Jeremy's Bigfoot Tragedy
"Jason! Wake up!" Joshua whispered loudly.
"What's wrong, Josh?" Jason yawned.
"Jeremy is not home. It's almost 2 a.m. He said he and Candy would be back no later than 11p.m." Joshua replied.
Jason got out of his bed. "Yeah, that's right, Joshua. We had better go look for them. They were going to the lake, weren't they?"
"Yes, that's what Jeremy said before he left." Joshua replied.
The two brothers hitched Brownie and Beauford to the buckboard. They got their gear and some first aid supplies and headed for the lake.
Jason drove the wagon and the horses ran fast. "I'm very worried, Joshua."
"So am I, brother." Joshua put his hand on Jason's arm.
Soon, the Bolts arrived at the lake. Jeremy was crumpled in the grass close to the water.
Both brothers jumped from the wagon and ran to their youngest sibling.
Jeremy was seriously injured from a beating. Candy was nowhere to be seen.
Joshua held a lantern while Jason examined Jeremy. As soon as Jason touched Jeremy, the youngest Bolt cried out.
"No! No! Run, Candy!" Jeremy tried to fight Jason off.
"Jeremy, stop. It's me, Jason. Don't fight me, brother. You're alright. Joshua and I have got you. You're alright." Jason soothed.
Jeremy stopped being combative. He moaned in pain. Jason lightly touched his rib area causing Jeremy to scream in agony.
"You obviously have some broken ribs, Jeremy. Josh, hold the lantern to the left a bit, please." Jason said.
Jeremy had what appeared to be a very large claw mark from his neck diagonally across his chest. He had a large bruise on his right cheek and his right eye was black and swollen. Jeremy's fists were clinched.
Joshua picked up Jeremy's left hand. It looked like there was some hair or fur in his hand. It was black. The blond brother pulled his handkerchief from his pocket.
"Jeremy, open your hand. I'm gonna put this hair or fur in the handkerchief so we can examine it later." Joshua said.
Jeremy opened his hand and Joshua got the hair into the handkerchief.
They did the same with Jeremy's other hand which also contained some hair.
Suddenly, Jeremy tried to sit up. "Candy! Where are you? Answer me!"
Jason gently held Jeremy down. "Jeremy, you need to be still. Joshua will find Candy. Try to stay calm."
"How can I stay calm, Jason if I don't know where Candy is or what's happened to her?" Jeremy gasped in pain.
Joshua scouted the nearby area quickly. He found what appeared to be a small piece of material ripped from her dress on one of the bushes. He also found one of her shoes.
Joshua returned to his brothers and showed them what he found. Jeremy was frightened and broke down crying.
"Jason! What if that thing killed her? What if Candy's gone?" Jeremy sobbed clutching his ribs.
"What thing are you referring to, Jeremy? Are you saying that it wasn't a man who beat you?" Jason asked as he bandaged his brother's ribs.
Jeremy whimpered in fear. "Joshua, please don't laugh at me. I can't take it right now."
"I won't laugh, Jeremy. I promise. Tell us what happened." Joshua said.
"It wasn't a man who attacked us. It was Bigfoot. I swear it was. He just appeared on the road in front of Candy's buggy. I tried to back up and turn around, but he was so fast and so big. He grabbed me and slung me around. I screamed for Candy to run. She said she wouldn't leave me. I screamed again telling her to get the hell out of here. Right after that, Bigfoot clawed me from my neck all the way across my chest and slammed me down on the grass. I don't know if Candy ran or not. I wasn't aware of anything else until Jason tried to turn me on my back." Jeremy was tired.
"Let's get you home, Jeremy. Joshua and I will find Candy in the morning "Jason told him.
"In the morning? Jason, we can't leave Candy out here. It's cold. She is probably injured like me if she's not…" Jeremy winced.
"Jeremy, Candy isn't in this immediate area. We have to get you out of the cold. You could have some other injuries, a concussion possibly." Joshua explained.
Jeremy looked back and forth between his brothers. "You don't believe me, do you? My own brothers think I'm lying or crazy. Well, I'm not lying and as far as I know, I'm not crazy."
"Now, Jeremy, don't put words in our mouths. We never said we don't believe you. It's just, well, you know, I mean, Bigfoot." Jason said.
"Yeah, you really sound like you believe me, Jason. Alright, take me home. I will come back at first light and search for Candy." Jeremy said angrily.
"Jeremy, be reasonable. You're not going to be physically able to come back out here tomorrow." Joshua insisted.
"Reasonable? Bigfoot beat the hell out of me and took Candy. And you think I'm not reasonable because I want to look for her. Who is going to stop me from coming back in the morning?" Jeremy snarled.
Joshua got right in Jeremy's face. "I will stop you, brother. Even if I have to beat your ass to do it. That's a promise."
"Oh, yeah? What if I beat your ass first?" Jeremy growled.
Joshua laughed until he cried. "You think you can whip me? You have been beaten to heck and gone and you think you can whip me?"
"Shut up! Just shut up, Joshua!" Jeremy was furious.
"Both of you be quiet. Let's go. We have to get you out of this cold, Jeremy. We will find Candy tomorrow. She will be alright." Jason prayed silently that his words were true.
Jason carried Jeremy to the buckboard and put him on a blanket in the back. Joshua got in the back and placed a blanket over his injured brother.
A few minutes into the ride home, Jeremy grabbed his ribs crying out in pain. "Do you want to sit up, Jeremy? You can lean against me." Joshua asked,
"Yes, Josh. Thank you." Jeremy answered still clutching his ribs. He was breathing hard from the pain.
Joshua helped his brother sit up. Jeremy tried to take a deep breath. The pain was so sharp it made tears run down his face.
Joshua put his arm around Jeremy's shoulder and gently leaned his brother's head on to his shoulder. "Easy, brother, easy. I love you."
"I love you too, Josh. I'm sorry I was angry at you. You're right, I'm in no shape to search for Candy. I'm so scared, Joshua. What if she's dead? I can't live without her! I just can't do it, Josh!" Jeremy sobbed.
"Jeremy, she's not dead. Jason and I will find her." Joshua gave his brother a squeeze.
"Thanks, Josh." Jeremy told him.
Jason pondered his youngest brother's fear about his fiancé. Jason was worried too. The brothers rode the rest of the way home in silence.
When they got home, Joshua ran to the clinic to get Doctor Wright.
The doctor examined Jeremy. She found that he had a concussion. Doctor Wright ordered him to stay in bed for three days. When he protested, Jason said he would tie him to the bed if necessary. Jeremy assured him that he would follow the doctor's orders.
Doctor Wright treated the large claw mark on Jeremy's neck and chest. He needed stitches in a few places. Doctor Wright gave him some Laudanum for the pain.
After she had completed the stitches, the doctor talked to Jeremy and his brothers about the injury.
"I have never seen an injury like this before. How did this happen, Jeremy?" She asked.
Jeremy told her what he had told his brothers. "I swear that's what happened, Doctor Wright."
"I've heard stories about Bigfoot, but I never heard a personal account before. That would certainly explain this claw mark, Jeremy." The doctor replied.
"Allyn, I'm not saying that Jeremy is lying, but surely you know there is no such creature as Bigfoot. I mean, how can an educated woman such as yourself believe a myth like that?" Jason asked.
"I guess I'm not educated, huh? I'm no doctor, but I'm not stupid." Jeremy murmured.
"Jeremy, I'm not calling you stupid. Obviously, you had an encounter with someone. It's just impossible to think that Bigfoot could be real." Jason explained.
"Well, Jason, what is your explanation for that huge claw mark that your brother has? It is most definitely a claw mark, and I can't think of any animal that would do that and then throw Jeremy to the ground." She asked.
"It could have been a huge grizzly bear." Joshua suggested.
"Joshua, a bear isn't going to damage a man like that and then just set him aside. What about Candy? You said in my office earlier that you couldn't find a trace of her except a scrap of her dress and one of her shoes. A bear wouldn't have carried her off." Doctor Wright said. Seeing Jeremy's stricken face, she said, "I'm sorry I was so blunt, Jeremy. I didn't mean to add to your pain and worry."
"That's alright, Doctor. I have thought those things too. I am scared out of my mind about Candy."
Doctor Wright returned to her clinic. She told the Bolts to come get her immediately if Jeremy developed any fever. Jason and Joshua agreed.
After the doctor left, the oldest two brothers helped Jeremy get undressed and in his bed. Jason and Joshua took turns during the night sitting with Jeremy to keep an eye on him.
Jeremy was restless during the night because of his worry and fear about Candy. The pain from his injuries also made it hard for him to sleep. At one point, he slept for a few minutes, but he began dreaming about Candy and woke up shouting her name. His brothers scrambled to his bedside.
"Jeremy! Here we are! You're okay. You're safe." Jason reassured him.
"Yes, Jason, I'm safe at home with you and Josh. What about Candy, Jason? She isn't at home and most likely she isn't safe either." Jeremy was terrified. "I can't lose her, Jason. I can't imagine life without her."
"Jeremy, Joshua and I are going to search for her as soon as it gets light. You have to have faith that Candy will be okay. I know that's easier said than done, but it's all we can do right now." Jason gave his distraught brother a light hug.
Joshua had been going back and forth to the stove. He brought Jeremy a steaming cup of willow bark tea.
"Drink this, Jeremy. It will help you get some sleep." Joshua handed him the cup.
Jeremy took the cup and sipped a small amount of the hot tea. It had a little kick to it
"Josh? What kind of tea is this?" Jeremy looked sideways at his brother.
"Willow Bark Whisky Tea, it's guaranteed to help you sleep hopefully without bad dreams." Joshua said.
Jeremy smiled. "Thanks, Josh."
The youngest Bolt went back to sleep. He stirred throughout the rest of the night. Jeremy murmured Candy's name a few times. Joshua sat on the side of Jeremy's bed. He rubbed Jeremy's arm and made soothing sounds to him whenever Jeremy spoke. Josh checked for fever every hour. So far, there was no sign of fever.
At dawn, Jason woke up. He and Joshua drank some coffee hurriedly and then got ready to look for Candy. Before they left, Joshua went to get Lottie to come stay with Jeremy. He told her what had happened to Jeremy and Candy the previous night.
Jeremy was awake when his brothers left. He remained calm while they were still in the cabin. He smiled at their encouraging words of how they would bring Candy home with them soon.
Lottie made some tea for Jeremy. She put some whisky in it as Joshua had done. She sat on the side of Jeremy's bed planning to spoon it to him. However, when Lottie looked into his sad blue eyes, she knew this was no time for tea. Lottie set the cup on the bedside table.
Lottie opened her arms to Jeremy; he leaned forward gasping from the sharp pain in his ribs. As he put his arms around her, he squalled.
"Lottie, they are too late! Candy is gone! I hate to say it, but, Lottie, I know it in my heart! That creature killed her. Why would he let her live? How could she have gotten away? Jason and Joshua know it too. They are just humoring me by searching for her." Jeremy cried so hard he lost his breath.
"Sweetheart, you have to calm down. Come on, breathe for Aunt Lottie. That's right. That's good." She spoke.
Jeremy managed a few ragged breaths while holding his ribs. They ached fiercely. The stitches in his chest hurt as well.
"Jeremy, I know you are scared and worried. Try to hold on to your faith in The Lord." Lottie encouraged.
"I'm trying, Lottie. I have a lot of faith. It's just hard not to be scared." He replied.
"I know, precious. But we are going to hold tight to our faith. Your sweet girl is going to be fine." Lottie held him close. "I love you."
"Thank you, Lottie. I love you too." Jeremy replied.
Jeremy was able to sleep some that day. Doctor Wright came by to check on him. She was pleased that he had no fever. She gave him some Laudanum to help with his pain.
Later in the evening, his brothers and the friends who helped search for Candy returned home. They had not found her. They found more pieces of material from her dress and in one spot, they found a small amount of dried blood. They had not found any footprints that looked like they were her's.
Jeremy kept his composure when Jason told him their search had been futile. He promised they would keep searching.
Two days later when Jeremy joined the search for his fiancé, he drove the buckboard. Doctor Wright and his brothers would not hear of him riding a horse with broken ribs and a concussion.
Jeremy searched until he was exhausted. Joshua drove the buckboard back to Seattle that evening. No other signs of Candy were found.
A heavy sadness hung over the Bolt cabin that night. The three brothers sat at the table staring at their plates. They didn't eat or talk.
After a while, Jason said, "Jeremy…."
"No, Jason. You don't have to be encouraging or optimistic I know the truth. Candy is gone. There's no way she could have survived four nights in the woods alone. That beast probably killed her the night he attacked me. Oh, gawd! I hope she didn't suffer!" Jeremy's head dropped to the table as he wailed.
A few weeks went by. Jason and Joshua along with some of their friends still searched some every day for Candy. Jeremy searched some as well, but most days, he couldn't bear looking for her again only to fail at finding her.
As time went by, Jeremy's physical injuries healed. His ribs still ached some and the claw mark on his neck and chest was forming a scar. To Jeremy, the scar marked him as a failure. He had failed to protect the woman he loved when she had needed him the most and she died.
Jeremy didn't eat or sleep. He went for long periods of time without talking. He had nightmares that Candy was crying for him to save her but no matter how hard he looked for her, he never found her in time. Jeremy woke up screaming from these nightmares. One night when this happened, Jason rushed into his room to try to console him. Jeremy still being agitated from the bad dream punched Jason in the face.
Jason suspended Jeremy from his job at the logging said it was too dangerous for him to try to work there when he was barely eating and sleeping. Since he is a co-owner of the business. Jeremy continued to get his paycheck.
Without his job to occupy his time, Jeremy began spending most of each day at Lottie's and drinking the better part of each day as well.
One day the stagecoach arrived about 11:30 a.m. Jeremy was at his usual table in the saloon drinking by then. His brothers were there too.
Jason had called for an early extended lunch because the men had completed a big contract and he wanted to try to talk to Jeremy.
The eldest brother had just sat down at Jeremy's table when some of stagecoach passengers came in. One of them was a striking woman with long black hair and sparkling green eyes. She was dressed in all black as if she was going to a funeral.
This woman walked directly to Jeremy's table. "Hello, sweetheart! I'm sorry it has taken me so long to get here. I was so hurt that I couldn't be here with you while you were recovering from the attack. Sweetie, I know that this will sound crass, but did you have a chance to tell Candy about us before she was killed?" The dark-haired woman said as she bent down and kissed Jeremy on his lips.
Jeremy looked at the stranger in disgust. "Who the hell are you?"
"Why, darling, I suppose you are still recovering from your concussion. How else could you have forgotten me? I'm Raven Rochester, your fiancé."