Page 38 of Squatch Out!
“Uh, sorry about that.”
“No, you’re not. Did you even put gas in it like I asked?” When Sean hangs his head, Owen looks to the sky and mutters a string of curses. When he turns his attention to me, his severe expression melts into a tight smile. “It’s nice to see you again, Olivia.”
“Hi, Owen. Sorry for bothering you so early in the morning.”
He chuckles and elbow-checks his younger brother when he comes up the steps. “Like he cares what time it is. Come on then; I’ve got a pot of coffee brewing.”
Not only does he have coffee, but the man has a full breakfast spread waiting for us.
“I think maybe I’m with the wrong brother,” I say around an egg and bacon sandwich I made with a bagel.
Sean gives me a mock hurt look before waggling his eyebrows. “Trust me, he can’t give you what I can.”
“Stop! Right. There,” Owen growls, covering his ears. “I don’t want to hear another word about what you two are up to on your own time.”
My head tilts back with a cackle. I always wished my parents could have had another child, giving me a sibling to tease and fight with. Which means, I’m enjoying the banter between Owen and Sean a little more than I maybe should.
After we’ve eaten, with refills of coffee, Owen sits down across from us and folds his arms on top of the table. “Okay. So, tell me what happened at the lodge.”
I look over at Sean, but he nods for me to tell it. So, I take a deep breath and give him the play-by-play of my encounter with Darren and his attempted blackmail.
Owen is a quiet listener, only speaking up to ask for clarification while I tell my story. When I finish, he’s quiet for a bit longer while he mulls it all over.
Slowly, he turns his head to Sean. “The footage?”
“Genuine but easily dismissed. My squatch walks past a tree, and I come out the other side.”
“Except for the photo he showed me of your squatch carrying me,” I add. “That won’t be as easily dismissed.”
Sean shakes his head. “Most people can’t tell AI from the real thing anymore. There might be some speculation, but most will dismiss it pretty quickly.”
Owen’s shoulders relax a bit. “That’s good. Most people don’t believe even the most obvious images, anyway. Hell, people are still arguing over the footage those guys in California took of ol’ Wilmer.”
Sean sniggers, but I sit up straighter. “Wait. The famous footage of Bigfoot walking across the rocky river bedisreal?!”
“Yeah, it’s real,” Owen admits. “A lot of the so-called proof is real. It’s just that no one believes it, so it’s easy to explain away. Especially with all the AI garbage that’s out there now.”
So that’s why Sean flagged the footage.
“Researchers think that’s a female big—uh, sasquatch. But you said his name is Wilmer?”
“That’s right.” Sean takes a sip of his mug. “There are no female squatches.”
My head swings between the brothers as Owen nods his agreement. “But… how does that work?”
“Well, when a daddy squatch loves a mommy human very much…” Sean can’t even finish without dissolving into a fit of giggles.
I shove his shoulder. “Stop! I’m being serious.”
“That’s kind of how it works,” Owen says, grinning into his coffee mug. “Our default setting is human, which is why no one will ever find sasquatch bones. Even if we die as a squatch, we’ll automatically return to our human shape. Thesasq’etsgene is only carried through the paternal line.”
“So, you can only have male children?” I ask.
Sean shakes his head. “No, of course not. But any female children won’t carry the gene, so they won’t shift or pass it to their offspring. Male children usually will though. But not always. It’s why we’re cautioned to choose our partners wisely.”
I’m quiet for a long time as I let this sink in. Particularly the part about choosing a partner. It would make sense to be careful of who you trust with such a wild secret.
Could I be that woman?
