Chasing Wind

A brisk wind pelted my face with tiny granules as I stood staring down at my empty street. A thick blanket of fresh snow covered a thin layer of ice, warding travelers off the roads. The ice was so bad that cars were parked off their steep driveways and stacked neatly along the street.

Two weeks ago, I returned from a four-month trip to Toronto and, I’ll be damned, it still feels like I’m back in Canada. The temperature was much cooler this time of year and had been the coldest winter in Texas since scientists started collecting climate data. The weatherman warned of a massive cold front that was likely to produce record lows tonight.

They’ll say this is proof of climate change, I suppose. I quietly muttered.

A tired groan escaped my mouth in a puff of smoke. I trudged forward, scanning under cars and in between homes but the snow was beginning to thicken making it difficult to keep my head up while grains of ice assaulted my face.

Harp, my wife’s dog, recently developed a habit of darting outside the moment I opened my front door as if waiting to punish me for being gone too long. He would bound down my street, weaving in and out of yards, forcing me to chase him down.

"Stupid dog!” I yell.

I lift my knee and slam my boot onto a small bluff of snow.

Crack.

The ice below splintered as my foot slid forward, causing my arms to flail before catching my balance. I paused to fume and curse every hair on that damn dog’s body.

“Harp!” I yelled as I checked my watch. It was 11:11 and I quickly made a wish before gathering my bearings and pressing forward.

When I got home from my trip, I was nervous and worried because my wife, Candice, didn’t show up to pick me up from the airport and wasn’t answering her phone. I jumped out of an Uber with my luggage in hand and bolted through my front door to find a quiet house, an aggravated dog and a short note on the fridge. In the note, Candice wrote she would return after I learned how to care for something other than ‘my conspiracies’. My extended absences and lack of communication had been putting a noticeable strain on our relationship so her disappearance wasn’t a complete surprise but I resented her for leaving behind Harp.

Harp had always hated me. He would bark at me incessantly every time I returned home from long trips. If I got too close to my wife, he’d growl and wouldn’t stop barking until I backed off. After my mother-in-law passed last year, she left us her 8-year-old Terrier, who quickly grew attached to Candice and spent all his waking moments judging my every move.

A strong gust blew my hood back. I pulled it back over my head, tying the draw string tightly under my chin.

“Harp!” I yelled even louder, my voice ricocheting down the street.

Why couldn’t she take her stupid dog. She knew he’d be a pain in my ass. I thought, as the snow crunched under my stride.

I had just won $20,000 for winning 1st place for a documentary I submitted to Canada’s largest nonfiction film festival. I had planned on doing this thing we used to joke about where we would throw stacks of twenties into the air as we danced under the money shower…like they do in the movies. I was so focused on that project that I sort of lost myself, or at least what was important to me. I simply kissed Candice goodbye as I left 3 ½ months early to work on another documentary I’m completing on Queen Elizabeth and the disappearance of 10 Canadian children back in 1964. Since I could remember, I’ve always enjoyed researching conspiracies. I had a healthy mistrust of the government and I always dedicated my time to research any inkling of a government cover-up, mysterious death, or overt negligence. I was constantly lost in a chase for truth. Unfortunately, what I seem to get is more questions than answers.

“Harp!” I yelled once more, my voice cracking at the end.

He was gone with the wind and I was beginning to shiver. I made it to the end of my street when I saw a blast of snow billowing around the corner. As I crossed into the street, I caught a blur of Harp’s grey fur zip between two homes about 50 yards ahead. I picked up my pace to a careful trot as I hurried across the slick street, into an alleyway. I came to a sliding stop between two homes as I saw him pounce into a play-bow stance, ready to juke me. My face warmed as I saw how stupid and annoying he was acting.

I dropped into a defensive position, waiting for him to run by me. He stared then growled before taking off towards me. Harp dashed to my left side as I slid to meet him but I was no match for his agility. He cut right at the last moment and zipped right by me. I whipped around, too committed to give up now, dug my foot into the snow and lounged forward. My boot stepped on a patch of ice, slipping from underneath me. I came down hard on my back as my head whiplashed into the ground.

I blinked several times before opening my eyes, waiting for the blur of my surroundings to come back into focus. The snow was gone, the alleyway had disappeared, and Harp was nowhere in sight.

Where am I?

I was sprawled out on a grungy stone. I looked around seeing nothing but darkness. I tried to gather myself but a weight pressed against my body, preventing me from standing. I shifted to my side and saw what seemed to be a dungeon of sorts. A deep fear gripped my throat and chest as thoughts began rushing through my head.

Am I dead? Why is it so dark? Where am I!?

I blinked a few more times before a subtle hum began to crescendo into a loud vibrating noise that forced me to clap my hands against the sides of my head. The vibration rocked me to my core. My eyes were shut tight as I dealt with the incredible noise and vibration of everything around me. I began to feel a bright light wash over me. Ten paces in front of me, a tear in the space began to open as multi-colored light began to pour forth. A giant figure stepped into view, emerging from the chasm of light. It was huge, at least 12 or 15 feet tall and it wore an armor that gleamed a deeply reflective silver. I stared at it in awe and fear. I saw myself reflected so clearly as if it wasn’t a reflection but a clone of myself, staring at me in disbelief.

The shrill vibrations stopped as the thing lifted a long, slender arm, materializing what seemed to be a small black book. A moment of quiet shock passed.

“Who are you?” I trembled.

The gleaming giant didn’t speak but stepped towards me. It’s movements seemed to glide slow and fast, spontaneous and intentional. It opened the black book and seemed to be writing or drawing something using it’s long spindly finger. After a brief moment, it paused.

“You are here because you need to let go.” Its voice was deep and almost robotic. The shining helmet it wore was solid and had no opening; I’m not even sure if it was a helmet. Its words seem to come out of nowhere because when it spoke, there was no movement or recognition in its face.

I used all of my strength to sit up.

“Let go of what?” I asked

“You’ve spent your life searching. You’ve searched so long that you have yet to live and love. You are wasting your time chasing wind. We shall give you a second chance. If knowledge is what you seek, it is written here.” It said.

Who is ‘we’? I thought.

It’s long arm stretched, holding the book just beyond my reach.

“We forewarn you, what you seek will consume you.”

The ground began to rumble and the shrill vibrations forced me to cover my ears once again as the gleaming giant tore open another rift.

“Wait!” I screamed.

“Who are you? Why me!?”

It looked back towards my direction. It seemed to be something from a faraway future, so advanced but still primitive.

Tendrils of multicolored light began spilling from the tear, enveloping it until…

BOOM!

An explosion violently pushed me, throwing me into a free-fall, down into a dark tunnel.

Thud.

My body jerked awake in a pile of snow. The back of my head throbbed as my vision adjusted to see Harp’s tongue licking at my cheek. I felt as if I was thrown into something soft as a wave of current rushed from the top of my head to the tip of my toes. A bone-chilling freeze chased the wave that went through my body as I jolted up, sitting in the place I had slipped.

Harp whimpered at me while shivering deeply. He jumped into my lap and nestled into a convulsing ball. I looked around at the light blanket of snow that had covered me then glanced at my watch, 11:13.

What the hell just happened? I thought.

I was dazed and confused. Harp looked up at me with sad, pleading eyes. He had never really needed me but in this moment, I could tell he was thankful I was awake, holding him.

I slowly rose to my feet with Harp in my arms. Something plopped in the snow after I felt it slide out of my pocket.

The ancient black book I saw the gleaming giant holding lay next to my foot.

The snow continued to fall as I stared at it for a moment. A sudden urge buckled my knees as I stooped down to pick it up. It was heavy. I quickly shifted my balance to hold it and Harp at the same time. Despite the steady snow falling down, not one flake accumulated on its surface. I gripped its spine with my frozen fingers. It was unmarked and had a brilliant shine; unlike any leather I had ever seen. A revelation came over me as remembered what the gleaming giant told me; Knowledge…is written here.

The loud ring of my cell phone snapped me out of my frozen trance as it began its dramatic vibration sequence. The book slid out of my hand as I jumped to pull out my cell phone. It was Candice and I had already missed her call twice. Her face looked at me with the most beautiful smile. I stood there staring at her picture until it stopped ringing. Harp shifted uncomfortably in my arm as I opened my coat and stuffed him inside its warmth. I zipped him inside, jamming my phone back into my pocket. I glanced down to see the book resting on a pile of snow. A world of opportunity flashed before my eyes as I carefully put one foot in front of the other and started down my street, back towards my front door.