The Golden Thing

by John W. Steele

Part 1 appears in this issue.

conclusion

Somewhere in the distance, a coyote howled at the moon. Moses thought about what Nick had said.

“That thing might be the only one of its kind in the universe,” Moses said. “Who knows what secrets it may hold? Besides, I’m not the one that hates my job. I’ve doubled my sales every year since I started selling my sculptures. I got a write up in Prairie Life Magazine last month. I’ll make money some day. But money’s not the most important thing in the world to me. I don’t know how you can work ten hours a day at a job you hate. I’d rather take a bullet than face that monotony.”

A scowl formed on Nick’s face and he started to chew the inside of his lower lip. Moses spoke the truth, and the words stung.

“At least I got a new truck. I ain’t driving around in a twenty-year old army surplus jeep like you,” Nick replied.

“Big deal,” Moses said. “You’re just another miserable prick that thinks he’s a big shot because you tool around in an oversized gas-guzzler. By the time you get done paying your child support, and the monthly payment for that civilian war machine, you’re as broke as I am. The only real difference between you and me is when I get up in the morning, I’m a free man, you’re a slave, and you’re always going to be a slave.” Moses started laughing in torrents, and a tear rolled down his cheek.

Nick spit a gob of tobacco juice into the fire, and sneered at him.

“Yeah... well... that’s one reason this thing is so important to me,” he said. “I want more out of life than working until I’m seventy only to get screwed out of my pension. The owners of the machine shop where I work have already adjusted our pension twice, and they’re fixin’ to jig-rig the books again. I’ve lost thousands.”

Moses giggled. “Ain’t no security on this planet, dude, the only real security is insecurity.”

“For a bum you ain’t as dumb as you look,” Nick said. “Sometimes you hit the nail right on the head, but I don’t buy all your Indian wisdom. In fact I’ve got a little wisdom of my own: You either eat the world, or the world eats you. I’ll tell you this, that thing is money. The only way we can prove for sure we found it is to kill it. If it bites, I’m cashing it in.”

Moses knew arguing with Nick was like trying to reason with a tumbleweed. “Morning will be here in a few hours. I’m going to get some rest, we got a lot ahead of us.” He crawled into his sleeping bag. Nick looked into the fire and thought about his life. A sour look formed on his face. He looked up from the fire, and glared at the heavens.

* * *

The first red rays of the sun erupted on the horizon, and thin silver mist floated on the waters of the spring.

Ka-clung... Ka-clung, the sound of the cowbell rang clear in the still morning air. Nick sat up with a start. He reached over and slapped Moses on the shoulder. “Wake up, dude... wake up, we got a bite,” he said.

Moses slid out of his sleeping bag and pulled on his boots. “We better hurry, here’s where the fun starts,” he said. They raced to the rock ledge and peered out into the spring. The inner tube circled slowly on the surface, its image darted in and out between the holes in the fog.

“We hooked him!” Nick said.

A look of suspicion grew on the Indian’s face. “No... no, we ain’t hooked him yet,” he said. “It’s smarter than I thought it was. It knows something ain’t right, and it’s playing with the bait.”

The inner tube came to a dead stop in the middle of the spring. For a moment all was still. With a powerful jolt the tube stood on end, and the cowbell rang madly. A mighty swell of bubbles surged on the surface and the tube disappeared beneath the water.

“Now we’ve hooked him!” Moses yelled. The steel cable drew taught and the ATV’s began to bounce.

“It’s gonna pull the bikes in, hurry!” Nick yelled.

They ran to the bikes, fired up the motors, and threw the machines in reverse. The tires squealed and smoked on the surface of rock as they struggled to keep the ATV’s from being drawn into the abyss. The battle raged, and the water swirled and churned. But the cable held strong, and by ten a.m. the monster showed signs of fatigue.

“I think he’s weakening,” Moses said. “Let’s see if we can drag him out of the water.” They backed up the bikes an inch at a time and pulled the leviathan in towards the shore.

Like a giant geyser erupting into the sky, the golden thing shot from beneath the surface and soared into the air. Its massive tail thrashed violently.

“It’s as big as a whale!” Moses yelled. His voice strained and was filled with terror. The golden thing crashed down into the water, an immense wave surged up on the shore.

“It’s now or never!” Nick yelled. “Let’s haul him in.” They throttled up the engines and pulled the monster up on the rim of solid rock. The thing thrashed like a rodeo bull and struggled against the steel cable at the rim of the abyss. The massive fin at the end of its tail cut through the air and made a sound like sheets flapping on a clothesline in a gusty wind.

“Yeeeoowzaa, look at the choppers on that thing. You are one ugly son... of... a... bitch!” Nick said.

Moses stared at the creature with awe, and his mouth fell open. “He’s nastier than I remember.”

The thing had swallowed the pig whole and the tuna hook was snagged in its throat. Its head was broad and flat like a catfish. Two deep black eyes as big as tires bulged on its shallow forehead, and gazed at them with a mindless stare. In the center of each eye burned a red disc, where the optic nerve sunk deep into its thick skull.

From the sides of its wicked maw protruded powerful reptilian arms like those of a T-Rex. The arms waved erratically and the atrocious talons of its deformed fingers grasped at the air. Its body was larger than a giant crocodile and the color of a goldfish. The monster’s shiny skin glistened in the light of the morning sun.

The cavernous mouth of the thing snapped and pumped like a bellows and its yellow razor sharp teeth were as big as railroad spikes. In time the creature grew exhausted and lay on the rock, a thick blanket of slime exuded from its pores and covered its wrinkled skin.

“Let’s get some pictures of it,” Moses said. “I want to let it go before the sun dehydrates it.”

“Good idea.”

Moses ran up to camp to get his camera.

Nick circled the creature and looked at it with contempt. A wry smile formed on his face. “You’re beautiful to me. Were gonna be famous,” he said. He picked up a heavy sharp boulder and smashed it down on the monsters head, the rock landed with a sickening thud. Purple blood oozed from the wound, and the creature’s massive body shuddered. The lids of its eyes closed and the thing lay as still as a tombstone.

Moses returned with his camera. “This is awesome... this is awesome,” he said, his body trembled. He knelt down and started taking pictures of the creature’s horrible maw. The camera whizzed and flashed like it was alive, and Moses was lost in the glory of the impossible thing.

Moses heard a rifle cock. His mind stood still, and his excitement dissolved, leaving only the vestige of stark reality. Moses rose to his feet; he knew what was about to occur.

From behind him Nick said, “We can do this the hard way or the easy way, Moses. It’s all up to you. What’s it gonna be?”

“You’re a fool. Just a stupid red necked moron,” Moses said.

“Why I thank you kindly for the encouraging platitudes,” Nick said.” I won’t be the only redneck with a lot of money. Now step aside.”

“What are you gonna do if I don’t, Nick. Are you gonna kill me?”

Nick laughed. “Kill you? Hell, no, I ain’t gonna kill you. We’re buds. Besides, you’re the finest hydroponic gardener on the planet. I sure would miss that Jolly Green. But I’ll damn sure put a bullet in your kneecap if you try to stand in my way. Think about it. Why don’t you just go with the flow for once?”

“That’s rich coming from you,” Moses said. “But I guess this piece of meat ain’t worth taking a bullet for. Moses walked to the far side of the creature. “It’s your life, knock yourself out,” he said.

“Like I always said, you’re a hell of a lot smarter than you look,” Nick said. He walked up to the thing and stood defiantly before it. “Well, well, well, looky here. It looks like I’m gonna slay me a dragon.”

The lid on the creature’s eye creeped open, and the red vortex focused on the image before it. Nick raised the rifle to his shoulder and the safety made a click sound. “Asta Lavista you ugly son of a...”

With the speed of a black belt’s fist, the creature lashed out its terrible arm and grabbed Nick by the leg. The thing sunk its wicked talons deep in the muscle of Nick’s thigh and blood spurted from the wound. With its other arm the thing yanked Nick’s feet from beneath him and he crashed to the ground. The rifle flew from Nick’s hands and landed in the sand behind him.

“Help me, Moses!” Nick screamed. Moses ran to grab the rifle and kill the thing, but it was too late. The thing crammed Nick into its mouth with its brawny arms, and with a snap of its jaws severed him in half at the waist. The dead man’s face grew white as marble and lost all expression. The creature tottered forward on its arms and clamped down on the torso lying on the rock. It tossed Nicks mangled body into the air, raised its head, and swallowed him whole.

Like an avenging demon the thing thrashed wildly once again. It flopped back in the water and with each thrust of its gargantuan tail it drew the ATV”s closer to the spring. Moses knew Nick was gone and there was nothing he could do about it.

He ran to the rear cargo rack and grabbed the hatchet. Moses raised his arm high above his head and slammed the axe down hard on the taught steel cable. The cable severed on the rock and hissed like a serpent as it flew toward the center of the spring.

Moses stood petrified for a moment and gazed out at the bubbles rising in the water. He crouched low, crept up to the rim, and peered into Devil’s Spring. A trail like a ribbon of blood swirled in the water and down into the abyss. Moses started to pace on the rim of the crater and tried to focus himself, then sat down at the edge of the spring, and started to sob. “You stupid bastard... you stupid, stupid bastard. You had to be a big shot didn’t you,” he lamented.

Moses sat for a long time contemplating what had occurred. Soon the sun would be directly overhead. Moses stood up and gazed into the magnificent turquoise sky. He opened his arms and offered up a prayer for Nick to the Great Spirit. Far above him an eagle soared majestically on the thermal drifts. Moses knew this was a good omen. He said good-bye to his friend, and turned to walk away.

The water exploded and the golden thing shot from the depths of the crevasse. Its body flew into the air and crashed down on top of Moses. His spine snapped like a dried twig and the thing crushed him flat with its enormous bulk. Moses lay on the ground, paralyzed. The golden thing flopped over on its belly, grabbed Moses with its hefty arms, and devoured him like he was a worm. With a thrust of its tail, the thing splashed back into the water and disappeared into the bottomless fissure.

The eagle continued to sail in the endless sky, oblivious to everything but the rattlesnake that lay sunning itself on the rock ledge below.