saw something. What it
was, I don't know, but you saw something.”
“Well, that's something at least,” Elfie said. “I
think whatever was in there is linked to the dead buffalo. I saw
one of these creatures just before the animal distress sound. And
three of them were in the cave with the carcass. Whatever this
thing is may be some of the answer to whatever is going on around
here.”
Oliver added, “Elfie is right. This woman Severin
talked about, Molly. Who is she?”
“Molly Coddle,” Yancey explained, “a medicine woman,
a nice lady, but more than a little crazy. She’ll make something
out of nothing.”
“Maybe she can make some sense from what’s going on,”
Oliver said.
“I don’t know what happened here with Elf, but what’s
going on is simple,” Yancey said. “A bunch of grave robbers were
working with Duryea to make black market money in stolen Indian
artifacts. They probably killed Duryea so they wouldn’t have to
split the loot with a white guy. The buffalo thing is just a
coincidence.”
Elfie said, “Narvel held there was a legend of blood
theft by creatures, the ones he wrote about in his Lakota Book of
the Dead – ”
“You said yourself it was crap!” Yancey snapped.
“I know, I know,” she replied. “And, if I hadn't seen
what I just saw, I'd still think so, believe me. I wish I could go
back and not see it. But, I can't. The way I look at the world will
never be the same again. Now, don't you have enough doubt about
your own knowledge or sufficient trust in me to consider you might
be wrong about this? That there might be something here? Just
maybe?”
“I trust you, you know that,” Yancey said, “and if
you two want to go, I'm there with you. Molly's place is on our way
to the Angel Caves. It's as good as any place to stop for the
night.”
A sudden clap of thunder split their conversation
apart. A drizzle of rain ensued.
“Where the hell did that come from?” Oliver asked,
squinting through the jeep window and up into the sky. “I’d say
it's awfully early for a flash summer
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