PART VII

  “GIANTS & BIG FOOT”

  An Athapaskan Indian (Ray Gray Wolf)

  Minn. News Article, “Giant Footprint Signals a Time to Seek Change”

  "In our way of beliefs, they make appearances at troubled times", to help troubled Indian communities "get more in tune with Mother Earth". Bigfoot brings "signs or messages that there is a need to change, a need to cleanse.”

  CHAPTER 44

  ALONE IN THE DESERT

  Buried beneath sand and debris, my body went limp. I was tired. I forced myself still, saving what little strength I had left. Sleep pressed in. I was afraid I wouldn’t wake up again. Nevertheless, I eventually found myself in a dream-like state.

  I let it take me. It was calm and peaceful. Behind my closed eyes, a red glow pulled. The light grew so intense that I struggled and opened my eyes. I opened my eyes to see that I was at the surface of the white sand desert. I was free. The sand spun like a cyclone, lifting me upward. I looked out at the sand, and everything around me began to spin. I put my hand and arm up to block out the sun’s heat-bearing light so I could see what was happening around me. As I did, I heard a voice.

  “Jack.”

  With the voice, the spinning began to slow, and I could feel a warm, yet cooling breeze rush all around me. The sunlight was so intense that I could not see who was speaking to me. I looked up toward where the voice was coming from, and all I could see was the outline of the figure before me. I strained to see any details, but couldn’t see who it was. I began to realize the effects of the spinning sand below and around me. I was light-headed and nauseous.

  Again, the voice said, “Jack, are you alright? Don’t worry. I am here with you.”

  I answered, “Who’s there? I cannot see you. Where am I?”

  “Where do you think you are?”

  I answered back, “I don’t know. New Mexico? Dr. Peterson? Mimi, is that you?”

  “I’m here. As long as you need. Don’t worry. I will get you out of here.”

  “Who are you?” I yelled as I could not see anything. Just then, the brightness of the sun faded as if a cloud had passed in front of it and was casting a shadow on us. I was able to put my arm down, and I could finally see.

  I began to wake up. I could feel myself being pulled up out of the depths of the sand. My head broke the surface. Sunlight burned my face. I was awake. I looked up, and as my eyes adjusted to the brightness of the sun, I realized I was being pulled out of the hole I had been buried in.

  “Jack, it’s just me, Fitch.”

  He dropped to his knees beside me. It was indeed Fitch.

  He said, “Are you alright?”

  I asked him, “Where did you come from?”

  Fitch responded, “Never mind that, I am just glad you are okay.”

  I was groggy and couldn’t make sense of any of it.

  I looked around and saw that we were in the middle of the desert. No bulldozers. No crater. Just wind-carved dunes.

  “What happened? Where is the site?” I asked.

  “Jack, it’s gone. It was shut down. I came out here to find you. They destroyed it. No one knew where you were. I came out here to find you. And I am glad I did.”

  I asked him, “How did you find me? There is nothing here.”

  “I don’t know. I've always been good at getting my bearings. I remembered where the site had been and followed my instincts.”

  “Dr. Peterson? Is she all right? Did she make it out?”

  “Yes, Jack. She is fine. She and her team are getting ready to leave. They are going back to the institute.”

  I was glad to hear she had made it out all right.

  “Bayne, is he here?”

  “No one is here, Jack. It’s just you and me.”

  I looked around to see if anything was recognizable. There was no evidence of the excavation site. I said, “There was a hole. I was in it. I was being buried alive by the sand. I was drowning in sand. I was resting to gain strength. I must have fallen asleep.”

  This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Fitch answered, “All I know is I came back out here to find you, and here you are. I saw your arm sticking out. I started digging. I began to dig and was able to pull you out.”

  I didn’t get it. I struggled to get my bearings as to where we were.

  Fitch said, “I think, my friend, you need some water and food. You have had a long day. I think we'd better get you back to the motel.”

  Fitch helped me walk back to the motel. He had not brought a car with him. It was quite a way for us to hike back. When we arrived, the sun was beginning to set. I was not sure if, in fact, it was the same day or not. I was still confused by it all.

  I had seen proof that giants existed. Now it was gone. I worried that I had dreamt the whole thing. After all, there was nothing left of any site. I wanted to get back to the motel to see Dr. Peterson. I wanted her to confirm for me what had happened.

  As we walked, I continued to run things over in my head. Was it all a dream like the ones I had on the ship? It was hard for me to make out what had happened. Maybe it had all been a dream. I questioned what would come next.

  At the motel, everyone was packing up and heading out. James was in the office checking everyone out and getting their travel arrangements made for the trips home. Dr. Peterson’s jeep was parked outside her room. Her door was open. I assumed that she, too, was packing. There were no signs of Bayne and the bulldozers.

  As Fitch and I walked over to our rooms, Dr. Peterson came out with a box and put it on the back of her jeep.

  “Jack, you’re still here?” she said.

  “Why, yes,” I was puzzled. She didn’t realize it.

  “I’m just glad you are alright. I am glad you made it out safely.” I said to her.

  “Yes, thanks to you and Mr. Fitch.” She then turned her attention to him and thanked him again for helping her.

  “Thanks again. I guess I was lucky you were there to pull me out right before those bulldozers filled in the hole. I am grateful.” She said to him.

  She then turned her attention back to me. “I’m glad you’re still here. The Institute has another assignment. Would you wish to join us?”

  “I had figured with the way things turned out and with everyone leaving that there wasn’t an opportunity to continue with the project any further.”

  Her reply surprised me. “Our funding isn’t tied to New Mexico. Sure, we lost everything here. It’s just like we did in Ohio, but we don’t just give up. We move on.”

  “Oh,” I said. “I just figured that your grant would have also been revoked due to the way things turned out here.”

  “Our research and institute are privately funded. We use no government grants. What we’re doing at Lang would interest you. I wouldn’t be surprised if you found yourself with some funding to continue your own research.”

  This surprised me to no end.

  She asked, “Would this be something you would be interested in?”

  “Why, of course. Do you think there would be anything available for my wife as well? She is a sociology and history professor.

  Dr. Peterson hesitated, then said, “I don't see why not. I will call the chancellor and see what can be worked out. At the very least, I would recommend you continue with us. I know they could use someone like you at Lang.”

  Fitch chimed in, “So, there is work? I would be more than willing to make my own arrangements to get there if a job were waiting for me.”

  She answered, “I was going to recommend it myself anyway. I am sure Jack could use a research assistant.”

  I didn’t know what to say. I thought of answering back with some excuse, but Dr. Peterson clearly felt an obligation to him. “No worries,” she said. “I will see you both at Lang. James can make your travel arrangements for you. I will be driving in the jeep out. I will be stopping back in Arizona on my way back to the Institute. I guess I will see you there.” With that, she went back into her room and continued to pack her things.

  “Well, Jack, I guess you are stuck with me. If it wasn’t for me, this may have been the end of your journey.”

  I was growing suspicious of Fitch. I realized that although I had known him now for some months, I still knew nothing about him. I never saw him working at the site. His name was not on any list when we arrived. He paid for his room himself. All of a sudden, things weren’t making any sense, so I asked, “Are you working for Bayne?”

  He laughed, “No. I don’t work for Bayne. You have to trust me.”

  “Trust you? You want me to trust you? I trusted Bayne, and that ended poorly, even here and now. I trust people more than I should. You are in no position to ask me to trust you of all people. Why are you here?”

  “Jack! Jack!’ It was James. He came running up to us.

  “What is it?” I asked impatiently.

  “There is a train leaving. If you expect to be on it, you'd better get going. Dr. Peterson just informed me you were coming with us. There isn’t much time. Please get your things together. I need to make sure you are on this train. We’re all getting out of here”

  My conversation with Fitch was cut short. James needed me to get my things together. I turned to go back to my room, and Fitch was already gone. James had packed up most of what Dr. Peterson had in her room earlier in the day and loaded it into the truck. Nothing in my room seemed to be touched at all. My journals of research from this trip, even my etchings of the footprints I had made at the site, were still intact. I was grateful I had etched them. I packed up what I had in my room and got all of my suitcases together.

  With my bags packed, I joined James in the truck to the train station. James drove me to Albuquerque. From there, I’d head west. From there, I would go north to Windsor, California, where the Lang Institute was located.

  As we arrived at the train station, I looked around. There was no Fitch. I wondered if I was onto some dark truth about him. I asked James about him, and he said he had no travel arrangements for him. I couldn’t believe it. Even as I was sitting on the train waiting to disembark, I kept feeling that I was sure Fitch would get on the train at any moment. As the train pulled out of the station, I realized he was no longer with me.

  By train, James and I made it to Williams, Arizona, where he was taking a separate train to the Grand Canyon to meet up with Dr. Peterson when she arrived. They had work going on there and needed to check on the crew to see if anything had been found. Apparently, they had a lead on the hidden temple that Ramon’s tribe believed in. I informed James that if anything turned up, to call me. I would come back out. He assured me that he would.

  I got off the train only to stretch my legs in Williams and to get some fresh air. I said goodbye to James, and he was on his way. I looked around at the people coming and going in the small but busy station. I could see families traveling together, and I thought about Mimi. I wondered how she would react to what had happened with Bayne, with my quest for giants, and with the job in California.

  Suddenly, I noticed a man getting off the same train I was just on. It was Fitch. Over the loudspeaker, there was an announcement of “all aboard – westbound train going to Los Angeles will be leaving momentarily.”

  I watched as Fitch walked up to look at the train schedule at the ticketing counter. I ran back on the train and grabbed my belongings. I was determined to get to the bottom of who he was.