It all started when an owl hit Jacob's windshield. He was driving to work on a late night in late July a road surrounded on both sides by thick trees, but his drive was cut short when that owl hit his windshield. Jacob was as tall as the average eighteen-year old, with dark brown hair that he slicked back each day with gel. He had deep green eyes and a little bit of hair on the right hand side that curled slightly, no matter what he'd do. He thought he'd ready for anything that might come his way while driving, considering how he was the passenger in an accident three years ago, which both he and the driver walked away from unscathed, but he didn't expect this to happen as he saw the owl flying towards him a little ways down the road from around the bend.

"Oh hey! It's a barn owl! That's cool" he thought to himself complacently, considering how he hardly ever saw a wild owl. Jacob was fond of nature, but little did he know he was about to get acquainted with it very quickly. The smile on his face soon turned to worry as he noticed it was flying straight for him.

"Holy CRAP!" he yelled as he slammed on the brakes, desperate to prevent a collision. He was too late though, and that still didn't stop the owl from flying into his car though. His car screeched to a stop and the owl made a crack as it hit his windshield and slid to a stop on the windshield wipers.

Utterly speechless, Jacob sat there, staring at the owl with a look reminiscent of a comedy where the main character would find peanut butter in his socks from his friend playing a joke on him. After a couple moments, he began to worry, thinking it dead.

"What in the world am I supposed to do?! What are the odds that this crap would happen to me?!" he protested with a moan. He put his head in his hands and moaned again, but he quickly jumped out of his car with his tool he used to clean snow off his car in the winter, ready to gently nudge the owl off onto the road.

As he slowly approached the owl, it quickly stood up on his windshield-wipers as if nothing happened, causing Jacob to jump with a slight yelp. The owl stared at him with its large, black eyes in its smooth white face. Jacob was alone on this small stretch of road, with the sun going down behind the trees to his left. He looked around, wondering if anyone had lost their 'pet owl' (as ridiculous as that sounds). It then hopped within reach of him, its talons clicking as it hopped. It let out a small hoot, which made him jump again. Honestly, Jacob was thinking that somehow this owl must have a disease (normally owls didn't do this), but it looked healthier than any owl he'd ever seen (which in all honesty, isn't saying much... considering how he never sees any). Jacob decided to talk to the owl, considering how he didn't expect this encounter to get any stranger.

"D-do you want me to take that letter?" he asked nervously as he pointed at the letter, thinking that this was all very odd and strange. All Jacob had planned to do that night was drive to Target, check out some people who may or may not appreciate his services, and then drive home. Never in a million years did he think an owl would ram into his car!

The owl let out a small hoot again, which Jacob took as a yes. Still, he stood there staring at the owl without making a move for the letter, still feeling skittish. The owl hooted again, obviously losing its patience.

"Okay! Okay…." He muttered as he edged towards the owl, lifting up his hands in defeat, he decided he would grab it. The owl tilted its head to the left and decided that Jacob wasn't actually going to grab the letter, no matter what he said. So, the letter landed on the hood of his car with a flop.

He was scared to grab the letter, considering how easily he felt the owl could cut up his hand with its talons, but the owl flew off only a second after it dropped the letter. After the owl flew out of sight over the tree-line, Jacob grabbed the letter. It was an actual letter, which surprised him (considering how it came from a barn owl). Also, it was addressed to him! Looking around, he strained his eyes towards the woods on either side. He couldn't see anyone who would've sent the owl, which puzzled him even more. All he heard was birds chirping in the distance and the nearby highway a little ways away, he was alone on this calm road.

Jacob liked to consider myself a cautious individual, with no business with anyone he didn't know or come into contact with personally. This, however, was too strange to dismiss as easily as you would someone, let's say, offering you a vacation in a random phone call. Altogether flummoxed, he looked down at the letter and began to ponder how strangely it was addressed.

Mr. Jacob Johnson

3206 Dragsburg Lane,

Upper Level, Second Bedroom on the left-hand-side

Minneapolis, Minnesota

The envelope was thick and heavy, addressed in a deep-blue ink. It said his address like any other letter, but it even said which bedroom was his in the address. Immediately, he began to assume someone was stalking him, considering how they knew which bedroom was his, but why would someone use an owl to send him this? Couldn't have just mailed it in the mail like any other normal person? Also, owls couldn't be used to send letters…could they? He started to look at the back of the letter, where it was sealed with a wax stamp, but he quickly glanced at his watch and saw that he would be late if he stayed here any longer, so he quickly hopped back into his car. Grabbing the automatic shift of his blue car, he put the car into gear and drove off, the encounter with the owl still fresh in his mind. He was still shaken from the encounter, not because of the owl, but because of the letter, as he pulled into Target's parking lot. He put the letter into the glove-compartment of his car and hurried inside.

Jacob made his way inside and was eventually behind a register, ready to check out any customers. His manager walked up to him while he was checking a nice old-lady out and asked him why I was late, knowing that this wasn't usually like him.

"Johnson!" he said. "Why were you late today? This isn't like you!" the manager said with a gruff voice. Jacob quickly glanced at the clock and saw he was ten minutes late. His heart sank.

"I-I'm so sorry sir, an owl hit my windshield and would move!" Jacob earnestly said, not thinking that his manager would ever believe him. He didn't, but Jacob apologized so many times that his manager just let it go. Jacob didn't tell him about the letter though, thinking it would only make things worse. As time went on, he managed to forget the whole ordeal with the owl. He checked and bagged all sorts of things, from laundry detergent to turkey burgers. He also was checking out groceries near the end of all the lanes, so I had a nice view of all the apparel for the Minnesota Twins, Gophers, Wild, and more near the electronics section. He was especially fond of the Gopher apparel, considering how he was going to attend the University of Minnesota in the fall. The majority of his shift was good, better than he was used to, the only strange things was people dressed in robes walking around the store. Only when he had ten minutes left in my shift was he reminded of the owl.

"Good-evening ma'am" Jacob said to a lady who came into my lane. "Did you find everything alright today?" he asked as he began to check out her items, which seemed to be a lot of cat food.

"Yes, I did" she replied, obviously not too keen on conversation.

"That's good" he replied. They sat there in silence for a little while longer as she unloaded the rest of her groceries onto the conveyor belt.

"Excuse me sir…" she started as she put the final greek yogurt onto the belt.

"Yeah?" Jacob asked.

"Have you heard about the strange things that have been happening lately?" she asked.

"No" Jacob replied, slightly puzzled. "What strange things?"

"Well" she started; keen on gossip it looked like. "Apparently, owls have been seen flying around in during the day, for starters" Jacob's stomach sank.

"R-really?" he asked nervously, hoping she was joking.

"Yes! It's the strangest thing, and no one seems to know why. Also people are wearing the strangest clothes today" she said as she looked suspiciously at a small man wearing bright blue robes. Her receipt printed out, which he then handed to her.

"Thank you…" he said, trailing off, not wishing her a 'good-night' as he normally would to customers. She left and no one else came into my line so Jacob decided to ask his manager if he could leave, which he was allowed.

Jacob walked back to his car. He knew that his owl must've been a part of all this, but he wondered how he fit into all this. He ignited his car engine as he sat down in his car. He didn't feel like listening to the radio, considering how all of it was owl gossip, so he turned the radio off and began to stare into space, slowly thinking back to the letter sitting is his glove-compartment. Slowly, he opened it. Light streamed out as he reached inside and pulled the letter back out. No doubt, the same, oddly accurate address was looking back at him. He finally turned the letter over to look at the pink, wax seal. It was the strangest looking thing he had ever seen. The seal was shaped like a four-leaf clover, with a four different animals surrounding the center. A snake, bird, cat, and what looked like a 'porcupine-man' surrounded the center of this seal. Nothing indicated where, or who this letter came from. The seal gave off a regal feel, almost like the seal of a royal family in Medieval England. Thoughts flew through his mind, along with a bad feeling that he had caught something's attention, whether it is for good or ill. Knowing that his parents would be worried if he stayed out any longer, Jacob drove home.

He decided that when he got the chance, he would open this letter and read what was inside it.

Magical Creatures of the United States:

Agropelter

Axe-Handle Hound

Ball-Tailed Cat

Bray Road Beast

Cactus Cat

Columbia River Sand Squink

Come-at-a-Body

Dingmaul

Dungavenhooter

Filla-Ma-Loo Bird

Frog-Men

Gumberoo

Hidebehind

Hodag

Hoop Snake

Horned Serpent

Hugag

Jackalope

Jersey Devil

Luferlang

Menehune

Mothman

Pukwudgie

Ravenmocker

Roperite

Rougarou

Rumptifusel

Sasquatch

Santer

Sidehill Gouger

Silver Cat

Snallygaster

Snipe

Snow-Snake

Squonk

Swamp Auger

Thunderbird

Tote-Road Shagamaw

Treesqueak

Tripodero

Wampus Cat

Whiffenpoof

Whirling Whimpus

White River Monster

NEXT CHAPTER: The Strangers and the Sea Serpent