THE NIGHT OF BIGFOOT

By Andamogirl

WWW

ACT TWO

A week later

at the edge of a thick forest

The snow crunched under Jim's, Artemus's and Moira's feet and they approached the edge of deep red cedar trees forest where the Bigfoot had been spotted.

Looking behind him at the Wanderer stopped three miles away in the middle of the railroad track between two snow slides, Artie said, his breath forming clouds of white smoke in the cold air, "You know we should have taken the horses instead of walking in all that snow…" And he looked at his knees half-buried in powdery snow. "is not going to be easy, and that could be very dangerous, because in the case of a bear or wolf attack, or both, the snow would slow down our movements, as will the cold. On horseback we would have a better chance of getting away with it…"

Hit by a snowball in his face, Artemus removed the icy snowflakes from his face and glared at Moira who grinned and said, "Magnus, you yellow belly!"

Feeling offended, Artemus frowned, raised his chin defiantly and said, "Me? Have we met before? No, I'm just wary. I have been attacked by bears and wolves many times and I almost died each time."

Moira stroked her childhood friend's cheek to be forgiven. "I'm sorry. I forgot about that. I wanted make fun of you, but it didn't work."

In response Artie kissed Moira's temple. "You're forgiven." Then looking again at the stranded train, he said, "We were lucky not ending up under an avalanche, but it will take a few days though to remove all the snow on each side of the track."

Moira nodded and glanced at the snow-filled forest which was still and silent. "You now finding snow here is very rare. In this region the winters are usually cold and rain-drenched."

Pointing at the tall trees covered with heavy snow, Jim said, "You're right but the horses couldn't make their way through that dense forest."

Moira nodded. "Jim is right." She glanced at her companions carrying like her a backpack filled with the necessary equipment to camp in the cold for several days, food supplies and ropes and chains to restrain the Sasquatch. Then she added, "Let's go! We have Big Foot to find – and capture. We'll be famous after that!" And she moved forward.

Exchanging a complicit look the two men saluted and both said, "Yes Ma'am!" And they let Moira take the lead and trudged along in her wake.

Pausing for a few seconds, Artie looked up at the tall fir trees, piled with snow, looming menacingly around them in the fading light.

His shoulders tensed and he shivered, but not from cold. "I don't like this place," he said feeling his sixth sense tingling, giving him goosebumps.

He sighed, breath misting in the frigid air. "Let's move old man," he said.

He looked up to the sky and just barely noticed the sun, through the ominous dark clouds gathering overhead getting dark very fast, threatening snow and loads of it.

He joined the others and they entered the dark, snow-heavy forest.

WWW

Two hours later

The air had gotten progressively colder as they walked through the immense red cedar trees and then it's started snowing.

Moira looked up at the sky, watching the snowfall getting heavier by the minute. "We should find a place to set up the tent," she said.

A few minutes later they were caught in a blizzard.

The snow storm was becoming more ferocious with every step. The snow was coming down heavier now and visibility was getting worse. They couldn't see five feet in front of them.

Moira shifted her scarf trying to shield her abused cheeks from the icy cutting wind and said, "We should stop here and set up the tent!" She looked around her squinting through the flurry of white as the snow grew thicker, blowing around them on harsh blisteringly cold winds and spotted a group of tall trees forming a C-shape. "Here! There's enough room for the tent."

In a matter of minutes, Jim and Artie set up the tent with their gloved hands which were growing numb while Moira watched them.

The temperature was plummeting. It was below freezing now. Everything looked the same around them. Everything was white.

Once inside the tent, flap closely tied, Jim unwrapped his scarf and pulled off his hat and gloves – Artie copying him, then he pulled out a kerosene lamp from his backpack, lighting it with a match.

The sky was rapidly darkening outside.

Then he vigorously rubbed his hands over his arms to try and warm himself. "Artie, you should unpack the sleeping bags."

Pulling out a thick red blanket from his own backpack Artie said, "I have to place this on the ground, first." He paused and explained to Moira, "It's a special blanket. It is waterproof, water repellent and it's filled with goose down which retains heat better. We won't be cold when sitting on it and it's going to provide some cushioning too." Then he started covering the icy and snowy floor with it to providing insulation against the humidity and cold.

Moira smiled. "Another invention of yours?" She asked as her teeth chattered, raising her voice. The wind howled outside.

Jim settled the lantern over in the far corner of the tent.

Opening his backpack wider, Artie replied, "Yes, and I invented this too… it's a compact sleeping bag made like my special blanket." And he pulled out a blanket folded in half, rolled up, and bound with leather straps. He unfolded it and Moira could see that the 'sleeping bag' had an 'Automatic, Continuous Clothing Closure' on each side which enabled users to get into the bag and then close it up.

She was impressed. "It's a great idea! I could use this sleeping bag when I'm exploring cold regions! Did you bring one for Jim and me too?"

Jim pulled out two sleeping bags from his backpack. "Artemus always thinks of everything." And he gave one to Moira.

Removing his thick coat and boots, Artie then didn't hesitate to take his damp pants off but kept on the bottom part of his wooly two-piece thermal underwear which was still dry. He said, "Let's get inside our sleeping bags before we freeze to death," and he did just that.

Imitating Artie, Jim fixated closed the flaps of the small tent while Moira removed her damp pants – but Artie didn't, his curiosity taking over from propriety.

He had never seen such a feminine undergarment. Moira was wearing a thick close-fitting red wool leg covering from her waist to her toes –the top of the waist was of strong elastic.

Moira smiled. "Interested by my legwear?" She asked. "I invent things too, like these winter leg coverings – hiding my short underwear. I designed them myself. I had the work done by a weaver in the kingdom of Nepal before leaving for the Himalayas. I call this kind of cloth garment tights. They sheath the body from waist to toewith a tight fit, hence the name. Then she slid into the thick cocoon. She added, "And I'm wearing another invention of mine, to go along with the 'tights'. It's a breast support made in cotton-lined wool for comfort. It's covering the top of my body as we speak. It's sleeveless and it's made in one piece." Seeing that Artie was intrigued, she whispered, "I will show you later…" And Artemus blushed in embarrassment. "Goodbye rigid corsets that trap the body and reduce movement."

Soon they were warm thanks to their body heat filling the cold air with soft puffs of breath.

Listening to the he hellish blizzard outside, they stayed immobile and quiet for a moment, happy and relieved to be safe.

Moira turned toward Artemus lying to her right side, shuffled around a bit, getting into a comfortable position and said, "It's really a great invention, Magnus. Without those sleeping bags we would have died of exposure," and then she buried her face in the crook of Artie's neck. "Thanks."

Lying side by side, they stayed immobile and silent for a while, then when it was warmer inside the tent, they sat on the thick blanket – the sleeping bags covering their legs.

Pulling out a bottle of whiskey and three tin mugs, Artie said, "Let's warm up!" and then he poured the liquor into them.

Retrieving the canned sardines with olive oil from his backpack and pieces of bread wrapped in a towel, and three knives, Jim said, "Let's eat something."

Soon after Jim, Artie and Moira were wolfing down sardine sandwiches. Then for dessert they ate canned peaches and big chocolate cookies.

Wiping the knives in a tea towel, Jim said, "I miss coffee, but with this blizzard outside, making coffee is impossible."

Moira pulled out a deck of cards from her backpack and a bag of peanuts. "Let's play poker. As I didn't find any chips, I took a bag of peanuts from the galley." She tapped the bag of peanuts and then added, "I am unbeatable at poker, all this will soon be mine." She shuffled the deck of cards in her lap then handed them and the peanuts out. "By the way, why did you have a bag of peanuts in the galley?"

Artie smiled. "It was for Ackbar, a sacred baby white elephant – well, he wasn't sacred at all. Long story. I tried to train Ackbar to catch peanuts without much luck…"

Moira smiled. "I hope to know the rest of that story one day."

Smirking, Artemus took his cards, glanced at them then at his childhood best friend then he said, "I will beat you. Trust me."

A couple of hours later, after Jim and Artie had lost a huge amount of peanuts to Moira and grabbing the deck of cards, the older man huffed and said, "I can't beat you."

Moira grinned. "Told you so."

Exhausted from the excursion out into the bone-chillingly cold blizzard - the storm still raging outside – deep weariness took hold as they fought to keep their eyes open.

Moira was the first to slide in her sleeping bag and she pulled the edge up to her chin. She let her eyes drift shut saying, "Night boys," and promptly fell asleep.

Smiling, Artie ran a gentle finger down Moira's cheek, "Good night, Moira," then he unholstered his revolver settling it on his lap with a strong feeling that something unpleasant was about to happen.

Seeing that his partner looked preoccupied he asked, "Do you have a premonition?" and he took his own gun in his hand.

Checking the full chamber filled with six bullets, Artie replied, "Yes, I felt uncomfortable before entering this forest and my intuition never deceives me."

Both men looked warily at the flap of the tent – cocking the hammers of their Colts. Then Jim said, "I'll take the first shift. I'll wake you up in two hours, and then we'll alternate the shifts until dawn."

Still frowning in worry, Artie nodded. "Okay." Then he moved onto his back and pulled his sleeping bag up to his shoulders.

But he kept his gun, ready to fire, in his hand.

Outside, the wind howled and lashed snow in every direction around the surrounding trees. And the temperature in the tent dropped a significant amount.

WWW

In the morning

Nothing happened that night. But when Jim untied the tent flap he was shocked to see that snow had piled up so high it blocked the fabric door.

Moira raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Woah! The tent is under snow… and the blizzard is still active outside," she said. "It reminds me of my last stay in the Himalayas."

Looking down at her side she gently nudged her best friend awake. "Wake up Artemus!" But Artie ignored her and turned away from her with a grunt.

Having closed the flap of the tent, Jim said, "Be careful, Moira. He has his gun in his hand and he's ready to shoot. He didn't sleep much last night, let him wake up by himself, it's more safer."

Moira frowned intrigued. "Shoot at what?"

Glancing at Artie, now snoring lightly, Jim replied, "He's sensing that something bad is going to happen, and I trust in his intuition. So we spent the night taking turns in case something happened – but fortunately nothing happened." Shivering he put his thick coat on and he pulled on thick hiking boots. He sighed. "No coffee this morning either."

Suddenly a howling gust of wind awoke Artemus from his peaceful slumber. He propped himself on one elbow and surfaced, blinking sleep away.

He rubbed his left hand over his face while holding his Colt with the right one. He smiled at his companions and said, "Morning," his voice thick with sleep, shivering at the cold. "Boy! it's cold in here… and there's still a snowstorm outside."

Moira kissed Artie's stubbled cheek. "Good morning Magnus," she said, and then she gathered her coat, scarf and boots. "We are snowed in." She dressed rapidly to protect herself from the cold and then she added, "I need to go outside. I have to pee."

Jim untied the flap of the tent again and then began digging a passage through the piled snow so they could go outside.

Once it was done, gusts of wild winds and heavy snow engulfed the tent and Moira hurried to leave it. Jim followed her – to pee too and to protect her.

Staying inside, Artemus closed the entrance of the tent and started pulling out their frugal breakfast from his backpack: brioche and chocolate bars. That's all.

He had to keep what was left of their cooked food supplies. He hadn't packed that much food in the first place because he had planned to cook things for them. He had canned fish and meat, different kind of beans and peas, rice, lentils – but with the blizzard it was impossible to pick up wood, make a fire and boil water (snow). He couldn't even make coffee! He thought.

Feeling his own bladder pressing him to go outside too, he dressed in his warm clothes and left the tent in his turn, closing the flap behind him.

He took a few steps forward, snow reaching his thighs, the blizzard blowing directly into his face biting it. He couldn't see anything and his eyes stung.

Snowflakes swirled madly in the howling blizzard and the surrounding trees swayed and creaked. "Jim? Moira?" He called out. He shivered, and clutched his arms to his chest. His hands were shaking and his fingers were starting to feel numb. "I hate the cold," he muttered.

He ducked his head a little and looked around him searching for footprints, but Jim and Moira's footprints, which had gone quite deep were swiftly being covered. "Jim? Moira?"

He called out again, louder. No response. His heart racing, now very anxious because they could have got lost in the blizzard, he decided, his stomach churning, to go back to the tent to take the lantern. As the sky was dark with gray clouds, they would see it.

He turned back – barely seeing the tent which was only a few feet from him and looked more like an igloo now, he realized.

He gritted his chattering teeth against the onslaught of the storm which was becoming more ferocious with every step – plus his leg tingled and burned – it hurt.

The temperature was dropping and he felt like ice. He couldn't feel his face or his hands anymore, but he had to keep moving.

He must find Jim and Moira. He wouldn't let them die out here in the cold.

He was staggering through the biting cold winds and flurries of snow when he saw something darker and hazy around the edges, behind the curtain of falling snow – a silhouette. "Jim?" He saw the 'shadow' move in his direction and his teeth chattering, he asked, "J-Jim w-where is M-Moira?"

He abruptly stopped when he realized that the dark-brown silhouette heading toward him was very large and very tall and muscular – with long, shaggy, light-brown hair.

It wasn't James West.

He stared at Bigfoot in shock and disbelief. Then he took a step backward and stumbled, "I don't believe it." he whispered, in awe.

He whispered, "Bigfoot!" then he felt the hair on the back of his neck raise as the creature was headed toward him at top speed, barreling through the snow.

He reached down to his right side to take his out gun but he didn't have it.

He cursed and before he could react, the creature hit him with its clawed paw/hand – in the middle of his chest, propelling him backward into the thick layers of iced snow.

Grimacing in pain, he had time to see Bigfoot's face close to his, his yellowish eyes, his sharp teeth and smell his awful rotten breath before losing consciousness.

Bigfoot growled, grabbed the unconscious human by his arm and dragged him through the snow, through the tall trees.

WWW

Later

In a log cabin

Moira gently tapped Artemus's cheeks. "Wake up, Artemus!" Then she smiled when she saw her best friend's eyes fluttering open.

Opening his eyes, Artie blinked wearily at the ceiling for a few seconds then turning his head to the right he saw Moira's smiling face close to his. "Hi…" He said before grimacing in pain. His chest hurt. Hurt where Bigfoot had hit him, he remembered. "I saw Bigfoot!" he announced, wincing at a couple of bruised ribs. "He hit me and I passed out."

Sitting on the other side of the bed, Jim said, "He hit us too – and we lost consciousness. We'll have some nice bruises on our chests – but nothing's broken."

Moving into a sitting position - the bed creaking - with both Jim's and Moira's help, Artie glanced around him and realized that he was lying on a double bed in a large room with a table, two chairs and two stools and a black, pot-bellied stove equipped with a plate on the top for cooking. The red cedar tree log cabin was dusty and musty-smelling. Through a lone, small window he could see the weak light and the snow which was falling thick and fast outside. There was a big rounded stone-build fireplace and flames brought gentle warmth to the space. There was a door leading to another room he guessed was the bathroom / toilet. There was a sink with a cupboard under it and empty shelves and an axe was hanging next to the door. "Where are we? How did I get here?"

Moira took Artie's hand in hers soothingly. "Jim and I got lost in the blizzard. We were close to hypothermia when Bigfoot appeared in front of us – and he hit us to neutralize us, so he could easily bring us here. He did the same thing to you. He saved our lives and left. We're in a one-room cabin, living area / kitchen and a fireplace, combined with a separate washroom and toilet. It's probably a refuge for hunters in bad weather, and only used during the hunting season, and we're lucky it's in good shape, so we are not cold and sheltered from the blizzard." she explained.

Rubbing his bruised chest, Artemus leaned against the bedhead. "I'm surprised. I thought he would kill us instead and then eat us."

Moira shook her head. "There are lots of legends about Bigfoot and we don't know exactly what it eats. But not humans it would seem."

Sitting on the side of the bed, beside Moira Artie said, "Or it wasn't hungry and it brought us here – to this log cabin used as food-storage to be able to eat us later. He knows that we can't escape it – especially with a blizzard outside. We're stuck."

Moira chuckled. "You always see the worst in things, Magnus. It helped us, it saved our lives. We would be dead frozen to death without its help."

Frowning, a bit vexed, Artemus replied, "No, I don't always see the worst in things. I am someone realistic and pragmatic. Thinking that way has saved my life, and it saved Jim's life many times too." He ran fingers through his messy hair; stood and winced as his leg hurt, but it was bearable. "He brought us here, okay, he saved us, okay, but I suppose he was careful not to bring our revolvers here?"

Jim shook his head. "No. But it brought our other things, our backpacks, sleeping bags and even you're your special warm blanket. Doing that proves it's intelligent."

Moira nodded. "Despite the fact that it looks like an upright-walking, ape-like being, yes it is and this is new information!" She paused and then added, "I checked the backpacks. We have enough food to stay here in forced confinement for several days until this storm blows over. We have water – I mean melted snow – firewood piled outside in a shed. We can cook, eat and drink. I propose that we stay here until the blizzard disappears – it could last two or three days. It's usual here. And I'm certain that we'll be able to find things with which to occupy ourselves in the meantime. We could start with a poker game."

Shaking his head, Artie said, "Let's start to clean up this place. I don't want to share my room with spiders the size of a crab!" He pointed at an enormous black spider watching them from a corner of the ceiling. "Then I'll prepare something to eat – I'm hungry." And his stomach growled its agreement with that.

Moira stood in her turn, "I'm going to put some snow into a pot – or something I can find in the cupboard and make boil it."

Standing too Jim said, "I'm going to fetch some wood from the shed to feed the fire – because we need to keep it alive. It's almost 0° Fahrenheit outside!"

He put his coat on, placed his hat on his head, wrapped his neck in his scarf, hid his hand in his gloves and opened the door – finding thick white powder piling up against it – reaching his chest and above a rectangle of near-darkness, and more large flakes were dropping every second. It was past midday and it looked like it was twilight. "Ok, it's not going to be easy," he said. "Let's go!"

Frowning in concern, Artie said, "Be careful!"

Smiling reassuringly, Jim replied, "I will mom, don't worry," and then he tucked his already frozen chin into his collar and started to dig a passage in the wall of fresh snow with his hands, his breaths coming in small puffs of air as they hit the cold.

A few minutes later he was piling logs onto the fireplace.

WWW

Later

His stomach full of beans, canned tuna and a couple of cookies accompanied with a mug of coffee – Artie was lying on his sleeping bag, in front of the fireplace listening to the snowstorm raging outside. The blizzard was still howling, gusting hard enough to rattle the window covered with ice. It was the beginning of the afternoon, but it was so dark outside.

His eyes closed, Artemus was drifting off to sleep like a lazy, well-fed cat when Moira, holding a mug of coffee sat down on Jim's unoccupied sleeping bag and said, "Jim's is doing the dishes and he's very talented." She smirked then she took a sip of her hot beverage.

Looking up at Moira who was smirking, Artemus said, "It works like that in the Wanderer, you know, I cook, make coffee and he washes the dishes and put them in the dresser."

She stared at the fire sparking and cracking loudly for a few seconds letting the warmth seep through her. The main room was warm, if not comfy and lit by the soft orange glow of the fire. Then she said, "You know I was thinking about something while we were eating…"

Closing his eyes again, Artemus murmured, his voice low and thickening with coming sleep, "That's why you were silent. Let me guess, you don't want to capture Bigfoot anymore. Am I right? I think it's the right thing to do."

She looked at Artie and frowned falsely upset. "I didn't know you could read minds." She sighed. "Yes, you're right. Bigfoot saved my life – it saved our lives. And it's an intelligent being, not a mere brainless monster. How could I agree to put it in a cage after that?"

Placing his hand on Moira's knee, Artemus smiled. "Others than you wouldn't have that scruple. All for glory, the rest doesn't matter. You always had a big heart, Moira. I'm very proud of you." Then he slowly bent his right leg and rubbed it where it hurt. He winced.

Moira furrowed her brow in worry. "Does your leg hurt?" She asked, lowering it to the sleeping bag and rubbing it too.

Reopening his eyes half mast, Artemus scrubbed a hand over his face and said, "Let's say that trudging for miles through the snow doesn't facilitate convalescence. But I'm not complaining. I chose to accompany you. I knew it wouldn't be a walk in the park. Don't worry about me. The pain is bearable." And he stretched his leg and flexed his toes covered with a thick wool sock.

He yawned. He was so very, very tired.

Moira nodded. "You should take the bed, I can sleep on the floor."

Shaking his head, slowly, Artie said, "I would be a jerk if I accepted and I am not, I am a well-bred and gallant man. The bed is yours."

She lay down on the sleeping bag beside Artemus and then said, "I'm fine here," and then she took his hand in hers. Then she moved closer to Artie, snuggling against him, resting her head on his shoulder. "Do you remember when we were stargazing on summer nights? You could point out stars and constellations in the night sky and name each of them."

Rubbing his tired eyes, Artie nodded. "Yes, I remember," he slurred fighting to stay awake. "I remember everything, like it was yesterday, the warm air; the singing crickets and singing frogs, the gentle sound of the Mississippi river… You and me watching the stars shining in the blackness of the night, lying on the rocks…" He yawned and added, "There was a meteor shower one night… and it was awesome. We renamed all the stars, planets and constellations, you remember?"

She took Artie's hand in hers. "Yes, I remember and I haven't stargazed in a long time… Maybe we could do that again when all this is over?"

Closing his eyes again – because resistance against sleep was futile – Artie murmured his voice low and tired., 'I'd love to, but not in the middle of winter time. We'll have to wait until summer time… and go back home…" Then he relaxed in sleep and went limp.

Kissing Artemus's forehead, Moira said, "Have a nice nap, Magnus," then she moved into a cross-legged siting position, glancing up at Jim. The other man was drying his wet hands off with a cloth. His eyes narrowed, he looked doubtful. "I was sincere about Bigfoot," she affirmed.

Sitting on a rickety chair, Jim said, "Something tells me that you didn't tell the truth. You still want to capture Bigfoot."

Silence – broken only by the full-scale blizzard and the crackle of the fire.

Moira avoided Jim's piercing gaze and looked at a sleeping Artemus, face relaxed and peaceful, breathing even and quiet. "I would never lie to him," she said. "I'm not lying, believe me."

Dropping the cloth on the old table, Jim said, "You know, I've heard lots of people lie in my life and almost all of them claimed they were not lying, while they were lying, and all ended their sentences ended with 'I'm not lying, believe me'."

Moira glared at Jim. "You don't trust me," she said, hands on her hips.

Standing Jim replied, "No. And I'm going to tell you why you lied to Artemus. After failing to capture the Yeti and its international resounding news, you need to capture Bigfoot to restore your reputation as great explorer and scientist – to be able to participate in an expedition again. And not to mention the fact that you can sell it to a freak show and earn a fortune, and get a percentage of the revenue…" He ignored Moira's black look and said, "We need more wood for the fireplace," and then he headed toward the coat peg.

Once Jim had and stepped out into the wild, the bitterly cold winter air loaded with big snowflakes sending chills through her entire body, Moira stood and padded toward the corner of the room where she had left her backpack.

She opened it and from under her clothes she pulled out Artemus's compressed gas tranquilizer gun and a box of powerful sleeping drug-filled darts with tailpieces of different colors - corresponding to the power of the sedative contained and therefore to its duration of action. Although she had guessed that, she didn't know the sedative dosage contained in each of the darts, and of course she could not question Artemus about it without arousing his suspicions. He was particularly insightful, she thought.

She smiled proudly. She had stolen them without Artemus noticing it - after taking clothes and toiletries from her house, and getting back on the train and hiding it there. "I hope that luck will be with me and that I will use the dart containing the most sedative'.

She placed the gun and the box back in place thinking that Jim was right. He knew. But she didn't know what he would do, let her capture Bigfoot? Or to prevent it to please Artemus who didn't want Bigfoot being captured after what he did for them? He would side with his partner, of course, she thought.

She ran a hand in the side pocket where – under a few socks she had hidden two pairs of manacles – she had stolen in Artie's lab as well.

She would need them to restrain the two men.

She glanced at Artie now snoring lightly and told him, "I'm sorry Artemus, but neither you nor Jim will stop me. Bigfoot will be mine - and if for that I must get rid of you, I will do it, without hesitation." And she started building plans to do just that.

She glanced at the window watching the snow swirling and dashing against the glass and said, "Let's wait for the blizzard to die first."

Tbc.