Chapter 16
I slept like a bear that had been shot with a tranquilizer gun. When I crawled out of bed in the morning, I was none too happy about getting ready for school. It took forever to find my clothes and get dressed. I was debating whether or not to make the bed when my door rattled with loud thumping.
Nate called from the hall. “At the pace you’re moving it’ll be noon before you're ready for the day.”
“Go away,” I mumbled. Yawning, I dragged the backpack over my shoulder and shuffled to the stairs. Halfway down my phone buzzed with a text from Gen.
G is bak Nu twists
As I puzzled through this, someone began pounding on the front door. Nate bounded down the stairs almost knocking me over. Des burst out of the kitchen. Both called out instructions.
“Someone get the door.”
“Where’s your coat?”
“Do you have your homework?”
“You'll be late for school.”
“Here, you can’t skip breakfast.”
Before I knew what was happening I was on the porch, phone in one hand, muffin in the other. The backpack hung from one strap and my coat was slipping off my shoulder.
“Rough morning?” Gen said.
I shrugged into my coat and the pack fell on the ground. “Why?”
“Never mind. You have to see this.”
She handed me her phone. A new video started playing.
George was pointing to the screen behind him where a reporter held the gorilla costume head.
“Looks like Bigfoot has been debunked again,” Jack said.
The camera zoomed in on George’s face. His eyes narrowed. Slowly he shook his head.
“Don’t…you…believe it. There are forces trying to conceal the truth about Bigfoot. They never waste an opportunity to create doubt. But we are not fooled. Bigfoot lives!”
“And we are hot on his trail,” Jack said. He placed a tier of cupcakes on the desk. Each one was decorated with an icing figure of Bigfoot.
George took one and held it to the camera. “Some of our viewers have been asking about the chef who created these marvelous delicacies. We’ve enhanced the link to our chef and added her picture.”
“Which, I might add, has really dressed up our webpage,” Jack said with a wink.
“Yes, there has been a great deal more interest,” George said with a grin. “And speaking of interest, Jack has been working on a project I think our viewers will find interesting.”
“Yes, I have hired an author to write my story. I’m pleased to announce that it is almost finished. I can’t say more than that until a contract with a publisher is signed. We’re in negotiations now.”
“Jack's book is going to be a real page turner,” George said. “Get the latest updates on our webpage. It's the best place to track us as we track Bigfoot. While you're there, download a recipe.”
He took a big bite of the cupcake and the screen faded into a snapshot of their webpage.
I stared at the screen stunned.
Gen gently pried the phone out of my fingers. “We have to get to school,” she said.
“One second.” Sticking my head in the door I hollered. “Check out George’s webpage. Des is on it!” I heard a crash from the kitchen, but didn’t wait around. “Come on,” I said to Gen.
We made it to school in record time, jogging most of the way. The bell rang as we took our seats in Ms. Kendrick’s class.
“Well lookie there,” Doug said in a loud whisper. “Looks like wookie boy and the elven queen made it to school today.”
“Too bad about Bigfoot losing his head,” Josh said.
Snickers ran around the room like lightening flashes.
The rest of the hour passed without further heckling, but I knew this was only the beginning.
When the bell rang, I took my time getting up as the other students bustled out. Gen had a determined look on her face, which I knew would only get us in deeper trouble. I wasn’t in any hurry to make my way through the crowded mocking mob in the hall. Doug was waiting just outside the door with a smirk on his face.
Ms. Kendrick spoke up. “Cody and Gen I’d like to talk to you about your absence yesterday. If you’d please stay behind.”
Doug’s smirk faded to disappointment as Ms. Kendrick closed the door on him. She smiled at us. “Let’s just let the halls clear before you head out.”
“You knew Bigfoot wasn’t real,” Gen said. “You knew it was Nate.”
Ms. Kendrick sighed. “Yes, Gen. I knew. But that doesn’t mean that Bigfoot doesn’t exist. It just means he’s not in our woods. I’m sorry it worked out this way. I knew you would find out, but I didn’t expect this.”
Gen’s face was flushed with crimson splotches of indignation. “The whole school thinks we’re crazy,” she said.
“That’s often the case for people who are exceptional. Would you rather be ordinary and accepted, or have rare insight and be misunderstood?”
“Gen crossed her arms. “I’m not sure.”
I tried to smooth it over. “I was sorry to hear about your teepee.”
“Me too. It was a part of my childhood that I never gave up. I guess I have some reality to face too. But the teepee will remain a part of me. I hope you keep a place in your heart for Bigfoot.” She handed us late passes. “And I hope you’ll come to understand me.”
Gen took the pass and gave her a tiny smile.
The empty halls whispered with the ghostly echoes of our footsteps. We neared Bertram’s classroom. The door swung outward with a soft creak like a crypt opening. Mr. Bertram stood in the doorway with pitiful eyes. We handed over our passes and entered the mausoleum.
A foreboding silence fell over the room. Thirty pairs of eyes focused on us. The door latched with a hopeless click, sealing our doom.
“Now that we’ve all arrived,” Bertram said softly, “we can start class. Please take your seats.”
I sat down. From behind me came a soft whisper. “Glad you could make it wookie boy.”
I gritted my teeth and concentrated on breathing. In. Out. In. Let the anger out.
Bertram broke my concentration. “Today we’re going to set aside the planned lesson and discuss current events. We have a rare opportunity to see how scientific theories can be valuable to our everyday lives.”
I glanced at Gen. She sat on the edge of her chair prepared for the coming storm.
Bertram leaned on the corner of his desk. “We had an unusual event yesterday. Who would like to comment on it?” Tension built as the silence lengthened. “Gen. Maybe you’d like to start.”
A flush crept up her neck. I could almost see tiny sparks of nuclear fission igniting in her brain. She shook her head, no.
“You don’t want to talk about Bigfoot sightings?” Doug said with a wicked grin.
Josh chuckled. “Not since he lost his head.”
Several girls giggled.
Bertram said, “So we know that Bigfoot was just a hoax.”
Elroy looked smug as he said, “We only know the sightings of Bigfoot were a hoax.”
Bertram nodded. “Very good. Let’s list the facts.” He went to the board and began writing down points as they were shouted out. No one has found a body. Grainy, undefined films. Circumstantial evidence that had many other possible explanations. The list against Bigfoot grew and covered the board.
Bertram filled in the last open spot and turned to face the class. “Now Gen. What does all this evidence against Bigfoot prove?”
They stared at each other. Neither blinked. Neither wavered. It was like watching a slow motion scene from a movie.
She took a deep breath. “It proves we haven’t found him yet. Sir.”
He smiled indulgently. “But you must admit the possibility of that happening is extremely remote.”
To my surprise I heard my own voice answering. “I believe in possibilities.”
The smile faded to disappointment as he turned toward me. Thirty
pairs of eyes followed his gaze. My mouth went dry and I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
Then a voice rescued me. “That reporter, George Roge, thinks Bigfoot is real,” Elroy said.
Bertram waved his hand in dismissal. “He's a blogger, not a reporter. And he’s unprofessional and highly unreliable. His sidekick’s credentials don’t hold up. The university where Jack supposedly teaches doesn’t even exist. I wouldn’t be surprised if George doesn’t exist. And that whole thing with a book is just imaginary. There is no book.”
“That’s not true,” I said.
“Now Cody, you know we can’t just believe in something because we want it to be true,” Bertram said.
I shook my head. “I understand about Jack’s credentials. I know they don’t hold up. But the book is real.”
Bertram’s voice took on an irritated edge. “What makes you think that?”
“I know the author.”
He studied my face and I thought there was a flicker of doubt behind his eyes. He took a breath. “How…” he began, but the bell rang. A loud clanging that drowned out his question.
Gen and I were swept along with the class as everyone swarmed out of the room.
Comments and taunts followed us throughout the day, but their impact had been dulled. To my surprise I found them tedious and uninspired.