"Jarryd Spencer?", Mulder asked when he and Scully entered the young man's hospital room.

The young man nodded, sitting on his bed. On a chair next to him sat a woman. Probably his mother, Mulder thought.

"I'm Special Agent Fox Mulder, FBI, and this is my partner Special Agent Dana Scully", Mulder introduced them.

"I know", Jarryd Spencer replied. "Mr. Hayes has told me you'd come. This is my mother, Jennifer Spencer."

Mrs. Spencer stood to greet the two agents.

"Jarryd, we would like to talk to you about what happened. Preferably alone – no offense meant, Mrs. Spencer", he addressed her.

"That's okay, I had figured it like this and if Jarryd is okay with it, I'll just go and grab a bite to eat for myself", she looked at her son who nodded his agreement.

After she left the room, Scully and Mulder pulled the chairs up to the bed and sat down.

"Well, Jarryd", Scully started, "can you tell us anything about the incident in the moor, when you were attacked? Did you see anybody?"

"As you might know it was dark, but it was also full moon, so it was not pitch black.", Jarry started. "I had been going for a walk with my dog, Jetter, when he suddenly ran off. I shouted at him to come back, but he was chasing after something that looked like a light, a fen fire." He stopped.

"When I caught up with him he was barking at the thing. I... I don't know how to describe it. It wasn't big, maybe up to my waist. Looked like... a gnome or something of that sort, but instead of hair, well, the hair was made of fire."

Mulder cast a content look at Scully who chose to ignore him.

"Go on", she encouraged Jarryd.

He swallowed briefly, then continued. "The skin looked greenish, but like jelly. I mean, not like our skin, but it was almost like you could see through it, like... jelly. I was standing there, unable to move, it was like a shock. I mean, you hear all the stories, but you think it's just that... a story."

Jarryd stopped an had a sip of soda, which was by his bedside. He was looking serious and took a deep breath before he continued.

"Next thing I remember is that all of a sudden Jetter stopped barking, that thing blew up to about 7 feet of hight, threw Jetter 40 yards into the moor then turned to me. I was frightened out of my wits and just started running, but that thing, it was like it could fly. I was running and then it was in front of me, arms with terrible claws swinging at me. It caught me on the arm and chest but somehow misjudged the situation and I could run on."

He looked at Mulder and Scully briefly, as if to make sure they were listening and believing him.

"I don't know which direction I was running... it caught my ankles, I fell, rushed up and kept on running. I don't remember much more, but when I was out of breath, ready to give up, it was gone. I looked around and saw a house not far away from where I was. I managed to get there and then I blacked out. That's all I can tell you."

There were some minutes where nobody spoke. Mulder's mind was working already on what could be done next, how to process the gained information.

"Thank you, Jarryd", said Scully. "We appreciate you telling us everything. Now, if there's still something else that you might remember, give us a call. Officer Hayes will know how to reach us. Are you going to be okay now or should we wait till your mother is back?"

"She'll be waiting outside already, I think. No, I'll be okay", he replied. "Okay", Scully acknowledged. She and Mulder got up to leave. They were almost by the door when Mulder turned around.

"Jarryd, do you know what happened to Jetter?", he asked.

Jarryd shook his head no. "I didn't see any more of him and my mother says he hasn't returned home yet", he said sadly.

"We'll find out what happened to him!", Mulder assured him.

"Thank you", Jarryd's voice was a mere whisper.

TBC

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