Goo

The article was buried deep within the paper. The newspaper that day being preoccupied with the assassination of Martin Luther King. A modern tragedy the headlines screamed. A picture of the doctor was centered on the front page followed by column inch by column inch from the wire services. As was tradition the newspaper ran black bunting across the headline on the front page. That was news, real news.

The story of Goo and his discovery was minor at most. Not one of The Valiant’s staff of reporters had been sent out to interview the discoverer. A simple telephone conversation transcribed with the headline: Mysterious Discovery in the Pennsylvania Woods, was followed by a brief article that went on to outline the discovery made by the famous local outdoors man and hunter William Tecumseh Smith, better known by his friends as Goo. It seems that late last week Goo was hiking and scouting new hunting trails when he came across what can only be described as a rather large egg. There is no picture of the egg at this time as Mister Smith, Goo to his friends, has to wait for the film to come back from the drug store. Mister Langley, pharmacist and owner of Berkshire Drugs confirmed that it may take a couple of weeks for the processed film to come back. Filed by phone.

The brief article was followed by what was commonly known as filler, a small interesting tidbit about how the weather was getting warmer, statistically speaking. And that was it.

In Philadelphia a naturalist working at a rather large museum in the city, a museum that needs no introduction, was scanning Pennsylvania newspapers for the unusual and the odd when he came across the small article in The Valiant. He immediately telephoned the newspaper's city editor.

“Ahh, I don't know.” You could tell the editor was chomping on a cigar as he spoke. “Jeez professor that was just a filler piece filed by the mayor's niece. She's studying journalism so she gets the offbeat stories to keep her out of my hair.”

“Do you think you can arrange a meeting with her? I can be up there in about two, three hours or so.”

“Sure. Meet me here when you get in to town and I will arrange the whole thing. You know this Goo guy he's a respected hunter and all, but he's also a bit of a crackpot. Swears he sees all kinds of things out in the woods late at night. Last month he saw one of them flying saucers. The sheriff just believes he tells his wild stories to keep people out of the woods and away from his moon-shining business.”

The professor chuckled, “Okay see you in a couple of hours.”

The drive in to central Pennsylvania from Philadelphia was uneventful. Professor Hinkley stopped for gas and directions a couple of times and before long he pulled in to Berkshire. A typical small town Main Street with a couple of two story buildings and a public square. An unassuming brick structure bore the newspaper's name. The professor parked out front and went inside.

“Professor I would like you to meet Becky Potts, ace telephone transcriptionist and the mayors niece.” The editor coughed. Becky stood up offered her hand she had a notebook in the other.

“Becky, may I call you Becky?”

“Yes sir.”

“Becky, I need to know everything this Mister Goo told you.”

The editor and Becky laughed.

“Did I say something funny?”

“It's not Mister Goo, its Mister Smith. Goo is his nickname.”

“Okay, then I stand corrected. So what can you tell me?”

“First, professor I cannot tell you what an honor it is to be speaking with you.”

The editor rolled his eyes and looked away. “If you all don't mind I have work to do.”

“Second,” she continued, “I would like you to promise me an interview when this is through.”

“Sure. Sure where can we go and get some coffee?”

Over coffee Becky read from her notes, the professor sat drank his coffee and pulled apart a stale Danish while he listened.

“I notice that you didn't take any notes.”

“Photographic.” He pointed to his temple.

“Excuse me?”

“I have a photographic memory. I don't need to take notes. Do you think we could go out and meet with Mister Smith?”

“I thought you might want to do that, so I arranged for a ride out in to the woods. I hope you don't mind that Steve my fiancé is going to drive us out in his truck. Steve has been hunting with Goo for years, their kind of like blood brothers.”

“Okay, when do we go?”

“Now. Steve's waiting for us outside. You have to be careful around Steve he only has a high school diploma. Explain things simple like so he can follow.”

“Will do.”

It didn't take long and they were out of town and headed deep in the woods of central Pennsylvania. “You know professor we ain't far from where that space thing came down a couple of years ago. Goo was there that night, seen everything. Swears the U.S. Army covered it all up. Some kind of cone thing with strange writing. Strange men in fancy suits with hoses and big glass fish bowls on their heads. He ain't been the same since. Neither has the woods. The animals all skittish all the time like they are expecting something to happen.”

“Kecksburg? Goo was at Kecksburg?”

“Yes sir. About a hundred miles or so west. He was tracking something that night and he saw that thing scream across the sky. Saw it crash. So he says.”

“Kecksburg. I was there. It was scary. I was frightened. No one knew what the hell was going on. Next morning it was gone. Goo was right, the U.S. Army took away everything.”

“Professor, you don’t think Goo found something and hid it away all this time? Goo tends to exaggerate a little.”

“Hell, he don't exaggerate, he lies.”

They pulled up in front of an old trailer with a blazing campfire out front. Steve got out before the truck came to a complete stop. “Hey. Hey Goo. It’s Stevie and Becky we brought someone out here to talk to up about the egg.”

“That's odd. He would never leave a fire by itself. Especially this time of year with the woods being so dry.” Becky looked around expecting Goo to pop up from the darkness.

“His trailer is a mess.” Steve stood at the doorway. “Looks like he might have had an accident or something. There is blood everywhere.”

Steve was back at his truck pulling out a Winchester rifle. “This ain't good. Ain't good at all.”

“I'm frightened.”

“Nothing to be frightened about. I got my rifle. Professor, sorry, but this adventure just might turn sour for you.”

A high pitched sound like a high pitched amplified cat's purring filled the evening air.

“What the hell was that?”

The trees behind the trailer moved and it jumped in to the light of the campfire. Standing on two legs, it was scaly lizard like with a long tail thrashing back and forth. It was busy chewing on something. When it turned toward them you could see the head and right arm of a man hanging from its mouth.

“Professor, meet Goo.”

Becky threw up.

“What do you suggest we do, professor?”

“Kill it. I don't know what it is, but I'm guessing it has something to do with that spaceship that crashed in Kecksburg. You hear me Steve? Kill it before it kills us.”

“Okay,” He fired several shots while they all ran toward Steve's truck.

“I think I just made it madder than it was.”

Becky started to scream, “We're all going to die. It's a sign from god because we did it in Goo's trailer. We are going to hell.”

The professor slapped her, “listen we are not going to die. Steve has his rifle and you told me he was one of the best shots in the state.” He looked to Steve. “So Steve do your thing and let’s get this beast. What's it doing now?”

“Playing with the logs from the fire. You know the woods are still spring dry and they could go up in a minute. Like that,” he snapped his fingers as a flaming log went flying overhead in to the woods.

‘Shit.” Steve began firing wildly. Becky screamed and the professor began to recite the Lord's Prayer.

The sheriff noticed the flames first. “Damn, call the fire warden,” he yelled to one of his deputies. “Looks like that is off near Goo's place. I hope to hell his still didn't explode. The woods are awful dry.” The sheriff shook his head as he and the editor stood on the sidewalk of Main Street.

“Chilly night. Clear sky. Hell, you ever see so many shooting stars at one time sheriff?”