Wendigo

Chapter 1

Sara Walker pulled into a parking lot at the Lost River State Forest and parked. She was grinning from ear to ear as she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, barely able to contain her excitement of finally being in one of the few places in Minnesota that she had not yet explored.

Sara picked up her phone and called her husband to let him know that she had made it safely to the forest. She also wanted to make sure that he did not worry if he was not able to reach her, and she would stay in contact with him as best as she could. Sara dialed her husband Kevin’s number, fidgeting as she waited for him to answer. She wanted to get started but would not begin her expedition until she spoke to Kevin.

Kevin answered his phone, “Hello, my love. Does this mean you have made it to the forest safely?”

“Yes, it does,” Sara giggled. “And it’s gorgeous! The sun is shining, and the weather is perfect. I just wish you could have come with me.”

“Believe me, I wish I was there with you too,” Kevin answered.

“Uh oh. That doesn’t sound good.”

“Yeah, it’s not. The main office knew something was going on here for a while, especially after the manager's sudden departure. It looks like there might be some serious things taking place, including embezzlement and misappropriation of funds. I hate to say it, but I might be here a lot longer than I thought,” Kevin explained.

“Oh, that’s horrible,” Sara said, pouting a little. “I hope you figure it out quickly and are home before I am. We are still newlyweds, after all, and this trip in the forest was supposed to be like a second honeymoon for us.”

“I can’t promise that I will be home before you are. What I can promise is that I will make it up to you,” Kevin told her. “Anyway, I know you need a break and some alone time, even from me. Enjoy yourself, and relax. Please call me or text me as you can. Just so I know you’re still alive.”

Sara let out a laugh and said, “Of course I will. If I know I’m going into an area where I will probably lose signal, I will let you know and how long I will be out of touch.”

“Thank you. That’s all I ask.”

“Oh, I stopped in Roseau as a final stop in civilization before getting here. When I did, I checked the weather forecast, and it looks like some rain will be moving into the area starting late tonight or early in the morning. That could throw off the cell signal in the area. It might also mean I cancel this adventure excursion early and head home if there are storms that get really bad or look like they are going to last for more than a day or two,” Sara told him. “As much as I love backcountry hiking and camping, I don’t enjoy it for days at a time in the pouring rain. I’ve done that, and it was miserable.”

“I remember you dragging yourself inside the house, caked in mud, soaked to the skin, and shivering after that,” Kevin said. “If the weather gets bad, please go home where you’re safe. Then, later on, we can do the trip together like we had originally planned.”

“Do you want me to wait to hike the Lost River Forest?” Sara asked.

“No,” Kevin assured her. “I want you to go explore and enjoy yourself. Make sure you mark all the amazing stuff you find on a map so you can show it to me later. If you go now, it will be like I have a private guide when we go back together.”

Sara laughed, “I feel like that’s cheating somehow.”

“It is not cheating,” Kevin said. “It is smart on my part. Go! Have fun, be careful, de-stress, relax, and remember I love you.”

“I love you too, and I will do all of that. That’s why I came out here.”

“Good. Sorry, Babe, I’ve got to go. Call me tonight after you set up camp if you have a cell signal. Bye,” Kevin told her.

“I will, bye,” she said.

Sara hung up her phone and sat looking out her car windshield when movement caught her eye at the edge of the tree line. She focused on the area where she thought something moved. After a moment, Sara saw a massive white-tail buck slowly making his way through the trees. It was watching her car, and she felt as if he was watching her.

Sara mumbled to herself, “Not even out of my car yet, and I already have wildlife. This is going to be a good trip. Oh, Kev, you’re going to miss out on so much.”

Sara got out of her car and jogged to the back to begin the final check on her pack and gear before she headed out into the wilderness for the next twelve days. While she did this, she could hear the deer still walking in the trees and felt its eyes on her even when she could not see it. Sara scanned the tree line as she picked up her pack and hefted it onto her back. She located the buck, standing still among the trees, staring at her. She had her eyes locked on it as she slammed the back of her vehicle closed, expecting the giant deer to bolt at the sound. To her astonishment, the deer only flicked his ear and continued to watch her.

“Oh yeah,” Sara said sarcastically. “Nothing weird about that at all.” Her mind jumped to what Steve had told her at the store the evening before about the wendigo sightings a century ago. “Well, if you are the wendigo, I can promise you that the granola bars I have with me will taste a lot better than I will. I’ll share them with you if you’re hungry. Then again, if I get caught in the rain for a week, I might appreciate you eating me.”

The deer twitched his ear again as he continued to stare at Sara. Sara shook her head as she fastened the belts and buckles to secure her backpack and get started. She began to walk toward the trail with the deer’s gaze continuing to follow her. Sara was anxious to get started, and she knew her first stop would be a clearing Steve had told her would be full of flowers. She glanced toward the deer one final time and wondered why he was behaving the way he was. She did not think about it long as she began her trek into the forest and her first stop.

Sara was hiking at a leisurely pace, and within twenty minutes, she had made it to the glade Steve had told her about. She let out an audible gasp when she first laid eyes on it. The rainbow field of wildflowers before her took her breath away. Sara began taking pictures of the meadow and flowers, the birds and butterflies flittering about. Sara’s heart nearly stopped when she swept her camera lens across the field and saw the buck was standing on the opposite side of the clearing, watching her intently.

“What the…,” she muttered. “How did you get over there so fast?”

Sara felt a shiver run down her spine as the massive deer stared at her from its spot at the edge of the trees. As Sara looked at it, she raised her camera, zoomed in on the buck, and began taking pictures. The deer stood motionless except for a few ear flicks as it gazed at her. When she was done, she turned off the camera and strapped it back to her pack.

Sara said to the deer, “At least now, if you murder me, I have pictures so they can identify you.

Sara started laughing at the silliness of what she said. She knew it probably was not even the same white-tail deer she had seen earlier. Sara was hiking in a state forest, so there were bound to be dozens, if not hundreds, of them in the area. The story Steve had told her about the wendigo had to have gotten to her far more than she had realized. It did not help that she had been reading up on the wendigo the night before after she had been told about the legend in the area surrounding Roseau.

Sara threw one more glance in the direction of the buck as she continued on her hike. She had marked many locations on her map, almost all of them recommended to her by Steve. Sara had a general plan and schedule worked out for the trip, which is something she always did. Sara never strictly stuck to the plan or schedule, but she liked to have it so she was not roaming about blinding. It also gave her family and friends a starting point if she failed to check in or return home. She always left a copy for her husband and a second copy in her car if something happened.

Sara soaked up the sun on the bright June day as she made her way through the forest and glades. She had a specific location in mind for where she wanted to camp her first night and wanted to get there while the sun was still up so she could use her solar charger to ensure all of her batteries and devices were fully charged if it were going to be cloudy and raining for a few days like the forecast had said it would be.

Occasionally, Sara would hear a twig snap and look to see the buck was still following her. White-tail deer had never scared her. There was no reason to be afraid of them. However, the bucks could be more aggressive during rutting season. They were generally timid and docile. But this one was not acting like any white-tail deer she had ever encountered in her life. It was following her and did not seem to have any fear of her. She tried to brush it off as perhaps it had been raised by hand and then released, causing it to be friendly toward humans. She hoped that was the reason for its bizarre behavior.

It was after five that afternoon when Sara reached the location where she wanted to set up her camp for the night. It was at the top of a hill with a steep drop off to the west, where she could look over one of the rivers that flowed through the forest. Trees surrounded the small opening on three sides and gave her shelter and shade from the sun, making it perfect for her tent. The area near the edge was an excellent place to set up her small campfire to cook her dinner and boil the water she had collected for drinking.

Sara made quick work of setting up camp and getting the fire started. As she waited for her dinner to cook, she set up the solar charger and began doing the battery checks. Sara pulled out her camera and saw the charge was still fully charged, then set it aside. When everything was charging and dinner was cooking, she tried to call her husband. Her phone signal was not good, but she hoped it would be good enough to make a call. If not, texting would have to do. She crossed her fingers as she waited for Kevin to answer.

“Hello, beautiful,” Kevin answered his phone. “Are you having fun?”

“Oh, Kev, you have no idea how much I wish you were here with me,” Sara gushed as she looked out over the vista before her.

“That good, huh?”

“It is beautiful. Hang on. Let me try to get a picture so you can see this,” Sara told him.

Sara quickly snapped a picture of the view in front of her and sent it to her husband. She wanted him to know what she was getting to enjoy. A small part of her also wanted to make him jealous because he had been forced to back out of the trip at the last minute, thanks to a work emergency.

“Did you get it?” Sara asked after she had sent it.

“Hang on. I just got a message,” Kevin answered her. There was a slight pause before he spoke again. “Wow! Please tell me we get to camp there when we go there together.”

Sara let out a laugh and said, “Oh, definitely! You know, I’m glad I ran into that guy, Steve, at the store last night. This is one of the places he told me about. I’ve got to say, he knows this place like the back of his hand.”

“Maybe we should have him over for dinner to thank him,” Kevin suggested. “As long as you make it back alive and he isn’t out there stalking you, that is.”

“Haha. Very funny,” Sara replied dryly. “No, seriously. I am thinking about maybe making him some cookies or something to say thank you. And as for stalking, the only thing stalking me here is this weird deer.”

Her husband questioned, “Weird deer?”

“I know how that sounds,” she admitted. “This deer, a big white-tail buck, has been watching me since before I got out of my car. The thing has followed me every step of the way. I can hear twigs breaking back in the trees right now, and I know if I look, it will be that deer.” Sara turned and glanced over her shoulder to see the deer peeking around a tree at her. “Yup, there it is. It had to have been raised by hand and released here in the forest when it was old enough. That is the only thing I can think of.”

“Well, you’re not wrong. That is a weird deer,” Kevin said. “You are also probably right about it being raised by someone and then being released into the forest. Does it look sick or anything?”

“No, it looks like a huge, perfectly healthy, uninjured, white-tail buck. Just in case I die in some strange or bizarre way, I have pictures of it so it can be identified.”

“You aren’t worried about what that Steve guy told you when it comes to the wendigo, are you?” Kevin questioned.

“No, I was joking. The deer is gorgeous, which is why I have so many pictures of it already. I think the wendigo is a good legend and was a way of explaining either animal attacks, murders, or even illnesses that were taking place around Roseau.”

Kevin asked, “Shouldn’t you be conserving your phone battery? Do we need to keep this short?”

Sara answered, “Not really. I brought six fully charged battery packs plus my solar charger. I used part of a battery pack to top off my phone earlier, and now that pack is on my solar charger.”

“I should have known you would be prepared with backups to your backups,” Kevin chuckled.

“Well, of course!” Sara laughed. “I’m a nurse trained in wilderness survival and whose hobby is backcountry hiking for weeks at a time. I know how to be prepared.”

“I’m guessing you already have your camp set up for the night and either have cooked dinner and sterilized water for your canteens, or you are in the process of it, which is why you called me as you kill time.”

“You know me well,” Sara said as she got up from where she was sitting and walked to her campfire. “I am taking care of dinner and water now, so it is a waiting game for both.”

“I do wish I was there with you,” Kevin told her wistfully.

“I wish you were here too,” Sara answered softly. “I will send you pictures of the sunset tonight. I might even try a video chat so we can watch it set together.”

“I would love that. You can have your red beans and rice, and I will order a pizza. We can eat dinner together a few hundred miles apart,” Kevin told her.

Sara asked, “How in the world did you know I was having red beans and rice?”

“Because you always cook that on your first night out.”

“I do?”

“You do. Every time I have been out with you, you have made that the first night. It has never failed.”

Sara thought for a moment before she answered, “I do, don’t I? I didn’t even realize I did that. How didn’t I know I do that?”

Kevin started, laughing, “I don’t know. It isn’t a bad thing, but that is the one thing that is very predictable about your trips. Do you want me to tell you what other food you have with you and the order you will eat it in?”

“Noooo,” Sara laughed. “Sorry, my love, but I have to get off here for a little while and take care of everything I have on the fire. I’ll call you later so we can enjoy the sunset together.”

“No problem, Babe,” Kevin replied. “I love you.”

“I love you too. Bye,” Sara said, then hung up.

She stuck the phone in her pocket as she picked up her spoon to stir her dinner. As she stirred, she heard rustling in the trees behind her tent. She glanced up to see the buck nibbling at the leaves of a tree near her camp.

“You know,” Sara said to the deer. “If you are going to keep following me, I need to come up with a name for you. What about Jeff? Like Jeffery Dahmer.” She stood, turning to face the deer as it continued to daintily munch on leaves. “Nah, you’re not a Jeff. You’re more like Ted Bundy. Handsome, charming, and will kill me when I least expect it.”

The buck looked at Sara, flicked his ear, and snorted. He stared at her as he continued to chew on his mouth full of leaves. The gaze the deer had on her sent a shiver down Sara’s spine as she went back to her campfire. She could feel it watching her as she pulled her pot of water out of the fire and again stirred her dinner as it cooked.

For the next thirty minutes, Sara went about setting up her camera and everything she needed to capture the sunset over the valley. By the time she had finished, her dinner was ready to eat. The entire time Sara had been getting things ready, she could hear the deer moving in the forest around her camp. Its presence had bothered her earlier in the day, but now she was getting used to him being near her.

Sara checked her dinner once more before pulling the pot out of the fire so it would cool. She looked over her shoulder to the area behind her tent where the deer was now grazing.

“I would share with you, but I doubt you would like red beans and rice,” she called out to the deer.

The deer stopped eating and raised its head slightly to look at her. With an exasperated snort, it went back to eating and ignoring her.

Sara watched the deer for a couple of minutes before she settled in, called her husband again, and prepared to eat her dinner. As she watched it, she could not help but feel like the deer somehow understood what she was saying to it, and it was responding in the best way it could. Sara shook her head, knowing how absurd that thought was. She dialed her husband as she attempted to push that thought out of her mind.

“Hello, my love,” Kevin answered.

“Hello. Are you home, back at your hotel, safe and sound?” Sara asked.

“I am. The pizza was just delivered, and I was waiting for your call so we could eat together. With luck, you will send me pictures of the sunset from your camp.”

Sara told him, “I have my beans and rice sitting beside me. My camera is set up and ready to go for the sunset, which has some promise of being glorious tonight. A few of the clouds at the edge of the storm system are starting to move into the area.”

“Between the storm and that weird deer, I am going to be worried about you even more than usual,” Kevin said. “Is that deer still hanging around?”

“Yes, he is,” Sara answered. “He is having the all-you-can-eat salad bar that is behind my tent.”

“That is so strange.”

“It is,” Sara said, glancing at the deer. “But I like him. He isn’t bothering anything. He’s just kind of keeping me company as I do this. To be honest, I hope he stays with me the whole trip.”

“You know, I’ve heard about people bonding with a stray dog or cat while on vacation, but I’ve got to say, you are the first person I have ever heard of who has bonded with a full-grown deer,” Kevin said, trying not to laugh.

Sara let out a giggle and replied, “I’ve been thinking about that one myself. It sounds crazy, but I feel like he understands what I’ve said when I’ve spoken to him. It’s like he understands the words, and he has responded to them. Ted’s different than any other deer I have ever dealt with. I have never seen anything like it before.”

Kevin asked, “Ted? Did you name him after Ted Bundy?”

“Maybe,” Sara answered hesitantly. She knew her husband was well aware of her interest in true crimes and serial killers. “He is also cute, and I would love to hug him like a teddy bear if he wouldn’t try to gore me with his antlers or stomp me into the ground.”

“Who knows, by the end of your trip, he might be sharing your tent with you,” Kevin teased her.

“I can think of worse things.”

“Yeah, like a skunk sharing your tent with you.”

“Stop!” Sara laughed. “You’re going to jinx me, and I’m going to be sprayed by a skunk or something now.”

“I’m sorry, Babe. I don’t want to jinx you. I want you to make it home safe and sound after having the time of your life,” Kevin told her.

“No matter how much fun I have, it would be better if you were here. Don’t worry. I have already marked a few things on the map that you will have to see when we come here together. Where I set up camp is at the top of the list. Even if we just take a weekend and come up here, it would be amazing. I can’t wait for you to see this view in person.”

“I am up for that anytime you want to do it. I’d be happy if we did that every time we both have days off together,” Kevin said.

“Oh, so, once a year then?” Sara chided. “I know it’s not like that, but it has felt like it recently.”

“I know,” Kevin sighed. “And I’m going to be working on that.”

“You are?”

“Yes, I will fill you in on everything when you get home because I’m still working out some of the details. It will include a change in my duties, a promotion, and a pay raise, plus more regular days off and a lot fewer emergencies like this one. Think you can handle that?” Kevin asked.

“That’s fantastic, Babe! I’m so happy for you,” Sara exclaimed. “Well, as long as you’re happy about it. Do you want to do that? I know you love what you do. If you’re not going to be happy, no amount of money will make it worth it.”

There was a pause before Kevin replied, “This is why I love you so much. I tell you that I will be making more money with fewer hours, and the only thing you want to know is if I will be happy.”

“Of course. When you’re unhappy, you get grumpy, and then you make me unhappy. I only want you to be happy for my own benefit,” Sara told him as seriously as she could.

Kevin stifled a laugh at his wife’s joke, “I knew you had a motive for wanting me happy.”

Sara’s tone softened as she said, “In all seriousness, the choice is yours. Just remember that I want you to do what will make you the happiest. Not what you think I want. Because money is not it. I would rather us be poor and happy than rich and miserable.”

“I will keep that in mind. What does the sunset look like there? I’m starting to get a little pink here.”

“The clouds from the storm front are looking very dark and a little purple right now,” Sara said.

“I’m worried about you being out in that forest, knowing those storms are coming.”

Sara could hear the worry in her husband’s voice. She had been backcountry hiking and camping since she was in high school. Sara was exceptionally well-trained and experienced, yet Kevin worried about her every time she went on a trip.

“I’ll be fine, Kev. I promise I will. I have been doing this for a long time, and I have been caught in weather far worse than what is being forecast for the next few days. Remember the story I told you about when I got caught in a tornado and had to hold on to a tree as it passed?”

“I will never forget that story. That is a large part of why I’m worried about the weather you are going to have.”

“Don’t worry so much. I’ll be fine,” Sara reassured her husband.

Sara and Kevin continued to talk for the next two hours as the sunset over the valley, each eating their respective dinners. Sara took many pictures, sending them to her husband each time she took one. She did her best to hide her disappointment that he could not join her and hoped that he had not noticed.

Sara sat near the dying fire and watched the night sky. The storm front was moving in faster than the weather reports said it would. From the lightning flashes she could see on the horizon, she could also tell that the storms were going to be more severe than the last forecast she had seen was predicting. She contemplated packing up her camp, hiking out that night, and going home. However, something in the back of her mind was telling her to stay.

The first distant rumble of thunder made Sara sigh and made the decision for her about staying or leaving. She would have to stay. There would be no way for her to break down her campsite and hike back to her car in the dark before the storms got to her. That wasn’t even counting the added danger of trying to do a hike like that in the dark.

Sara quickly put everything in its place and got ready to bed down for the night early. Just as she finished putting away her camera and stashing it and her pack in her tent, she heard a twig snap behind the tent.

“Ted, I hope that’s you,” Sara called out to the deer she had named. She was greeted with a snort she was becoming familiar with. “Alright, Ted, I’m going to bed. I recommend you find shelter because you won’t fit in my tent with me.”

Sara listened intently for a response. She was met with another snort and the sound of delicately placed hooves moving away from her. Sara smiled as she crawled into her tent and attempted to get some sleep. She knew the storms would make sleep elusive, so she needed to go to bed as early as possible with the hopes of getting as much as possible.