Sammy and Bubba Catch a Sasquatch

Sammy and Bubba

About the author

Catch a Sasquatch

Brian Croasmun

A retired teacher, Brian has visited countless schools throughout the Ohio Valley, inspiring students to write their own stories. He has presented at West Virginia Young Writers Day, and his work has been featured at Tamarack, West Virginia’s premier showcase for art and literature.

Brian Croasmun is the author of the upcoming middle-grade adventure Sammy and Bubba Catch a Sasquatch. He has also written The Clemente Ball, Santa in the Shed, and Lucy’s Wish, as well as two picture books featuring his leopard tortoise: Little Kevin Wants a Birthday and Little Kevin Saves the Day. Outside of writing, Brian is a high school sports radio broadcaster, an avid pickleball player, and a proud husband and father. He and his wife, Sherry, have two adult children, Chase and Davianne, and share their home with their dog, Winston.

Sammy and Bubba Catch a Sasquatch

Sammy finds the book Tales of Appalachian Creatures in West Virginia

by Edgar C. Smithers in the school library and is intrigued by the numerous sasquatch sightings around the state. He also learns his friend, Bubba, has a wealth of sasquatch knowledge. Coach Littlefield then shows them a video a local man is sharing, claiming it’s a sasquatch. The boys decide they need to see this sasquatch for themselves.

Brian Croasmun

Sammy and Bubba

Catch a Sasquatch Brian Croasmun

Sammy and Bubba Catch a Sasquatch

by Brian Croasmun ©2026 Brian Croasmun All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any other form or for any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage system, without written permission from Headline Books, Inc. To order additional copies of this book or for book publishing information, or to contact the author: Headline Books, Inc. P. O. Box 52 Terra Alta, WV 26764 www.headlinebooks.com mybook@headlinebooks.com Headline Kids is an imprint of Headline Books, Inc. ISBN: 9781958914885 Library of Congress Number on file with the Library of Congress

P R I N T E D I N T H E U N I T E D S TAT E S O F A M E R I C A

I want to dedicate this book to all my local followers who have supported me in the beginning of this author journey.

Your encouragement and help have been tremendous. It has not gone unnoticed. I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I will be eternally grateful.

Chapter 1 Sammy gently pulled the book from the top shelf of the library. He blew off a thin layer of dust and turned it over to reveal the title, Tales of Appalachian Creatures in West Virginia by Edgar C. Smithers. He thumbed through the pages and arrived at the inside of the back cover. He pulled an index card from an attached manila sleeve with “Billy May 23, 1974” written in the columns.

“What’s this, Miss Newberry?” he asked.

She laughed as he handed her the card.

“That’s a sign-out card from the person who checked out the book.” She handed it back to him. “We used to keep track of the books with those before we went to all these barcodes, scanners, and computers.

That may be the last time this book was checked out by the looks of it.”

“And it’s still here?” Sammy asked.

“We don’t like to throw out historical books because they contain, you know, history and information. You never know when it might come in handy.”

5

Sammy sat down with the book and started thumbing through the pages again with much more purpose, stopping at chapter names like “The Mothman” and “The Grafton Monster.” He paused at the chapter “Sasquatches and Bigfoot Relatives” as Bubba sat down beside him.

“Whatcha’ readin’? Bubba asked.

“This West Virginia monster book. This chapter is about Bigfoot’s relatives. He had relatives?”

“Of course,” answered Bubba. “There’s too many of them to all be the same sasquatch.”

“What do you mean? How do you know that?”

“My daddy told me, that’s how. He knows lots of stuff about ‘em,” said Bubba.

Sammy turned a couple of pages and stopped on a map of West Virginia, which was marked with numerous dots throughout.

“Look at how many places they’ve been spotted!

They’re all through the mountains and all along the rivers. It’s probably the same one different people kept seeing, I guess,” said Sammy.

“Not the ones by the rivers. Those are all different ones.”

Sammy pointed to a dot on one side of the Greenbrier River and to another dot on the other side.

6

“So, you’re saying you know for a fact these are two different sasquatches?” asked Sammy.

“Yep.” “How do you get that?”

“Sasquatches can’t swim.”

“That’s interesting. I would have thought they’d be like bears and swim to catch fish and stuff,” said Sammy.

“Nope, Daddy said they’re more scared of the water than my grandma,” said Bubba.

Sammy’s finger continued to slide across the map, following the dots and pausing over different locations. His finger began moving again before coming to a complete halt.

“Look at all these around here. There have been sasquatch sightings all over the place,” said Sammy.

“My daddy’s seen a couple,” said Bubba as he leaned back in his chair.

“When? Where was he? What did he do?”

“He was deer huntin’ a few years ago and saw two of ‘em in the woods somewhere. I don’t know where he was huntin’. He hunts everywhere around here. He saw them and fired his gun over their heads to scare ‘em away before they got too close. He didn’t want ‘em chasin’ off the deer.”

“What did they do?” asked Sammy.

7

“Took off runnin’, I guess. I don’t know.”

“What did they look like?”

“Big and hairy. Why are you asking so many questions?” asked Bubba.

“I didn’t know you knew all this sasquatch stuff, that’s all.”

Sammy took the book to Miss Newberry to scan, then tucked it under his arm as he joined the class to leave. They stopped by the classroom to drop off their books and grab their lunches before heading to the cafeteria. Sammy kept his book tucked under his arm.

Both boys tossed their lunches onto a table and began to open baggies. Sammy used his left hand to hold his sandwich and his right hand to flip open the book. It landed on the sasquatch sightings map from earlier.

The phys ed teacher, Coach Littlefield, walked by, eating a bag of potato chips.

“Since when did you fellas start reading books during lunch?” Coach Littlefield asked.

Both boys looked at him and shrugged.

“We’re looking at all the places sasquatches used to live around here,” said Sammy. “Bubba said his daddy saw some a couple of years ago.”

Bubba nodded his head and smiled.

8

Coach Littlefield stood behind the boys as Mr. Simmons, the custodian, was going by.

“Did you guys hear what Chester Coffield saw on his game camera?” asked Coach Littlefield.

“Chester Coffield is an idiot,” said Mr. Simmons.

“I’m not going to argue with you about that, Mr. Simmons, but he’s telling everyone he has a video of Bigfoot himself on his property.”

“Bigfoot’s dead by now,” said Bubba.

“Wait. What?” asked Coach Littlefield.

“He’s really old. They don’t live as long as we do.

These are different ones running around now.”

“Bubba knows everything about sasquatches, Coach. He’s been telling me about stuff that isn’t even in my book,” said Sammy.

Coach Littlefield hit Mr. Simmons on the arm with the back of his hand.

“My condolences to the Bigfoots, the Bigfoot family, eh, whatever, sorry for your loss,” said Coach Littlefield.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He began scrolling furiously on it, then tapped the screen with his finger.

“Here you go. Take a look at this,” he continued.

He stretched out his arm so everyone could see the video playing on the phone.

9

“What are we supposed to be seeing?” asked Mr. Simmons.

Coach Littlefield pointed to a light brown splotch in the upper right-hand corner of a grainy video.

“Chester claims that is, well, not Bigfoot because he’s dead,” Coach Littlefield looked toward Bubba, “but some other sasquatch running through his property.”

“I told you Chester was an idiot.” Mr. Simmons started shaking his head and walking away.

“I can’t even tell what that is,” said Sammy. Chester lives near me. I wonder if this thing comes near my house.”

“I’d say Chester dressed up one of his kids in a monkey suit or saw the backside of a bear and thought he’d tell everyone it was a sasquatch to get a little attention and then try to squeeze some money out of it,” said Mr. Simmons, who was shuffling backward from the discussion.

“People are spreading it all over the internet. Some people think he’s a nut for believing a blurry video proves Bigfoot or one of his descendants, Bubba, lives near here. The rest want to find the thing themselves and prove to the world they exist,” said Coach Littlefield. “Look at the time. I’ve got a class to teach.”

10

Bubba looked around the cafeteria, leaned toward Sammy, and whispered, “I know we’re going to see this thing. Meet me this afternoon after school behind your house, and I’ll show you how we can get a real good look at him.”

11

Chapter 2 Sammy sat on his back porch, staring into the nearby woods. He squinted through the branches, focusing his eyes as far as he could. He could see something brown starting to twist to the right, then to the left. He strained his eyes until a large, dead leaf still clinging to a branch moved in the breeze.

“Whatcha starin’ at?” asked a voice coming from the side of the house.

Bubba appeared wearing work gloves and swinging a small hatchet in his right hand. He stomped his dirty boots a couple of times in the thick grass while dropping the back of the hatchet into his other hand.

“We’re going to need a hatchet to see a sasquatch in the woods?” asked Sammy.

“We need it to build a huntin’ blind,” said Bubba.

“Wait a minute. I never said anything about hunting a sasquatch.”

“We ain’t. We’re going to build a blind to hide in so we can see the squatch, but he can’t see us.”

12

“That’s a good idea. I’ll grab some gloves and a hatchet, too.”

Sammy stepped into the garage and emerged quickly, pulling on work gloves while a black hatchet was tucked under his arm. He went back to the porch and grabbed a plastic coffee can from the top step.

“What’s in the can?” asked Bubba.

“Provisions.”

“What are provisions?”

“Snacks,” Sammy chuckled. “I have some beef jerky, peanut butter crackers, and a couple of apples.”

“You should have brought something for yourself.”

They both chuckled.

The boys began walking across the yard toward the path that led into the woods. Sammy held up a hand, and they both stopped. He pointed to the left.

“Chester lives that way, so we can follow the path up here and then go left and build the blind there,” explained Sammy.

“Yep, I got it,” answered Bubba.

They stomped along until they approached a large oak tree on their left. Bubba stopped and raised his hatchet.

“Watch this,” Bubba said.

He aimed the hatchet’s blade toward the oak tree trunk and wobbled slightly to each side until he 13

achieved perfect balance. He raised the hatchet a little higher, then tipped it backward before propelling it toward the tree. The hatchet spun end-over-end until it clanged against the trunk and fell to the ground.

“Is that what you were trying to do?” asked Sammy as laughter burst from his mouth.

“Let’s see you do it then.”

“Alright,” said Sammy. “Watch this.”

He similarly raised his hatchet to Bubba, but with more wobbling and a less steady hand. He let his hatchet fly, but instead of going end-over-end like Bubba’s, it twisted sideways and landed by a large root at the bottom of the tree with the blade stuck in the ground.

“Nice shot,” said Bubba.

They walked together to retrieve their hatchets.

Bubba flipped his in front of him and snatched it by the handle. Sammy had to wipe the mud from his blade on the pant leg of his jeans. They returned to the path and ventured on a few more moments before Bubba stopped and pointed toward the trees with his gloved hand.

“I see a perfect spot over that way,” said Bubba.

“See that tree with the one big branch sticking out of the side. Let’s go there.”

14

Sammy nodded and followed Bubba as he stepped over some rocks and through a patch of weeds. He pushed some brush to the side and squeezed between fallen branches, stopping beside the big tree. Sammy caught up with him, and they stood side by side, looking around the area.

“Is this where you were pointing, Bubba?”

“Yep. See this branch?” He pointed to the largest low branch of the tree. “We can gather some of these branches around here and lean them against that branch up there. We’ll make it big enough that we can both fit, and we’ll be able to see all around us.”

Sammy looked at the branch, turned to scan the area again, and then nodded his head toward Bubba.

“Let’s get to work,” said Sammy.

Bubba walked a couple of steps to his left and forced one end of a large branch into the air as he walked under it, keeping the thicker end on the ground. He paused momentarily as he stared upward, noticing the branch was taller than he was. He leaned his shoulder into the branch, wrapping his arms around it. He lifted it just enough to scoot a few inches ahead, then did it again. He pushed the top of the branch forward, and it tipped over and landed on the branch coming from the tree at a right angle.

15

“See? We put a bunch of these around both sides, and we’ll be able to hide inside without being seen.

Try to make ‘em all about the same size,” explained Bubba.

Sammy nodded and began pulling up a large branch that had fallen nearby. He had trouble moving it because it was so long. He looked at the branch Bubba had placed and eyeballed this new one, then picked out a spot in the middle and began hacking away with his hatchet. He knocked out some big chunks and paused to catch his breath before hacking some more. It took a few more minutes until a heavy whack cut through the final piece, freeing the top half of the branch.

He dropped the hatchet and started propping up the branch like he had seen Bubba do. He was scooting it into place when his grip began to slip. He tried grabbing a thinner branch, but the leaves slipped through his hands.

“Watch out, Bubba!”

Bubba looked up just as the top end of the branch conked him on top of the head.

“Ow!” Bubba rubbed the top of his head, then began laughing as the branch hit the ground. He picked it up with one hand and stood it on its end, just as he had 16

done before. A quick turn, and he released the branch to fall in place beside the other one.

“Sorry about that, Bubba.”

“Good thing my daddy says I got a head like a rock,” said Bubba as he patted the top of his head with his gloved hand. “Can’t hurt this thing.”

Both boys laughed as they grabbed their hatchets and began searching for new branches to use. They pulled at sticks, clipped them off, and wrestled with the branches to get them in place. They slipped in some wet grass, landing in the weeds. They fell on their bottoms trying to pull branches loose. Their knees were soiled from pushing up the steep banks.

They were dirty and tired but had managed to erect a blind large enough for them both to stand underneath and conceal their identity to any creature that would pass by.

“Now we have to clean up the inside, so we don’t make noise when we walk around,” said Bubba. “Grab all these sticks and leaves, and we’ll throw ‘em on top for camouflage.”

Each boy filled his arms with the forest fauna inside the blind, then stepped out to toss it onto the roof. Soon, the floor was reduced to a few tufts of grass and worn footprints.

17

“How about we make a few windows so we can see better? It’s going to be hard enough to see a sasquatch through the trees,” said Sammy.

“Good idea. One in every direction so we can see him wherever he comes from.”

Bubba pulled up his hatchet and began removing small branches and leaves with the blade like a surgeon. He clipped, snipped, and pulled until he cleaned off the ruffage. He had formed an almost perfectly rectangular opening at eye level. It was wide enough to see far to the left and the right.

Sammy pulled at a twig that he was trying to wrestle free from a large branch. He tugged so hard that some of the leaves and sticks they had placed on the top had fallen through the cracks on his head.

He pinched it at the base and ended up folding it out of the way. He pushed and pulled at the other sticks and leaves until he created a hole that you could see through if you turned your head sideways and used one eye while you hunched over a bit.

They continued to work, each creating a second window similar to the first ones they had made.

Sammy wanted this one to be higher, but now he must stand on his tiptoes to see through it. Bubba has a harder time stretching that far.

18

“This’ll be fine. It’s the one facin’ your house. I doubt a sasquatch comes that close to people unless he’s really hungry,” said Bubba.

“Oh, the snacks,” said Sammy. “Thanks for reminding me.”

Sammy stepped out of the blind and walked a few steps until he reached the coffee can with the beef jerky, peanut butter crackers, and apples. He came back into the blind and looked around, stopping his gaze on a couple of crossed branches forming a triangular shape. He wedged the coffee in the center and gave a couple of tugs.

“That should hold them. We can put stuff in our pockets when we come out here and leave it. We might want lots of things to eat if we ever come back all day on a Saturday.”

Bubba moved around inspecting their work. He jostled a few branches to ensure they were in place.

He picked up a few more leaves from the floor and tossed them outside. He walked around and peeked through all four windows once more. He finally stood in the middle of the blind with his hands on his hips and let out a big breath.

“She looks pretty solid to me. I don’t expect this roof will hold out the rain, though,” said Bubba.

19

“My mom wouldn’t let me come out here anyway if it was raining,” said Sammy.

“Yeah, I guess she wouldn’t want you to get your britches all muddy.’

They both burst out laughing as they looked at their muddy faces and soiled blue jeans.

I might hide these and wash them myself,” said Sammy. “Besides, a sasquatch is afraid of water, so they won’t come out in the rain, will they?”

“Wrong, they don’t like water to swim in. They love the rain. It brings out the frogs and the worms and the lizards. They love eatin’ them.”

“How does your daddy know all this stuff about sasquatches? He knows everything. Is he some kind of expert?”

“Nah, he just knows people who know stuff about ‘em. They tell him and he tells me is all.”

“This will be so cool if it works, and we find one.

We’ll be famous. They might write a book about us,” said Sammy.

“We might as well head home since it’s gettin’ dark. We’ll come back tomorrow and see what the cat drags in,” said Bubba.

20

Chapter 3 Sammy stared at the clock and watched the second hand make an entire rotation until the minute hand moved. He sighed and slumped his shoulders.

“The day will go much faster if you work on your math assignment instead of staring at the clock, Sammy,” said his teacher, Mrs. Rabb.

“I know. Sorry.”

Sammy looked over toward Bubba, who hadn’t seemed to complete any of his math problems but was tracing over all the numbers printed on the page. He was too focused to even notice Sammy was watching him.

The minutes passed, the assignment was completed, and papers turned in. There was only one thing they were waiting for.

“BBBBBRRRRRRRIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGGG GG!” “Let’s go squatchin’,” said Bubba.

The class emptied into the hallway, and everyone quickly grabbed their things to head to the bus.

21

The ride passed quickly as the boys stared out the windows into the woods, hoping to catch a glimpse of their quarry.

The brakes squealed and both boys hopped off at the stop between their houses.

“Go get changed and meet me in my backyard as soon as you can, and we’ll go see if Chester is telling the truth or not,” said Sammy. “And bring your hatchet in case we want to fix the blind up a little more.”

Bubba nodded and headed down the dirt path that led back to his house. Sammy walked the short distance up the road to the end of his driveway.

It wasn’t long until both boys were in the backyard wearing their old blue jeans, sweatshirts, ball caps, and work gloves with a hatchet in their hands.

“Are you getting nervous? I know I am,” said Sammy.

“Not as long as I have this,” said Bubba as he held up his hatchet.

“There’s no chance we’ll get attacked by a sasquatch, is there? I don’t think I want to be fighting one of them.”

“I doubt it, but ya’ never know.”

They walked to the opening of the path into the woods and Bubba paused to put his index finger across his lips toward Sammy, who repeated the 22

gesture back to him. They moved as quietly as they could, stepping more slowly and carefully than they did when they built the blind. In a couple of minutes, they reached the spot where they were to turn into the woods. They were only a few steps off the path when both boys froze in their tracks.

“Where is it? Where’s the hunting blind?” cried Sammy.

“It’s gone!” shouted Bubba.

They quickly fought their way over the rocks and through the weeds to get to the tree where they had worked so hard the day before. The entire hunting blind was lying on the ground in a shambles. Some of the branches had fallen close to the tree limb, while others had clearly been tossed aside. Not one branch remained standing. The coffee can was upside down, surrounded by pieces of wrappers and chunks of apple.

“What in the world happened? Who could have done this? They destroyed the whole thing. All our hard work down the drain,” said Sammy.

Bubba stood silent, then squatted down to look more closely at the rubble. He slowly reached down and pulled something off one of the branches. He stood up straight and examined it as a smile spread across his face.

23

“Whoohoo! He was here! He was here, Sammy. A sasquatch was right here where we’re standing.”

“Hold on, Bubba. How do you know it was a sasquatch? What did you find?”

Bubba stretched out his arm with his thumb and finger pinched together. He held it up for Sammy to see. He held a few strands of reddish-brown hair.

“How do you know that’s sasquatch hair? You’ve never seen sasquatch hair before, Bubba.”

“I know, but I know who has. My daddy will know if this is from a sasquatch. I’ll take it to him and show you.”

“Give me a couple of them and I’ll show my dad, too. He may not know a lot about sasquatches, but he’ll recognize if this is from some other kind of animal, I bet.”

“Here, we’ll each take a couple,” said Bubba as he split the find for each of them. “My daddy might be working late, so I’ll let you know tomorrow what he tells me. I’m sure he’s gonna say that’s what it is. I know it.”

Sammy picked up the empty coffee can in his free hand and dropped his hatchet inside. The boys didn’t worry about being so quiet on their return trip, but they did protect their discoveries by holding them 24

close to their chests and checking to see they still had them every few steps.

They exited the path into Sammy’s backyard and Bubba veered off toward his house. Sammy looked up and saw his dad’s truck in the driveway, so he figured he was in the garage working on their old tractor. The sounds he heard from there confirmed his suspicions.

He entered through the big doorway to see his dad leaning over the tractor engine with a wrench in his hand.

“Hey, Sammy. What have you been into? I hope you’re having more fun than I am with this old tractor.

I don’t know if I’m ever getting her to run again.”

“I want to show you something Bubba and I found in the woods.”

“What is it? Let me see.”

Bubba handed him the hairs and watched his face for a reaction.

“You see, I found this old book at school about Appalachian monsters in West Virginia, and we heard about the thing Chester thinks is on his game camera,” explained Sammy.

“Chester, huh? You know about Chester, don’t you?”

His dad shook his head and held the hairs up to the light.

25

“I know what everyone thinks of him. Anyway, Bubba and I built like a hunting blind by leaning old branches on a limb of a tree so maybe we could see this sasquatch.”

“See a sasquatch? The one Chester saw, I’m guessing. Gotcha.”

Dad nodded his head and continued to examine the hair.

“We went out to it today to see if we could see one and the whole thing was knocked over, this hair was on one of the branches,” Sammy held up the empty coffee can, “and all of our snacks were eaten. What do you think it is? Is it a sasquatch?”

His dad stared at the hair some more before slowly letting out a deep breath.

“Sammy, I think what we have here is the hair from a red squirrel’s tail.”

“What? No way. You should have seen all the branches we had stacked up on that limb. The biggest squirrel I’ve ever seen couldn’t have knocked them all down like that. Each and every one was on the ground.

Some were twisted around. A squirrel couldn’t do that.”

His dad put a hand on Sammy’s shoulder and looked into his face.

26

“Here’s what I think. I bet you overloaded that limb with all those branches. Too much weight makes it bend, then all the branches slide off into a pile, snapping the limb back in place.”

“What about the snacks?” Sammy’s voice was not as strong as he braced for more bad news.

His dad paused a moment before speaking again.

“Raccoons. Did you think a coffee can and some plastic wrappers could stop a racoon from a free meal?

Between their noses and those little hands, they were probably grateful for the easy meal.”

Sammy’s shoulders slumped and his mouth twisted to one side.

“I guess you’re right. It’s just, well, so much stuff in that book I have from the library.”

“That old book you were telling me about? You see, they wrote that stuff before we had cell phones and internet and cable television. Rumors would float around, and stories would get stretched, so by the time some guy wrote them in a book, they looked incredible and fun to believe. Look how excited you were to show this to me.”

He held up the hair and handed it back to Sammy.

“I see what you mean.”

“Listen, you’ve been raised around the woods, and I have no problem if you and your friends have 27

fun playing around there. I don’t want you to get all worked up with some kind of wild story that you played with Bigfoot or whatever other kind of rumors that would start from all of this. You know what I mean? You can have fun exploring and building your forts and whatnot out in the woods but keep it realistic. I’d much rather have you out in the fresh air getting exercise than sitting around the house in front of a stupid screen all day. I just don’t want you getting lumped in with weird guys like Chester and getting embarrassed in front of people is all.”

That wasn’t a worry for Sammy. He was already embarrassed enough now, as it is.

28

Chapter 4 Sammy’s mom had an appointment in town, so she gave Sammy and his sister a ride to school. He had hoped the extra ten minutes at home would give him time to come up with something to say to Bubba to break the news that their hard work had helped them find squirrels and raccoons, which they’d seen by the dozens before. He didn’t know what that was going to be.

He stepped onto the sidewalk and hoisted on his backpack. He double checked his jean pocket to make sure the baggie with the hairs was still there. He felt his sister’s little arms wrap around his waist.

“Bye, Sammy.”

“Doh, what are you doing? Get out of here, squirt.”

He smiled as he patted her head and gently pushed her toward the lower grades’ entrance.

Bubba was already talking to the custodian, Mr. Simmons, when Sammy entered the hallway. He was hoping to catch Bubba alone. He slowed his walk, hoping Mr. Simmons was about to move on, but the smile on Bubba’s face told him otherwise.

29

“Did you bring yours?” shouted Bubba loud enough for everyone to hear. “My daddy took mine to show some friends of his. You got it, don’t ya’?”

Sammy looked around to see if anyone was staring at him, waiting to see what he had. Nobody was paying attention except Bubba and Mr. Simmons.

He pulled off his backpack and sat it on the ground before gingerly reaching into his pocket. He glanced around once more before pulling out the baggie.

“Hey, Coach Littlefield!” Mr. Simmons yelled down the hallway. “Come over here. You’re going to want to see this.”

Sammy looked around again sure that everyone in the hallway would be staring at him to see this unusual find. Again, nobody was looking.

Coach Littlefield waved and walked briskly through a recently released busload of students. He smiled as he slapped Bubba on the back upon his arrival.

“If this involves you two fellas, I know it’s got to be something good,” laughed Coach Littlefield. He smacked Mr. Simmon’s arm with the back of his hand again. “What is it? You got me all excited. Let’s see it.”

Sammy slowly lifted the baggie as Bubba’s smile spread even further across his face. Mr. Simmons pulled his glasses from his shirt pocket and slid them 30

on his face while Coach Littlefield snatched the baggie from Sammy’s hand.

“Now wait a second,” Sammy said.

“Would you look at this?” Coach Littlefield held the baggie up to the light. “What do we have here?”

“Well, um...”

“Sasquatch hair! That there is pure sasquatch hair take right from the beast itself,” announced Bubba.

Mr. Simmons scrunched up his nose to squint at the baggie as Coach Littlefield started to open it.

“You guys don’t mind if we get a closer look, do you?” he asked. “Of course, you don’t. Whoops!”

Coach Littlefield pretended to drop the hair, then held it up to show he was teasing them.

“I suppose you got that from Chester,” said Mr. Simmons.

“Nope, we got it ourselves,” said Bubba.

“Well, um,” stuttered Sammy.

“You mean to tell me that you fellas got close enough to a sasquatch that you yanked hair out of his hide and lived to tell about it? You boys are better men than I am, right Mr. Simmons?”

“Uh, huh.”

“You see, it’s not,” said Sammy.

“That’s not how it happened,” interrupted Bubba.

“We found it.”

31

“Oh, you were just walking along minding your own business and said, ‘Look, sasquatch hair!” said Coach Littlefield.

“No, no, no,” said Bubba. “The sasquatch destroyed our hunting blind, and we found this when we were going out to find out if we could even see a sasquatch.”

“This thing got so mad you were trying to look at it that he destroyed your blind? Is he going to come looking here for you? Are we safe to be standing here?” He slapped Mr. Simmons with the back of his hand yet again.

“I never thought of that. I hope he don’t come lookin’ for us,” said Bubba as he started to giggle.

“By the looks of this thing, I’m guessing he’s a pretty big one. Am I right?” asked Coach Littlefield.

“Nah, it’s a teenager,” said Bubba.

Coach Littlefield stared at Bubba and smiled.

“You can tell how old this thing is by looking at a couple of hairs?” asked Mr. Simmons.

“Yep. See that reddish color. That means it’s not full grown. They get darker hair when they are full grown,” explained Bubba.

“Let me guess, your daddy taught you that,” said Coach Littlefield.

Bubba started to smile as Sammy put his hand over his face.

32

“Nope, I looked it up on the internet.”

“Oh, well. If that’s what it said on the internet, it must be true,” said Coach Littlefield. “Looks like good eatin’ anyway.”

“You can’t eat a sasquatch. They ain’t got no fat on ‘em. Meat’s too tough,” said Bubba.

“Internet or your daddy?” asked Coach Littlefield.

“My daddy.”

“So, your daddy has eaten a sasquatch burger before?”

“Oh, boy. Here we go,” said Mr. Simmons.

“Nah, but he said he’d try it as soon as he got the chance.”

“Coach, are these boys in trouble?” Miss Newberry had appeared in the hallway.

“No, why do you ask?”

“Because you have a gym full of kids running around and you’re out here with them. I was going to offer to escort them to the office for you.”

“Oh, shoot! All this sasquatch talk made me forget about my class. Could you tell their teacher they were with me, so they don’t get in any trouble?”

“Sure, no problem.”

Coach Littlefield handed the hair back to Sammy, who slipped it back into the baggie and quickly into 33

his pocket, hoping Miss Newberry didn’t see it as she fixed her grip on the armful of books she was carrying.

“We’re right down here,” said Sammy as he pulled on his backpack. Bubba grabbed his things and walked beside him.

“So, sasquatch talk, eh?” asked Miss Newberry. “I guess you’ve been looking through that book then.

The librarian always likes to hear that the books are being read.”

“Yeah, you see,” started Bubba as Sammy reached over and grabbed his arm while shaking his head.

Miss Newberry stuck her head into the room to report the boys were here.

“Don’t say anything to anyone yet until we have more proof of what this is,” said Sammy as he opened his locker door. My dad said it’s just the hair from the tail of a red squirrel.”

“What? No, way.”

Sammy pulled books out of his backpack and put them into the top section of his locker. Bubba slung his backpack into the bottom of his locker and slammed it shut.

“Bubba, I want to believe everything you’re saying and all the stuff from the book, too, but we must be realistic. We don’t have any real proof that there’s a 34

sasquatch running around here, and I don’t know how we’ll ever get it.”

Miss Newberry stepped back into the hallway.

“All taken care of, boys. See you when you come to the library next week.”

She regripped her books and disappeared down the hallway as Bubba watched her walk away, then he looked in the other direction to make sure they were alone.

“Sammy, listen. When I told my daddy about this last night, he said there was only one thing we could do.”

“What’s that?”

“We’re gonna have to catch this thing if we want people to believe what it really is.”

“Catch a sasquatch? How in the world do you think we’re going to do that?”

“Boys, quit piddling around and get in here for class. I don’t know what’s taking you guys so long.

We’ve already started class,” said a voice from the classroom.

“I’ll come back over to your house after school.

I know exactly how we’re going to catch this thing.

Trust me. Just wait until I show you what we’re gonna do.”

35

Chapter 5 Sammy was still tying his boots on the back porch when he got a glimpse of Bubba in the distance. He wouldn’t tell Sammy his idea at school.

“I know it’s gonna work. Bring your snacks like you did the other day. This will be so cool.”

Sammy could see Bubba had something slung over his back, but he had no idea what it was or how it would catch a sasquatch. He could feel the butterflies in his stomach as he watched Bubba get closer.

Bubba closed in on Sammy’s back porch. He reached from behind his back and held up a burlap sack as he took his last few steps.

“We’re going to catch a sasquatch and stuff it in that burlap sack? That looks like a good plan. I can’t believe I didn’t come up with it first.”

Bubba just grinned, then started to shake the sack.

Metal sounds echoed around the yard.

“Guess what I have in here? Never mind, I’m gonna tell ya’.”

“Good, because I have no idea.”

36

“It’s a sasquatch trap.”

“A what?”

“Sasquatch trap. Well, it’s really a bear trap, but we’re gonna catch us a squatch in it, which makes it a sasquatch trap,” said Bubba.

Sammy stared at Bubba, then at the bag, then back at Bubba again.

“Does your daddy know you brought this thing over here?”

“Does he know? Shoot, he was the one who gave it to me.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah, he said it was the only way to catch that rascal,” said Bubba.

“What makes you think this thing will work?” asked Sammy.

“It works, trust me.”

Sammy crossed his arms as Bubba slung the sack to his other shoulder.

“Have you ever caught a bear with it?”

“Daddy did once. Said it was the biggest black bear he’d ever seen. Probably a state record.”

“Where is it then? Did he save the fur? Make a big rug out of it?”

“Nah, he let her go.”

37

“Let her go? When did this happen?”

“I was just a little baby. He said this ol’ bear had three cubs with her. Well, him being a new daddy and all, he didn’t have the heart to take her, so he set her loose.”

Sammy unfolded his arms, adjusted his baseball cap, then folded them again. He began to speak, paused, then closed his mouth. He unfolded his arms once more and pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he shook his head ever so slightly before he spoke.

“I guess we’d better get going if we’re going to catch this thing.”

The boys stomped down the path and through the small patch of woods to where their hunting blind once stood.

“Check all the branches and see how bad they’re tore up,” said Bubba.

Both boys picked up different branches, leaned them upward for inspection, then dropped them back to the ground. It took only a couple of minutes to go through the whole pile.

“They don’t look broken, just knocked down,” said Sammy. “Probably because we just leaned them against that big branch and didn’t nail them down.”

38

“That’s good,” said Bubba. “We can rebuild it just like it was. Don’t worry about the windows. We won’t be needin’ ‘em.”

It was quick work to stack the branches back in place. None had to be dragged more than a few inches before letting it rest in its original location. Sammy looked around the whole sight, ensuring they hadn’t missed anything.

Bubba brought the burlap sack into the middle of the blind and dropped it with a loud clang. He smiled as he reached in and pulled out the large metal trap, followed by a long chain. He let the trap fall from his hand onto the sack as the chain ran across his palm to the ground.

“Holy smokes, Bubba. Would you look at that?

What do we do now?”

Bubba grabbed one end of the chain and led it to the base of the tree. He knelt on the ground and began crawling around as he wrapped the chain around the tree trunk. He stopped, switched directions, and brought the end of the chain to meet the rest in a full circle. He pulled a clamp from the sack, clipped it onto the end of the chain, then onto a link near the beginning. He tugged the connection twice.

“That’ll hold,” said Bubba.

39

Bubba stood up and walked to the trap. He picked it up from the sack and placed it on the ground in the center of the blind. He pulled the chain to check for security before looking at Sammy.

“What about these snacks you wanted me to bring back?” asked Sammy.

“We’ll put ‘em in the can like before, but this time we’ll leave ‘em near the trap. It’ll give us a better chance of catchin’ him.”

“How about I unwrap them, too. It will make them easier to smell and draw him in better?” asked Sammy.

“Now you’re thinkin’ like a squatch hunter.”

Sammy grabbed the plastic end of the jerky in his teeth and pulled with his hand. The wrapper ripped, allowing the meat to fall to the floor. He picked it up, wiped it on his jeans, and placed it in the can. He repeated the process for the other jerky pieces and the peanut butter crackers. He also pulled out a couple of small packs of apple slices he salvaged from school lunch and a banana.

“This will draw him in, don’t you think?” asked Sammy as he swirled the can under his nose and sniffed.

“I’d eat it,” laughed Bubba.

40

They both stood up in the middle of the blind and looked around.

“What do we do now?” asked Sammy.

“Set the trap and get out,” answered Bubba.

“Do you know how to set it? Of course you do.”

Sammy stepped to the side and watched as Bubba started to pry the jaws of the trap open with his hand and foot. He flinched and squinted as he saw Bubba push against the tension. Sammy didn’t realize he had closed his eyes until he heard a click and felt Bubba standing beside him.

“She’s all set. Now, all we need is a squatch to come by.”

“Hey, where are we going to go while we wait?

We’re not staying in here, are we?”

“He’ll smell us before he smells them snacks,” answered Bubba. “We’ll go home, and I expect by morning, we’ll have us a squatch for the weekend.”

“Don’t tell my dad what we’re doing. He still thinks raccoons or something did all this before. I want to surprise him with what we catch. It will be a Saturday to remember.”

The boys exited the blind away from the trap.

Sammy carefully tiptoed his way out.

“It can’t catch you out here, Sammy. Only if you step on it.”

41

“I didn’t want to take any chances. I’m just being safe.”

They hopped back to the path and started toward Sammy’s house. Each boy kept peering into the distance, noticing every little movement they could.

They each pointed to something that turned out to be a bird. In no time, they were at the entrance to Sammy’s backyard.

“Aw, shoot!” said Sammy as he held the palm of his hand. “It’s starting to rain.”

“So.” “So? Sasquatches don’t like the water. We’ll never catch him if it’s raining.”

“Wrong.”

“What do you mean, wrong? You said those were different sasquatches on each side of the Greenbrier River on that map because ‘Bigfoot can’t swim.”

“Yeah, but what’s that have to do with rain?” asked Bubba.

“Well, if they’re afraid of water, they aren’t going to come out in the rain, are they?”

Bubba chuckled and shook his head. Sammy stuck out his hands as he looked at Bubba.

“Didn’t nobody teach you anything about sasquatches?”

“Apparently, not.”

42

“I said, Bigfoot can’t swim. I never said they didn’t like water,” said Bubba as he looked up toward the sky.

“As a matter of fact, daddy said squatches love this weather. He said, they loved to come out and dance in the rain. I’ll guarantee you this, we are gonna have us a sasquatch tonight.”

43

Chapter 6 By mid-morning, Sammy was growing anxious.

He and Bubba had agreed to meet after lunch to check the trap. However, it had rained most of the evening, and he wasn’t sure his mother would let him go into the woods in this weather. His best bet was to wait until his mom took his sister to her gymnastics class that afternoon, but that might be a couple of hours of waiting.

Bubba stared at the television, not even realizing his program had finished and a gardening show had taken its place, when his mom poked her head into the living room.

“I have to take your sister shopping for new leotards for her gymnastics class. She’s shot up two inches since we bought these, and they just about folded her in half. We’ll be back by suppertime. Do you have any plans today?” asked his mom.

“Bubba’s coming over. We’ll find something to get into, I suppose.”

44

“Your dad will be out in the garage all day working on that tractor unless a miracle happens and he gets it running or decides to give up and get another one.

Stay out of trouble, and maybe we’ll get pizza tonight.

Bubba can stay and eat if he’s still here.”

“That sounds good. Bubba always likes to eat here, then go home and not tell his mom he’s already had dinner.”

Mom laughed and shook her head as they went out the door. As soon as she started up her car and left the driveway, Sammy lunged for the back door.

He stepped onto the back porch and looked toward the woods, hoping to see something. He couldn’t see any signs of change or movement, but the sound was unmistakable. It was definitely an animal in distress.

Wails echoed through the leaves, and the sound of tree branches crashing together was evident. Sammy turned to head to the house and inform Bubba, but he was already stepping into the yard.

“I could hear that caterwauling over at my house.

Looks like we got us somethin’,” said Bubba.

“I was wondering if that was you already out there checking the trap without me. I guess not. What do you think we ought to do, Bubba?”

“Let’s go see what we have first. I don’t wanna get everyone excited and find out it’s a bobcat or a coyote.”

45

“Good idea. Let’s get going.” The boys walked a couple of steps toward the path. Sammy stopped.

“And just what will we do if it is a bobcat or a coyote?

What are we going to do if it’s a sasquatch?!”

Bubba clapped his hands, then rubbed them together.

“I like all those choices. Let’s go see.” He took off before Sammy could reply.

The wailing sounds became louder and more like screeching the closer they got. Bubba ran harder as Sammy slowed down. He disappeared from Sammy’s sight for a moment as Bubba stepped off the path into the trees. Bubba screamed.

Sammy picked up his pace and got to the point where he lost Bubba. He brought his hands to his face as he spotted the reason for Bubba’s scream.

“We got, ‘em! We got, ‘em!” Shouted Bubba as he jumped and threw his hands into the air. “He’s right there! We got, ‘em!”

Sammy couldn’t comprehend what was before him. Tree branches were strewn about. Water and mud splattered everywhere. The blind was obliterated, and standing in the middle of the mess was an unrecognizable hairy creature with its right foot in a bear trap, chained to an uprooted tree.

46

The tree was wedged between some large pines, keeping the creature immobilized. Mud, sticks, and leaves were caked throughout the creature’s fur. It had struggled long and hard through the storms during the night. The creature continued its screeching while facing the other way. The boys couldn’t make out any of the facial features other than it had eyes and a mouth. The rest was mud and debris. They could only tell it was something they had never seen before.

“Wha, wha, what is it, Bubba? What is it?”

“Woohoo! That ain’t no bear, and that ain’t no man in a suit. Only thing it can be is a squatch! I told ya’ we’d get ‘em.”

Exhaustion was settling in on the creature as it paused its tantrum, momentarily. Sammy wanted a better look and squatted down to creep to his right. He stepped on a twig that snapped. The sound roused the creature, who turned over his shoulder and spotted the boys. The screeching started anew.

The agitated creature turned and took a couple of hard steps toward the boys. Sammy gasped and fell backwards as the chain snapped the creature back in place. Bubba stood and smiled.

“I told ‘ya that trap would hold him. There ain’t nothin’ to be scared of. He can’t getcha.”

47

“How can you be so sure?” asked Sammy as he returned to his feet.

The boys tried maneuvering through the brush to circle the creature and get a better view. Every few steps, they would stumble over logs, get tangled in briars, and climb over large rocks. The creature turned with them each time, snarling and lashing out. They couldn’t get a better look at its face, and then noticed how far they had moved away from the familiar path.

“Bubba, how do we get out of here. We’ve got to go back and tell someone about this. I can’t see where the path is anymore.”

“It’s that way, ain’t it? Or that way?” Bubba pointed in two directions.

The briars were more overgrown, and the underbrush thicker. Sammy paused a couple of times to rest from fighting the wild vegetation. The creature continued to scream and thrash, even though it was quieter and less enthusiastic.

Their faces were scratched and bloodied. Their clothes were torn and tattered. Finally, their tired bodies exited the woods and entered the path, well beyond the spot where the creature continued its antics.

“We’ve got to get back and tell somebody. We can’t get close to that thing,” said Sammy.

48

“I know. Ain’t no way we’re bringing that thing in ourselves.”

The boys shuffled in silence. The further they got from the creature, the quieter it became. They all needed a few minutes to recoup.

Just before leaving the path into Sammy’s yard, he reached up his hand and stopped Bubba.

“What are we going to tell everyone is back there?

Nobody will believe us.”

“There’s only one thing we can tell ‘em, Sammy.

We got ourselves a real-live, genuine, Appalachian monster from West Virginia. This here is what you call a sasquatch.”

49

Chapter 7 Sammy noticed his mom’s car was still missing from the driveway, so they went directly to the garage to talk to his dad. Sammy paused before entering, causing Bubba to bump into him.

“Maybe I should go in by myself,” said Sammy.

“No, wait. Maybe he’ll yell less if you go in with me.

Yeah, come in. That’s what we should do.”

“Why is he gonna yell? We’re going to be famous.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Sammy could hear grunts of frustration coming from the tractor and a pair of legs sticking out from under the opposite side. He walked around and stood by the legs. Bubba followed.

“Sammy, is that you?” asked the voice under the tractor. “Ugh, hold on a second.”

A couple of more grunts and Sammy’s dad scooted from underneath the tractor on his back. He sat up and stared into to Sammy’s scratched and bloody face.

“Are you hurt, son? Are you alright?” He stood up and put his hands on Sammy’s shoulders.

50

“Yeah, yeah. These are just scratches from some briars.”

“You got into them pretty deep from the looks of things. You okay, Bubba?”

“This ain’t nothin’,” said Bubba as he wiped his cheek with the back of his hand.

“We’ve got another problem we need to tell you about,” said Sammy as he dropped his head and scratched his foot on the pavement of the garage floor.

“It’s back in the woods.”

“I tell by the look of you two whatever it is, is back in the woods. Now what is it?”

“Okay, you know how we set up a hunting blind out there?” asked Sammy.

“Yeah, the one the wind blew down the other day.

I remember,” said Dad. “Yeah, well, um,” Sammy blew air out of his cheeks.

“You see,” he stammered.

“What? What am I supposed to see?”

“We got him!” interrupted Bubba. “We got him!”

“Got who? Who did you get? What are you talking about?” Dad’s voice increased as he looked back and forth at the boys.

Bubba smiled and looked at Sammy.

“A sasquatch,” Sammy whispered.

51

“Did you say a sasquatch?” He looked straight into Sammy’s face. “Tell me you just said you boys caught a sasquatch.”

Sammy dropped his eyes and shoved his hands deep into his pockets.

“Um.” “Yep, we caught one. He’s out there right now,” said Bubba as he continued to smile and point out the door with his thumb.

Sammy scratched the side of his head. He pulled off his ball cap, tilted his head back, and rubbed the top of his head before replacing his cap.

“How?” asked Dad. Sammy took a deep breath but couldn’t speak.

“A bear trap,” blurted Bubba. “We rebuilt the blind and put a bear trap in it. Now we got us a sasquatch.”

Bubba rubbed his hands together and began to bounce up and down.

Sammy’s dad stomped out of the garage and the boys followed. He stopped once he went a few steps into the backyard. He stared toward the woods as a low squeal could be heard.

“Is that it?” Dad asked as he turned toward the boys. “Is that what you caught caterwauling out there?”

“Uh, yeah,” mumbled Sammy.

52

“Yep, that’s our squatch,” said Bubba confidently.

“What in the world? You boys probably have a bear cub in that trap.”

“It’s not a bear,” said Sammy.

“I’m sure it ain’t no bear. This thing stands up on two legs and swings its arms around.”

The sounds from the woods increased and became raspier. The creature was beginning to strain its vocal cords.

“How long has that thing been hollerin’?” asked Sammy’s dad.

“From the looks of it and what he’s done to the branches on the blind, I think he’s been tapped for a long time,” answered Sammy.

“I’m going to need to see what this thing is. Take me to it, boys.”

Bubba bolted in front and started marching toward the path ahead of Sammy and his dad. He looked over his shoulder to make sure he wasn’t alone.

“Right this way,” said Bubba. “You’ll not trouble hearin’ him, I bet.” He turned and continued onto the path.

“What have you boys gotten yourselves into?

What in the world have you caught in this trap? What are you even doing setting any kind of trap, much less a bear trap?”

53

“I know. I’m sorry. I thought you were right when you said that it was squirrel hair we found, so I didn’t think we’d really catch anything with the trap,” said Sammy as he hung his head while they walked.

“And you’re sure this thing isn’t a bear or bobcat or some other kind of animal?”

“I’m sure. This thing scared me to death.” Sammy stopped walking as the animal cries intensified.

Bubba had stopped on the path and turned grinning ear-to-ear as he pointed into the woods.

“See? We told ya’. There it is.”

Sammy and his dad both froze. The creature was even more unrecognizable than before. Some of the mud had dried into tangled splotches of hair and dirt.

Other parts were covered by new mud, leaves, and sticks. If the creature hadn’t pummeled the blind into such a ruin, it would have been well camouflaged to hide there.

Sammy stared at his dad looking for a reaction.

His dad leaned forward to get a better look, then put his hands on his hips. He took a couple steps to his right, one or two to his left, then used his hands to shield his eyes as he squinted at the creature. He took a deep breath and held it before letting it out slowly.

“Boys, come with me. We’re going back to the house. I need to call the sheriff.”

54

*** Sheriff Dockery pulled up in his cruiser and parked in the driveway. Sammy and Bubba were told to wait on the porch while the two men went up the path together.

The creature’s noises had faded off, but the increase in volume signaled the men were approaching the trap. Sammy and Bubba sat on the porch chairs looking at one another.

“Quit worryin’, Sammy. The sheriff was laughing about it when he got here. We ain’t gonna be in any trouble.”

“You might not be, but I guarantee you I am. My dad is just waiting to blow up at me.”

Only a couple of minutes had passed when the men were visible on the path. Sammy’s dad headed toward the porch and sat down on the top step while Sheriff Dockery went to his cruiser.

The sheriff reached inside the open window to the dashboard and flipped a switch. Immediately the blue lights began flashing, lighting up the area that was in the early evening shadows. Bubba and Sammy stared at each other.

“Uh, oh.”

“Uh, oh is right,” whispered Sammy.

55

The sheriff leaned in again and grabbed the handset to the radio. He pulled it up to his mouth, paused, then crossed his arms. He looked up, gently shook his head, unfolded his arms, and began to speak into the radio.

“Dispatch, Sheriff Dockery.”

“This is dispatch, Sheriff. Go.” “I’m here on Walker Road. I’m going to need you to contact a couple of officers from the Department of Natural Resources.”

“Officer Randall is on call this weekend, Sheriff.”

“Contact him and send him out. Tell him to bring some help.”

“Copy that, sheriff. Contacting him now.”

“Thanks, dispatch.”

Radio static echoed across the backyard and into the woods.

“Sheriff, Officer Randall wants to know the nature of the emergency. He wants to know what equipment to bring or what to plan for.”

“Dispatch, tell him to bring the tranquilizer gun and plenty of ammo for it.

“Roger that, Sheriff.”

“And also tell them to bring the truck with the cage.

Not that little pickup. Bring the big one. They’re going to need the biggest one they have.”

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More static escaped the car speakers.

“Officer Randall is on his way. It may be a few minutes while they switch vehicles.”

“Copy that, dispatch. While we’re at it, send me the two deputies on duty now for traffic control.”

“Traffic control, Sheriff? Has there been an accident?”

“No, dispatch, but I imagine the traffic will pick up around here as soon as soon as all the scanners pick up what I’m about to report to you as the purpose of this call.”

“Go ahead, Sheriff. I’m ready to log it.”

“Dispatch, it appears a couple of boys out here have set a trap in the woods and captured something they can’t handle.”

“What have they captured, Sheriff?”

“Everyone out here seems to think these boys have captured themselves... a sasquatch.”

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Chapter 8 Sammy’s dad exited the porch and walked toward the sheriff ’s car. It wasn’t easy to see his face in the flashing blue lights. They turned and faced toward the woods, obscuring their voices completely.

Sammy and Bubba sat down on the top step of the back porch. Sammy placed his elbows onto his knees, then his face into his hands.

“I can’t believe this,” mumbled Sammy.

“Me neither,” said Bubba through a smile.

“You’re happy about this?” asked Sammy.

“Of course. We caught a sasquatch. Nobody else could do it, but we done it.”

“But look at the police car. The sheriff is here, and deputies and DNR officers are on the way. We are in so much trouble.”

“I hope they don’t try to take credit for this. We caught him. That’s our trap his foot’s in.”

Sammy dropped his hands and turned his face toward Bubba, his mouth open, while Bubba stared off toward the woods.

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“What were you boys thinking?” Sammy’s dad had returned from the conversation with the sheriff.

“Um, uh,” grunted Sammy.

“What did you think you would do with this thing once you caught it? Did you seriously think you could handle something like this?”

“It’s a big ‘un, ain’t it?” asked Bubba.

“Big enough it can’t get out of a bear trap, yes. And what were you boys doing with a bear trap? Any idea what they’re made for?”

“Yep, bears. Well, now sasquatches,” answered Bubba with a smile.

Sammy’s dad pursed his lips, opened his mouth, then pursed his lips again while he shook his head.

He turned toward the driveway when Sammy’s mom pulled up in her car. His dad walked toward the driver’s side of the vehicle while his little sister stepped out of the back door wearing a pink leotard. His parents talked for a moment before his dad headed toward the sheriff ’s car, and his mom led his sister inside the side door before coming to the back porch.

Sammy and his mom stared at one another before she sat down beside him and placed her hand on his back.

“How are you doing, honey?” asked Sammy’s mom.

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“I feel sick to my stomach,” Sammy answered.

“We do have quite a predicament here, don’t we?”

She rubbed her hand across Sammy’s back several times before moving to the back of his head.

“How much trouble are we in? Are we in trouble with the police? What are they going to do with us?” asked Sammy.

“Well, honey, you see,” his mom’s answer was interrupted by white lights shining directly into their faces and the roar of an engine, followed by squealing brakes.

“You boys have done it now,” shouted a voice. The lights dimmed, and the engine shut off, revealing Bubba’s daddy dismounting a four-wheeler.

“We got ‘em, Daddy, we got ‘em,” said Bubba through a grin.

“Whoo-boy, son, you sure do. I could hear him way down at our place. Big ‘un, is he?”

Two deputy patrol cars pulled up with their lights flashing before anyone else could say a thing. A large, uniformed man stepped out of each vehicle. The sheriff walked over to the men for a quick talk. The deputy in the first car reached into the backseat of his cruiser and pulled out three shotguns. He handed one to the other deputy and one to the sheriff. Each man 60

looked over their weapon, pumped the barrel, then turned on large flashlights.

“Oh, my. Why do they need those?” asked Sammy’s mom.

“Yep, he’s a big ‘un.”

“I think I’m going to throw up.”

The men followed the sheriff as he walked through the backyard and into the path’s trailhead.

The brightness of their lights kept them visible for a good distance.

Sammy bent forward and put his face between his knees while his mom rubbed his back. Bubba scooted off the porch step and stood by his daddy.

The sounds from the woods had died down since darkness came, and the only thing interrupting what would otherwise be a peaceful scene was the constant flickering blue light across everything in the backyard.

The quiet ended with the crunch of tires over the gravel in the driveway. A large white van with the words “Channel 8 News” across the side stopped quickly. An attractive woman with long blonde hair and high heels got out of the passenger side, followed by a man exiting the sliding door with a camera on his shoulder.

“You boys are gonna be famous! You’re gonna be rich!”

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Cars from the neighborhood began pulling up behind the news van before the woman and her cameraman could cross the yard. The line extended from the driveway into the road.

“Can anyone tell me who can tell us what’s happening here?” asked the newswoman as she stepped gingerly through the soft yard in her highheeled shoes.

“Right over here, TV Lady,” said Bubba’s daddy as he waved his hand. “These little fellers right here are the ones you want.” He pointed at the top of Bubba’s head with his finger and stuck his thumb sideways toward Sammy.

The newswoman stepped toward Sammy, holding out a microphone, followed by the cameraman still trying to secure a camera on his shoulder. Sammy pulled his knees toward his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs. He gently closed his eyes while he began rocking in his seat. His mom patted him on the back and shook her head as she looked at the woman.

“I’ll talk to you,” said Bubba.

“This is the one you wanna talk to. This little jasper never shuts up,” said Bubba’s daddy as he slapped Bubba on his back and snorted out a laugh.

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“Young man, we’ll talk on the air when Kenny sets up the camera. See that little light there?”

“Uh, huh.”

“Well, when that lights up, I’ll ask you some questions, and you can tell me what you know. Okay?”

“Uh, huh.”

“Now, before we get started, what is your name?”

“Bubba.”

“I mean, what is your real name. Not a nickname.”

“My name’s Bubba.”

“Yeah, his name’s Bubba. Fits, don’t it?” Daddy laughed.

She looked at them both, sighed, then turned toward the cameraman.

“Are we about ready, Kenny?”

The light came on the camera. The flashing blue lights were still visible across their faces.

“And we’re going live in three, two,” he paused, then pointed at the woman.

“Hannah Henderson here, live for News Channel Eight at the site of an unusual situation. This young man with me is Bubba, and Bubba, tell us what all the noise and sirens are all about,” said the newswoman.

She pointed the microphone toward Bubba, and he grabbed the end and pulled it next to his mouth.

“We caught a sasquatch.”

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“Woohoo,” said Bubba’s daddy in the background.

The newswoman smiled meekly and pulled the microphone back with a gentle tug.

“And how did a little boy like you catch a … sasquatch?”

“Bear trap.”

“It’s a big ‘un. That’s a good trap. That thing ain’t going nowheres.”

A few steps away on the porch, Sammy had straightened his legs and sat up. His mom leaned close to his ear.

“I’ll go with you if you want to talk to the newswoman. I don’t think you want these two telling the whole story,” said Sammy’s mom.

They both got up from the porch and walked together toward the newswoman. She noticed them and used the disturbance to break away from Bubba and his daddy.

“So, you’re also involved with this?”

She held the microphone toward Sammy. He nodded.

Rumbling sounds came from the driveway, and the headlights from a large truck shined directly into their faces. The headlight bypassed all the cars and came through the yard. Everyone could see the words WEST VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL 64

RESOURCES on the side. Sammy’s dad was waiting at the path entrance and pointed to it with a flashlight.

The truck sped through the yard and onto the path without slowing down. As the headlights disappeared into the woods, the creature’s sounds erupted again.

The cameraman had turned to follow the truck, but now spun back to face Sammy and the newswoman.

“That was a large vehicle from the Department of Natural Resources that went by. Maybe we’ll know something more about this creature very soon.” She turned back to Sammy. “Now, what is your name again?”

“My name is blech.”

Uncontrollable vomit spewed from Sammy’s mouth and went all over the microphone and highheeled shoes.

“Aaaaaaaaaa,” screamed the newswoman as she shook the green, dripping liquid from her hands.

“I’m sorry, blech.” More vomit poured from Sammy’s mouth and onto the blouse and skirt of the newswoman. Kenny, the cameraman, laughed as he stepped sideways to get a better angle with his camera.

The newswoman dropped the microphone and ran toward the news van.

“Aaaaaa! This is so gross! Aaaaaa! Aaaaaa!”

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On her third step, her right foot slipped in the grass. She stumbled forward as she pedaled her feet without gaining traction. Her left foot slid toward the left, causing her to fall face down in mud near the driveway. She landed on her hands and knees, remained motionless for a moment, then gingerly pushed up to her feet. A couple of slow careful steps and she made it back to the news van.

The light went off, and Kenny lifted the camera from his shoulder.

“That was great, kid,” said Kenny. “Perfect for a live shot. I don’t think they can top it even when they drag in whatever is out there. By the way, what was your name?”

Sammy started to open his mouth.

“On second thought, keep your puke and don’t tell me.”

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Chapter 9 Sammy sat on the porch swing of the back porch, wiping the remaining puke and vomit from his mouth and face. The backyard was now full of locals of all ages and sizes. Cars were parked on both sides of the road and in a nearby field. A couple seemed to be circling the road looking for a place to stop. The blue lights from the cruisers of the sheriff and deputies still flashed. The noise from the woods had mellowed to an occasional grunt or two, barely enough to override the crowd’s voices.

Sammy’s mom and dad stood near the path, arms crossed. Sammy could not tell what they were saying, but their hand gestures were often short and quick, especially when either one looked over their shoulder toward Sammy.

Hannah, the newswoman, sat in the van’s open doorway, scrubbing her skirt and blouse with a hand towel. Sammy could hear a couple of sobs even though he couldn’t see her face.

Kenny, the cameraman, attempted to record and conduct interviews by himself. He had the camera 67

on his right shoulder, holding the microphone out as far as he could with his left. Sammy could hear the newest discussion between Bubba and his daddy.

“Well, I think the boys gotta come up with a fancy name for this thing. You know, somethin’ catchy that everyone can call it,” said Sammy’s daddy.

“I got it, the Ape of Appalachia,” said Bubba.

“It ain’t a ape, Bubba, it’s a sasquatch. Ya’ gotta give it a sasquatch name.”

“Like Bigfoot?” asked Kenny as he wobbled with the camera.

Bubba and his daddy burst out in laughter.

“You hear this guy, Bubba? Like Bigfoot. Tell ‘em, Bubba.”

“Bigfoot’s dead. Been dead for years. This ain’t Bigfoot.”

Kenny handed the microphone to Bubba’s daddy and used both hands to reset the camera back on his shoulder.

“It just come to me, Bubba. The Beast of Appalachia.

How’s that for a sasquatch name?”

Bubba opened his mouth to answer when air was filled with the loudest and most shrill screams of the day coming from the darkened woods. Voices of men shouting mixed into the screams. The crowd in the backyard gasped. Two soft gun blasts ignited 68

more screams. The sounds reached a crescendo, then suddenly stopped.

Sammy stood up from the porch swing and stepped softly off the porch.

The crowd turned to look at one another. Many shoulders shrugged, and many palms were raised.

People stood on tiptoes or squeezed between others to improve their viewpoints.

The sounds of a truck engine starting roared through the trees. Loud squeaks and clanks of large doors opening and closing were noticeable. The engine revved more as they heard branches breaking, joining the noises. In seconds, headlights were detected coming toward the crowd. The people divided into groups on either side of the path opening. Sammy remained in the middle, staring at the lights.

“Make room, everyone, make room. That’s a big truck coming.”

“Now we’re finally going to see this thing.”

The headlights stopped moving. No longer were branches breaking. The roar of the engine had turned into an idle hum. The men’s voices restarted, although intelligible.

“They stopped! What are they doing?”

“They’re just sitting there.”

“Did the truck break down? Are they stuck?”

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A few seconds later, all their questions were answered.

The screams returned, albeit muffled. Metallic pounding started and increased, along with the men’s voices.

“Here! Here! Do it now! Do it now!”

“I can’t get it lined up!”

“Quickly! Quickly! Hurry up! The truck’s going over!”

Tense faces stared at one another across the yard.

A woman, whom Sammy didn’t recognize, emerged from the group.

“I bet that thing is about to escape! Run for everyone! Run!” A slight panic ensued as parents grabbed their children, and husbands and wives found each other.

Another gunshot caused a new gasp from the crowd. Three more thumps of metal and everything stopped. Nobody moved.

The engine roared back to life, and metallic doors were slammed.

“Go! Go! Go!” The headlights began moving again and grew larger. A few more branches snapped as the truck picked up speed.

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“It’s almost here, step aside.”

Sammy noticed his dad waving people to the side as the truck’s lights pointed toward him. He put his arm out to the side to direct Sammy’s mom further back.

Sammy remained between the two groups, then a large hand landed on his shoulder.

“Scooch over here, lil’ buddy. I expect they’ll let you boys climb in that truck first to get a good look at your squatch, and I want to get a good look before all these buzzards squeeze in.”

“The Beast of Appalachia, Daddy. It’s the Beast of Appalachia,” said Bubba.

“You’re right, son. Here it comes. Get up here where they can see ya’ so they know where to stop.”

The truck slowed down as it left the path from the woods and entered the backyard. The crowd parted further to allow sufficient room. The lines converged behind the truck and moved forward with it.

Suddenly, the driver hit the gas and the tires spun out, throwing up grass and mud. It gained traction and aimed across the yard into the narrow opening between the cruisers still flashing their blue lights and Sammy’s house. Once the tires hit the pavement, they squealed, leaving muddy tracks. It disappeared down the road.

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“Where’s the sasquatch? We want to see the sasquatch!”

“Is it dead? Did they kill it with that last shot?”

“Why didn’t they stop?”

“What are they hiding?”

Bubba turned toward Sammy and grabbed him by the arm.

“Sammy, did they just steal our squatch?”

“Steal it? What? No, they didn’t steal it. They couldn’t have. They just took it somewhere, I guess.

Like to the zoo or something.”

“The zoo? It ain’t no animal, it’s a sasquatch,” said Bubba.

“Well, they can’t take it to jail. It’s not a person.”

“You sure about that?”

Bubba’s daddy squatted down and looked the boys square in the face.

“I see what’s going on here. You boys caught that squatch, and now the law don’t want to give you no credit. They know you guys are gonna be rich and famous so they’re gonna take it somewhere and claim they caught it ‘cause they brought it in. Don’t worry, boys, I ain’t gonna let them get away with it. Let me go get my truck. We’re gonna go get our sasquatch back.”

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Chapter 10 “You boys wait here a second. I’m gonna get my four-wheeler,” said Bubba’s daddy.

He disappeared into the crowd and then the darkness.

“Where does he think we’re going to go?” asked Sammy.

“To get our squatch back. Them guys stole it,” answered Bubba.

“But, Bubba,” stammered Sammy.

“Oh, there you are. Feeling better?” asked Sammy’s dad as he looked around the crowd.

“Well, kinda,” “Good. Just look at how torn up this place is.

The yard’s a mess, tire tracks all down the side of the driveway and out front. And who knows what the sheriff is going to say about all of this? I can’t even imagine what this is going to cost me.”

“I’m sorry. I had no idea.”

Sammy forced his hands into his jeans pockets and hung his head. His dad put his hands on his hips 73

and turned his gaze toward the woods. The crowd toward the side yard parted, and headlights came shining through. The headlights turned to the left, and Bubba’s daddy appeared atop his four-wheeler.

“Hop on, boys, and we’ll head to my truck.”

“Woah, where do you think you’re going?” asked Sammy’s dad directly to him.

“He thinks we need,” “We’re going to get their squatch back,” interrupted Bubba’s daddy.

“Yeah, they took our squatch,” said Bubba.

“Huh? No, no, no, no. You don’t even know where they went. You’re staying right here to deal with all this,” said Sammy’s dad.

“Um, we’re going after that thing and that’s all there is to it,” said Bubba’s daddy.

“Give us a second, boys. We need to have a little adult discussion.”

The boys took a couple of steps away and looked at each other. Their dads spoke in low tones, but each one made quick gestures, sometimes pointing at the other.

“There they are, there they are. Hey, Simmons, over here. I found them,” said a strange voice in the crowd.

“Who is that?” asked Bubba.

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“Coach Littlefield? What are you doing here?” asked Sammy.

“Hey, crazy man. You dudes said you were getting into the sasquatch business, and by the looks of things, business is good. Can you believe this?”

“Chester Coffield has something to do with this, I guarantee it,” said Mr. Simmons, the custodian.

“I’m watching this stuff all over my phone tonight, then people say, turn on the TV. So, I flip it on just in time to see you yak all over that newswoman. Classic, man.” Coach slaps Sammy on the back. “That was so awesome.”

“This is so embarrassing. I think I’m going to be sick again.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Don’t hurl on me, little dude.

I didn’t bring a rain poncho.”

“I won’t.” Sammy took a deep breath.

“Once I saw all that, I texted Simmons here and said we got to go out there and see our dudes, man.

Those boys said they were going squatch hunting, and by golly, they did!”

“I’ll be honest, I thought Chester had put some kid in a suit. That’s what I thought,” said Mr. Simmons.

“This ain’t no kid in no suit, that’s for sure,” answered Bubba.

“All I’m saying is, you’re going to be famous no 75

matter what they drag out of those woods. Once that clip hits the internet, it will be all over the world, my friend,” said Coach Littlefield.

“I don’t even like computers, and I’d watch again,” said Mr. Simmons.

Sammy put one hand across his stomach and one hand to his mouth.

“Did you see it yet? What did you guys call it? The Beast of Appalachia?” asked Coach Littlefield.

“No,” answered Sammy.

“Anybody else here see it?”

“No.” “So, nobody knows anything other than something was out there, and now it’s gone, and nobody saw it leave?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Hey, Simmons. Let’s get up there more toward the woods. I bet they know more about what’s going on.”

The two nodded their heads toward Sammy and started squeezing through the crowd toward the woods.

Bubba’s daddy turned the key to the four-wheeler, and the engine shut off while the lights disappeared.

He looked at Sammy’s dad and held his hands out to the side. He shook his head and crossed his arms, remaining seated on the quiet four-wheeler.

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Sammy felt an arm on his shoulder and looked up to see his mom, followed closely by his dad.

Before either one could say a word, the cameraman came trotting through the yard, hoisting the camera to his shoulder. The newswoman came shuffling behind him with a raincoat over her clothes and a pair of oversized boots on her feet, trying to catch up.

The crowd turned toward the woods. Three bright flashlights were making their way down the path. The crowd started pushing in.

“Finally. We’re finally going to get to the bottom of this thing,” said an unfamiliar voice from the crowd.

“Yeah, boy,” said Bubba’s daddy. He got up from his four-wheel, fixed his hat, and rubbed his hands together.

The light from the news camera ignited, brightening up the area near the path entrance. Hannah, the newswoman, stepped in front of the camera with a microphone, minus the foam windscreen, and began speaking before turning to the side. She held the microphone directly in front of her mouth, allowing her voice to be heard by the crowd.

“That is Sheriff Dockery and two of his deputies emerging from the path. We’re going to know in just a few seconds exactly what happened back in those woods over the last twenty-four hours.”

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Chapter 11 The sheriff and deputies stopped short of the end of the path. They huddled together in a quiet discussion, even turning off their flashlights, making it difficult to see them in the darkness. Sammy could hear conversations starting to build, but couldn’t tell who was talking.

“I’m sure it’s a sasquatch, and they don’t want us to know. That’s why they’re stopping. They want to make sure they have their story straight.”

“No way it’s a sasquatch. It was a black bear, and they want to get as much attention as they can before they break the bad news.”

“It’s Bigfoot. They caught Bigfoot, and now we all need to panic. Just you wait.”

Bubba and his daddy stepped out from the crowd.

“Bigfoot? Pfft, you hear that, Bubba? These people ain’t too bright, are they, son? They don’t know Bigfoot’s long gone from this world.”

“Ain’t got no brains, do they, Daddy?”

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“It ain’t Bigfoot, but it is a sasquatch. They got my boy’s squatch, and they better be ready to pay him for it. He caught it in my trap, fair and square. Let the sheriff answer to that.”

“You’re all wrong.” Sheriff Dockery turned on his powerful flashlight and cast its beam across the top of the crowd. “Gather in everyone. I’ve got some news you all need to hear.”

“Channel Eight News here with this exclusive report live from the scene where Sheriff Dockery is about to announce the source of all the commotion today.”

Hannah stuck out her microphone and tapped the sheriff with it on the chin.

The light from the news camera and his flashlight on him made it easy to see the dirt and bloody scratches on the sheriff ’s face and hands. His uniform had some tears and mud stains. His shoes were a mess.

“Our situation is actually more complicated with the news I’m about to share. If you were looking for a simple answer, you probably won’t get it tonight.”

“How can this be worse than this disaster I see right here?” mumbled Sammy’s dad to his mom.

“This evening, the local officers of the Department of Natural Resources, along with two county deputies 79

and I, were able to apprehend a young male adult orangutan.”

An audible gasp could be heard, followed by sighs and mumbling.

“Orangutan?”

“What do you mean, orangutan?”

“How in the world did you catch an orangutan?”

The sheriff raised his hand to quiet the murmurs rumbling through the crowd.

“I think you are sensing the problem. Tonight’s capture has raised more questions than answers,” stated Sheriff Dockery.

“What in tarnation was an orangutan doing in these woods?” asked Sammy’s dad.

The sheriff rubbed his hand on his chin and scratched his cheek.

“That’s our first big question. The closest zoo around here is seventy-five miles away, and it doesn’t even have orangutans. There are no reports of any zoo, research facility, or laboratory missing an orangutan anywhere in the entire country.”

“That weren’t no sasquatch? Can you get money for orangutans?” asked Bubba’s daddy.

The sheriff shook his head. Bubba and his daddy looked at each other, frowning.

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“Hey, Dad. What other questions are unanswered that he was talking about?” Sammy asked.

“I’ll find out,” his dad replied. “Sheriff, what other questions does this bring up? We caught the orangutan. What else could there be to it?”

Again, the sheriff rubbed his chin and scratched his cheek before answering.

A voice came from the back of the group.

“Are there any more orangutans running around here?”

The sheriff pointed in the direction of the voice.

“That’s it, right there. We don’t know why one orangutan is running around our woods, so we have no idea if there are others. We don’t know if this is the only one. We don’t know if there are other animals besides an orangutan loose. We didn’t know about this one until today.”

“Don’t say you didn’t know about it. We all saw that video Chester had,” said a woman in the front.

“One randomly suspicious video does not pose a credible threat. If we chased after every one of these, that’s all we’d ever get done. Now, if we had been given other leads, we would have definitely pursued them.”

Sammy could hear two boys talking behind him.

“Tell him. You’d better say something.”

“I don’t want to get in trouble.”

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“You’ll be in more trouble if he finds out.”

Benny Radford, an older boy who lived down the road, nudged around Sammy and stepped to the front.

“Um, sheriff, you see, last week we borrowed Arty Clifford’s dirt bike to ride around the woods.”

“Borrowed? That dirt bike was stolen. I’ve been looking everywhere for it.”

“I’ve got your stolen goods report, Arty. We’ll handle that next. What about your ride, Benny?”

“Well, we were riding all around here and we saw the big monkey,” “Orangutan,” interrupted multiple voices.

“Yeah, orangutan. We saw it clear as day on the bike path.”

“Why didn’t you tell anyone, Benny? Let me guess, you were on a stolen bike and didn’t want to get caught.”

“We were going to bring it back, honest.” Benny turned to look around the group. “We just wanted to take it for a ride, that’s all. Anyway, we saw the thing a couple of times. I thought it was chasing us for a minute. I got scared and didn’t want to ride back that way, so I took the bike home and forgot to take it back.”

“Yeah, forgot,” said Arty as he rolled his eyes.

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“I’ll run home and get it right now. I even washed it and filled her up with gas. She looks brand new.”

Benny disappeared into the darkness.

Another man stepped forward. Sammy didn’t know his name, but thought the face looked familiar.

“Sheriff, I was coming home from the bar the other night. I saw the orangutan along the road. I thought I was seeing things, and I swerved off the road and hit a mailbox.”

“That was our mailbox!” shouted Bubba’s daddy.

“I blamed them kids for doin’ it.”

“I wasn’t even sure I hit it until I noticed some of that green and black paint on the side of my truck the next day. By then, I knew that if I said anything, it would look bad for me. You can barely see that thing, anyway.”

“It’s camouflaged so nobody steals my mail.”

The man started to say something back to him, but stopped and shook his head.

“How about that?” said Sheriff Dockery. “I’ve solved two crimes without even knowing it. Now to the big question. How in the world did an orangutan end up here in the Appalachian Mountains? I’d love for one of you to be able to tell me, though I doubt any of you have an idea either.”

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The sheriff looked around at the crowd, then directly into he news camera. The crowd went quiet.

A quiet rumbling began in the back of the crowd.

People started moving to the side as a body in an old gray hoodie and a dirty trucker’s cap pushed through.

Sheriff Dockery turned his flashlight, and it landed squarely on the chest of Chester Coffield. Tension filled the crowd as they waited to hear what he had to say.

“Sheriff, I know exactly what happened. I can tell you everything you want to know.”

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Chapter 12 “Do you want to go back to the station with me and talk about this, Chester?” asked Sheriff Dockery.

“No, I might as well let everyone here know what the deal is. Maybe they won’t spread as many rumors if they know the truth.”

The crowd had become quite still. Only some breathing could be heard. The sheriff had sent the deputies to turn off the flashing lights earlier, so the darkness cast another layer of calm on the crowd. The sheriff held his flashlight at Chester’s feet.

“I don’t know what to ask you, so go ahead and tell everyone whatever it is you have to say,” said Sheriff Dockery.

“That’s my orangutan.”

“I knew it,” said Mr. Simmons from the middle of the crowd.

Sammy looked at Bubba and whispered, “He’s been saying that all along.”

“He sure has,” said Bubba.

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“Where did you buy an orangutan around here?” asked a voice in the crowd. “Do they have them at Walmart?”

The crowd chuckled, and the sheriff held up his hand.

“Sorry, folks. I can’t joke about this. I need to know how this happened so it won’t ever happen again.”

“I have a friend in Ohio. He wanted to start one of those roadside zoos. You know, the kind where you stay in your car and drive through the place as the animals run all around you,” explained Chester.

“Those are fun. We did one once when you were little, Sammy. Remember?” said Sammy’s mom.

“Yeah, the elephant pushed his trunk through the window and stole all the peanuts, then I cried,” answered Sammy.

“Well, he got the orangutan as a baby from somewhere,” Chester continued. “Then he realized he didn’t want his animals in cages; otherwise, the orangutan would be able to climb out. I saw this old comedy movie once where a guy drives around with an orangutan in his trunk, and he’d punch people when the guy told him to.”

“I know the movie you mean. I think Clint Eastwood was in it,” said the sheriff.

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“Yes, he was. I got to thinking, if I start this one as a baby, I could train it and we could run around and do stuff like that.”

“I told you he was nuts,” shouted Mr. Simmons from the crowd again.

“What made you think you could train an orangutan?” asked Sammy’s dad.

“I thought I could search for videos on the internet and learn. You can learn all kinds of stuff like that.”

The crowd groaned. “I brought him home and put him in my barn so he could climb and play all day long, and nobody would know he was there until I had him trained.”

“This still doesn’t explain your video and why you would deceive this community the way you did,” said the sheriff sternly.

“I’m getting to that.” He took a deep breath. “He started growing, plus his training wasn’t going well.

He was all over that barn, and I could never catch him to make him learn anything. He got where he was stronger and faster than I was. Well, he met me at the door one day when I went to feed him, and he was gone.”

“But why’d you make us all think Bigfoot was around here?” asked Sheriff Dockery.

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“Bigfoot’s dead,” laughed Coach Littlefield from the crowd. He leaned over and high-fived Bubba as his daddy smiled and nodded his head.

“I wanted to catch him, but it was difficult to find him because he moved so much. I got that glimpse of him on my game camera and thought other people might have him show up on theirs. I thought if I posted it for other people to see, they might mention places where they spotted him, too, and I’d be able to track him down. I didn’t want people to know it was an orangutan, so I let them think it was a sasquatch.”

“How did you think you were going to catch him?” asked Sammy. “That thing is strong.”

Chester dropped his head and shuffled his feet.

“I thought he would come to me when he saw me.”

“How’d that one work out for you?” mocked Mr. Simmons.

The crowd snickered but died off quickly.

“Sheriff, don’t we have laws against owning wild animals like this? Isn’t there something against having wild apes being penned up in barns and such,” asked Sammy’s dad.

“Yeah, you shouldn’t be able to have stuff like that,” said a female voice from the dark.

“You folks aren’t going to like what I’m about to tell you,” answered the sheriff.

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“No, they are not,” echoed Chester.

“West Virginia does not have a law against owning primates.”

“No way.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me, Sheriff.”

“That’s nuts.”

The crowd continued to grumble amongst themselves. Sammy leaned over toward Bubba.

“Wouldn’t that be cool to own a gorilla to scare off the bullies at school,” said Sammy.

Bubba started to reply when Sammy’s dad stepped in.

“I think you caused enough trouble catching someone else’s primate, don’t you?” he asked.

“What are you going to do about all this now, sheriff? Will somebody have to be arrested? Seems like somebody ought to pay.” It was the female voice in the dark again.

Sheriff Dockery removed his hat and scratched his head. His eyes looked upward for a moment before he spoke.

“I’m going to be honest with all you folks here tonight. Maybe you’ll agree, maybe you won’t, but I’m the one responsible here, so here’s what I think we’ll do. Chester, although it’s not illegal to own a primate, you lost control of an animal in your possession, 89

causing disturbances in your community. Why don’t you come into my office on Monday morning, and we can discuss it? Give us the weekend to sort this all out.

I don’t think we’ll bring the hammer down on you.”

“That’s fair. I’ll be in first thing on Monday,” said Chester.

“Now, about that dirt bike and mailbox. I’m trusting you guys can get together right now and figure out how to settle everything. If you can’t, give me a call. If you can, I’ll gladly stay out of the matter.”

“Sure, we can do that.”

“We’ll take care of it.”

“Yes, we’ll make it right.”

The sheriff put his hands on his hips and turned to face Sammy and Bubba.

“We’ve come to you two. First, you are underage for setting your own traps and doing it out of season.

However, you helped capture a wild animal that could have caused significant problems for your community.

You also helped solve a couple of crimes as a result of this whole fiasco. I think a couple of weekends cleaning up trash in the park would be a fair exchange and keep this off your record.”

“I’ll make sure they do it, Sheriff,” said Bubba’s daddy.

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“I’m glad to hear you say that. You’re going to help supervise and complete the task, as the one who supplied them with the trap.”

“Sure, I get it. I’ll do it.”

“Thanks, Sheriff,” said Bubba.

“Thanks, Sheriff,” said Sammy.

“And boys,” said Sammy’s dad, “I’m going to need some help getting this place back to normal. All these people have caused quite a mess.”

Both boys nodded.

“I’ll leave that for you guys to sort out. I’ve got to get back to the station. I have quite a report to complete.”

Sheriff Dockery walked to his car and sped off into the night, followed by lots of the cars parked along the yard and road.

Sammy and Bubba walked together toward where Bubba’s daddy was getting ready to mount his fourwheeler. They both paused and stared at the ground.

“I have one question,” said Sammy. “How do you guys know so much about Bigfoot and sasquatches?

You have an answer for everything.”

“You already know the answer to that. You have my Uncle Edgar’s book,” said Bubba’s daddy.

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“Do you mean to tell me Edgar C. Smithers, the author of Tales of Appalachian Creatures in West Virginia, is your uncle?” asked Sammy.

Bubba and his daddy laughed.

“We don’t always claim Uncle Edgar with all that book learnin’, but the man knows his sasquatches.”

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Chapter 13 Sammy stepped off the bus Monday morning and noticed a group of teachers and custodians gathered by the front entrance. Coach Littlefield was in the middle of the group, and all eyes were on him. He put his hands beside his mouth, then pushed both hands forward in a fast movement. The group erupted in laughter. He slapped a couple of them on the back as they all laughed more. Sammy smiled as he walked away from the group.

Sammy’s backpack was across his back, but he also carried a book under his arm. He walked down the hallway, past his home room, past his locker, and straight to the library. He went inside even though the room looked deserted. He stood alone in front of the circulation desk and waited.

Miss Newberry entered with her purse over her shoulder and her arms full of school materials.

“Why, you’re here early, Sammy. Is there something you need my help with?”

“Yep, returning a book.”

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“Give me a minute, dear, while I get things together and ready for the day.”

She emptied her arms on another table, slipped off her jacket, and hung it up with her purse on a nearby coatrack. She brushed both hands across her skirt, then smoothed out her hair. She walked to the circulation desk and turned on the computer, then straightened up a stack of books before typing for a moment on the keyboard.

“There we are. So, how was your weekend? Did you do anything exciting?”

Sammy dropped the book on the desk.

“I bet you did something fun and adventurous.”

Sammy scooted the book toward Miss Newberry.

“I went to see my sister this weekend and didn’t get back until late last evening. Boy, am I tired today.

We visited an antique mall near her house. Antiques as far as the eye could see. More like a big building full of them, I suppose.”

She picked up the book and spun it around. She grabbed the scanner and aimed it at the barcode on the front cover.

“Tales of Appalachian Creatures of West Virginia

by Edgar C. Smithers. Say, didn’t you check this out on Thursday?”

“Yep.” 94

She inspected the front and back covers, then opened them.

“Hmm, no bookmarks left inside. You wouldn’t believe some of the ones I’ve found over the years.

Love notes, dollar bills, detention forms. I’ve found some strange stuff.”

She closed the book and set it back on the desk.

“I bet I know what you did. You spent the weekend immersed in this book and soaked in all the stories, didn’t you?”

“Um, uh-huh.”

“I’m jealous. You got to spend all that time letting your imagination roam in all these fantastic stories.

Just relax and get swept away in all the adventures without having to worry about being eaten by any of these creatures. I bet you loved it, didn’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“Isn’t it wild to think some people believe all this nonsense and poppycock is true? That’s crazy to think a mythical creature would be roaming loose around these parts, frightening everyone in its path. Ahh, boogidy-boogidy. “ “Sure.”

“I didn’t scare you, did I? I don’t mean to frighten you. I don’t want to give you nightmares. You’ll be able to sleep tonight, won’t you?”

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“Yeah.”

“Good. What am I saying? It’s so dull and quiet around here, we wouldn’t mind a little excitement now, would we? Haha! Too bad nothing exciting ever happens around here. I was away all weekend and haven’t even bothered to check my phone or computer to see any news. And the bad part is, I’m sure I haven’t missed a thing.”

She picked up the book, looked at the back cover, and then put it on the cart for shelving.

“Yep, sorry Edgar C. Smithers, or whoever you are, no monsters, no sasquatches, no nothing exciting ever around here.”

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Sammy and Bubba

Sammy finds the book Tales of Appalachian Creatures in West Virginia by Edgar C. Smithers in the school library and is intrigued by the numerous sasquatch sightings around the state. He also learns his friend, Bubba, has a wealth of sasquatch knowledge. Coach Littlefield then shows them a video a local man is sharing, claiming it’s a sasquatch. The boys decide they need to see this sasquatch for themselves.

Brian Croasmun

A retired teacher, Brian Croasmun has visited countless schools throughout the Ohio Valley, inspiring students to write their own stories. He has presented at West Virginia Young Writers Day, and his work has been featured at Tamarack, West Virginia’s premier showcase for art and literature.

Brian is also the author of The Clemente Ball, Santa in the Shed, and Lucy’s Wish, as well as two picture books featuring his leopard tortoise: Little Kevin Wants a Birthday and Little Kevin Saves the Day. Outside of writing, Brian is a high school sports radio broadcaster, an avid pickleball player, and a proud husband and father. He and his wife, Sherry, have two adult children, Chase and Davianne, and share their home with their dog, Winston.

Sammy and Bubba Catch a Sasquatch

About the author

Catch a Sasquatch

Brian Croasmun