Very Plausible!
🤍👱🏻♀️🤍
After Ralph left them to their happiness and relief, and they were finally able to think a sensible thought, Jim and Iris began to realize that they might have a bit of a problem. In spite of the couple hundred people out searching for Tilly, um, well, here she was all warm, dry and happy. It didn’t smell right.
“Jim,
it isn’t going to work to tell the search coordinator or the police that a Sasquatch
brought her back all dry and warm, like some kind of miracle,” said Iris,
whispering while she kept a firm grip on Tilly.
“Probably not. They’re already going to be getting funny thoughts about us as it is.” He leaned back in his camp chair and stared up through the fir trees as if the sky might be able to help him.
“Some of them might even be believers, of some stripe, but I don’t think that will matter when it comes down to writing official reports,” he added. “No one, most likely, is fool enough to write a report including a “mythical” character.”
Iris laughed, a little nervously. “It’s one of those two types of people things, isn’t it? Except that there are more like three types of people when it comes to Squatches. There are those who “know” there is no such creature. There are those who think there might be, evidence is out there good enough for them. Then, there are the people like us, who know because we know we know. Did that make sense?” Jim laughed agreeably.
“Are you hungry Tilly?” asked Iris, suddenly realizing that she hadn’t fed the child since way early in the morning.
“Soup! Two mommies!” chortled Tilly. Her parents stared at each other.
“Kids found me!” She laughed some more. “Cats, big!” “Hungry now,” she added.
Iris handed her to Jim and started making a quick peanut butter and apple spread sandwich. She put some milk in a sippy cup too and was just giving the snack to Tilly when a county officer who was involved in the search arrived at the campsite.
He stopped in his tracks when he saw Tilly on Jim’s lap calmly eating a sandwich.
“How,” he started to say. “Where did she come from….” He walked over near to Tilly and looked at her closely, as if making sure of what he was seeing. He shook his head.
“You must have some explanation,” said the officer. He looked at Jim, who said nothing. Then he turned and looked at Iris. There were frown lines between his eyebrows.
Iris took a breath, and said, “about an hour ago we were just sitting here like you all told us to. You know, in case she wandered back in. Well, she didn’t wander back to camp at all. Somebody brought her back.
A big old guy who lives around here must have found her. I think he took her to his family to get warmed and dry, because that’s how she was when he carried her in here. Also she had been fed. She was as happy as she ever was.”
“Who was he, get a name?”
“No, we were in shock,” said Iris firmly. She smiled sweetly at the officer.
“Jim?” said the officer, turning again to look at Jim closely. “What did he look like, Jim?”
“Well. Tall. Very tall. Heavy too. Um, long dark hair….” Jim trailed off. “He seemed really friendly. Very muscular.”
“Oh,” said Officer Kelly. “Oh. Is there something I can sit on around here Jim?”
“Take my chair,” said Jim, getting up. “Tilly and I will sit on the hatch lid over here.”
Officer Kelly sat in Jim’s chair and sighed. He looked from Jim to Iris and back again to Jim, sitting on the hatch lid.
“OK, okay. I get it. I do. But nobody else will.”
“Big!,” said Tilly.
“Yeah, kid, I know,” said Kelly.
“I know that guy. He ain’t no myth. I’ve never met him, but I know Millicent Price at the paper. She knows him in person.” He massaged his head, looking at the forest floor and then was silent for a moment.
“No. 1, Tilly and you two are damn lucky he found her, or his kid did, or whatever. Damn lucky. In fact I think it qualifies as a miracle.
“No. 2. We’ll stick to your story Iris. You told it so well. I’m sure you can polish it up a bit for the news. Because you are going to hear from the news, and the searchers, and the Sheriff’s department. Everybody is going to want to hear that story!,” said Officer Kelly, looking hopeful.
“You have your girl back, I will keep my job, and Ralph is off somewhere out there in those big trees having a good giggle at all of us!”
“Probably not. They’re already going to be getting funny thoughts about us as it is.” He leaned back in his camp chair and stared up through the fir trees as if the sky might be able to help him.
“Some of them might even be believers, of some stripe, but I don’t think that will matter when it comes down to writing official reports,” he added. “No one, most likely, is fool enough to write a report including a “mythical” character.”
Iris laughed, a little nervously. “It’s one of those two types of people things, isn’t it? Except that there are more like three types of people when it comes to Squatches. There are those who “know” there is no such creature. There are those who think there might be, evidence is out there good enough for them. Then, there are the people like us, who know because we know we know. Did that make sense?” Jim laughed agreeably.
“Are you hungry Tilly?” asked Iris, suddenly realizing that she hadn’t fed the child since way early in the morning.
“Soup! Two mommies!” chortled Tilly. Her parents stared at each other.
“Kids found me!” She laughed some more. “Cats, big!” “Hungry now,” she added.
Iris handed her to Jim and started making a quick peanut butter and apple spread sandwich. She put some milk in a sippy cup too and was just giving the snack to Tilly when a county officer who was involved in the search arrived at the campsite.
He stopped in his tracks when he saw Tilly on Jim’s lap calmly eating a sandwich.
“How,” he started to say. “Where did she come from….” He walked over near to Tilly and looked at her closely, as if making sure of what he was seeing. He shook his head.
“You must have some explanation,” said the officer. He looked at Jim, who said nothing. Then he turned and looked at Iris. There were frown lines between his eyebrows.
Iris took a breath, and said, “about an hour ago we were just sitting here like you all told us to. You know, in case she wandered back in. Well, she didn’t wander back to camp at all. Somebody brought her back.
A big old guy who lives around here must have found her. I think he took her to his family to get warmed and dry, because that’s how she was when he carried her in here. Also she had been fed. She was as happy as she ever was.”
“Who was he, get a name?”
“No, we were in shock,” said Iris firmly. She smiled sweetly at the officer.
“Jim?” said the officer, turning again to look at Jim closely. “What did he look like, Jim?”
“Well. Tall. Very tall. Heavy too. Um, long dark hair….” Jim trailed off. “He seemed really friendly. Very muscular.”
“Oh,” said Officer Kelly. “Oh. Is there something I can sit on around here Jim?”
“Take my chair,” said Jim, getting up. “Tilly and I will sit on the hatch lid over here.”
Officer Kelly sat in Jim’s chair and sighed. He looked from Jim to Iris and back again to Jim, sitting on the hatch lid.
“OK, okay. I get it. I do. But nobody else will.”
“Big!,” said Tilly.
“Yeah, kid, I know,” said Kelly.
“I know that guy. He ain’t no myth. I’ve never met him, but I know Millicent Price at the paper. She knows him in person.” He massaged his head, looking at the forest floor and then was silent for a moment.
“No. 1, Tilly and you two are damn lucky he found her, or his kid did, or whatever. Damn lucky. In fact I think it qualifies as a miracle.
“No. 2. We’ll stick to your story Iris. You told it so well. I’m sure you can polish it up a bit for the news. Because you are going to hear from the news, and the searchers, and the Sheriff’s department. Everybody is going to want to hear that story!,” said Officer Kelly, looking hopeful.
“You have your girl back, I will keep my job, and Ralph is off somewhere out there in those big trees having a good giggle at all of us!”
And so he was! Ralph
loves a happy ending.
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