Read Online Castaways by Brian Keene - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Brian Keene
Tags: Fiction, thriller, adventure, Thrillers, Horror, Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945), Occult & Supernatural, Horror Tales, Horror & Ghost Stories, General & Literary Fiction, Fiction / Horror, Reality Television Programs, Occult, Horror Fiction, Horror - General, Wilderness survival, American Horror Fiction
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and the few times I went to the store with him, those were my impressions."
"But they're not all like that. The stereotype is a misconception. What I want to do is make a chain of comic-book stores for the next generation."
"Like a boutique?"
"Close." Jerry winked. "I'm thinking more along the lines of a cafe. Put them near college campuses and places like that. Rather than focusing on single-issue comics and boxes of back issues, I'd stock graphic novels, coffee, and pastries. Play good music in the background and offer free Wi-Fi. People can sit around my comic shop just like they would a Starbucks or Borders. It would be clean, well lit, comfortable, and free of all those stereotypes that keep people like you out of the store."
Becka pursed her lips. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but that's not bad. That's not a bad idea at all."
"I know. Thanks. And that's what I intend to do with the money when I win."
"You mean if you win."
"Listen to you, all cocky now."
"So is that what you're into? Comics and stuff?"
"Well, I'm not rabid about them, but yeah, I dig reading them sometimes."
Becka wondered if he was downplaying his
enjoyment of comics just to make some sort of impression on her. Not that she would have cared anyway, but it seemed to her that if Jerry was interested in opening a comic book shop, he'd have more than just a passing interest in them. She kept this to herself, however, so as not to embarrass him.
"Do you have any other hobbies?" Jerry hesitated. "Promise you won't make fun of me?"
Becka nodded.
"I'm an amateur cryptozoologist." "A what?"
"Cryptozoology. It's the study of unknown animals and creatures. Every year, they find new birds and fish and animals we didn't know about before— or thought were extinct. Like the coelacanth. It's a fish that was supposed to have died out with the dinosaurs, but they found them living off the coast of Africa. And a few years ago, some French scientists discovered a species of shrimp that was supposed to have been extinct for like sixty million years. They found it in this part of the world, believe it or not."
"A prehistoric shrimp?"
"I know. Sounds stupid."
"No, it doesn't," Becka said. "It's kind of cool. Did you go to college for this?"
"No." Jerry glanced at the ground. "But I wanted to be Loren Coleman when I grew up. Hell, I still do."
"Who's Loren Coleman?"
"He's like the godfather of this type of research— a very great man. Him and Ivan T. Sanderson and Charles Fort. Heroes of mine."
"So why didn't you go to college for it?"
"It's not really an accepted science. But I've read a lot of books and do a lot of research online."
"Have you ever found anything?"
"Not yet. Tramped around in the woods of Oregon for two weeks, looking for hominids, but all I caught was a cold."
"Hominids?" Becka giggled. "You mean Bigfoot? Or is it Bigfeet, if we're talking plural?"
Jerry's ears turned red. "Laugh if you want, but it's perfectly reasonable to think that there might be an as-yet-unidentified species of ape wandering the remote regions of North America. It's not like they're aliens or something."
Becka touched his arm. "I'm sorry. I'm not making fun of you. Honest."
"You must think I'm a real geek. Comic books and Sasquatch hunting. Jesus ..."
"Not at all. I think it's cool. Certainly different from the guys back home. All they care about is NASCAR and football and deer hunting. You're unique. And you know what you want to do with your life. You're not studying to be a doctor or a lawyer or something just because that's what your parents wanted you to do. I like that."
Jerry met her eyes. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
Grinning, he bent over and picked up a length of deadwood. Then he stuck out his arms.
"Come on, give me a hand. I'll carry. You load me up."
Becka began gathering dry branches and limbs and stacked them in Jerry's outstretched arms. Above them, the leaves rustled in the wind.
"The wind's getting stronger," Jerry observed.
"But they're not all like that. The stereotype is a misconception. What I want to do is make a chain of comic-book stores for the next generation."
"Like a boutique?"
"Close." Jerry winked. "I'm thinking more along the lines of a cafe. Put them near college campuses and places like that. Rather than focusing on single-issue comics and boxes of back issues, I'd stock graphic novels, coffee, and pastries. Play good music in the background and offer free Wi-Fi. People can sit around my comic shop just like they would a Starbucks or Borders. It would be clean, well lit, comfortable, and free of all those stereotypes that keep people like you out of the store."
Becka pursed her lips. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but that's not bad. That's not a bad idea at all."
"I know. Thanks. And that's what I intend to do with the money when I win."
"You mean if you win."
"Listen to you, all cocky now."
"So is that what you're into? Comics and stuff?"
"Well, I'm not rabid about them, but yeah, I dig reading them sometimes."
Becka wondered if he was downplaying his
enjoyment of comics just to make some sort of impression on her. Not that she would have cared anyway, but it seemed to her that if Jerry was interested in opening a comic book shop, he'd have more than just a passing interest in them. She kept this to herself, however, so as not to embarrass him.
"Do you have any other hobbies?" Jerry hesitated. "Promise you won't make fun of me?"
Becka nodded.
"I'm an amateur cryptozoologist." "A what?"
"Cryptozoology. It's the study of unknown animals and creatures. Every year, they find new birds and fish and animals we didn't know about before— or thought were extinct. Like the coelacanth. It's a fish that was supposed to have died out with the dinosaurs, but they found them living off the coast of Africa. And a few years ago, some French scientists discovered a species of shrimp that was supposed to have been extinct for like sixty million years. They found it in this part of the world, believe it or not."
"A prehistoric shrimp?"
"I know. Sounds stupid."
"No, it doesn't," Becka said. "It's kind of cool. Did you go to college for this?"
"No." Jerry glanced at the ground. "But I wanted to be Loren Coleman when I grew up. Hell, I still do."
"Who's Loren Coleman?"
"He's like the godfather of this type of research— a very great man. Him and Ivan T. Sanderson and Charles Fort. Heroes of mine."
"So why didn't you go to college for it?"
"It's not really an accepted science. But I've read a lot of books and do a lot of research online."
"Have you ever found anything?"
"Not yet. Tramped around in the woods of Oregon for two weeks, looking for hominids, but all I caught was a cold."
"Hominids?" Becka giggled. "You mean Bigfoot? Or is it Bigfeet, if we're talking plural?"
Jerry's ears turned red. "Laugh if you want, but it's perfectly reasonable to think that there might be an as-yet-unidentified species of ape wandering the remote regions of North America. It's not like they're aliens or something."
Becka touched his arm. "I'm sorry. I'm not making fun of you. Honest."
"You must think I'm a real geek. Comic books and Sasquatch hunting. Jesus ..."
"Not at all. I think it's cool. Certainly different from the guys back home. All they care about is NASCAR and football and deer hunting. You're unique. And you know what you want to do with your life. You're not studying to be a doctor or a lawyer or something just because that's what your parents wanted you to do. I like that."
Jerry met her eyes. "Yeah?"
"Yeah."
Grinning, he bent over and picked up a length of deadwood. Then he stuck out his arms.
"Come on, give me a hand. I'll carry. You load me up."
Becka began gathering dry branches and limbs and stacked them in Jerry's outstretched arms. Above them, the leaves rustled in the wind.
"The wind's getting stronger," Jerry observed.
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