Chapter 61:     Resurfacing

ART writing--

On Tuesday the 20th of May, five days after Adam's arrival, we announced 
his return to the civilized world, since he could do nothing while in 
hiding.

Knowing that Adam's return would not go unnoticed by the media machine, 
we prepared ourselves for the onslaught by approaching certain 
journalists we had a good rapport with and inviting them out to our 
place for an official press conference.  They were not informed that 
Adam was back until he himself greeted them and told them the story 
he would himself reveal at that time.  

We informed the IPR of Adam's return earlier the same day.  Professor 
Rubin Evanzine came personally out to our ranch to take part in the 
press conference.  Friends and family were also informed, Pokey, Doug 
Wielson.

Perhaps you remember the headlines--you couldn't have missed them, they 
were all over the world the next day--ADAM LEROY FOREST ALIVE!  If so, 
you will have noticed that it was hardly the story you have been following 
through Book Two, which had not yet been released.  But since Adam 
will/can not lie, he told a carefully edited version of the truth:

from the OFFICIAL IPR PRESS RELEASE:
 
     "Hi, folks.  I've been laying low for a while, for personal 
     reasons I can't comment upon just now.  Except to mention 
     that my last experience in this town was the Monroe Police 
     shooting at me.  Seems I was wanted dead or alive, no questions 
     asked, so it seemed dangerous for me to return.

     I'm aware that everyone was wondering if I was dead, including 
     my parents and friends and I'm sorry for any anguish I caused 
     them.  But it was simply not possible for me to communicate for 
     a long time.

     After I'd been shot by Peter Sinsley I crawled off to die, but 
     was found by some people who helped me back to health.  I've 
     been staying with them until now, but I'm not supposed to tell 
     anyone about where I was just yet--so I won't.  

     Physically, I'm in good form with no after effects from being 
     shot.  I feel good.  I have plans to continue my education at 
     the UW, where I major in Anthropology.  I've got some make-up 
     tests to deal with due to all the time I've missed, but that's 
     already been arranged.

     Personally, I'm eager to get into music again.  And I'm glad 
     to be back home."


NATIONAL INQUISITOR: Well, Adam, what everybody really wants to know is--have you been with your fellow sasquatches or not? ADAM: I've already stated that I've promised not to tell where I was, so I'm not going to answer that. NATIONAL INQUISITOR: You don't have to say where you were, but if you don't at least DENY that you were with the Bigfoot-people, that's what we'll all believe. And print. ADAM: Guess all you want, but you may be expected to provide some kind of proof for what you do print. And you may have to deal with legal representation from the IPR if your unsubstantiated stories just happen to cause an environmental catastrophe for any sasquatch people who might actually be out there. NATIONAL INQUISITOR: Legal threat? Sounds like a smoke screen. Now we're really convinced that there's nowhere else you could have been all this time. Come on, admit it--the public has a right to know! ADAM: Ha ha, nice try! However, the public has no intrinsic right whatsoever to know what any other member of the public--like myself-- considers private or secret. Besides, as long as you're peddling fantasies, why not just print that I may have been somewhere on a secret government mission, classified "need-to-know" in the interests of national security, which of course I can't confirm. NATIONAL INQUISITOR: Yeah, you'd like us to print that, wouldn't you? ADAM: Might be cool. Anyway, it's definitely to my advantage to be keeping you all in deep mystery for a while, make you curious, since I've got plans for The Media...I did mention getting back into music? A little mysterious PR would be great!
The NATIONAL INQUISITOR did print that they "believed" Adam had been with other "bigfoots", but considering that they also ran headlines about flying saucer sightings and government conspiracies, there was no shockwave reaction to their suppositions. Other papers and TV articles dealt with Adam's insistence for privacy by simply making a mystery out of it. Which was just fine with us. There was, however, one more rite of passage before Adam could freely move around in our society again without problems--The Law. He was summoned by the Snohomish Sheriff's Department to attend a hearing concerning the events of the shooting and his conflict with Peter Sinsley. There was no latent legal threat to Adam, it had been determined that Peter was the guilty party, Melly's testimony had been conclusive. However there was always the question of whether a sasquatch's physical superiority was excessive firepower even for self- defense, as were a karate master's hands. One perilous aspect of the Peter Sinsley case was that it might never really finalize, leaving it open for reconsiderations, changes. Peter had been found guilty of attempted premeditated murder, but because of his accrued physical and mental handicaps, he was effectively no longer the same Peter Sinsley. He had been mandated to a mental hospital rather than sentenced to some penal institution, which was...pending. By now enough time had passed that people felt sorry for him and he was already being allowed to be taken home by his parents on weekends. So the case was actually open for any dramatic new evidence that might overturn it. Such dramatic cases are good for political careers and therefore somewhat volatile. Adam showed up at the Snohomish County Courthouse for the hearing. It was to be informal, held discretely in a chamber beside the courtroom with a judge, the District Attorney, two Sheriff's deputies and a secretary. There were a few witnesses, including myself, Elaine, Melly and Sid Greenburg. Sid was the young lawyer who represented IRP's interests now and then. The press had been kept out. It was amusing to see Adam in a real suit and tie. Sid's advice had been for Adam to look as human and civilized as possible, so Elaine and Melly quickly sewed him trousers and jacket. But when he sat at the table with the rest of us, so huge, towering above everybody else, muscles bulging his suit to capacity, his long hair pulled back into a ponytail, beard neatly trimmed (actually, Melly had trimmed his entire body with an electric clipper), he looked like a great big brawny thug. I'm sorry, it was so funny. All he lacked was some sunglasses to become the perfect gangster totally above the law. And in fact, in the confines of that room, those who didn't know Adam were made suddenly aware of the physical presence of this gigantic creature whom they had summoned into their realm of power. I think they became nervous when they belatedly realized how big Adam really was, as if abruptly finding themselves locked in a room with a wild tiger they had been planning to intimidate. A kind of "ooops" feeling. So they were very respectful, politely asked Adam to tell about the night of the shooting, from his own point of view. Just as politely, Adam told them what had happened, up to the point where Peter shot him. The DA interrupted aggressively, his critical question was: "Did you deliberately try to kill Peter Sinsley? Were you that angry?" To which Adam answered: "I was scared. I had to stop him from shooting again, either me or Melly. I thought I was dying, so I had no time to be careful with him, I just hit him." "As hard as you could?" "Absolutely. I'd just been shot in the chest with a big-caliber Magnum, I was in shock, surprised I could hit him at all." "But you DID cripple him, mentally and physically, probably for life. Does that make you happy?" Sid Greenburg lifted a hand in objection to the DA's nasty question, but Adam answered anyway. "No, it doesn't. But rather Peter Sinsley crippled than Melly or me dead, since you ask. I AM happy that I DID NOT kill him--and I think you all know that if I had actually TRIED to, he certainly WOULD be dead." There were no arguments about that. The District Attorney read out questions from his notes, not really looking at Adam: "It's been established that jealousy had been the motive for Peter's actions. What was the nature of your relationship with Miss Melody Anne Wielson?" "Melly and I have been like brother and sister all our lives," Adam said, "we more or less grew up together." "I get the feeling there was more to it than that," the DA probed, professionally aggressive, "have you ever had sexual feelings for her?" Adam didn't answer for a moment, so the DA looked up from his notes to see what secrets might be revealed in that silence--and gulped. What he saw was an indignant sasquatch bulging and towering and scowling down upon him from just across a flimsy table. Suddenly the room was too small. You could smell sweat. Adam made no threatening moves, did not even raise his voice, but that voice did have an intimidating authority to it. Almost like hearing God speak: "That question serves only as tantalization for the media pandering to scandal and eager to profit by sensationalizing their coverage of this very hearing. Because no matter how I answer--yes or no--it is simply irrelevant to the fact that Peter Sinsley went too far." The DA could easily have challenged that. But perhaps just didn't dare. His questions had probably been boldly written the night before, in the safety of his own home--his big chance to get some sensational media coverage while he had The Bigfoot under his thumb. Face to face with The Bigfoot was another matter, his thumb was too small. And now that Adam was aroused, he went on to mention having been fired upon by members of the Sheriff's Department after already having been shot and was trying to surrender. I had given Adam the name of the officer I had punched for doing so and Sid Greenburg had offered counsel in the event of any court complications. So the Sheriff's Department was aware that it might be themselves who would have to deal with unpleasant charges and litigations if they chose to persecute Adam for his actions that night. As it was, no charges were made on either side and the case was closed. Adam was a free squatch.
Once Adam was officially back he could begin to reassemble his life as he wished it to be. There were all the practical chores of obtaining the necessary accoutrements of Nokhso lifestyle he had lost during his catastrophe: replacing his driver's license, ATM card, new cell phone. He also made arrangements with the IPR and the University of Washington, not that he was ready to return to his studies at once, but setting up guidelines for eventually finishing his education. Seemingly absolutely everyone knew Adam was back after the press conferences and everywhere he went people greeted and welcomed him with enthusiastic friendliness. Old friends, strangers, shopkeepers, Policemen, flocks of children, all cheered and offered him their hands (although some did hesitate when they saw up-close just how big Adam's hand was). It was a Hero's Homecoming. Yes, nice to be back, thank you, thank you... But once all business was taken place, Adam settled into doing what he really wanted to do: working on music and being with Melly. There were other friends he socialized with as well, Pokey especially and the same old crowd out at Naked Lake, some UW colleagues, but almost always with Melly at his side. Melly officially shared an apartment with Lissandra Cunnings, but slept with Adam almost every night. As far as we could tell, their sexual problem was still unresolved, but that did not stop them from being in love. It doesn't seem that anything could stop that. We've had a wonderful summer this year, sunny and warm, sweet and lazy. That doesn't always happen here in the Great Pacific Northwest, wet summers abound, so we really appreciate it. Adam and Melly certainly did, being naked out at Naked Lake almost every day, playing music together late into the warm summer evenings. Adam was almost obsessed with the idea of forming a band and performing original music, often mentioning "the Vision" he had experienced while out among the Nokhontli. We were not exactly skeptical, because his talent for singing had become nothing less than phenomenal and his guitar-playing was improving every day, evidently inspired by his new guitar, which he called "El-Excalibur". But it is hard to dedicate yourself to someone else's "Vision" and some evenings the discipline was too much for Melly and she would go spend the night at Lissandra's while Adam played on. Sometimes Pokey would play drums along with them, but he too burned out occasionally. We assumed that Adam would get over it. That he had been traumatized by some of his experiences in the sasquatch world: an "Ordeal of Adversity", the "Syssk, his "Purification", the "Enduring"; all extreme tribulations. Visions? sure, you bet. But he was so happy, sure of his way, glad to be back. And his music was obviously therapeutic, so we had faith that everything would work out just right.

Chapter 62

Adam out of Eden