MothAkai: Also, please approve budget for inflatable geyser man.
I groan loudly, but at least the sound is enough to get the pesky squirrel running.
The inflatable geyser man again.Oh, moss and mud, give me strength.I type back with one giant thumb.
BigFootBoone [admin]:No. You don’t have access.
BigFootBoone [admin]:No matter how many times you ask.
BigFootBoone [admin]:Also it’s 7am your time.
BigFootBoone [admin]:Go back to sleep.
Another buzz immediately sounds.
MothAkai: Ican’t sleep.
MothAkai:SPRING IS HERE, BABY!
MothAkai:Monsters are THIRSTY!
MothAkai:Are you feeling it too, big guy?
I freeze, scowling at the screen.
Absolutely not. It’s a ridiculous question. I’m not answering that.
BigFootBoone [admin]:I’m blocking you for the next hour.
I shove the phone away before he can reply, but pause when I receive a private message. Reluctantly, I look at it, only to release a sigh of relief when I see Dan’s name. I’ll always give the Dover Demon my time. Not only because he’s a good kid who is completely out of his depth, but I also promised his grandfather Steve, the former Dover Demon before he passed, I’d look out for him.
Dan: Are you available for a quick call?
Surprise flickers through me. We’ve only talked once before, but clearly he needs my support. I tell my device to call Dan Dover, which is much easier than using my larger fingers to find his number.
He picks up immediately. “Hey, thanks for calling.”
“Of course. Is everything okay?” I ask.
“Yeah. Yes… I think so. I was just, I don’t know, thinking.”
I wait patiently for more, but when he stays quiet, I gently prod, “And what are you thinking, Dan? I can simply listen if that’s what you need.” Regardless of what some cryptids say about me, I can simply do that rather than cracking the whip and issuing orders. In all honesty, when I do, it’s usually because of general misbehavior from creatures who should know better.
Dan lets out a nervous laugh. “Yeah, well. Maybe I need someone to tell me what to do.”
“I suspect you would not have called me if that were true.”
The silence that follows is thoughtful rather than uncomfortable.
Finally, Dan sighs. “It’s Dover.”
I settle more comfortably against the log behind me. “What about Dover?”
“I don’t know if I should stay.”
The words come out quickly, as though he’s been holding them back for weeks.
“People know about cryptids now. Things are changing. There are so many hunters and discussions on podcasts… it’s making me really nervous.” He hesitates. “And part of me keeps wondering if I should leave. See more of the world. Find a place where I can be me. Maybe without having to hide away.”