Chapter 18.2

Steve pulled his truck into the lot beside Sara’s car and parked. The drive there had taken less time than he and Kevin had anticipated, making them arrive well ahead of the time Sara should be reaching them. Steve glanced over at Kevin, who was checking his phone for messages from Sara.

“Any word from Sara?” Steve asked Kevin.

Kevin replied, “No. Nothing, and that makes me worry.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much yet. From what you told me and where she says she’s at, it could take her a while to hike out. Plus, you said she fell and got hurt, so she might be hiking a little slower than she usually would,” Steve told him, trying to assure him that Sara was fine.

“I know, but this whole thing with the cabin and the deer has me on edge,” Kevin said.

Steve rubbed his cheek and said, “I’m still confused by that. I have been all over this forest both before and after it became state land. I don’t remember ever coming across anything like you have told me about or like what’s in those pictures Sara sent you of the inside of the cabin.”

“I looked at as many satellite images as I could find of this forest, and I never found a cabin at the location Sara gave me. I mean, it could be hidden by trees. She did say it was surrounded by them, so maybe that blocked the view.”

Steve asked, “Are you thinking Sara was not in this cabin she’s talking about?

“That thought has crossed my mind. I keep wondering if maybe she has a head injury because of her fall. Maybe she’s hallucinating, and instead of being in a cabin, she’s been in her tent. But then I have to question where the pictures of the cabin came from,” Kevin said with considerable concern in his voice.

“I have an idea,” Steve offered. “Why don’t we walk a little ways in, and you start trying to call Sara?”

“I like that idea,” Kevin agreed. “Sara should be getting close by now. I know how fast she moves if she has a goal set and wants to meet it.”

“You said she was pretty banged up after that fall, so maybe she is just taking things a little bit slower, or she is having to stop and rest more than normal. I have had my share of trips that have gone that way. It’s one of the things the two of you get to look forward to as you get older. These trips seem to take longer each year that passes,” Steve said with a smile, trying to lighten Kevin’s mood.

Kevin gave a single chuckle and replied, “You’re probably right. Let’s walk into the forest a little, and I will try to call her, and I will also try to locate her phone.”

Steve said nothing as he looked at Kevin with a raised eyebrow at the mention of tracking Sara’s phone.

“We have an app on our phones that lets us locate each other in case we get hurt while we are out, we get lost, or the car breaks down, things like that.” Kevin blinked a few times, then continued, “And I should have done that before we ever got here so we would know where she is and that she is okay.”

“You think?” Steve asked, his question dripping with sarcasm.

-

Sara sat at the base of an ancient oak tree, trying to catch her breath as she sipped from her water bottle and ate another protein bar. The massive white-tail buck was contentedly grazing only feet away from her as she watched him. A thought hit her like a bolt of lightning as she was thinking about how odd the deer’s behavior was.

“I must be out of my mind for doing this,” Sara whispered to herself before calling to the deer. “I know I keep calling you Ted, but I need you to tell me who you are. Are you Jim or Herschel?”

The deer stopped nibbling at the grass and turned to look at Sara. It walked to her and stopped close enough to her that she could feel the buck’s breath on her face. Sara held out both hands, palms up to the deer. The deer gently sniffed both of her hands before he looked into her eyes again.

“Okay, dude, we are going to play a game, and hopefully, you can answer that question. Are you Jim?” Sara asked, moving her left hand up and down. “Or are you Herschel?” With that question, Sara moved her right hand the same way. 

Sara had barely finished asking her questions when the buck gently touched his nose to her left palm. Sara could feel her heart pounding when the deer responded to her question. 

“You’re Jim?” Sara questioned to confirm.

The deer slowly and gracefully lowered his head to acknowledge Sara’s questions. Sara could feel goosebumps forming on her arms as she tried to wrap her mind around what was happening.

“Holy crap!” Sara whispered as she tried to remain calm. “No, no, no, this…this can’t be real. I must have hit my head harder than I thought. That has to be it. I must…I must have a head injury. That is why I think the deer is talking to me.” 

The buck huffed at her and managed to look offended.

“Okay! You’re not talking to me! You know what I mean!” Sara put her face in her hands. “Oh my God, I am still talking to a deer like it is human.”

Sara sat quietly as she tried to regain her composure.  She began to question everything that had happened to her from the time she fell until that moment. How much was she imagining, and how much was real? Sara jumped to her feet when her phone rang in her pocket, startling the deer and making him jump back.

“Hello?” Sara answered. Her voice was shaking and cracked when she spoke.

“Are you alright? What’s wrong?” Kevin questioned.

“I…uh,” Sara sputtered, her mind racing as she tried to explain what she was going through.

“Sara, are you lost?” Kevin asked, in near panic.

“No,” Sara exhaled.

“Okay, good,” Kevin said as he tried to calm down. “Are you hurt?”

“No. I mean yes…but…I…I’m fine. I think I’m fine. I don’t know,” Sara stammered.

“Sara, you need to sit down where you are, and we will come to you,” Kevin told her as he shot a look at Steve as they stood at the edge of the treeline. “I tried to locate your phone and could not do it. Please tell me where you are.”

“I’m alright. You don’t need to come and get me,” Sara told Kevin. “I, uh, think I was having a bit of a panic attack for a moment. Some of the things that have happened since I got hurt are so strange that I uh, I was questioning if I maybe have a head injury that is far worse than I had ever considered or had symptoms of.”

“Where are you? Steve and I will meet you,” Kevin said.

“You don’t need to do that. I should make it to the parking lot in about ten or fifteen minutes. I’m close, and I’m also off-trail, so I don’t want you to go wandering around in the forest and getting lost. I want you to take me home so I can sleep in my own bed for the next week,” Sara told him, sounding as cheerful as she could.

“Alright, we are just inside the trees near the trailhead. I will be watching for you. I’ve got to ask, though, is that deer still following you around?”

“He is still here, but you don’t have to worry about him. I will see you in a few minutes,” Sara told him.

“Alright, I will see you in a few minutes. I love you,” Kevin told her.

“I love you too, bye,” Sara replied before hanging up.

Sara tucked her phone back in her pocket and looked at the deer standing near her with his head tipped to the side. The buck had been studying her while she was speaking to her husband. She shook her head and let out a sigh as she began to laugh.

“Oh Ted, or do I need to call you Jim now? Either way, you are making me feel more than a little crazy right now,” Sara told the buck as she turned and started walking. “Come on, let’s go.”

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