Spirit on the Hill

Short Story. A young man returns to his hometown. He revisits the time he found a shrine in the hills and had a unique encounter.

On a warm summer day, a young, casually dressed man approached a yellow house in a suburban area. He looked at it with a glazed-over expression. It was a sight he had seen so many times its image became redundant in his memories.

Clutched in his fist were a set of keys.

          The young man, Samuel, was medium build with round glasses. He had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. He inhaled�"the cherry lit bright orange�"then exhaled. The smoke swirled around as it rose and vanished into the clear-blue skies.

          He put out his cigarette on the heel of his shoe and made his way to the front door. Fumbling with the keys, he found the one he was looking for and unlocked the house. Upon opening it he was blasted with dust. It was like a cannon had shot him in the face without any ammunition.

          “It hasn’t been that long�"cough, cough�"and it is already this dusty?” He covered his mouth with his hand, avoiding any more inhalation of the volatile particles.

          This mustard-yellow house was his childhood home that resided in the small middle-of-nowhere town, Coyote Bluffs. Samuel’s mother and father left it for him when they moved away to somewhere more exciting.

          “A couple months and this place became a disaster zone. Ground zero of the dust wars.” Sam chuckled to himself as he stroked a nearby coat hanger with his finger, which had now become so covered with dust he could not discern his fingerprint.

          Samuel was a freelance photographer and could work with a lot of his clients online. His parents were reluctant to just sell the house to a stranger, so when they offered it to Sam it had been a perfect opportunity. This nothing-of-a-town was ripe for photography. Everything about Coyote Bluffs was rustic, and the town was surrounded by lush wildlife.

          “I should probably air out this place first. Nothing seems to have color anymore from the layers of dust. It’s like a black and white picture. I know mom was bad at cleaning but…” He continued mumbling to himself as he walked room to room opening the blinds and the windows.

          He opened the final window of the house to let light bleed into his old bedroom. Many of his old toys were still there. They had been boxed up and condensed with numerous other belongings that were not his own. His old bedroom was now a storage room�"the only belonging he had that was not boxed up was his old bed.

          Sam began opening boxes to see what he used to be into as a child, just out of pure curiosity. Lots of robots and cars, superhero action figures and the like. “I was pretty generic child, huh? I do not remember playing with any of these toys or even picking them out.” He glanced around the room filled with so many boxes. “Maybe I can turn this into a study. If I am able to clear out all of this rubbish first.”

          Sam glanced over at his bedroom window, which faced the back of the house. The house’s backyard was just a hill; actually, it was several hills, and trees as far as the eye can see. This town was a valley town in the sticks, separated from the busting big cities in the pre-internet days.

           Pushing open the slide window, Samuel stuck his head out, feeling the wind on his face. The fresh air was beyond euphoric. The atmosphere in his hometown was so calm and the air untainted, unlike the city where he lived beforehand.

          He felt an unexpected bit of nostalgia when he looked out at the tree-filled bluffs. So many gentle thoughts swam out from the back of his mind.  Those thoughts brought out memories alongside them; memories he had buried in the depths of his mind came flowing out all at once.

          The memory of the time he got lost in those hills stuck out more than any other.

          I wonder if that shrine is still out there? Nature might have destroyed it over these past years, He pondered.

         

***

 

          When Sam was a child, around the age of ten or eleven, he had woken up in the dead of night after escaping a nightmare he was having. He looked frantically around his room; moments of stupor from waking up.

          Once he had calmed down a bit, he decided against bothering his parents, who were fast asleep in the room across from his own.

It was just another nightmare. I am not afraid. I don’t need mom and dad.

          For the past few months, he had been having nightmares and kept waking his parents up whenever he was afraid to go back to bed. The young boy felt guilty for doing this�"his mother and father did not mind though. They were a lovey-dovey couple who were ecstatic at having a child. They overhyped every experience they would have with their child. Good times or bad times, each one felt like an earned achievement of parenthood. Their neighbors would say they were an odd, yet happy, couple.

          Young Sam felt the urge to open his window and stare out towards the hills. The air was cool, and it was quiet. His tense muscles relaxed. The only sounds that were heard were the chirping of crickets. Fear had left his body while he listened to the symphony.

          The hills were usually lit only by moonlight and the stars­, but this night was a bit different. Sam noticed in the center of one of the hills a green, dull light emitted. He had never experienced this before. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. Was he imagining things? The light was getting brighter and brighter. For several minutes, the light intensified before finally going out. Samuel assumed he was only tired and went back under his covers.

          The next night the same thing happened. And the night after. Every following night the green light would appear, get brighter, then vanish. Such an event only happened for ten minutes at most.

          Young Sam’s curiosity was piqued by such a phenomenon, it was not his imagination running wild. The youthful, black-haired boy was seeing a mysterious light out on those hills. He told his parents about the green light he had been seeing through the trees at night, but they did not believe him. “Our son has such a creative imagination,” they would say.

          Sam took the matter into his own hands and began to explore the hills on his weekends to try and get to the bottom of the mysterious light. He did not have any friends, so he had a lot of free time to explore the hills. Every time he explored, he went farther and stayed out much longer, searching for where the light came from. He only did this during the daytime because he was afraid of the dark. This did not help his search as the green light only came out in the dead of night.

          Samuel had gone too far one cloudy, dismal day. He was lost amongst the endless trees and the uncharted hillsides. The young boy panicked; the sun was setting over the horizon.

           If he were lost in the hills at night he would surely die from nature’s wrath�"at least that was what he believed. Falling and injuring himself was a possibility if he stumbled around in the dark, or, worst of all, the creatures that gave the town its namesake could catch him and tear him apart. Coyotes.

          Darkness fell. Unable to see a few feet in front of him, the boy curled up into a ball. He sobbed. The nightmares he had been having were not as scary as reality was right now. Never seeing his parents again was all he could think of.

          As he was crying he could hear a faint sound. The crickets that had been chirping earlier were deafened and replaced by this noise. Samuel stopped his crying, looking around his black environment.

          “.....”

          He heard it again. It sounded almost like words, distant and muffled.

          “.......!”

          It was louder this time. Samuel mistakenly thought that the sound was coming from beneath his feet. He stuck his ear to the ground to listen.

          “......lass?”

          Sam picked his face back from the ground. The sound was coming north from him. Ears were his only guide in the darkness until he was able to see that light. That green light he saw in the hills at night was poking through the trees, not too far away from where he was.

          “Why.......glass?”

          He heard it much more clearly. It was a woman’s voice. He picked up speed, weaving through the trees as he got closer and closer to the light, until he had reached a clearing.

          The lost boy scanned the odd clearing. The moonlight lit up a strange group of stacked rocks. There were smaller stacks of rocks circling a tall stone obelisk. The obelisk in the center of the stacks was by far the tallest among the rock formations. Sam assumed that this was a graveyard of some kind; a hidden graveyard with no paths leading to it.

          “Hello?” He called out, unsure if he wanted a response. “I-Is there anyone here?”

          A green flame burst from atop the pointed stone obelisk in the center. It crackled and danced, giving the child’s face an emerald hue. The conflagration twisted, becoming a defined, solid shape. The fire was replaced with that of a woman.

          The young woman was beautiful. She had a soft, constant, green glow coming off every surface on her body. The robe she wore was one Samuel recognized, a robe worn by priestesses in this town decades ago. A white silk robe tied with many green, decorative ribbons. The ribbons came in many sizes. Many traveled down the silk robe’s arms but the sole ribbon around the waist was the largest.

          Her face was covered with white makeup and her eyes were orange like honey. Green eyeliner and lipstick enhanced the spirit woman’s delicate facial features. A look of high status that was complimented by a sweet smile.

          “Why are you wearing glass?” The ghostly woman asked Samuel. Her expression was soft, finger was pointed at Samuel’s astonished face.

          “...you mean... my glasses?” Sam stammered and pointed at his own face along with the spirit.

          “Yes, those. Is that what they’re called?” The Spirit giggled, waving her hand around. “Yes, then why do you wear those glasses?”

          “I-It’s to help me see. I have bad vision,” Sam replied.

          “Yes, yes. I remember them now. They look much different than from what I remember. I never knew they were for some medical reason. Thought it was sort of fashion back in the day.”

          The spirit vanished in a poof of emerald fire and reappeared directly in front of Samuel. Her face was just inches away from his own.

          “Are you sick then?” The spirit seemed to be very curious. She grabbed Sam’s face, pulling back his skin with her thumbs and looked deep into his eyes.

          Sam pushed her off him, surprised by the fact they could physically touch each other. “No. I’m not sick,” Sam responded mildly annoyed. “I just have bad eyesight. That doesn’t mean I’m sick.”

          “Interesting. Seems that human technology has evolved quite a bit since I last recollected. I’ve only been here six hundred years but you all advance so quickly I can hardly keep up.” The spirit rubbed her chin. Her feral, amber eyes were like a coyote’s.

          Sam just glared at her, watching her actions. She went to go touch his face again, but he pulled away baring his teeth like a wild animal. The spirit broke out in laughter; she was amused.

          “I like you Samuel. You are very, how do you put it, entertaining.”

          “How do you know my�"never mind it doesn’t matter. I’m going to die out here anyways.” Sam remembered the situation he was in. He was alone in the dark in the wilderness�"well, not entirely alone.

          “Why do you think that?”

          “I’m... I’m lost... and it’s dark. I ended up at this gravesite that has a... well, I think you’re a ghost. You must have died out here in these hills. I’m going to be a ghost too, aren’t I?”

          The spirit wagged her finger. “No, no, I’m not a ghost, silly boy. I’m a goddess. Also, this isn’t a graveyard, it’s a shrine. My shrine.” She puffed out her chest.

          “Goddess... Shrine...”

          “Yup, yup. I’m an animal spirit; a coyote goddess. I used to be worshipped by that town long ago when it was just a few, scattered houses. I was prayed to and even gifts were brought to this shine in exchange for blessings. They asked for good crop harvests, better weather, curing of illnesses, etcetera.”

          Sam sat down leaning his back on the obelisk, soaking all he had just heard in. This would have normally felt disrespectful and blasphemous to the goddess in the olden days�"to use her shrine like a casual resting place. But times have changed. The shrine was not kept up and Sam was just a child, so she felt scolding him was not necessary.

          The spirit sat beside Sam. Her green, ghostly fire that floated around her felt warm and soothing to him. They were like sentient nightlights.

          “You seem worn Samuel. Perhaps you would like me to sing you a song. Villagers loved when I sang to them. I may be a bit rusty though.” She cleared her throat and began to hum a lovely tune.

          “The last thing I need right now is a song. I want to go home... do you know the way back?”

          The spirit was saddened by the rejection of her singing voice. “Well, uh, no. Sorry. I am sort of stuck here at this shrine and can’t travel far. Everyone just came to me. Also... my godly powers are a bit weak right now, as much as I hate to admit it.”

          Some goddess, Samuel thought.

          “So, why doesn’t anyone visit the shrine anymore? Did you scare them away from being too annoying?” Sam asked bluntly.

          “Nothing of the sort,” She huffed. Never had she felt such an attack on her character. “You humans grew too fast. Your technology�"like those glasses you wear�"made me obsolete and forgotten. Nobody needed to pray to the hill spirit anymore. This is the reason why my powers are so weak right now. All of my spiritual energy came from worship.”

          “Do... do you hate humans then, spirit? Do you hate us because we have forgotten you?”

          “Not at all.” The spirit looked at her open hand with a smile as one of the green flames that surrounded her floated and rested onto her open palm. “On the contrary, I am very happy that beings, such as yourself, have evolved to the point of not needing us gods anymore.” The spirit’s smiled faded; her look became solemn as the floating flame burned out.

          “Doesn’t that make you feel lonely though? No one comes here anymore. It’s not easy to get here anyway... I’ve seen your light out my window at night. Are you... are you trying to be found? Are you lonely?”

          The spirit ruffled up Sam’s hair and grinned, masking the frown she accidently had shown the young child. He wanted to push her hands away again, but he was too tired and was at her mercy. “Perceptive little one, aren’t you?” The spirit was intent on changing the subject. “You seem to be not afraid of me in the least bit. Even after everything I told you. My powers may be lessened but I could still change the weather and bring disasters, even command the coyotes to attack the town. Scary goddess, aren’t I?”

          “You are not very scary, just irritating. Your just like everyone at school. They’re annoying too. I’ve gotten used to it. I think you’re... well... less annoying than them. You at least talk to me without telling me to go away.”

          Sam had a hard time making friends due to his habit of being blunt and overly truthful about others. Whenever he tried to make friends with someone he would rub them the wrong way and they would lash out at him. This was the reason he felt everyone at school was “annoying” and never bothered pursuing any relationships for more than a few moments of meeting someone.

          “Seems like you have troubles of your own, child. Are you sure you’re not the one who is lonely?” The spirit giggled, laying her hand on the boy’s shoulder.

          Sam had no response. The perceptive spirit was right, but it did not take a genius to figure it out.

          They talked for about an hour, but to Sam it felt much longer. The coyote spirit would ask what was taking place in the human world at this time. She asked about how Sam would travel in vehicles and communicate long distances with phones. All these questions Sam answered to the best of his knowledge, he was still a child after all and could not reply to anything that would be too technical. Samuel was enjoying himself, enjoying talking to another person�"even if it happened to be a supernatural being.

          Is this what having a friend is like?

          Sam was exhausted and his eyes grew much too heavy to remain open. He fell fast asleep beside the spirit, his back towards the black obelisk. The night was cool, and Sam was not dressed properly for the weather. He shivered in his sleep. The goddesses floating fireballs clustered near the boy to remedy this.  

          As Sam slept, the once powerful coyote spirit gazed up at the moon, realizing how weak she had become over such a long time without any prayers or worshippers. She would last maybe a year or two longer in her current position before she ceased to be in the human world.

          Would she even die? What happened to a deity when they ran out of power? These thoughts flooded her mind. She feared the unknown, but she wanted to leave this world by her own will and not let time decide.

          The coyote spirit was happy, happy to have met the young Samuel. It had been hundreds of years since she had shown anyone her face. To show it to this blunt yet troubled child would be a satisfying end.

          The spirit touched young Sam’s head. The last of her spiritual power flowed from her heart to her arm and lastly at the tips of her fingers. This would be her last godly act, but when she looked at Sam, her fear of the unknown no longer mattered.

          “I’ll be watching you, Samuel.”

          There was a flash of green light from the hills that night. It was the last one that would ever happen.

 

***

 

          Young Samuel was awoken by the sunlight beaming through his window. In a fog he surveyed his room to see if anything was out of place or odd. But it just the same as it ever was. He checked himself for any injuries he could have gotten while lost in the hills, but he was perfectly fine. Not a scratch on him.

          “Was that... another nightmare?” He muttered to himself. “No. This dream was... different... it was pleasant.”

          He opened his bedroom window and looked out at the hills behind his house. The shrine and the spirit were weighing heavily on his mind that morning.

          “Maybe it was not a dream. I must know. It felt too real.”

          Samuel wanted answers. It was still the weekend, so he set out to find that shrine he saw in his dreams out in the hills. This time he took a better precaution not to get lost in the hills. He started at a different point in town and searched for that holy shrine based off what he could remember from that dream.

          He found it again, the circular pattern of rock stacks surrounding an obelisk. The area was quiet. There was no sign of the coyote goddess, just several birds that sat and pecked atop the rock formations. He was determined to meet her again even if it would take a long time.

          Every weekend he would go up to that shrine and wait. He would even bring food or a book to keep himself busy. Every weekend he went up; every weekend there was silence at the peaceful shrine.

          Samuel had done this for several years. At first it was obsession that fueled his actions, but after a while it became a sort of tradition. His own little hangout that no one really knew about. A calming place to all his own.

          Samuel was about to enter junior year of high school when he made his decision. He came up to that shrine like he always had done, but this time it was different. He followed the same path he had taken hundreds of times. The grass was stomped on so often that Samuel had made a dirt footpath leading up to the shrine in the hills.

          Sitting against the obelisk, he looked up to the sky and pictured his future. He knew he must stop coming here; he knew it was time to let go. Today was the day he wanted to tell the spirit goodbye.  

          There were so many things he could have said, wanted to scream, wanted to whisper. “Thank you for saving me that night,” or, “I did not feel lonely when I was talking to you,” were just a couple of phrases that burned on the tip of his tongue. What could he say for his official goodbye to the mysterious goddess? To his first friend he had ever made.

          So much he could have said at that peaceful shrine, but Samuel ended up not saying anything at all. He left in silence with a bittersweet smile, carrying a book he brought with limply in his right hand, a book simply titled “Harbingers.” It was time to move on and look towards the future.

 

***

 

          Samuel’s back was starting to ache from moving all his belongings he had brought from the city into his old house. It was a several-man job done just by one. Chunk by chunk he was clearing out the moving truck until the afternoon when all that was left in the truck was his photography equipment. Once he got the last box into the house he crashed on the couch, planning to organize all his things the next day.

          Samuel spent the following morning unpacking most of his belongings. He was eager to take his camera out and get some good shots of Coyote Bluffs, so he hastily threw together his bedroom, kitchen, and living room.

          “It’s not pretty but it will do,” he told himself, looking at the organized chaos he made in the living room.

          Samuel set out while the sun was still high in the sky with his professional camera. He first got some pictures of his old high school which hasn’t changed in the least bit except for the repaved parking lot. He remembered how filled with potholes that pavement used to be.

          Next he checked out downtown, taking pictures of the rowed buildings and family-owned stores. Sam got a genuine chuckle out of how many of his former classmates had now taken over their family’s stores.

          All of them recognized Samuel and made small talk with him, none he had ever considered friends, but he was quite excited to see everyone so mature. At the very least, Sam could call them acquaintances.

          Afterwards Sam went to the small park in the center of town. It was mostly flat grass dotted here and there with some trees. Birds native to this town were a rare sight in the cities and Sam got a good batch of pictures of those feathery creatures. 

          Sam’s attention was pulled away from his camera when he saw a small building in the center of the park. This building was new to Sam. It appeared to be a visitor center.

          “They probably put in this place maybe three or four years ago. It was definitely after I graduated. Coyote Bluffs... getting tourism? I’d never think in a million years that would happen,” Sam laughed to himself. “Guess seeing nothing but hillsides is more interesting to others than to me.”

          “Hello there, young man. Would you like a pamphlet?”

          A short, foggy-haired elderly woman was sitting outside the entrance that led into the visitor center. She took notice of Samuel’s interest in the building and had mistaken him for a tourist. She stood and offered Samuel a folded paper filled with information about Coyote Bluffs. Her wrinkled arm and hand were shaky,

          Samuel held up his hand and shook it with his palm facing the woman. “No, that’s okay. I’m not a tourist. I’m a local. Well, I grew up here then moved away but then I moved back.”

          “I see, I see,” the elderly woman mumbled. She slowly sat down once again in her chair. The continuous warm smile she bore never tired even though she clearly had many aches and pains. “It’s nice to see people return to their hometown. What’s your name? Maybe I’ll remember you. Though my memory has not been good as of late.”

          Samuel grabbed the camera that hung around his neck. “My names Samuel, Samuel�"”

          “�"Little Sammy!” The elderly woman screeched; her eyes shot wide. “I used to babysit you. I’ve even changed your diapers before!”

          Several people had been walking nearby stopped to witness the sudden outburst of the quiet old lady. Samuel felt completely embarrassed by the elderly lady mentioning out loud that she had changed his diapers. He finally recognized his old babysitter.

          “Yes, I remember you now. But could you keep it�"” Samuel tried to silence the old woman but was interrupted before he could say anymore.

          “You wet the bed every time you had a nightmare. The poor child... you had nightmares all the time.”

          A group of housewives were whispering amounts themselves and covering their laughter behind their hands. The children that were with them laughed as well while pointing at Samuel and the elderly lady.

          Sam wanted to get away from the public, unable to handle anymore humiliation. He grabbed the old woman’s hand. “How about we talk more inside,” he commanded. He dragged her with him to the safety of the visitor center.

          “Oh my. That would be wonderful. It has been so many years since we have last talked.” It was impossible to tell if the woman was oblivious or a sadist.

          The inside of the visitor center was decorated wall-to-wall with the history of Coyote Bluffs. From when it was founded, to the Coyote Bluffs of today, everything was shown in detail with plaques and pictures on the wall.

          Sam talked with the old woman, Loretta, as they ventured around the visitor center until a familiar sight caught his eye. A ceremonial robe that priestesses used was pinned up, and right next to that was a large picture. The content of the photo was the shrine on the hill.

          He was caught off guard. The picture was a recent one but the shrine in the photo looked as if it was brand new. Sam’s former babysitter joined in his awe of the picture, gazing at it with her wrinkled, half-closed eyes.

          “When I was a child my grandparents would bring me along up to this shrine. I was so young, and cute, at the time I did not understand what they were doing, but they would leave gifts at the center obelisk and pray in silence.”

          Sam would shift his sight between her and the picture as she spoke about her youth.

          “I was told to remain silent while they prayed at this shrine but got bored and started chasing nearby squirrels. Didn’t understand what they were doing, just old people stuff I thought. While we were leaving the shire, I asked them what that was all about. They attempted to explain to me that they were giving their blessings to the coyote spirit, the goddess of Coyote Bluffs. I just thought it was hogwash and tuned out halfway through their explanations. There were many butterflies out that day.”

          Samuel rotated his body to face her entirely. Clearly, Loretta had a problem with paying attention when she was a young girl.

          “My generation was not as traditional as the previous... the shrine was quickly forgotten and left to be buried amongst the trees in the hills. Even the pathway that led up to the shrine was destroyed by time and nature. But wouldn’t you know it? A couple years ago a dirt path was found leading up to that forgotten shrine and all of us old folks took on some of those long-lost traditions.”

          Was this shrine discovered again because of me? Samuel pondered.

          “The shrine had gotten so popular that even the mayor got involved. The town pitched in to clean up the shrine, install a couple of stone benches, and even dug up that dirt path, laying a brand-new brick one. Tradition and history that was lost brought back to life.”

          Samuel smiled, blowing a puff of smoke from his cigarette. The old woman had lit up her own cigarette. Both had been so captivated with their conversation they had forgotten they were still inside. Swiftly they were kicked out by an employee who came across them and scolded. They apologized profusely. Loretta gave Sam a tiny wave as he walked off.

 

***

 

          The brick-laid pathway sparkled from the full moon. On either side of the pathway was a barrier, a barrier made from metal poles placed into the ground. Each metal pole was connected to the next with a chain and at the top of each pole was a sphere. The spheres were wrapped with green colored ribbons. A staple of tradition with priestesses in the old days who wore these emerald ribbons along with their robes.

          Samuel walked along the pathway, admiring how much work had been put into it. A much clearer path up to the shrine than how it used to be. He was prideful of his younger self for making his way up the shrine without any of this current convenience.

          “I’ll end the night by getting a few shots of the shrine in the full moon. Bet it will look great in the moonlight if I set the right filter and there shouldn’t be any people around. I could post this to my website and that might draw in more clients.” That is what he told himself. That is what he attempted to convince himself was the reason for coming back to this shrine�"a piece of his past he left behind.

          Sam thought much differently than what he audibly spoke. If the shrine is getting worshipers again does that mean the coyote spirit will get back her powers? No, not just that. If she was already gone will she be able to come back? I believed that I left this all in the past, but I am still driven to find her, at least one more time. I must.

          The shrine of the goddess was well kept up. Even at nighttime Samuel could appreciate that. It was silent, like it always was. The obelisk in the center was a polished onyx, glinting from the sun’s rays reflected by the moon. Moss and foliage that once lived on the stone stacks surrounding the obelisk gone. Sam picked up one of the numerous gifts that were left for the goddess that was believed to reside here. An apple. As quickly as he picked it up he set it back down in front of the center obelisk.

          The black-haired young man’s first action he did was cry out for the goddess�"at least that is what he wanted to do. But he held himself back. Why did he hold himself back? Now was the time. He held back because he was afraid. Afraid to get a response or afraid to not, he was fearful of both.

          Instead, he readied his camera and took a few photos, the very objective he stated to himself was his purpose for coming back here. The shots were few and far between; he was lethargic between every picture. Slowed by his cowardice to call out for the coyote spirit.

          I have not changed a bit. Still too afraid to make the first move talking to others. Poor, young Sam, scared of rejection. Samuel smirked at his own self-deprecation. I must change.

          Footsteps. Sam could hear the footsteps of someone else coming up the brick path. Gripping his camera as if it were a weapon, he prepared for what or who might come up to this shrine at this time of night. He figured it could not be a sane person�"forgetting that he also came to the shrine at nighttime. Sam would appear equally as crazy to the person coming up to offer their prayers to a peaceful shrine.

          The bobbing head of a woman emerged over the horizon. Samuel did not recognize her. Approaching the obelisk, she must have had her head in the clouds for not noticing Samuel until she was arm’s length away from him. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights when she spotted the black-haired man. Motionless and devoid of any noise.

          “Uh... Hi.” Samuel broke the silence.

          “Heeeeelp meee!” She cried out as she ran away from the potential threat. A tug on her arm stopped her from getting far. She turned her head to face the man, eyes welling with tears.

          “P-please! Don’t run screaming. I already have enough rumors about me as is. I don’t want night stalker added to that.” Sam yelling did not make her any less afraid and he was desperate to remedy that. He held the screen of his camera to her eyeline and displayed the pictures he was taking. “I am just a photographer getting some night shots of this shrine. You might not recognize me because is just moved back to Coyote Bluff. I lived here as a child.”

          The woman calmed and took his camera, looking through the memory at all the pictures he took that day. After looking at every one she handed his camera back.

          “Okay, I’ll believe you for now. I did not see any incriminating photos on your camera.” She smiled and sighed in relief.

          She was pretty thorough to make sure I wasn’t a creep. I can understand given the situation but it still kind of hurts you know... my social status is tanking today.

          Samuel looked the young lady up and down very swiftly. She wore a casual sweatshirt�"it had a picture of a cartoon coyote across the chest with a heart symbol next to its left ear and a pink bow wrapped around its right�"and jeans held up by two belts at the waist making the shape of a short but wide “X.” The belts served no purpose other than aesthetic. Her hair was champagne blonde, but whenever a cloud passed over and soaked up the soft moonlight for itself, it switched to a light grey. Her eyes, on the other hand, were bright, no matter if light caught them or not. Milky blue, like a lake filled with pearls right below the surface of the water.

          “So,” she started, “you’re a photographer huh? Is there a certain company do you work for? I have never heard of a photography company in Coyote Bluffs.”

          “I’m a freelance photographer. I end up getting most of my clients from my website. I travel where I am needed often covering weddings, graduations, and occasionally family reunions. It’s not too exciting of work but it pays the bills and I enjoy it.” Samuel felt his line of work was rather boring to non-photographers and could easily go on and on for hours about the techniques and equipment he uses. Driving people he had just met away was a habit he worked so hard to be rid of; he was avoiding boring this young lady to tears.

          “Enough about me. What brings you to this shrine at this time of night? It’s kind of dangerous for a wo�"person to be up on these hills with the number of coyotes about.” That was close. I almost said a potentially demeaning remark. Not a good first impression, Samuel.

          “Well, I come to this shrine almost every night. It’s become something of a ritual, my home away from home. I wouldn’t worry about me if I were you. As a woman I can take care of myself.” The young lady put her hands on her hips.

          “Sorry, I did not mean to insu�"”

          The blue-eyed woman slapped Samuel’s back rapidly. “Calm down creeper, I’m just pulling your leg. You are way too uptight, loosen up a bit, would you.” She giggled loudly.

          Samuel, who normally did not like to be touched, grinned, and returned her laughter with his own boisterous chuckles. I’m having a normal conversation with a girl around my age. She’s an odd one, yet she seems so inviting. A bit loud. Also, my back is killing me, but I won’t say anything.

          “My names Merriam. I haven’t lived in town that long myself, moved in about three years ago... or was it four... no two. Two and a half for sure.” One of her blue eyes closed while simultaneously giving a thumbs up to Samuel, who now leered blankly at the airheaded Merriam.

          Before he could introduce himself, the once quiet blanket of night was torn by the howling, yipping, and snarling of a pack of coyotes hunting out there somewhere amongst the trees. The sounds were far but not far enough for the black-haired photographer’s comfort.

          Survival instincts said it was time to go home.

          “I’ll see you around, Merriam. It’s been a long day and I long for the comfort of my sheets,” Samuel said, his back facing Merriam as he walked away. Giving an over-the-shoulder wave he added, “Don’t stay up too�"”

          Those amber eyes that met his own paralyzed his whole body. Right at the top of the brick stairway that led back to town was a coyote. The feral beast flashed its bleached teeth, occasionally licking its chops.  

          “...late.”

          The old Sam would have ran. Ran as fast as he could. In this moment though his immediate choice was not to run, but to fight. Fight to protect his new friend, no, a stranger. He carefully adjusted his camera making no sudden movements.

          “Merriam, I’m going to blind the coyote with a flash of my camera,” Samuel explained slowly, “when I do that I want you to run down the path and go get help. Run as fast as you can!”

          “Samuel.” The young lady interrupted from the photographer’s rear side. “Were you not listening to me? I told you I can take care of myself. I’m flattered that you want to protect me... you’ve grown so much.”

          Shaking in fear and confusion, Sam looked over his shoulder. A drop of sweat ran down from his forehead to his chin. There were dozens of amber-colored eyes glowing poking out from the darkness. Those eyes surrounded Merriam, but all were directed at Sam. Merriam’s once blue eyes were now the same as those creatures observing in the dark; she had the eyes of a coyote.

          Sam felt a warm rush throughout his body. The feral beast that had been blocking his escape was now aggressively licking his right knee, making his pantleg damp.

          “I’m very happy I was able to see you again. Are you still lonely, Samuel?” Merriam, the spirit on the hill, asked.

          “No,” he grinned, his heart beating wildly. “Not anymore, spirit.”