her curves. I liked her hair in a ponytail. She could pull off sporty and elegant.
“Right. I guess I should have figured that out.”
“And what about you? Did you lose something?” She eyed me.
“Uh—mapping out things for tonight. The tour sold out. I have to have something to tell these people.”
She laughed. “Good luck with that.” She returned the earbuds. I noticed a tattoo behind her ear I hadn’t seen before. It was a line of stars clustered together. I flashed back to last night to my lips on hers.
“Wait.” I stopped her.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Why don’t you come watch me make a fool of myself tonight?”
“You mean go on the tour?”
“Yeah. It could be fun. Didn’t you say you wanted to meet up afterward? Maybe we can get another drink. You pick the place this time.”
“Sorry, I can’t make the tour. I have other plans tonight. Something came up after you left.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Maybe another time, then.”
She smiled. “Yeah, maybe another time. I’ll call you.”
I watched her run until she disappeared around a bend. If I was going to date a girl like that, showing off my cool historian skills probably wasn’t the way to go.
It was the last event of the night. I looked at my group. There were twenty-five people on this damn tour.
The park was dark. It was time to get started. “All right, everyone. Hope you enjoyed your day with our storytellers.”
Heads bobbed in agreement.
“I’m Zac Morgan, your tour guide for the next hour. We’re going to start here and make our way through the woods. Does everyone have a flashlight?” I had handed out my entire supply. “Good. Stay together. Don’t walk off the trail. Everyone ready?”
I waited for them to file in behind me. I hadn’t tried the walking backward thing, but it seemed like a good way to make sure everyone was keeping up.
“All right, so the reason you’re on this tour is to hear a little about the Ghost of the Forest, the famous she-panther who protects Sullen’s Grove. The legend is that she lives somewhere in these woods.”
The flashlights automatically started scanning the border of the trail.
“If you know anything about panthers, you know they are quiet. Territorial. They can climb trees.” The light beams instantly pointed overhead. I laughed.
“They also don’t like people. So, even though I know everyone is anxious to catch a glimpse of her, that’s not likely. Panthers keep to themselves. She doesn’t want this kind of attention.”
“My sister’s neighbor said she’s seen her,” a woman in the middle of the group called out.
“Is that so? Where?” I asked.
“Back here somewhere. It was during the day.”
I shook my head. “Panthers are more nocturnal creatures, but I guess you could see one during the day. It’s not likely though.” I sounded like a damn zookeeper.
I pivoted and walked a few more paces, taking us deeper into the woods. This was absurd.
“Can you tell us one of the stories about her?” a little boy, maybe eight years old, asked.
I halted. “I’m not from Sullen’s Grove, but I’ve heard a few.” That was a lie. I had heard enough to fill half the library. The only problem was none of them sounded like anything but fairytales.
I cleared my throat. “I think maybe this one is my favorite.” I tried to remember the details before launching into the story.
“So, one night. A very rainy, dark night, there was a group of kids. High school age. It was about this time of year and they were getting ready to graduate. There was an old Sullen’s Grove High School tradition that the seniors had to walk into the woods and carve their name on a tree. Each one had to go by him or herself and walk back out. No flashlights. No candles. Nothing.
“So these kids, the first group of seniors, were in the park, just like us tonight. They gathered and drew cards to see who would go first. Now, they all knew they had to make it all
“Right. I guess I should have figured that out.”
“And what about you? Did you lose something?” She eyed me.
“Uh—mapping out things for tonight. The tour sold out. I have to have something to tell these people.”
She laughed. “Good luck with that.” She returned the earbuds. I noticed a tattoo behind her ear I hadn’t seen before. It was a line of stars clustered together. I flashed back to last night to my lips on hers.
“Wait.” I stopped her.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Why don’t you come watch me make a fool of myself tonight?”
“You mean go on the tour?”
“Yeah. It could be fun. Didn’t you say you wanted to meet up afterward? Maybe we can get another drink. You pick the place this time.”
“Sorry, I can’t make the tour. I have other plans tonight. Something came up after you left.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Maybe another time, then.”
She smiled. “Yeah, maybe another time. I’ll call you.”
I watched her run until she disappeared around a bend. If I was going to date a girl like that, showing off my cool historian skills probably wasn’t the way to go.
It was the last event of the night. I looked at my group. There were twenty-five people on this damn tour.
The park was dark. It was time to get started. “All right, everyone. Hope you enjoyed your day with our storytellers.”
Heads bobbed in agreement.
“I’m Zac Morgan, your tour guide for the next hour. We’re going to start here and make our way through the woods. Does everyone have a flashlight?” I had handed out my entire supply. “Good. Stay together. Don’t walk off the trail. Everyone ready?”
I waited for them to file in behind me. I hadn’t tried the walking backward thing, but it seemed like a good way to make sure everyone was keeping up.
“All right, so the reason you’re on this tour is to hear a little about the Ghost of the Forest, the famous she-panther who protects Sullen’s Grove. The legend is that she lives somewhere in these woods.”
The flashlights automatically started scanning the border of the trail.
“If you know anything about panthers, you know they are quiet. Territorial. They can climb trees.” The light beams instantly pointed overhead. I laughed.
“They also don’t like people. So, even though I know everyone is anxious to catch a glimpse of her, that’s not likely. Panthers keep to themselves. She doesn’t want this kind of attention.”
“My sister’s neighbor said she’s seen her,” a woman in the middle of the group called out.
“Is that so? Where?” I asked.
“Back here somewhere. It was during the day.”
I shook my head. “Panthers are more nocturnal creatures, but I guess you could see one during the day. It’s not likely though.” I sounded like a damn zookeeper.
I pivoted and walked a few more paces, taking us deeper into the woods. This was absurd.
“Can you tell us one of the stories about her?” a little boy, maybe eight years old, asked.
I halted. “I’m not from Sullen’s Grove, but I’ve heard a few.” That was a lie. I had heard enough to fill half the library. The only problem was none of them sounded like anything but fairytales.
I cleared my throat. “I think maybe this one is my favorite.” I tried to remember the details before launching into the story.
“So, one night. A very rainy, dark night, there was a group of kids. High school age. It was about this time of year and they were getting ready to graduate. There was an old Sullen’s Grove High School tradition that the seniors had to walk into the woods and carve their name on a tree. Each one had to go by him or herself and walk back out. No flashlights. No candles. Nothing.
“So these kids, the first group of seniors, were in the park, just like us tonight. They gathered and drew cards to see who would go first. Now, they all knew they had to make it all
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