51: The Series

51: The Beginning Chapter 16 Part 2

They got into Lindsay’s car and began the drive. As they traveled, they started discussing plans to renovate and redecorate part of their house. They talked about other things as Lindsay drove, but then Lindsay had to ask a question.

“Wren, I have to know something. Could this really be some kind of flying monkey? I know we have made jokes about it, but I need you to give me a straight answer on this one,” she said.

“Linz, I can promise you that I have never heard of or seen anything like a flying monkey. If there is a real one, I would be just as surprised as you,” Wren told her.

They drove in silence for a few more miles until they neared where the thing had been seen. Lindsay could tell from the road and landmarks that they were where Max had recorded the video on the patrol car camera. She pulled the car off the road near a creek and looked at the address again. They were where it was reportedly seen.

“Well, I guess we are here. That means we should get out of the car and have a look around,” Lindsay said.

“You first,” Wren said with a straight face. “They always go after the pretty girl first.”

“Gee, thanks, I love you too,” Lindsay said, feigning being hurt before she laughed.

They both got out and stood for a moment, listening for anything out of the ordinary. All they could hear were birds, squirrels, and the water running in the creek. They slowly walked toward a low-water bridge ahead of them. As they reached it, Lindsay thought back to when she was a kid and would play in the water.

“We need to take a vacation,” Wren said out of nowhere.

“Now? Are you serious?” Lindsay asked.

“Not right now, but after we get things a little more back to normal around here. What do you think of the idea?” Wren asked, taking Lindsay’s hand.

“I think that is a great idea,” she said.

Standing on the bridge, they heard a sound that made them look at each other. It sounded like a giant bird flying. The water made it difficult to locate where the sound was coming from. They both began turning to pinpoint where it was. It was unmistakably the flapping of wings. Lindsay could not help but say a silent prayer that it was an eagle, but her prayer was not answered. They both saw it when it came out of the trees and crossed above the creek in front of them. Max had been right; it was a flying monkey.

It had enormous wings that were larger than the bald eagles that were in the area. Its body was small with long legs and arms, looking similar to a small rhesus monkey. It had a long tail and had a golden-brown coat of fur. It turned and saw them as it flew. It let out a little shriek, turned, and glided into the nearby trees.

“That was a flying…” Lindsay began.

“…flying freakin’ monkey,” Wren finished.

“Agent Gold, what would you suggest we do with this thing?” Lindsay asked.

“I don’t know. That doesn’t exist. That is all I know,” Wren answered.

“I bet you wish you had brought your big butterfly net now, don’t you?” she asked.

Wren replied, “You tease, but you have to admit that would work well for this.”

“I think we need to go back to the car just in case it decides we are a threat. Monkeys can be mean little suckers,” Lindsay said.

“Yeah, good idea,” Wren answered.

They quickly walked back to the car and got in. Lindsay went a step further and locked the doors. They sat and watched for a few minutes before they saw it again over the trees by the creek. Lindsay grabbed the binoculars from the glove compartment and watched it more closely. She could see the wings were feathered and had an almost iridescent look to them. The fur was completely smooth and glistened in the sun. She handed the binoculars to Wren. He took them without saying a word and began to watch it as it slowly moved above the trees.

“That is remarkable, absolutely remarkable. I have never seen anything even remotely like this,” Wren said, breaking the silence.

“Have you thought about what to do with it yet?” Lindsay asked.

“No, I haven’t. I have to tell you if I call a team for this, I would be forced to tell them to follow a standard capture or kill order. After watching this thing fly, I want to ensure it stays alive, safe, and it won’t be harmed or researched. This is the first time I have ever not wanted to call a team,” Wren said.

Lindsay looked at Wren and could see he was conflicted over this. He was a very by-the-book person. To her knowledge, he had always done everything precisely, as the rules were written.

Lindsay said, “Wren, you are dealing with something that every cop deals with. That is deciding whether to follow the letter of the law or the spirit of the law. From what I can tell, your job is to remove any threats to the general population of this county. Ask yourself some questions. Is this thing a threat to people or animals? If you decide not to remove it, and it does harm someone, are you ready for the consequences?”

Wren looked at her. “I have a team that I can call. They are a little more careful about how they remove things. I might also be able to make some special arrangements because this little thing does not exist. Some things are unusual that I have seen and that I am aware of. Those things were involved in the incident, but this one was not. I don’t know why, but he is special for some reason.”

“Would you like to sit here and watch it until your special team arrives?” Lindsay asked.

“I would. I might even stay after the team arrives. I know I normally don’t do that, but I feel it is important for some reason,” Wren told her.

“You can stay out here as long as you need to. I will even help you pitch a tent and bring you food and supplies if you want me to. I know what it is like to have something important and have people think you are crazy because of it. You do remember what I was like after I got hurt, don’t you? I was obsessed with research and finding out what happened to me,” Lindsay said, taking his hand. “I remember you being there for me, and I will be there for you if this amazing little creature becomes your obsession.”

“This is one reason I love you. I know you are there for me even when you don’t know what I am doing or why I am doing it,” Wren said.

Wren made the call to his special team and gave them the location. Then they sat in the car and watched as the little creature floated in the air currents above the creek in the valley where they were. As they watched, it began to do what looked like little somersaults in the air. They could tell that it was playing and just being happy. The sun would catch on its wings, and they seemed almost to glow a rainbow of colors, and its fur looked like gold. It was the most fantastic thing they had seen.

They had been watching it for almost an hour before they saw a van pull up behind them. A tall, thin man with glasses got out and walked toward the patrol car. He was looking up at the little creature still flying above the creek as he did. Wren and Lindsay got out and walked to meet the man.

“Randy, thank you for coming out to help on this one,” Wren said to the man.

“Is that it, Agent Gold? It is remarkable! Just remarkable!” Randy exclaimed.

The creature had come closer to where the vehicles were parked and seemed quite curious about what was taking place.

“Remarkable is the best way to describe it. What is your plan to catch this little guy?” Wren asked.

“I’m not sure yet. I must admit that I didn’t believe what you had told me, but now, I see that it is real and completely wonderful,” Randy said excitedly.

“Whatever you decide to do, make sure you don’t hurt it,” Wren instructed. “Are the others coming out to help you?”

“They should be here soon. They wanted to pick up a few things first,” Randy answered. Randy went to the van and pulled out a pair of binoculars.

He began to watch the little creature fly and play in the air, still doing somersaults. They all waited for the rest of the team to arrive and watched in total fascination. Occasionally, Randy would mutter “amazing” or “remarkable,” but other than that, they said nothing.

A second van pulled in behind the one Randy had driven to the location. Four men got out of the vehicle and walked toward them. As they did, they were looking up toward the little creature still playing in the air.

“You were serious about a flying monkey,” one of them said.

“You guys form a plan on how to catch that without hurting it. The sheriff and I will go back up to the low water bridge. When you have come up with an idea, come and get me,” Wren instructed.

Wren and Lindsay returned to the bridge and watched the little flying monkey. It was coming within about twenty-five feet of them; it would stop in front of them, hover by slowly flapping its wings, and look at them as if trying to understand what they were while tipping its head from side to side. When it was that close, Wren and Lindsay could see that it was even more amazing than they had first realized.

“Sir, I think we have a plan on how to catch it,” one of the men from the second van said. “It doesn’t know what we are talking about, does it?” he asked, looking at the monkey.

“I have no idea if it does or not. Let’s go back to the vans just in case it does,” Wren said. “Lindsay, are you coming?”

“I will be there in a minute,” she replied, not taking her eyes off the little creature.

As Wren and the other man walked toward the vehicles, Lindsay sat down on the concrete slab of the low water crossing. She sat quietly and watched as the little creature began slowly to come closer to her. It landed on a rock just a few feet away from her in the creek.

“You are an amazing little guy. I wish I could tell you everything will be OK, but I don’t know if it will be,” she quietly said. “I have never seen anything like you, and I probably never will again.”

As she spoke to it, she watched as it hopped to a rock closer to her. It seemed to be listening to her, but she had no idea how it would understand what she was saying.

Wren and his team had been watching her and could see it sitting close to her and getting closer. Wren had a moment of panic thinking of the worst-case scenario. As he watched, he could tell that, somehow, it seemed to have a connection to Lindsay. He thought about what she had told him about the poltergeist days earlier and began to wonder if maybe she was even more special than anyone knew.

Lindsay continued to sit on the bridge and watch the little creature she knew was unnatural. It hopped to a rock next to the concrete bridge. As she watched it, it slowly crawled from the stone onto the bridge. It was so close that she could have touched it, but she sat still so she did not frighten it.

“I knew you were more curious than scared. We have that in common,” Lindsay said to it.

It looked at her and made a soft sound, almost as if he was answering her.

“I hate it, but I think you should go with these men. They want to keep you safe, and if you stay here, you won’t be.”

It lowered its head and made another sound.

“I know you are having fun, but you need to be safe. These men will make sure you have fun. You won’t be locked up all the time. They like to watch you play in the sky too much for that.”

It made another sound, walked over to her, put its tiny hand on her leg, and looked up at her. Lindsay slowly and carefully moved her hand near it, keeping her fist closed in case it did bite. It took hold of her hand with both hands and rubbed its face on her hand. She slowly started to rub its head with her finger.

Wren and his team had all been slowly creeping toward Lindsay on the bridge. They could not believe what they were seeing. Lindsay, the county sheriff, had no training for things like this and, more importantly, did not have the clearance to do what she was doing. Wren was not worried about the training and clearance; he was thinking about what would happen if that little thing were to attack his wife.

“Lindsay, are you OK?” Wren asked as quietly as he could from about twenty feet away.

“We are both fine, Wren. All of you can come closer if you like. Just walk slowly and quietly,” she answered calmly.

When they reached where Lindsay was sitting, the little creature looked up at them and waved as if it had been trained. They could see that it had blue eyes, almost the color of the ocean. It slowly walked upright to Wren, touched him on the leg with one hand, and held up the other to him, almost as if it was a greeting. It then moved on to each of the other men and then back to Lindsay, sitting on her leg and lifting her hand back to its head.

“I think you have a pet,” Wren told Lindsay.

“She will never be a pet. She’s just lonely,” Lindsay said.

Randy asked, “How do you know it is a she?”

“It will sound crazy, but I just feel it,” Lindsay told him.

“Well, it is an almost rainbow-colored flying monkey, so I would say that crazy is the new normal around here,” Randy grinned.

Wren asked Lindsay, “Would you be willing to help put this little girl in the van for the trip?”

“Of course,” she told Wren. “Let me get up, little girl. You need to go with these men to your new home. I will carry you to the van,” she said to the monkey.

The little creature hopped off her leg and stood next to her patiently. She stood up and brushed herself off. She looked at the men standing near her, who seemed to be almost in a state of shock. She looked down at the creature.

Lindsay asked it, “Do you want me to pick you up, or do you want to climb up for me to hold you?”

The little creature jumped up and down, then slowly and carefully climbed up Lindsay and into her arms. It seemed completely happy, as if they had known each other forever. Lindsay looked down at her with wonder and smiled. As they walked toward the van, Lindsay hoped she would be going to a safe place and not be locked in a cage for the rest of her life. When they reached the van, Randy opened the back doors. Inside, there was a wire mesh separating the front and back. In the back was a bowl of fresh-cut fruit, a small hammock hanging in one corner, and a horizontal bar in the other.

“I didn’t know what would be more comfortable for her, so I made sure both were ready,” Randy said.

“What do you think, little one? Did Randy do a good job?” Lindsay asked the creature as it crawled out of her arms and into the back of the van.

It walked over to the bar first and climbed up on it. It sat for a moment, then carefully crawled off and into the hammock. She lay down in it and began to swing. She let out a sound that could almost be described as a giggle. She crawled out of the hammock and over to the fruit. She picked up a piece of plum and crawled back into the hammock, reaching out a tiny hand.

“Randy, I think she wants to thank you,” Lindsay told him. “Make a fist and put it next to her.”

Randy made a fist and then looked at Lindsay. He took a deep breath and slowly put it near the little winged monkey. When it was near her, she took hold of it and pulled it toward her. She rubbed her face on it and seemed to kiss it. When she was done, she let go and took a bite of her plum.

“That…that...was astonishing. It touched me, and I think it did say thank you in its way,” Randy said excitedly.

“We have to close the doors, little one. I can’t go with you, but Randy will be with you the whole time,” Lindsay told it.

It let out a soft sound, and Randy closed the doors. The other men had said very little while there and quickly got into the second van without additional words. Randy, Wren, and Lindsay walked toward the front of the vehicle. Randy got in and started the engine. Wren looked at Lindsay with amazement.

Lindsay asked Wren, “Are you going with Randy and the little one?”

“No, I think they have that under control. They know to call me if there are any problems,” Wren said.

“So, does that mean we get to go home after you pick up your car from the department?”

“It does. I also want to ask you about a million questions after what happened here today,” Wren said.

They got into her patrol car and began the drive back to the sheriff’s department. Lindsay drove like normal, but every time she glanced at Wren, he was looking at her. She could tell that what had happened had made him uneasy, which bothered her.

“All right, Wren spit it out. Just tell me what is wrong,” Lindsay said.

“What happened back there? You told me about the poltergeist and how it acted as if it understood you, and now that little mutant monkey. How can these things know what you are saying? And more importantly, why do all of them seem to be attached to you in some way?” Wren asked, barely pausing to breathe.

“I don’t know the answer to any of those questions, babe. I wish I did because I want the answers the same as you do,” she answered him.

Wren took her hand and held it tightly the entire way back to the sheriff’s department. Lindsay knew that if she went inside, she would not get out for a while, so she sat in her car and called the phone on Big Bob’s desk. Lindsay saw his car and knew he and Little Bob were both there. She made the call short. If they had found any replacements for Keith, give her those files in the morning. She was going home. She watched Wren get in his car, pull out of the parking lot, and begin the drive home.

She followed him toward their home. She was exhausted, mentally and physically. She was still trying to wrap her head around the beautiful little creature that had become her friend. She sincerely hoped she would get to see her again. Wren’s questions had made her think about what was happening in the county. The increase in the number of strange calls about creatures and unexplained events was troubling. The calls that she had taken, she did see that she had affected them in some way. She knew that things would not be normal in her county for a long time, if ever, and she was ready for whatever was thrown at her.