First Quarter: Evolving Talent Winner
THRILL OF THE HUNT
by Alison Klesman
As he crested a rocky hill and stared into the valley below, Kevin pointed
a trembling finger forward and whispered to his hunting companion. "What
is that?"
Jack smiled, crouching down a little lower between the trees. "That," he
said quietly, never taking his eyes off the figure in the distance, "is
exactly what we came for."
Kevin felt a cold lump settle in the pit of his stomach - he knew what
they'd come for, of course, but seeing it this close was another matter
entirely. This was his eleventh trip with Jack across their third
continent, and in a few months he'd be ready to qualify for his Hunting
license. He tried to tell himself this was no different than the past few
trips. What they were here for was no different than the jackalopes in the
Rockies or even the cockatrice they'd nearly lost in Great Britain just
last week.
But this time it certainly seemed different. This time it - she - had a
face. Kevin's eyes were drawn to it as he watched the shimmering figure on
the horizon that seemed to be fading with the last of the daylight.
In the distance, the figure seemed to settle itself among the trees and
pulled its - her, Kevin thought, for she very much looked like a beautiful
young woman - hair over her shoulder with careless ease. Her skin was pale
white, and her hair so black it was almost blue in the light. He found
himself wondering what color her eyes were. Maybe they were black. He
tried to think of all the pictures he'd seen in textbooks or on TV, but
he'd never paid attention before now. Selkies had only been words and
diagrams and maybe a photograph or two until this moment; but now they
were flesh and blood. It was a thrill Kevin had to admit he always felt,
the first time he saw in life a creature he'd only encountered in books
and late-night television programs. Only this time, it felt less thrilling
and more ice-cold.
Jack gave him a sideways look that said he knew exactly what Kevin was
thinking - or at least he thought he did. "Hey," he said, slapping Kevin
on the back, "we'll be outta here in no time."
Kevin swallowed. He wasn't exactly worried about getting back to their
camper in time to turn in early for the night.
"Okay," Jack said, twisting the bill of his Yankees cap around so it sat
backwards on his mop of black hair. "This is it." He hefted the rifle,
bracing one elbow on his knee and sighting down the barrel. Kevin crouched
beside him, still as death, until Jack suddenly straightened and shifted.
He turned to look at Kevin. "You know what? You should take this one."
Kevin's wide-eyed expression must have given him away. Jack chuckled.
"You've got to get over this or you're never gonna be a Hunter." He cocked
his head toward the girl in the distance. "You've gotta learn - just
because they've got a human face doesn't mean there's anything human
underneath. They're just another mark. You know that."
Kevin nodded. "Yeah, I know that," he repeated.
"Great." Jack handed him the rifle. The safety was already off. "Then you
take her down."
Could he do this? Could he deliberately shoot something that looked so
very human? Kevin thought back to when he'd been fresh out of high school
- he'd told his parents he wanted to be a Hunter and they had been so
disappointed. His father hadn't wanted him to chase fantastical creatures,
he'd wanted his son to go to some Ivy League school and become a doctor or
a lawyer or at least a successful businessman. But business and suits and
desk jobs weren't for Kevin. He loved the outdoors and he hadn't been
about to spend the rest of his life locked up inside. He'd left home with
his savings the week after graduation, found Jack via hours of careful
Googling, and showed up claiming he was willing to do anything if only he
could get his Hunting license and get out on his own.
This was just another hurdle to jump. Jack was right - the selkie wasn't
human, and she wouldn't be the last mark to make Kevin question that fact.
He felt a renewed sense of determination as he sighted along the barrel,
found the hollow of her throat and inched the crosshair just below that,
to the left, and fired.
The selkie shot upright, eyes of indeterminate color wide and shocked. She
made as though to scramble upright, but she swayed and through the scope
Kevin saw her face twist with disgust or terror an instant before her
features went slack and she collapsed to the ground.
Moments later, they broke cover to collect their quarry. It was a clean
kill. Kevin tried to feel something like pride. Jack bound the hands and
ankles with rope - "So they won't get tangled or scratched" - and hefted
her over one shoulder. The long, ebony hair flowed down his back nearly to
his knees. It seemed to have lost its luster, now that she was hanging as
deadweight over Jack's broad shoulder. Kevin looked at the body and
thought that the thrill of a new creature found and killed might be
fading, but it had left something else in its place.
As they started up the hillside and back to where they'd parked the truck,
Kevin fell into step behind Jack, watching the body shift back and forth
over his shoulder as they walked. His eyes were drawn back to the pale
face, now slack, the eyes closed and half-hidden beneath the silken
strands of her hair.
But as he watched the selkie's face in the growing shadow of dusk, he
could have sworn he saw her eyes flutter open and fix on him just briefly
before she gave him a slow, deliberate wink.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Alison Klesman is a graduate student working toward a PhD in astronomy; she studies super massive black holes at the centers of other galaxies. She is a Florida resident.
JUDGE’S COMMENTS:
Fundamentally a good story with a clever story line. Would like to know what kind of world the characters live in, and why killing fantastical beings is a job. Why is there a stigma attached to this, since Kevin’s father did not want him to do it? Some succinct, well placed details or clues would strengthen this work.
NOTE: Thank you to the author for permission to continue posting this fine story.