Chapter 1

My brother Danny and I ended up being the sons of a single parent as Mama left Dad as soon as he got back from the war and was discharged from the service. He immediately decided that we would move out to the country as the war had left him in need of peace and quiet, and the suburbs were much too noisy for that. It turned out Mama had been seeing another man while Dad was overseas and had planned to leave as soon as Dad got back home. Danny and I had no idea. One thing I got to say about Mama, she sure could keep a secret!

It was tough going into a rural area and small classroom when you were forced to leave all your friends and your old neighborhood, but what could we do about it, nothing. We moved into a cabin with two stories and three bedrooms. My brother and I shared a bedroom, Daddy had his, and he made an office out of the third one. Luckily, Daddy got a pension from the Army and we would have some financial security. Daddy was also trying to run his home online business so he was around us a lot. We needed that after Mama walking out on us. Daddy began teaching us hunting and fishing, telling us that someday we might need those survivor skills. I got my first rifle as age 7, a 22 caliber! Danny would have to wait. We both got fishing rods and Daddy taught us how to catch fish!

I shot my first deer at age 8 while Daddy aimed my rifle for me. He told me I did a good job too! Danny and I would go fishing in the creek at the border of our property while Daddy made phone calls from his office bedroom. Sometimes we caught catfish other times Crappy when they were in season. Daddy always encouraged us. We took our dog, Flippy, with us, a mutt that Daddy made a pet out of for us. Daddy was always very concerned about dogs and cats as he grew up with them when he was young.

One day a neighbor who owned property close by came to the door and introduced himself as Ralph. Danny and I called him Mister Ralph. He was a war veteran like Daddy but he was older. He and Daddy got along just fine! Sometimes at night we would be awakened by cries coming from Daddy’s bedroom. He was having nightmares! When we would mention it he would just say, “I had a dream about being overseas. Don’t worry about it boys. I’ll get over it and will do just fine.”

The first hint of trouble came when Flippy disappeared. Daddy always kept him on the porch at night because he didn’t want the dog bringing in ticks that might get on us and we’d get Lyme’s disease from them, but that didn’t mean that we didn’t have to wash Flippy once a week even though he would go rolling in the grass after we bathed him. One morning we came out to give Flippy water and a snack and he was gone but there was a blood stain on the porch. Danny and I spotted a huge footprint in the sandy soil and showed it to Daddy! He just looked at it quietly.

“I wonder what kind of person would be walking around here without shoes on and have such big feet,” I said.

Daddy, didn’t say anything, but I saw worry in his eyes, “From now on I want you two to let me know when you go outside and where you go if I give you permission!”

“What happened to Flippy, Daddy?”

“I don’t know, Son. Maybe some wild animal got him or maybe he just ran off and got lost.”

“But, Dad, what about the blood?”

“Maybe Flippy cut his paw on a sharp rock or piece of broken glass.”

That was good enough for the mind of a child even though my brother and I missed Flippy and hoped he’d come home, but Daddy forbid us to go looking for our dog. Maybe he would return, we both hoped.

Chapter 2

One day Mister Ralph came by. He brought some beer with him so while my brother and I watched TV the two of them began to talk about the war they’d fought in, and laughed about some things, then I overheard their conversation about something else. “I don’t know if you’ve heard. We’ve had some kids and even adults go missing over the last couple years.”

“Wish I’d known about that before I moved in,” Daddy said.

“Aint no damn realtor going to be that honest with you!”

“So, what the hell has been going on?”

“Well, some little kids have been snatched up and gone for good, no trace of’em, and even a couple of adults too!”

“Over what period of time?”

“I’d say over the last couple of years.”

“Well, hell! What are the authorities doing about it?”

“The sheriffs are on it, they say, but no leads from what I hear.”

“So, what do you think?” Daddy asked.

“Some people think it could be a cougar that’s made this area its hunting ground,” he paused. Mister Ralph frowned. “Or, maybe a serial killer. I have heard of cougars blending into the rural suburbs and even making a den under someone’s porch!”

“Great! Just great!” Daddy shot back. “You know we lost the family dog here a few days ago. I even found a blood stain on the porch!”

“Tell’em about the big footprint in our yard! “ I said as Daddy turned to frown at me.

“It’s not nice for you to be eavesdropping on a conversation between two adults, son!” he scolded.

“I’m sorry Daddy,” I cried.

“Go back into the den and watch TV with your brother now!”

I nodded, wiped my eyes, and sat down next to Danny as we watched some movie together.

“I’d keep my eye on your kids at all times,” Ralph advised. “Something’s going on and I don’t like it.”

“Why didn’t you say something sooner?”

“Well, I didn’t want to be the messenger of bad tidings right off the bat, Dan.”

“Something like this going on and I don’t hear a word about it. You know my kids have been out many times fishing in the creek at the edge of my property.”

“Well, Dan, what do you want the sheriffs to do, come walking up to your front door to inform you? I know how you feel, but from now on just be careful. You got a couple of cute kids. I’d hate to think of anything happening to them.”

Dad and Mister Ralph walked outside on the porch so we couldn’t hear what they were saying. I looked at my little brother and knew I didn’t want to lose him like we just lost our dog! That Friday afternoon, Daddy put a bunch of chicken on the grill to barbecue. We loved it when Daddy would cook outdoors. The afternoon was quickly changing into evening. Danny and I were playing catch with a football out front while Daddy had a beer and sat on the porch watching us. Then he went around back to check the food when we heard a loud noise.

“Son of a bitch! Damn it!”

My brother and I ran around back to see what the matter was! There laying on the ground was the grill, and all the chicken was gone! Daddy just stood there shaking his head. This had never happened before! Daddy sighed and cleaned up the mess telling us to go inside while he fixed something in the kitchen for dinner. Danny and I both didn’t know what to think about that. I was almost afraid to ask but I did anyway, “What do you think happened Dad?”

“Probably a raccoon, maybe,” Daddy replied, but I don’t think he really meant it.

Dad just put breaded fish in the oven with French fries and cooked some broccoli for dinner and that was good enough for my brother and me, but I knew my Dad was disappointed.

Chapter 3

The following morning Dad got us up to go fishing at the nearby lake, about 5 miles or so away. We looked forward to maybe catching some bigger fish than we caught at the creek! Daddy baited our hooks for us, and we were now committed fishermen as we sat on the wharf mesmerized with our legs hanging off the edge with our poles in the water. Being that it was now fall, the weather was nice and cool so we could sit out there for hours without getting too hot. Daddy cast way out into the lake and pretty soon caught a huge Striper, Danny actually caught a five pound bass! Finally, I pulled in a good catch myself while Daddy caught another. We already had a dinner’s worth! Dad put all the fish on ice in a cooler so they would remain fresh.

It was getting dark and awfully late to wait to get home and cook so Daddy decided to take us to a drive thru and pick up some fast food we would take home and then we’d have the fish the next day. We all loaded in the truck and headed back when all the sudden Dad slammed on the breaks as some huge dark figure walked across the road real fast and disappeared into the tree line. Dad just sat there for a moment with a stunned look in his eye! While my brother and I wondered what in the heck we had just seen! It looked like a big ape or something!

When we got home, Dad unwrapped the fast food sandwiches for us and we had cold drinks, but Dad didn’t sit down and eat with us. Daddy didn’t say a word about what had happened, and Instead, he went to his office and pulled out a couple of guns from his cedar chest and began inspecting them and cleaning them. ”Gosh Dad,” I said. “I’ve never seen you pull your guns out in such a long time.”

“You go and finish your dinner. Then you and Danny go and take a bath before bedtime,” Dad replied.

“What kind of guns are those?” I asked.

Dad held both up, “This is a short stock M-14 rifle and this is a 1911 officer’s pistol. Now go do what I told you! “

“But, Dad, why are you bringing them out now?”

“Just in case! Now go do what I told you before I tan your hide! “

“Yes Sir!” I said as I ran to get Danny to fill the bath tub.

Dad didn’t even eat his dinner as he carefully handled his weapons making sure they were in perfect shape. He had a look in his eye I’d never seen before. He seemed lost in deep thought! I wondered if he was thinking back to being in the war overseas or something! When he got done with those weapons they shined like they were brand new! He brought the shortened rifle into the firing position on his shoulder, and I saw the soldier’s training in him come out with hardened precision. It almost frightened me.

That night we were all asleep when there was a loud rattling outside on the back porch! I was startled out of my sleep and the first thing I thought was maybe it was Flippy my dog coming back! I ran down the hall and to the back plate glass windowed door, and didn’t see my dog at all, but there standing on the deck was a tall figure with burning ember eyes staring through the glass and into the house! I was petrified! I couldn’t move much less breath! It was so heavy that I heard the deck creak under its weight as it moved around! I slowly backed away and went to get Dad! He was in a deep sleep when I shook him! He immediately shot straight upright!

“Dad! There’s someone or something on the back porch! “

He reached for that 1911 on his end table he’d showed me, and without so much as a word raised the handgun and marched to the kitchen aiming straight ahead! “Go get me the flashlight, Boy!” Dad yelled out!

There was no one there! Dad took the flashlight from my hand and carefully edged out of the kitchen door scanning the area! He flipped on the porch light and began slowly walking around the house, then came back in, “You sure you saw something?”

“It looked just like that thing that walked across the road!” I gasped, still shaken up!

Daddy shined the flashlight on the deck and saw dirty footprints and nodded his head, “Yep, it was here alright! You go back to bed, Son, I’ll take care of this now.”

“But, Dad, I’m scared! I can’t sleep now!”

“Son, you see this,” Dad pointed to his pistol. “I will make damn sure nothing happens to any of us! Now, go back to sleep, Boy.”

I reluctantly staggered back to bed and eventually fell asleep, but I dreamed of that creature and woke up in a sweat. I thought it had been standing over my bed staring into my eyes, those penetrating fiery eyes, the snarl on its face, the long hair on its massive body! I sat up gasping for air! My little brother was sleeping soundly and the cabin was quiet. The night air was still and chilly. I crept down the hallway. Looking in the kitchen I checked out the backdoor, but there was nothing to see the blackness of the night lit with the shimmering moonlight while my heart raced. Then I looked in the den and there was Daddy sitting upright asleep with his handgun on the couch cushion next to him. I went into the bathroom and splashed water on my face before sliding back into the bed. The night closed in all around me, and darkness came upon my thoughts.

The next morning after we finished breakfast there was a knock at the front door! It was Mister Ralph, and had a man with him. Apparently of Indian descent, with a long pony tail of braded black hair, wearing a camouflage outfit, as though he were a veteran too. Daddy allowed them both in and Ralph introduced his friend, “This is Quinn Red Feather. He’s from the Choctaw tribe. I told him about what’s been going on here at your place lately after we spoke on the phone last night.” Ralph explained. They shook hands.

Dad motioned for Ralph and Red Feather to follow him out to the front porch so we kids wouldn’t hear anything but I waited for them to sit out at there and snuck up against the front window so I could listen in. I pressed my ear as close as I could to the window pane to eavesdrop on what they were talking about. Ralph and Red Feather sat on the bench opposite Dad who was sitting on a wooden chair he’d pulled up and sat on.

Ralph said, “Quinn here served in the Army too. I told him about what’s been happening and he’s offered to help.”

“Tell me, Red Feather, what’s in it for you?” Daddy asked doubtfully.

“We’re all warriors here aren’t we?” Quinn replied. “I want to help a fellow soldier. No strings attached.”

“I appreciate that, but if you help and are successful, I’d want to return the favor somehow.”

“We can talk about that after this is all over, okay, but for right now we need to get down to business. You have an evil spirt who has seen you and he wants what you have.” Red Feather muttered with a grim tone of voice.

“Yeah, well he’s already taken a dinner off my grill and scared the hell out of my family!”

“We have a philosophy, my people and I, we like to take a nuisance or a threat and channel it away rather than try to destroy it outright if that can be avoided.”

“What do you mean?” Dad asked.

“I’ll give you an example,” Quinn replied. “I once had a red Cardinal who kept pecking at one of my windows. He would then peck at the side view mirror of my car and crap all over the door!”

Ralph and Daddy chuckled.

“What would you have done?” He asked Dad.

“Try to find a way to discourage him, I guess. I like Cardinals. They’re so colorful.”

“What I did was build a bird house out of wood I hand carved and hung it on the siding of my house. He made nest, and not too long after there were babies born and now I had a whole family! Now the bird was happy and no longer pecking at my window or crapping on my car! “

“Red Feather,” Dad interrupted, “We don’t want a family of Bigfoots living around us.”

“I was just giving you an example. My people believe that they are from another dimension, another spiritual world. When this kind of thing happens, we try to send them back.”

“Okay,” Dad nodded. “How do we do that?”

“We have old traditions handed down from hundreds of years ago by our elders. We use a number of herbs, incantations, all by a fireside, which you will have to build. This can only happen on a full moon.”

“I see,” Dad nodded.

“There are good spirits and evil ones. The evil ones we call Forest Devils.”

“The Choctaw tribe covers several states, and we have several chapters. One of our tribes had run-ins with the evil ones who were stealing our women and children while the men were gone hunting. Finally, they were able to follow them to their caves where they lived and they smoked them out and killed them with rifle fire and arrows. There was no other way. We called these ones Cannibals.”

“I guess they had no choice.”

“Yes, and you say that you and your family saw this creature when he ran in front of your car the other night?”

“Yes.”

“That was no accident. He wanted you to see him.”

“Well it did seem kind of stupid for him to go running out in front of us like that.”

“He chose you that’s why.” Red Feather uttered ominously. “The authorities aren’t going to help because officially these things do not exist.”

Daddy sighed, “Well, I could have figured that out.”

“We have 2 days until the full moon comes, “Red Feather said. “If we are going to do this, it must happen as soon as possible. Are you prepared to be a part of the ceremony?”

Dad hesitated nervously, “Yeah, anything to protect my kids.”

“Good. I’m not going to lie. There is an element of danger to all this, but if the ceremony is performed properly, we should have no problem and we will send this spirit back to where it came from.”

“What should I do?”

“We," he gestured, "Ralph and I, will return before the full moon on this night in 2 days. You will build a fire in your backyard so we so do not attract attention from the road. Then as midnight approaches we will begin.”

“So, this is kind of like an exorcism?”

Quinn Red Feather nodded, “In a way. Yes. Now, I must make sure that I have everything I need before the full moon comes. I will also use a spell to protect you and your family.”

“What’s the danger here, then?” Dad asked.

“Evil is a dangerous thing. The older the spirit, the more powerful. We should be able to overcome it. If there is a problem I will tell you exactly what needs to be done.”

“Are you sure you want to take a risk like this?” Dad frowned.

“For you, a brother in arms, like myself, yes. For your children, yes.”

“I thank you,” Dad replied. “Let’s do this!”

Red Feather nodded, “We must go now. Be prepared.” With that, he and Ralph made their way to his car. Ralph waved as he left. 

Chapter 4

I ran back to my bedroom when Dad came through the door so he wouldn’t know I had eavesdropped. The next two days went by quickly. I didn’t tell my little brother anything, but I felt tense and uneasy. I could tell Dad was lost in deep thought much of the time. That night again there was noise outside. A scratching against the outer walls. It terrified me. The noise traveled along the wall all the way to my bedroom than there was a noise at my window! I couldn’t take it anymore. I went to get Dad! He jumped out of bed and grabbed his handgun!

“Go stay with your brother and lock your door!” He yelled!

I could hear Dad slide open the back patio door and step out into the night air. I Iistened intently to the sounds coming from outside. Then I heard it Daddy was talking!

“Hold it! Stay where you are! Don’t come any closer! “Daddy warned.

Then came the crackle of his pistol firing 3 shots! Bam! Bam! Bam!”

I couldn’t take it anymore! I ran to the back sliding glass door to see if Daddy was okay. He walked over to the glass looking really shaken up! I was so glad to see he hadn’t been hurt!

“Dad are you okay?”

He nodded to me, but his words were disturbed and unsure,” I shot it three times! I hit it every time but it just ran off!”

Then he looked at me from his dazed stare, “Thought I told you to stay with your little brother.”

“I couldn’t help it, Dad, I was worried about you!” I began to cry.

Daddy just patted me on top of the head with his big hand, “It’s okay son, I know I’ve been a little irritable lately. I love you.”

“You shot it Dad. It shouldn’t come back then.”

Daddy sighed, “Maybe, maybe not. I’ll know by tomorrow night.”

“Why by tomorrow night?” I lied, already knowing from listening in on Daddy’s conversation with Ralph and Red Feather. I didn’t want to let on that I knew anything.

“Ralph and Red Feather will be back to help us,” Dad replied.

About that time Danny came in rubbing his sleepy eyes, “What was that loud noise?”

I think a big dead limb off a tree fell and hit the ground, son,” Daddy said as he picked up Danny and carried him to the kitchen as I followed. “Why don’t we all settle down with a glass of chocolate milk before going back to bed?”

“Okay!” Danny and I laughed at the same time. We loved chocolate milk.

Chapter Five

Nightfall came more quickly than I could have imagined, the next day. My stomach was aching with nervousness. Danny remained playful but sensed something, and that something was what I wanted to tell him, but I kept the secret to myself. If he knew what was going to happen it would not be good, and at the same time I had to play dumb so Daddy wouldn’t know that I knew already. It was maddening! So, nightfall came and Daddy took a bunch of branches he had cleared over the previous days and began building a huge bonfire setting that he would ignite later that night. It was kind of exciting to think we would see this huge fire, almost like a Halloween celebration, but this wasn’t make believe!

Early in the evening Dad fixed dinner. Grilled cheese sandwiches with chicken noodle soup. Danny ate, it was one of his favorite meals, but when I said I wasn’t in the mood to eat, Daddy asked why. I just told him my stomach hurt. I didn’t want to let on what I knew. He made me take some medicine, which I took even though that wasn’t the reason I couldn’t eat. I was afraid! I noticed Daddy barely ate anything either.

Dad made Danny and I go to bed by 9:00 O’clock that night but there was no way I could sleep. Later, I heard a knock on the front door and knew that Ralph and Red Feather had arrived. We were approaching that moment of truth! I heard Daddy talking to Red Feather in the living room. “I shot the son of a bitch 3 times and all it did was run off. Any animal would have been dead!”

“Yes, now you know this is not a normal animal in the physical world. This is an entity from the spirit realm. It is good that you showed it who was boss though. Because it ran off instead of confronting you further.”

“Damn thing scared the hell out of me!” Daddy admitted.

“You are a warrior! You did not allow fear to stop you from fighting back!” Red Feather reassured Daddy.

“Way to kick ass,” Ralph chimed in.

“I’ve brought everything I need,” Red Feather uttered. “I even got a blessing from one of the tribal elders who knows and will be watching. He sends his good luck.”

Now, go and start the fire and I will tell you what you need to know before I begin the ceremony. The fire must burn at the proper time!

Daddy nodded and went out back to set the bonfire ablaze, and the dried wood seemed to burst into a yellow and orange flash of angry flame! It was a magnificent sight. The flames must have rose 20 feet into the air! Daddy, Ralph and Red Feather walked out to within feet of the blaze. I had opened the window to my bedroom! Danny awoke with eyes as wide as porcelain saucers, amazed at the fire, but still not realizing what it was all about.

Chapter 6

I could hear Red Feather over the roar of the bonfire as he spoke, “I will call upon the great spirit to vanquish this Sasquatch creature that has imposed its presence in the lives of you and your family. Simply listen to my incantations spoken in Choctaw tongue. If everything goes well, we will get some kind of sign telling us the spirit has left you, but if things go wrong it will attack me first for trying to remove it from our physical realm. If that happens,” Red Feather handed Daddy a small leather pouch tied with a leather string. “This mixture of sacred herbs used by my ancestors for generations will stop it, but you must throw and empty the powder upon the evil one making it vulnerable to physical weapons, and you must shoot it dead! It will not runaway as it did before.”

Danny and I crouched behind the windowsill watching the whole scene unfolding, waiting in anticipation. I trembled in terror afraid for Daddy and the two others. He had his hand gun with him! This would be the moment we both dreaded and waited for! Danny still didn’t know what he was about to witness. He just looked on in awe. I heard the clock strike 12 midnight in the living room and watched in a stunned, silent, gazing as the powers of two different worlds collided! Red Feather, with his potions before him, kneeled, and began the ceremony. Each time he would recited he tossed a powder into the fire that caused a small explosion of accelerated flames! It was mesmerizing!

Red Feather raised his hands, “Hayyya hoke, chi holisso micha, chahta anumpa yaakni. Chi yvmma hoke, chi yvmma nakfi atooki.!”

Oh Great Spirit I summon thee to vanquish an evil spirit!

“"Chi himonih, okla micha i tuklo isht aiena yvmma holhtina ya ish takchi ho yohbi kiyo, micha hattak himonna ya tuklo hoke yohbi kito, sia hoke pullashke micha sia hoke pila nahullo!"

I call upon thee to send this evil spirit who has threatened this man and his family to return to where he came from or be killed by our own hands! Silenced forever!

Red Feather tossed more powder onto the fire and it burst into even more intense leaping flames!

"Oh, Hobatuk-hollo, chi himonah, amą holhtina ya moma!"

“Oh, Great Spirit, I ask you to give us a sign of your will!

"Yukpa hoke, chim achukma saya ohoyo yvmmvt vt nusi, chi holisso iksho! Himmak nanta hattak holitopa yvmma hinla yo!"

With all the blessings of my past elders who worshipped you and heard your word! I beg thee now for your assistance in this holy ceremony!

"Chata impsa chukka okla himona micha yI invoke the very heart of the Choctaw lawakni aiena yo katima. Chihoowa! Yvmma sia hvshtia chukka achukmaka yvmmahachofo keyu!" 

Oh Great one of the land and the world of the spirits I appeal to you. Oh Great Spirit! Take this evil spirit to the forbidden lands!

Suddenly, Red Feather glanced over at Daddy! “There has been an error of some kind! This evil one is too strong! Prepare! You must now kill it!”

Suddenly, a semi-transparent form leaped from the flames and onto to Red Feather. The two grappled, rolling on the ground together! Red Feather looked as though he were wrestling a nearly invisible specter from another dimension! I was horrified! Danny just stared transfixed as we hypnotically focused on the spectacle! The evil creature seemed almost clear but outlined in the reflection of the fire!

“Kill it!” Red Feather screamed as Daddy with is hand gun aimed was trying to shoot without hitting Red Feather!

“Kill the son of a bitch!” Ralph cried out!

“Damn it! I don’t want to hit you!” Dad yelled out as he followed the movement with his gun trained!

“Shoot or I’ll die anyway!” Red Feather screamed aloud!

Daddy threw the bag of powder onto the glimmering form that now became partially visible! Now it had taken a greenish appearance and now that it was more visible! Now Daddy Fired three times! Three muzzle flashes exploded in the night air alive with flaming embers and smoke rising to the stars! Red Feather became still and the Demon from another realm stood, staggered, as Daddy continued poised to shoot again, and leaped into the bonfire, and an explosion of flame became a blinding flash, and the entire bonfire was extinguished all at once, and the night became silenced as the roar of the bonfire was subdued! All under the radiance of the full moon! 

Daddy and Ralph rushed to Red Feather who lay on the ground still, motionless, and seemingly no longer among the living! “Damn it! I froze up and waited too long!” Daddy cried out!

“You did the best you could,” Ralph tried to comfort Daddy.

Suddenly Red Feather yelled aloud, “You stupid son of a bitch! You should have shot sooner!” There was a stunned silence. Then Red Feather let out a laugh! “I’m going to be sore tomorrow,” He laughed again.

“Are you hurt! “ Ralph asked in amazement.

“Only when I laugh!” Red Feather broke out again and made Daddy and Ralph giggle in amusement too.

Tears came to my eyes as Danny jumped up and down excited at the outcome, “Daddy killed the monster! “

Red Feather looked like he had just emerged from a car that had been flung by a funnel cloud, but he was alive! Daddy helped him up. His clothes were torn and had some visible bloody claw marks that could be seen through the torn fabric, but he was alive. Daddy picked up Red Feather carried him into the house and set him down on the living room couch.

“Man I felt like I was fighting a bear!” Red Feather sighed. “Do you have anything to drink? You know, fire water?”

“I got just the thing,” Daddy said, and brought a bottle of liquor down from the cupboard.

Ralph had gone to the bathroom and soaked and rung out some towels with hot water and began cleaning Red Feather’s wounds as Daddy poured him a glass of whiskey. “I thought you Native Americans couldn’t handle fire water,” He quipped.

“Bull crap! “ Red Feather snickered, “You don’t give up the good things in life especially not for us warriors!”

“How did the ceremony go wrong?” Daddy asked as Red Feather took a gulp from his glass.

“It wanted what you had too badly to listen to the Great Spirit’s command. It wanted what you had!”

“And what was that, Red Feather?” Daddy pressed for an answer.

“Don’t you see?” Red Feather smiled as Ralph dabbed at his wounds. “It wanted the love you had of you and your family, your children, and your wonderful life!”

Suddenly, Daddy fell to his knees and gestured for me and Danny to come to him! He grabbed us both in a big hug, and we all cried tears of joy together as Ralph and Red Feather looked on.

 

The End