The Lake Demon So Far

8/12/2019 The Lake Demon So Far

1/869

The Lake Demon

John Richards was hard at work

fnishing up a short story that he

was working on when his

telephone rang. It was his sister

Meg rom Kelowna !ritish"olum#ia calling.

$John I%&e got some terri#le

news or you. Dad%s cancer has

spread to his li&er and hisoncologist has only gi&en him a

month or two to li&e' said Meg.

$That is terri#le news' John

responded. $Is there anything Ican do to help(' asked John.


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$)eah there is. I could use your

company and support right now.

My #oyriend *ank mo&ed outtwo weeks ago so I got a lot on

my plate right now.'

$I #et. +ell the timing is &ery

good. My two kids Ryan and,tephanie -ust arri&ed two days

ago. ,usan%s lea&ing them with

me or the summer. I ha&en%t

seen my kids or months nowand I%m sure that they%d lo&e to

go on a road trip. I -ust wish that

it was under happier

circumstances. )ou don%t mind i

I #ring my kids along do you

Meg('


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$o o course not. I%&e got

plenty o room or all o you at

my place. I%d lo&e to see Ryanand ,tephanie again. /nd like I

said I don%t want to #e alone

during the short time Dad has to

li&e.'$)ou won%t ha&e to worry a#out

that. The kids will keep us #oth

&ery acti&e. They will #e sad

a#out their 0randpa #eing so ill#ut at least they will #e a#le to

say good #ye to him' said John.

$That%s right. ,tephanie and

Ryan really lo&e theirgrandather said Meg.


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$They will ha&e lots to keep

them distracted though. My kids

#oth lo&e Lake 1kanogan andthey lo&e going or #oat rides on

the lake' said John.

$I also need to take a #reak rom

my writing. I might e&en #e a#leto come up with some ideas or

a new story while I%m at your

place. +e%ll make it a summer

&acation or the kids and I.'$+hen will you #e lea&ing('

asked Meg while pouring hersel

a co2ee.

$Tomorrow morning. The kidsand I will need this e&ening to

get packed. They are #oth out


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right now #ut I%ll tell them as

soon as they get home.'

$/ren%t you e&en going to ask

them i they want to go on a

trip(' asked Meg.

$My kids are always ready or an

ad&enture. /nd I know they%llwant to see their 0randpa one

last time' John answered.

"hapter Two3

$+ell when should I e4pect you

guys('

$In a#out two days. +e%ll #e

dri&ing out to your place.'


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$/re you sure your old Taurus is

up or the trip(' Meg -oked.

$Don%t worry I ha&e a 5remier

mem#ership with "//' said

John.

/ter his con&ersation with his

sister John Richards had a lot tothink a#out. 6irst he had to think

a#out his soon to #e deceased

ather.

Ro#ert Richards was the kind oman that made the idea o his

passing seem &ery unreal to

John. )es he knew that people

die e&ery day rom cancer orwith heart conditions #ut his

ather was somewhat


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e4ceptional. *e was what is

known as a man%s man. Ro#ert

Richards worked hard all his lieas a hea&y e7uipment operator.

*e was only si4ty8se&en years

old and always seemed to #e in

ro#ust health. It was a &ery rareoccasion or John%s ather to e&er

miss a day o work #ecause o

illness. +hene&er Ro#ert caught

a cold or some type o &irus he

usually went to work anyway

and pushed through his

discomort. *e liked to think o

himsel as #eing tough and in

truth he was.

/lthough he was always a hard

worker and a good pro&ider


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Ro#ert Richards also #elie&ed in

en-oying lie. *e lo&ed his

cigarettes his #eer and hiswhiskey. John%s dad also liked to

indulge in a high car#ohydrate

diet that ine&ita#ly resulted in

Ro#ert de&eloping a weightpro#lem as he grew older. Ro#ert

rarely got any regular e4ercise

outside o his -o#. *e used to

#elong to a ten pin #owling team

#ut had to gi&e this pastime up

when he de&eloped a painul

arthritic condition in his knees. /

year and a hal ago Ro#ert had a

total let knee replacement.

It #ecame o#&ious to John that

his ather%s health was #eginning


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to decline as he entered his si4th

decade o lie. Many o his lie

style choices were now catchingup with him. ,till it was hard to

#elie&e that his ather was dying

o cancer and only had a short

time to li&e. John Richards has atendency to li&e in denial and

#elie&ing in his ather%s

in&inci#ility was a prime

e4ample.

"hapter Three3

John was not looking orward to

ha&ing to say good#ye to hisather. /lthough John was certain

o his ather%s lo&e or him he


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couldn%t remem#er e&er hearing

his ather tell him that he lo&ed

him. 1n the other hand itpro#a#ly wasn%t &ery oten that

John had told his ather that he

lo&ed him e&en though he truly

did.Ro#ert Richards did not #elie&e

in wearing his heart on his

slee&e and this was something

that he had passed on to his son.John reali9ed that #oth Ryan and

,tephanie would arri&e home in

a couple o hours and that he

would ha&e to #reak the #adnews a#out their grandather to

them.


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5art o John Richard was looking

orward to the trip to !ritish

"olum#ia to keep his sister

company. *e had always gotten

along well with Meg.

The other reason was that heneeded to #reak out o a writing

slump. *e had a hard time

fnishing up his last short story.

*e was su2ering rom what isknown as writer%s #lock. *is

creati&ity seemed to #e drying

up. Ideas or his stories weren%t

coming to him as 7uickly or aseasily. John was fnding that he

was no longer looking orward to

his usual early morning writing


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sessions. John%s usual routine

was to start writing at a#out

:3;; /M. *e would listen to anaudio #ook and drink his co2ee

at around


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ollowed a &ery amiliar pattern.

John would eel e4tremely tired

and would #e completelye4hausted #y a hal hour%s walk

with his dogs. Then other

symptoms o depression would

kick in such as lethargy and anina#ility to get any pleasure rom

his normal acti&ities. It wasn%t

long into his depressi&e episode

#eore he started to lose

confdence in himsel as a writer.

,ometimes a change o scenery

or e&en in a situation re7uiring

immediate action such as a crisis

situation would #reak John out o

a se&ere depressi&e episode. *e

was hoping that the phone call


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that he had with his sister would

#e his catalyst or change. John

could already eel some o hisenergy returning.

/lthough his ather%s illness

saddened him he knew he had

to #e the strong one or his sisterand his kids. John now had a

strong moti&ation to make

changes in his lie. *e was

hoping that he would ha&e #oththe physical and mental health

to gi&e ,tephanie and Ryan a un

and e4citing summer &acation.

"hapter 6our3


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John Richards had another

reason or looking orward to the

trip to Kelowna. ,ince he was ayoung #oy John had a strong

interest in crypto9oology the

study o unknown species.

,tories a#out !igoot and TheLoch ess Monster had always

enthralled John. This all started

when he was eight years old

when his grandmother showed

him a ceramic ashtray with a

car&ing o a large serpent on it.

John%s 0randma told him that the

creature%s name was 1gopogo

and that it li&ed in Lake1kanagan in !ritish "olum#ia.

,he also told John a story a#out


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a childhood riend o hers that

had a close encounter with

1gopogo. *er riend hadreportedly watched 1gopogo

come out o the lake and start

eating chickens that her parents

raised on their arm.

"hapter 6i&e3

It was early July and it was

summer &acation or ,tephanie

and Ryan. !oth o John%s kids

worked odd -o#s during the

summer months so that theywould ha&e some spending

money and to help pay or


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tuition . ,tephanie and Ryan

#oth had paper routes and also

did chores or some o thepeople in their neigh#orhood.

,tephanie was the frst to arri&e

home. ,he had #een doing some

dog walking or a couple thatli&ed on their street.

,tephanie had medium length

natural #lond hair streaked with

#right red hair coloring. ,he hada gold nose ring and a piercing

in one eye#row. ,tephanie wore

a #lack and gold ir&ana tee

shirt that had a ew holes in it.,he wore stone washed #lue

-eans with a tear in one knee.

,tephanie was part nineties


18/869

,eattle grunge and part punk

rocker. *er a&orite #and was

ir&ana. *er other a&orites inno particular order were /lice in

"hains ,oundgarden *ole The

5lasmatics and Motorhead.

,tephanie also liked TheRamones and The ,e4 5istols.

,he owned a large collection o

"Ds.

Like her #rother Ryan,tephanie li&ed with her mother

during the ma-ority o the year.

,he had a strained relationship

with her mother. ,tephanie%s

mother did not appro&e o her

daughter%s style o dress her

riends or her liestyle.


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,tephanie%s mom ,usan was

&ery concerned that her

daughter might #e using streetdrugs. *er #rother Ryan got

along much #etter with his

mother and oten smoothed

things o&er when ,tephanie and,usan got into intense &er#al

disagreements. !oth kids were

&ery upset #y their parents%

#reak up #ut had their own ways

o dealing with it.

"hapter ,i43


20/869


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stay with him John ound that he

had 7uite an ad-ustment to

make.

Ryan had -ust returned rom

doing some yard work or an

elderly couple in the

neigh#orhood. *e arri&ed homedirty and sweaty. It was a hot

day and Ryan%s frst stop was the

kitchen sink where he poured

himsel a large glass o water.Ryan was nineteen years old and

was &ery good looking. *e wore

his long light #rown hair in a

pony8 tail. Ryan had a strong

muscular athletic #uild. The girls

at his high school ound him to

#e &ery attracti&e. The only


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times that Ryan did not ha&e a

girlriend was when he wanted

some time to himsel.

/ter a ew minutes passed Ryan

noticed that his dad was pacing

around the small li&ing room.$+hat%s up( Dad. )ou look like

you%&e got something on your

mind.'

$*a&e a seat on the couch guys.I ha&e some good news and

some #ad news to tell you' said

John still ner&ously pacing the

>oor. $+hich do you want frst('


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%*it us with the #ad news frst

Dad' said ,tephanie with a

worried look on her ace.

$1kay. The #ad news is a#out

your 0randpa. I -ust got a call

rom your /unt Meg earlier

today. ,he told me that0randpa%s cancer has gotten

worse and that he may only

ha&e one or two months to li&e'

John answered.$That%s terri#le news' said Ryan

with a pained e4pression on his

ace.

$+e ha&e to &isit him #eore hedies' said ,tephanie.


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"hapter ,e&en3

$I%&e got that part co&ered' said

John. $That%s the good news.

+e%re starting on a dri&e to /unt

Meg%s place tomorrow morning.

,he wants our company untilyour 0randpa passes away. +e%ll

#e staying at her place or most

o the summer.'

$Did you say we%re lea&ingtomorrow Dad(' asked Ryan.

$)ep I want to get an early start.

I want to #e on the road #y eight

tomorrow morning' answeredJohn.


25/869

$+ow this is short notice. +e%ll

ha&e to start packing this

e&ening' said ,tephanie.

$That%s the plan' John replied.

$+e%ll start packing right ater

supper. I%m going to phone 5i99a

*ut and order us some pi99a.+hat kind o pi99a would you

guys like('

$*am and pineapple or me'

answered ,tephanie.$5epperoni or me' said Ryan.

+hen their pi99a deli&ery arri&ed

John ,tephanie and Ryan got

into a li&ely discussion.


26/869

$/re we going to ha&e enough

money or the trip( Dad $asked

Ryan.

$)eah do you guys remem#er

my cousin Ronnie('

$)eah I remem#er him coming

to &isit you a couple o times'said ,tephanie.

$/s I recall he was pretty well o2

wasn%t he( *e dro&e a really cool

5orsche' said Ryan.

$)es cousin Ronnie did &ery well

or himsel. *e owned his own

insurance agency' answered

John. $ I orgot to tell you guysRonnie had a atal heart attack

in January. *e didn%t ha&e many


27/869

amily mem#ers let so he let

me a su#stantial inheritance in

his will.'

/t se&en /M ,tephanie was

already up and was #usy cooking

the amily a #reakast o #acon

eggs and sausages. The onlytimes when John Richards e&er

got a home cooked meal was

when one o his riends in&ited

him o&er or supper. Most o thetime John made himsel a #owl

o 6rosted 6lakes or #reakast

two peanut #utter and honey

sandwiches or lunch and in the

e&ening would dri&e o&er to the

/?+ restaurant in the mall or

supper. The one ad&antage to


28/869

this is that John ne&er gained

any weight when his kids weren%t

staying with him.

$+hen%s the last time you got

your car ser&iced Dad(' asked

Ryan.

$Just two weeks ago. 0ot an oil

change and had the technicians

at 6irestone check out the car or

potential pro#lems. They ga&e ita clean #ill o health' answered

his dad.

$!ut it%s a 6ord Taurus Dad. I

was -ust reading 5hil@dmunston%s #ook Lemon /id

and he ranked the Taurus as one


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o the worst cars on the road

today' said Ryan.

$I know' I read Lemon /id too.'

said John. It%s great or 5hil

@dmunston that he thinks that

*ondas and Toyotas are such

great cars. *e can pro#a#lya2ord them. @&er since my last

ull time teaching -o# I%&e ne&er

#een a#le to a2ord an import

&ehicle. They are way out o myprice range.'

$+hat i your car #reaks down

on the trip( /ter all it%s

se&enteen years old'said,tephanie taking a #ite o her

slice o ham and pineapple

pi99a.


30/869

$I%m not worried a#out it' her

ather responded. $ I%&e always

had my car ser&iced on a regular#asis and I%&e kept up with the

repairs o&er the years. The only

thing you need to worry a#out

on the Taurus is thetransmission. I had a re8#uilt

transmission put in it last year.

+e%ll #e in good shape.'

"hapter @ight3

/ter the amily fnished

#reakast Ryan and ,tephaniewashed and dried the dishes and

John went outside to start


31/869

loading suitcases and #ags in

the #ack o his white 6ord Taurus

station wagon. John%s two dogsran out to the car with John and

7uickly -umped in.

It was ortunate that John had

purchased the station wagonmodel o the 6ord Taurus as it

was a#le to accommodate all o

the amily%s luggage. /s they

started down the road ,tephaniesaid $It%s sure good to #e with

you again Dad. I really miss you

when I%m li&ing with Mom.'

$)eah me too Dad. +e thinkyou%re awesome' added Ryan.


32/869


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!iology Department that some

o his students had #een

complaining a#out him.

This had #een a hard term or Dr.

5helge. *is #elo&ed wie @dith

had -ust passed away se&en

months ago. *e and hisdeceased wie had en-oyed a

wonderul lie together. @dith

had #een a proessor in the

@nglish Department at TheBni&ersity o !ritish "olum#ia.

The couple had met when they

were #oth frst year lecturers. /s

they were #oth rookies in the

world o uni&ersity academics

and teaching they 7uickly

#onded. /lthough he considered


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himsel as a scientist frst Lionel

also lo&ed #ooks and literature.

*is tastes were somewhatdi2erent rom that o his wie.

Lionel was a child o the si4ties

and had read the writings o Jack

Kerouac /llen 0ins#erg and KenKesey. @dith was a specialist in

the area o the @nglish no&el.

The couple would spend many

delightul e&ening%s at homereading di2erent #ooks and later

discussing what they had read.

Then they would each spend an

hour or two grading papers or

preparing lectures or

tomorrow%s classes.


35/869

@dith and Lionel lo&ed to tra&el.

They had dri&en to many B.,.

states and "anadian pro&inces.They had planned a long trip to

@urope #eore @dith got her

diagnosis o leukemia. @dith%s

chemotherapy and radiationtreatments had #een &ery hard

on her and had e4hausted what

little energy she had let. ,he

had to go on long term disa#ility

and greatly missed her work at

The Bni&ersity o !ritish

"olum#ia.

"hapter Ten3


36/869

@dith passed away our months

ater her diagnosis. Lionel was

de&astated #y his loss and ellinto a deep depression. *is

doctor ordered Lionel to take at

least si4 months o2 work.

Lionel%s doctor prescri#ed theantidepressant "ym#alta as

part o his treatment. *e didn%t

tell his doctor that he had #een

turning more and more to Jack

Daniels or relie during his time

o grie.

+hen Lionel returned to work

ater se&en months he was still

not psychologically ready to

assume his regular duties. *e

recei&ed an email rom Dean


37/869


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#oth in their mid8 si4ties. !oth

men had put on weight o&er the

years and would now #est #edescri#ed as stout in

appearance.

During his &isits with the dean

in the past they would otenreminisce a#out the times that

they #oth were lecturers in the

!iology Department at the

uni&ersity. Dean ,anderson hadalways #een the more am#itious

o the two riends. *e #ecame

Department *ead in his third

year and had 7uickly clim#ed

the academic ladder to

administrati&e positions within

the uni&ersity. The dean had


39/869


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$I%m araid that this will not #e

an easy meeting or either o us.

6rankly Lionel I%&e heard somedistur#ing reports rom your

students since your return to the

uni&ersity. I%&e also made some

o#ser&ations mysel that ha&eme worried a#out you $said

Dean ,anderson with

compassion in his &oice.

$+hat are you reerring tospecifcally( +hat ha&e my

students #een saying a#out

me(' asked Lionel.

$/ ew o them ha&e #een tellingme that you don%t seem to #e

yoursel ater your recent return

to work. They say that you ha&e


41/869

#een coming to class looking

dishe&eled and tired. 1ne o

them said that you are nowlecturing in a monotone &oice

and that you appeared to #e in

your own world. /nother one

said that you oten show up toclass ten minutes late and that

you oten lose your train o

thought during your lectures.

The most distur#ing report I

heard was that students ha&e

said that they%&e re7uently

smelled alcohol on your #reath.'

$Did they say anything else('

asked Lionel.

$)es they did. Many o your

students ha&e told me that it


42/869

takes ore&er or you to get their

term papers and la# reports

marked.'

$They%&e painted a &ery #leak

picture o my -o# perormance'

said Lionel shiting uneasily in

his chair. *e elt his ace startingto redden.

$)es indeed they ha&e. !ut

there%s one important act to

keep in mind Lionel. /ll thesenegati&e reports ha&e occurred

ater your loss o @dith. I ha&e

also noticed a #ig change in you.

)ou now appear to #e slouchingand you walk &ery slowly with

your head down. )ou now rarely


43/869

ha&e co2ee with the other

aculty in the lounge.'

$+ell now that you%&e told me

all this @dward I%ll try to pull my

socks up and do a #etter -o#'

said Lionel.

"hapter Twel&e3

$1h I know that you will #ut notuntil at least one year rom now.

Lionel I%m granting you a

sa##atical lea&e starting today.

Don%t worry a#out money. The

uni&ersity will continue to sendyou pay che7ues o&er the ne4t

year. )ou%&e #een paying into the


44/869

deerred salary lea&e plan or

se&eral years now and you

certainly deser&e a #reak romteaching. I ha&e ull confdence

that in one year you will return

to your duties as a new man.

This uni&ersity owes you Lionel.In the past you ha&e #een one o

the #est teachers this uni&ersity

has e&er had.'

/lthough Lionel had #een &erydisheartened rom hearing the

negati&e reports rom his

students he knew that they were

true. *owe&er he had to admit

that he elt relie&ed like a great

#urden had #een lited o2 his

shoulders. Lionel knew that he


45/869

was not in any shape to continue

teaching at this time in his lie.

$Thank you @dward. )ou ha&e

#een &ery kind to me. I must

admit that I am ar rom o&er the

death o my wie. ,he meant the

world to me and we had such awonderul lie together. Lionel

#egan to so# and then checked

himsel. Don%t worry a#out my

perormance. +hen I return towork ne4t year I will not only #e

as good a teacher as I used to

#e. I will #e #etter.'

$ I know you will Lionel. 1h #ythe way we%ll need to think o a

research pro-ect that you will #e

working on during your


46/869

sa##atical. That%s the

administration%s rule #ut don%t

worry a#out it. It%s -ust aormality. +hen you think o a

pro-ect you might #e interested

in gi&e me a call.'

$I will defnitely do that and I%%llget #ack to you with my answer

sometime ne4t week.'

"hapter Thirteen3

/ter he let the dean%s oAce

Lionel said good #ye to the

dean%s secretary Mar-orie. *edecided that he would head o&er


47/869

to the uni&ersity%s pu# to think

a#out a research pro-ect.

Kyle !rendon Jasmine Ian and

Keesha were sitting at their

usual ta#le at the Bni&ersity o

!ritish "olum#ia%s pu#. They areall uni&ersity students taking a

#reak rom their classes. They

were all good riends and had

esta#lished a routine o meetingin the aternoon when

e&eryoneCs last class o the day

was fnished. Jasmine and Ian

#oth had an e&ening class thatstarted at se&en 5M #ut they had

decided that a couple o drinks


48/869

wouldnCt interere with their

learning.

!rendon was reading a copy o

the uni&ersity%s paper. The

uni&ersityCs pu# was painted a

light #lue color and along with

the dark lighting added to theam#ience o the studentsC

a&orite watering hole.

$Man these stories are lame. I%m

#ored out o my mind readingthis rag' said !rendon reaching

or his glass o !ud Light. +ith

his other hand he tossed the

latest edition o the uni&ersityCspaper across the large round

ta#le.


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$)eah it%s a waste o paper and

a waste o our student union

ees' said Jasmine.

The pro#lem is their reporters.

They can%t seem to come up with

any interesting articles or the

paper' added Keesha.$)eah they could really use a

really si99ling story or their ne4t

issue' said Ian.

$They allow students to su#mitstories to the paper don%t they('

asked Jasmine mo&ing her chair

closer to the ta#le.

$+hy don%t we su#mit a story('asked Kyle leaning #ack on his

chair.


50/869


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$+hat else(' Kyle answered.

$)ou guys don%t really #elie&e

1gopogo e4ists do you(' asked

Keesha taking a sip rom her

grasshopper cocktail.

$+ell lots o people claim to

ha&e seen it' said Ian.

$Kyle%s got a great idea' said

!rendon. $/ll we%d need to do is

go on the internet and do some

research. There%s got to #eplenty written a#out 1gopogo

and may#e some photos and

&ideos.'

$I #elie&e there%s at least twodocumentaries on the lake


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monster o Lake 1kanagan' said

Keesha.

$I I remem#er correctly I think

that /rlene 0aal has written a

ew #ooks on 1gopogo' o2ered

Ian.

$)eah we could go to the li#raryand look up sites like +ikipedia

Disco&ery "hannel the *istory

"hannel and may#e /nimal

5lanet' said Ian.

$That%s not totally what I ha&e in

mind' said Kyle. My idea is or

an actual monster hunt a reale4pedition. Then we do our own

documentary a#out our hunt or


53/869

1gopogo. That way we%ll not only

get a antastic article or the

uni&ersity paper we%ll also makea documentary &ideo that -ust

might help pay down our student

loans. /nyone interested('

$+e would also ha&e gatheredthe material or a #ook or two on

our e4pedition' added Jasmine.

$+here would we get the money

or an e4pedition( Thee7uipment alone would pro#a#ly

cost thousands o dollars' asked

!rendon.

$+e ha&e plenty o options. 6ore4ample the uni&ersity itsel

could help und the pro-ect. /nd


54/869

we could always look or money

rom pri&ate #eneactors'

answered Kyle.

$Man we will need a lot o

unding' said Ian. +e%ll want

proessional di&ers

photographers #oats. +e%d needto make a list o all the

e7uipment and the speciali9ed

personnel we%d need to pull this

o2' said Ian e4citedly.$I think I%m hearing some

interest here guys' said Kyle as

a smile crossed his ace.

$Let%s think a#out the uni&ersityfrst' said Keesha. +hich

department and what aculty


55/869

would most likely #e interested

in a pro-ect like this('

$That%s a no #rainer. 5roessor

5helge rom the !iology

Department' answered Jasmine.

*e%s the aculty mem#er the

media contact e&ery time there%sa reported sighting o ,as7uatch

or 1gopogo.'

$That%s right' Ian said nodding

his head in agreement. $Dr.5helge is always telling his

students a#out how the su#-ect

o crypto9oology interests him.'

$)eah #ut ha&e you seen5roessor 5helge lately( *e%s in


56/869

pretty rough shape $said

!rendon.

$ItCs rumoured that heCs still

pretty messed up a#out his

wie%s death' added Jasmine.

$/ pro-ect like this might #e -ust

the thing to get the proessor%smind o2 his personal trou#les'

said Kyle eeling the call o

nature and getting up to head

or the men%s washroom.

"hapter 6ourteen3

1n his way to the washroom Kyle

spotted Dr. 5helge sitting at the

#ar drinking a *eineken. /s soon


57/869

as Kyle had fnished with the

washroom he sat in a &acant #ar

stool ne4t to 5roessor 5helge.

The proessor seemed

preoccupied. *e looked like a

man deeply engrossed in some

hea&y contemplation.$*ello sir. I%m Kyle Jackson. I%m

taking one o your #iology

classes this term.'

Dr. 5helge turned around slowlyin his seat and #roke out o his

re&erie.

$+hat did you say your name is

son(' asked the proessor.$Kyle sir Kyle Jackson. I%m in

slot two o introductory #iology.'


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I think I recogni9e you Kyle #ut I

can%t #e sure. There%s one

hundred and twenty studentstaking that course.'

$1 course sir I understand. I

you don%t mind sir I need some

ad&ice on a research paper Iwant to work on' e4plained

Kyle.

$+ell you%re a step ahead o me

son. I ha&e -ust started a oneyear sa##atical today. /s a

condition o my continuing to

recei&e a pay che7ue during my

lea&e I need to su#mit aproposal or a research pro-ect o

my own $said Dr. 5helge. 1 all

the proessors in this uni&ersity


59/869

why did you pick me( 6rom what

I%&e #een hearing I ha&en%t #een

winning any popularity poleslately.'

$It%s your knowledge e4perience

and e4pertise' Dr. 5helge' Kyle

answered.$1kay I%m hal way through my

second #ottle o *eineken and

now I%m curious. Do you smoke

Kyle('$)es I do sir' answered Kyle.

$+hy don%t we take our drinks

and mo&e outside to the court

yard ta#les. I can remem#er atime when you could smoke

practically anywhere. In the


60/869

good old days we could e&en

smoke in our oAces and in the

classrooms' said the proessor.$1h where did I lea&e my

manners( +hat can the waiter

get you to drink('

$ / Jack Daniels and a "okewould #e great' said Kyle

settling himsel into his outdoor

chair.

It was a #eautiul day with plentyo sunshine and a rereshing

#ree9e #lowing.

$+ell Kyle this is my frst day o

sa##atical lea&e and here I amstill talking shop' said Lionel.


61/869

$I you would like to talk a#out

my research pro-ect at a time

more con&enient or you that%snot a pro#lem sir' said Kyle.

$+ell when I frst got here my

intention was to sit #y mysel

and get completely hammered.!ut now it%s time or 5lan !. I

want to hear what you ha&e in

mind or your research pro-ect

so fre away' said Dr. 5helgecareully packing his !orkum Ri2

to#acco into his a&orite white

Meersham pipe the one with the

king%s head car&ed on the

outside o the #owl.


62/869


63/869

$!ut how a#out you Dr. 5helge(

Do you #elie&e that 1gopogo

could e4ist in Lake 1kanagan(asked Kyle.

$ot only could it does. !ut

there is more than one 1gopogo

in Lake 1kanagan. There needsto #e a whole amily o them to

keep reproducing' said Lionel

taking a generous gulp rom his

glass o #eer.$*ow can you #e so sure that

1gopogo e4ists(' asked Kyle

lighting up a 5layer%s @4tra Light

cigarette.$1ne o these days I%ll tell you

#ut not today. I ha&e to #uild up


64/869

some trust in you frst' said the

proessor >icking a small ash

rom his tweed sport -acket.

$,o how are you planning to go

a#out your research( )ou can

fnd 7uite a #it o inormation on

the internet alone. There ha&ereported sightings a #lurry

picture or two and an amateur

&ideo as I seem to recollect.'

$o proessor. I%m getting agroup o students together to

plan and e4ecute a search or

1gopogo' said Kyle #oldly.

$)ou sure ha&e am#ition son#ut do you ha&e any idea how

much something like this might


65/869

cost( ot to mention the amount

o man hours re7uired'said the

proessor trying hard not to showany interest in this pro-ect. The

truth was that Dr. Lionel 5helge

was already getting e4cited

a#out Kyle%s plans.$I ully reali9e that this will #e a

massi&e undertaking #ut I%m

hoping to put together a crew

that will #e up to the challenge.'said Kyle.

$!ut how a#out the money( Do

you ha&e any idea what an

e4pedition like this might cost(The frst thing you and I need to

do is make a list o all the crew

mem#ers di&ers and


66/869

speciali9ed sta2 that we will

need. Then we ha&e to fnd out

what it would cost to rent some#oats and some &ideo and audio

e7uipment.'

$,o you%re going to -oin our

e4pedition Dr. 5helge(' askedKyle una#le to contain his

e4citement.

$*old on. /ll I%m saying now is

that I%m willing to help you withthe planning.'

"hapter ,i4teen3

!lake Riley was rich &ery rich.*e made most o his money o&er

a two year period during the


67/869


68/869


69/869

much en-oyment rom each day

as he possi#ly could. !lake was a

risk taker who #elie&ed inpushing the en&elope. *e was

always interested in propositions

that were high risk high reward.

!lake had many ho##ies andinterests and now had the cash

>ow to indulge himsel to the

ullest. *is personal #elie was

that one should ne&er ha&e a#oring day. I he does it%s his

own ault.

1ne o !lake%s a&orite ho##ies

was collecting &intage guitarsespecially 6ender ,tratocasters

and Telecasters and Les 5aul

electric guitars rom the EF


70/869

and EF:;. !lake presently had a

collection o close to one

thousand classic guitars. Therewere two guitars that !lake Riley

was hoping to one day add to his

collection. *e co&eted the white

6ender ,tratocaster that Jimi*endri4 played at +oodstock

and the red 0i#son dou#le neck

that Jimmy 5age used when he

played the songs ,tairway to

*ea&en and The ,ong Remains

the ,ame. /lthough he picked up

a guitar now and then !lake

lacked fne motor skills and

ound it hard to play anythingskillully. *e contented himsel

with practicing guitar scales


71/869

cranking up his Marshall amps

stack to ten and e4ecuting

screaming string #ends.

!lake%s passion was or

collecting. *e collected all kinds

o things rom sports cards to

&intage cars. *is most seriousinterest during the last year was

collecting e4otic pets. *is goal

was to ha&e his own 9oo right on

his large property that stretchedar out to a lake. ,o ar !lake

had a tortoise a chimpan9ee

and a ,i#erian tiger cu#. !lake

had hired trained proessional to

manage and care or his

collection o e4otic pets. *e had

se&eral #usiness associates who


72/869

knew people who could o#tain

animals that were illegal in his

present country. *e also wasn%tworried a#out outsiders fnding

out a#out his little 9oo. !lake%s

mansion and property was at

least one hundred miles rom hisnearest neigh#ors. /nd !lake

had competent security sta2

watching out or him and his

property at all times.

!lake was 7uite eccentric. ,ome

e&en thought that he su2ered

rom #ipolar disorder. 1ne thing

was or sure. !lake was &ery

moody. *is sta2 rarely new what

to e4pect rom him on any gi&en

day. ,ome days he would #e


73/869

riendly and -o&ial and on other

days there seemed to #e a

hea&y cloud o&er him.

1n his #ad days the only thing

that could help !lake out o a

deep depression was the

thought o o#taining a new #utrare addition to his pri&ate 9oo.

+hen he went to sleep at night

!lake would oten dream a#out

ac7uiring an animal that noother 9oo possessed.

"hapter ,e&enteen3

The Richard%s two dogs were

named ,kippy and ,cru2y. !oth


74/869

were rescue dogs. ,kippy was a

!elgian ,hepherd cross and

,cru2y was some type o !lueMerle !order "ollie "ross. /ll o

the Richards lo&ed animals.

+hen Richard and ,usan were

still together they had threeanimals. !esides the two dogs

the amily had an orange ta##y

cat named "rush named ater

the sot drink. +hen the amily

unit split up they decided that

John would take the two dogs

and ,usan and the kids would

keep the cat. The two dogs lo&ed

car rides #ut this was going to#e a long trip or them.


75/869

John and his two teenagers had

a lot to catch up on since the

last time they%d #een togetherwhich "hristmas time was. Last

"hristmas ,usan and the two

kids dro&e to +innipeg

Manito#a to spend a#out a weekwith their dad. @&en though they

were in the process o getting a

di&orce and had #een separated

or 7uite some time John asked

,usan i she wanted to -oin them

or the "hristmas holidays and

she agreed. either John nor

,usan were dating anyone

e4clusi&ely at this time and deepdown they still did like each

other.


76/869


77/869

couldn%t take the pressure any

more.

John would #e ar more suited to

#eing a uni&ersity proessor than

working as a pu#lic school

teacher.

+hen John frst went ondisa#ility he ound that he had

hours o ree time each day that

he had ne&er had #eore. John

decided to take up ho##ies topass his time and one o these

was writing fction. John would

get up early in the morning and

put in a#out three hours at hisword processor. *e ound that he

en-oyed #oth the solitude o the

early morning hours as well as


78/869

the -oy o writing. The pro#lem

#egan when John Richards

started to get o#sessi&e a#outhis writing.

"hapter @ighteen3

$)our input on this pro-ect would

mean the world to us $said Kyle.

$+ho%s us(' asked Dr. 5helge.$1h I already ha&e a ew riends

who want to get in on this

e4pedition o disco&ery. They%re

in the pu# right now. +ould you

like to meet them(%


79/869

$,ome other time Kyle. I would

like to spend the rest o my frst

day o my sa##atical lea&e on&acation. Tomorrow morning I%ll

gi&e your proposition some

serious thought. +hy don%t you

call me in a ew days and I%ll tellyou what I%&e come up with( /nd

here%s my #usiness card. It also

has my home phone num#er on

it.'

%%Thank you sir. I%ll lea&e you

alone to rela4 now' said Kyle.

Lionel 5helge fnished o2 his#eer walked out o the

uni&ersity%s pu# and walked


80/869

across the street to the #us stop.

*is apartment was not &ery ar

rom the uni&ersity so he usuallytook the #us to work. Lionel

didn%t want to pay the monthly

parking rates charged #y the

uni&ersity.Lie had changed drastically or

the proessor ater the passing o

his wie @dith. +ithin the fst

month o her death Lionelfgured out that he could not li&e

in their amily home any longer.

The old house -ust had too many

memories o his deceased wie

and the wonderul lie they once

had. *e knew that he would

ha&e to learn how to sur&i&e on


81/869

his own and he thought that a

resh start in a new place would

#e the #est thing to do.

"hapterEF3

Lionel ga&e all @dith%s #elongings

to her sister and ound a nice

7uiet apartment #lock a short

distance rom the uni&ersity. 1n

many days the proessor would

not e&en take the #us. *e wouldwalk to work i it was not raining

out. *e rented a two #edroom

apartment mostly #ecause he

had accumulated lots o stu2o&er the years. +hat he liked

most a#out his new apartment


82/869

was the hardwood >oors and the

rather old ashioned historical

eel o the place. Many o thethings that Lionel owned

#lended in well with the general

am#iance o the apartment.

Lionel lo&ed music. *e grew uplistening to the early recordings

o The !eatles and The Rolling

,tones. @&entually he came to

preer The Rolling ,tonesespecially their early al#ums

/termath 1ut o 1ur *eads and

Decem#er%s "hildren. Lionel

especially liked the e4otic

eclectic >a&or that !rian Jones

#rought to these recordings.


83/869

+hen he was in grade ele&en

Lionel disco&ered the music o

Led Geppelin. *e listened to LedGeppelin II Led Geppelin III and

Led Geppelin I until he almost

wore out these records. There

were other artists that Lionelwas also a an o such as !o#

Dylan eil )oung and The 0uess

+ho. ow that he was in his

si4ties Lionel ound that he really

en-oyed the hea&y metal

straight ahead rock and roll

music o Motorhead. The

proessor had spent a lot o time

fnding space in his newapartment and e&entually

organi9ing his &ast collection o


84/869

L5s "Ds and cassette tapes.

Lionel e&en ound a ew old eight

tracks in his collection.

The proessor had to use a good

portion o his second #edroom

or his #ookcases and #o4es and

stacks o #ooks. Lionel haden-oyed reading #ooks #y

,tephen King since his own days

as a uni&ersity student. *is

a&orite works included The Dark*al The Tommy Knockers and a

collection o King%s short stories

called ightmares and

Dreamscapes. Recently Lionel

had read and en-oyed one o

,tephen King%s new releases

called HH8EE8:=. This no&el


85/869

centered around the EF:=

assassination o 5resident John 6.

Kennedy.

Lionel was &ery grateul or all

the #ook cases that his son had

#uilt or him. @ric was a

carpenter and possessed manyskills that Lionel lacked.

The other author that Lionel

lo&ed was J.R.R. Tolkien. *e had

read The *o##it and The Lord oThe Rings se&eral times and also

owned the DD trilogy pack o

5eter Jackson%s The 6ellowship o

the Ring The Two Towers andThe Return o the King.


86/869

"hapter Twenty3

The more that John Richards

wrote fction the more he ound

that he en-oyed it. It was also an

escape or him. /s the years

went on he ound that he and his

wie ,usan were losing more and

more o their connection. The

couple were doing ewer andewer things together and their

only con&ersations now seemed

to end up as fghts.

The truth was that Richard and,ue li&ed on di2erent planets.

They now had ew i any


87/869


88/869

#etween the couple led to an

almost ine&ita#le #reak up.

+hen ,usan told John that she

wanted a di&orce he really

wasn%t that surprised. *e

suspected that this had #een

coming or a long time. Johnunderstood why ,usan had so

many issues with him and really

didn%t #lame her or wanting out

o their marriage. ow that theywere li&ing apart the couple

appeared to ha&e a #etter

relationship. This was why ,usan

told John that she would #e

happy to spend the "hristmas

holidays with John and the kids.


89/869


90/869

Jasmine introduced the two

guests to Kyle $*ey Kyle I%d like

you to meet two &ery interestingpeople with 7uite a story to tell.

The guy is Roland and the chick

is atasha. "ould one o you tell

Kyle the story you -ust told us('$)es o course' said Roland

reaching out to shake Kyle%s

hand.

$+ell like I was telling yourriends atasha and I were

sitting at the round ta#le ne4t to

you and we couldn%t help #ut

o&erhear your con&ersationa#out 1gopogo.'


91/869

$)eah that really caught our

interest. +e had a close

encounter with The Lake Demona#out a month ago' added

atasha.

$)ou%re kidding' said Ian.

$It%s true' replied Roland. Lastmonth I took atasha out in my

speed #oat. ,he%s an

accomplished water skier. ,o we

headed out to Lake 1kanagan toha&e some un.'

$It was only un or the frst ten

minutes' said atasha. $Then it

turned into a horror mo&ie. $$/ll was going well and atasha

was doing her regular thing until


92/869

I heard her scream' said

Roland.

$)eah I was like totally reaked

out #y what I saw in the water.

6irst I saw a whole #unch o #irds

on the water. Then I saw them all

>y away as i something scaredthem. I took a 7uick look to my

let and saw a large #lack shiny

hump rise out o the water. It

started mo&ing closer and closerto me. I wasn%t a#out to wait

around to fnd out what it was'

said atasha.

$*ow do you guys know it was1gopogo(' asked Kyle.


93/869


94/869

#usiness manager and se&eral

employees. This let !lake with a

lot o ree time to pursue his owninterests.

*e read #ooks &oraciously.

Recently he was reading

numerous #ooks oncrypto9oology. *is readings led

him to &ideos on the paranormal

that were o great interest to

!lake.!lake had #ecome 7uite the

student o The Roswell Incident

that allegedly occurred in ew

Me4ico in EF. *e had read theliterature #oth or and against

the reality o The Roswell

Incident and had come to an


95/869

unshakea#le #elie that a space

ship that originated rom outside

the earth had crashed in ewMe4ico.

1Acial go&ernment e4planations

o a weather #alloon did not

make much sense to !lake. +hywould the B, military send in its

troops to gather up the #roken

pieces o a weather #alloon(

+hy would the air orce threatenresidents that i they e&er told

what they saw they would #e

killed(

!lake e&en #elie&ed the storiesa#out alien #odies #eing ound

at one o the crash sites.


96/869


97/869


98/869

"hapter Twenty8Three3

6rom his place sitting in the

patio and his #ackyard !lake

could see his personal

#odyguard Daniel Mason doing

his security rounds. !lake pickedup his cell phone and called

Daniel. Daniel was a well8 #uilt

strapping young man with long

#londe hair tied in a pony8 tail.*e has aspirations o #ecoming

a proessional wrestler #ut right

now he is #eing paid a generous

salary to #e !lake Riley%s head osecurity.


99/869


100/869

$"oming right up #oss.'

$1h and can you send along a

#ottle o Jack Daniels and a two

litre o "oke. /nd may#e a ew

*einekens as well Mike(' added

!lake.

$+ill do chie' answered Mike.

+hen Daniel arri&ed !lake asked

him to take a chair right across

the round patio ta#le rom him.

$/re you hungry Dan( It%s

getting close to lunch time'

asked !lake.

$)eah I am a #it hungry sir #ut

I can eat my lunch ater ourmeeting' said Daniel.


101/869


102/869


103/869

Just ater Daniel asked this

7uestion one o the kitchen sta2

arri&ed with a plate o fngersandwiches and a generous

supply o li7uor.

$+ill there #e anything else or

you sir('$ot -ust yet. I%ll call the kitchen

i we need anything later'

replied !lake.

$+hat do I ha&e in mind youask( othing less than to

capture a li&e 1gopogo and

#ring him here to li&e in our

small lake' said !lake.Daniel #egan opening a

*eineken and ga&e !lake a look


104/869

indicating total dis#elie. !lake%s

head o security -ust stared at

!lake or se&eral minutes notknowing what to say ne4t.

!lake started to laugh. $I%&e let

you speechless Daniel.'

$)eah you might say that. )ou%rekidding aren%t you #oss('

$This is no -oke. )ou know how

much I lo&e my e4otic pets the

more unusual the #etter. /ndwhat could #e more rare than an

animal that most scientists don%t

#elie&e e&en e4ists' said !lake

getting out o his chair to pourhimsel a Jack Daniels and "oke.


105/869

$+hat would you like to drink

Daniel(' asked !lake.

$ / *eineken would #e greatsir.

)ou%re serious aren%t you( asked

Daniel reaching or a fnger

sandwich.

$)ou #et I am.%

$+ell I know 7uite a #it a#out

these monster hunting

e4peditions. I actually took part

in one a ew years ago #ut itwas sponsored #y ational

0eographic and was totally

unded #y their t.&. show' said

Daniel taking a long sip o his#eer.


106/869

$+hich monster were you

hunting(' asked !lake. / look o

e4citement passed o&er hiscountenance.

$The Lake "hamplain monster

"hamp. The e4pedition only

lasted around a week #ut it mustha&e cost ational 0eographic a

ton o money.'

$+as the e4pedition successul('

asked !lake.$+ell we picked up some sonar

soundings o a large o#-ect in

the lake' answered Daniel.

$Did anyone on your crewactually see "hamp('


107/869

$o #ut I got scared hal to

death.'

$*ow('

$+ell I really ha&en%t told

any#ody this story #ecause I

can%t #e sure what really

happened' e4plained Daniel.

"hapter Twenty8 6our3

Dr. Lionel 5helge had -ust got out

o #ed on a Thursday morning.

/s usual he was eeling groggy

due to drinking a couple o shots

o ,outhern "omort along with

taking the 9opiclone medication

that his doctor had prescri#ed to


108/869

help Lionel sleep as he went

through his grie&ing process

o&er his loss o @dith.

6or the frst hal hour upon

awakening Lionel elt like he was

trying to na&igate a ship through

some hea&y og. In a ro#ot likeashion Lionel got the co2ee

maker set up and poured himsel

a large glass o water. It was

time or Lionel to take hismorning medications. The older

that Lionel got the more meds

got added to his list. *e took

5roscar or his enlarged prostate.

*e had an uncle who died rom

prostate cancer. *e also took

enalapril and a water pill or his


109/869

high #lood pressure. 6or the

painul arthritis in #oth his knees

and his #ack the proessor tookTylenol = three times daily.

*e was also prescri#ed a

cocktail o antidepressants #y

his psychiatrist. These includedcym#alta pro9ac and

amitryptiline. The amitryptiline

also helped with his #ack pain

and his trou#le alling asleep atnight. /s Lionel did not respond

as well as e4pected #y his

current regimen o

antidepressants his psychiatrist

added the anti 8psychotic med

/#iliy as an ad-unct. Likely due

to the large num#er o pills that


110/869

Lionel took he ound himsel

eeling e4cessi&ely sleepy during

the day time. / ew months agohe went or a sleep study at the

hospital. Lionel%s sleep was

monitored all night while he was

hooked up with electrodes.During the ne4t day he was

asked to take short naps e&ery

hour to check or other possi#le

sleep disorders.

/ppro4imately a week ater the

sleep study Lionel had another

appointment to meet with a

sleep disorder specialist. The

sleep doctor inormed Lionel that

he defnitely had the condition

known as sleep apnea. This was


111/869

to #e e4pected as Lionel was

a#out eighty pounds o&erweight.

The doctor also told Lionel thatthe daytime sleep study showed

inconclusi&e results #ut that she

could not rule out the possi#ility

o narcolepsy. The appropriatetreatment plan that the doctor

selected was that Lionel use a

"5/5 machine when he went to

#ed at night. ,he also prescri#ed

the stimulant medication Ritalin

or use during Lionel%s waking

hours. Lionel now had so many

medications to take that he put

all his medications in a little #luetra&el #ag.


112/869


113/869

work his eyes Lionel disco&ered

audio#ooks. *e ound that he

could add at least an hour or twomore reading to his daily routine

i he listened to audio #ooks. *e

was presently listening to the

audio#ook &ersion o The TwoTowers rom Tolkien%s Lord o the

Rings Trilogy.

Lionel had -ust fnished packing

his pipe with !orkum Ri2to#acco when the phone rang.

Lionel picked up the recei&er.

$*ello could I speak to Lionel

5helge(' asked the caller.$,peaking.'


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$,ir this is Rick Jennings the

super&isor at The *ouse o *ope

"ommunity Reha#ilitation"enter. )our son 0arry went

missing yesterday e&ening. Is

he #y any chance with you('

$o I ha&en%t seen or heardrom 0arry in a#out a year. The

last time I talked to him on the

phone was when I told him that

his mother had cancer. I%&eha&en%t heard rom him since'

answered Lionel.

$I%m sorry to hear that sir #ut i

he happens to call you or dropsin at your home could you let us

know( +e%&e already reported


115/869

0arry to the police as a

&ulnera#le missing person.'

$I certainly will Mr. Jennings. I

ha&e your phone num#er on a

#usiness card. )ou%&e now got

me &ery concerned' said Lionel.

Lionel sat down and lit up hispipe. *e made the circling

motion with his fngers as he

held the match to the to#acco.

*e had to admit that he hadn%tgi&en his son 0arry much

thought during the last ew

months. 0arry has #een

diagnosed with schi9ophreniaand had #een residing at The

*ouse o *ope or a#out a year

now. Lionel had tried to contact


116/869

0arry with the news o his

mother%s passing. Lionel let a

phone message or 0arry at The*ouse o *ope #ut 0arry had

not returned his ather%s phone

call. /s Lionel pu2ed on his pipe

he now reali9ed that he hadmore things to think a#out than

-ust coming up with a sa##atical

research pro-ect or Dean

,anderson.

"hapter Twenty8 6i&e3

The trip rom +innipeg to /untMeg%s in Kelowna !ritish

"olum#ia was a tiring #ut


117/869

en-oya#le one or John Richards

and his son and daughter. John

dro&e long hours to make it toMeg%s in two days. 6ortunately

#oth ,tephanie and Ryan had

their dri&er%s licenses and took

turns spelling their ather o2when he #ecame tired rom

dri&ing.

The truth was that John

,tephanie and Ryan were allha&ing the time o their li&es.

+hen you%re in the car or ten to

twel&e hours each day you ha&e

a lot o time to talk and catch up

on what%s #een going on in each

otherCs li&es.


118/869

John asked his son and daughter

what they planned to do ater

graduation rom high school.

Ryan responded frst' +ell I%d

like to continue my hockey and

oot#all careers ater I graduate

rom @lmwood *igh. I you canmake the pros that%s where the

money is. *eck you can make

more than a surgeon working in

a hospital.'Ryan was a dedicated athlete

who possessed #oth the passion

and natural a#ility or athletics.

$)eah that%s great' said John.$)ou%re &ery athletically gited

Ryan #ut a lot o kids at your


119/869


120/869

played in the nineteen8si4ties'

said John.

$/re you trying to rain on Ryan%s

parade Dad(' -oked ,tephanie.

$1 course not. I #elie&e that

people should ollow their

dreams as long as they%re #eingrealistic' her ather responded.

$+hat a#out you ,teph( +hat

would you like to do ater you

graduate(' asked John. John kepthis eyes on the road resisting

the temptation to look at

,tephanie.

$+ell i you didn%t think thatRyan%s goals were realistic you


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122/869

think a#out his son 0arry. *e

hated to admit it to himsel #ut

at times he tried to orget that0arry e&en e4isted.

0arry had -ust turned twenty8

eight. *e had oten li&ed with his

parents or #rie periods o time.0arry would lea&e the home

temporarily when he decided he

wanted the reedom o li&ing in

his own apartment or that thepresent situation li&ing with his

amily had #ecome intolera#le.

Things would usually #ecome

intolera#le when 0arry decidedthat either there was nothing

wrong with him or that he

thought he was cured rom his


123/869


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125/869

parents. Two police consta#les

arri&ed at the amily home and

spoke with Lionel and @dith5helge or a ew minutes.

$1ur son 0arry is &ery ill with

schi9ophrenia. *e must ha&e

stopped taking his medicationsand is ha&ing a complete #reak

rom reality' e4plained @dith.

$That%s right' Lionel inter-ected.

*e is ha&ing hallucinations anddelusions that are telling him

that my wie and I are reptilians

rom another planet.'

$Thank you' said the emaleconsta#le. "onsta#le Myers and I

will restrain 0arry and take him


126/869

to the hospital so that he can #e

promptly treated.'

"hapter Twenty8,e&en3

0arry was medically sta#ili9ed atthe hospital and would #e ready

or release in a#out f&e days.

This situation created a moral

dilemma or Lionel and @dith

5helge. They were #oth in their

si4ties and had to deal with the

stress o 0arry%s medical

condition or appro4imately ten

years. The cycle had repeateditsel too many times. 0arry

would e4perience a psychotic


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128/869

much #ut sleep smoke

cigarettes and drink co2ee.

During these times 0arry%sparents ound that they were still

a#le to manage li&ing with him.

Then ater a ew months 0arry

would decide that he no longerneeded to take his medications.

*e would lie to Lionel and @dith

and would tell them that he was

still taking his pills. /ter a ewdays o2 his meds 0arry%s

positi&e symptoms o

schi9ophrenia would maniest

once again and he would su2er

another psychotic #reak. This

crisis situation would necessitate

another trip to the hospital to


129/869

ha&e 0arry%s medical condition

sta#ili9ed.

Lionel and @dith talked the

recent incident o&er and came to

the conclusion that they could

no longer tolerate 0arry%s

residing with them. Lionel calledthe hospital to set up an

appointment with a social worker

to discuss alternati&e housing

options or 0arry when he wasreleased rom the hospital this

time.

"hapter Twenty8@ight3/ter two long days o tra&eling

John Ryan and ,tephanie fnally


130/869

arri&ed at /unt Meg%s place in

Kelowna !ritish "olum#ia.

$+ell we made it here in one

piece' said John. $I told you that

the old Taurus would get us

here.'

$)ep miracles do happen' saidRyan grinning.

/unt Meg owned a large

#eautiul house that resem#led a

log ca#in. It reminded ,tephanieo the main lodge at "amp

+oodlands. There would

certainly #e plenty o room or

e&eryone. The house wassurrounded #y trees on all sides

e4cept or the gra&el road that


131/869

led to it. The place was &ery

peaceul and secluded with Lake

1kanagan was &ery close #y.

Meg heard the car coming and

was already outside waiting to

greet the amily. The two dogs

,cru2y and ,kippy leaped out othe car and ran up to greet Meg.

They are #oth riendly dogs that

like people.

$)ou%re -ust in time or lunch'said Meg. ')ou guys must #e

hungry and e4hausted.'

$+e ha&en%t #een eating &ery

healthy the last couple o days'said John. John ,tephanie and

Ryan all lo&ed -unk ood.


132/869

$)eah you should see our dad

on car trips. *e dri&es ten to

twel&e hours per day with &eryew pit stops' said ,tephanie.

$That%s right. Dad -ust stops or

gas and we run into the

con&enience store to #uy potatochips chocolate #ars co2ee and

sot drinks. /round suppertime

he%ll stop at some ham#urger

place along the way to ha&edinner' said Ryan.

$It sounds like your dad hasn%t

changed at all. That%s e4actly

how I remem#er it when I wenton road trips with him' said

Meg. $+hich hotel did you stay

at o&ernight('


133/869

$Motel :' said John.

$That%s -ust like you too. John.

/lways trying to sa&e a #uck'

said Meg.

$That%s right. I%m not making the

type o coin I used to when I was

teaching pu#lic school ull time'said John. $,u##ing pays poorly

and writing fction pays worse.'

$I thought you told us that your

cousin Ronnie let you asu#stantial inheritance' said

Ryan.

$It was a pretty large chunk o

money #ut I didn%t win thelottery. I%ll need to use some o

the inheritance money to pay


134/869

the #ills that my su##ing and

writing e2orts don%t co&er' John

answered.

"hapter Twenty8ine3

/ter Roland and atasha

fnished telling Ryan and his

riends their 1gopogo story it

was time or the couple to lea&e.

They had a dinner date

scheduled at atasha%s parents

place that e&ening.

$Do you #elie&e their story('

asked Ian.

$I think they%re telling the truth. I

noticed that atasha turned pale


135/869

and her hands started to trem#le

when Roland told the story'

answered Ryan.

$)eah the chick was scared out

o her wits pro#a#ly traumati9ed

#y the e4perience' o2ered

Jasmine.$I ha&e some e4citing news or

you guys' said Ryan.' I was -ust

talking to 5roessor 5helge and8'

$Did you call him on your cellphone when you were in the

#athroom(' asked Keisha.

Ryan laughed. o he%s here on

the other side o the pu#. I had achance to talk to him or a#out


136/869

fteen minutes and pitched our

research pro-ect to him.'

$Man you ha&e guts Kyle' said

!rendon.

$)es you are the man' !rendon

agreed.

$That%s why he%s the frst string

7uarter#ack on the oot#all

team' said Keesha.

$Thanks or the &ote o

confdence guys. ow let%s get

serious. It turns out that Dr.

5helge is starting a one year

sa##atical today' said Kyle.

$That%s really ortunate or himespecially i it%s his perormance

re&iew year' added Ian.


137/869

$)eah the old guy hasn%t #een

himsel since his wie passed

away' said Keesha.

$/re you taking any o his

classes this year(' asked

Jasmine.

$)es I%m taking a second year

marine #iology class with him.

Last year I took his introductory

course. )ou wouldn%t #elie&e thedi2erence in him rom last year

to this year' said Keesha.

$)eah I%m in the same class withKeesha. 5roessor 5helge has

defnitely lost his spark. Last


138/869


139/869

$+hen I frst sat down with Dr.

5helge he did seem sad and

preoccupied #ut when I startedtelling him a#out our research

pro-ect he perked right up'

answered Kyle.

"hapter Thirty3

0arry 5helge knew what he had

to do. *e had to go to Kelowna

!ritish "olum#ia to see his Bncle

Ray and /unt June. *e had

sa&ed up enough money to

purchase a #us ticket. 0arry hadmany good childhood memories

o tra&eling to !.". with his


140/869

parents to &isit with his aunt and

uncle. The residual e2ects o

0arry%s last dose o medicationswere starting to wear o2 and he

was #eginning to decompensate

or lose contact with reality. *e

kept it together long enough to#uy a one way #us ticket to

Kelowna. 1n a ew occasions

0arry had tried to tell the sta2 at

The *ouse o *ope in +innipeg

that his parents were reptilian

creatures rom outer space. *e

had also discussed this

particular delusion with his

psychiatrist. !oth the sta2 atThe *ouse o *ope and his

psychiatrist had tried to e4plain


141/869

to 0arry that his #elie that his

parents were e4traterrestrial

reptiles was a maniestation ohis illness. 0arry now elt that

#oth the sta2 at the mental

reha#ilitation acility and his

therapist were $on #oard' withhis parents and were lying to

him.

0arry desperately neededsomeone to #elie&e his story. *is

delusion frst started when 0arry

watched his ather Dr. Lionel

5helge #eing inter&iewed #y alocal tele&ision network. The

tele&ision show was a#out >ying

saucers and e4traterrestrials and


142/869

0arry%s ather was considered to

#e an e4pert on this topic.

During his inter&iew on thisshow Dr. 5helge had stated that

he had once seen a B61 or more

correctly a s7uadron o B61s

>ying in ormation.In 0arry%s way o thinking his

ather only said this #ecause he

and his wie are rom another

planet or another solar system.0arry thought that #oth his

Bncle Ray and /unt June were

somehow pri&y to this

knowledge a#out his parents. *ewas sure that they would

confrm his #elie when he saw

them in person at Kelowna.


143/869

"hapter Thirty81ne3

0arry elt &ery uncomorta#le

during the #us ride to Kelowna.

*e was starting to withdraw rom

the lora9epam in his system. The

sudden withdrawal caused

0arry%s state o an4iety to

signifcantly increase. *e also

#egan to ha&e #oth &isual andauditory hallucinations during

the #us ride as the residual

e2ects o his anti8 psychotic

medications wore o2. 0arry wascertain that the other

passengers on the #us knew the


144/869

secret a#out 0arry%s parents. *e

also #elie&ed that a ew

passengers were also reptiliansrom the same planet as his

parents. 0arry%s auditory

hallucinations in&ol&ed other

people on the #us talking a#outhim. *e heard the ones that he

thought were e4traterrestrials

talking a#out how they would

sa#otage 0arry%s e2orts to talk

to his aunt and uncle.

0arry walked up to the ront o

the #us to talk to the dri&er. ',ir

I need you to stop the #us

immediately. I ha&e an important

announcement or some o your

passengers.'


145/869


146/869

$I understand son. I know that

there are reptilians on the #us

and I know e4actly who they are.+hen we arri&e at Kelowna I will

let you get o2 the #us frst and

I%ll wait ten minutes #eore

letting o2 the rest o thepassengers. Then I%ll send them

o2 in the opposite direction. )ou

will ha&e a good head start on

the reptilians and will arri&e at

your aunt and uncle%s place

saely' e4plained the dri&er.

$Thank you sir. That sounds like

a good plan' said 0arry.

Bnortunately a passenger

closest to the dri&er o&erheard

the con&ersation. $*ey people


147/869

there%s a wack -o# up ront who

has a knie. *e%s planning to kill

us' the man announced loudlyto the other passengers.'

In a matter o seconds a #urly

man seated near the ront on the

other side lunged at 0arry and#rought him down to the >oor.

*e starting punching 0arry in

the ace until 0arry passed out.

The man then searched through0arry%s -acket and remo&ed the

knie.

The #us dri&er immediately

called in or help. *e told thesuper&isor that he needed the

police and an am#ulance

immediately.


148/869

"hapter Thirty8Two3

$I gather you guys ha&en%t had adecent meal in awhile so you%re

in or a treat. I #ought some

#urgers yesterday and I%m ready

to get the old charcoal #ar#e7uegoing' said /unt Meg. /s Meg

made the necessary

preparations or lunch John

,tephanie and Ryan had a

chance to unwind rom their trip.

$The scenery is #eautiul out

here isn%t it ,teph(' asked Ryan.


149/869

$)eah I lo&e /unt Meg%s cottage

and li&ing out in the woods'

replied ,tephanie.

$I 0randpa wasn%t so sick we

could ha&e a really great

&acation out here $said Ryan.

$1h I think we still will' saidtheir ather. $0randpa%s a pretty

tough old #ird and he has a lot o

people praying or him. I think

he%ll pull through and ha&ing youguys here will really #oost his

spirits. I #elie&e 0od still has

plans or the old man'

$ Do you still #elie&e in 0odDad(' asked ,tephanie.


150/869

$)es I do e&en though I%&e

shown you guys little e&idence

o it.'

$Mom told us that you were a

pastor o a small church when

she frst met you' said Ryan.

$In a manner o speaking yes'replied John. The regular pastor

at our church was in his

se&enties and was starting to

lose his stamina. *e wanted toretire and there was a#out a

nine month gap #eore we ound

a permanent replacement or

him. /s I had attended a coupleo years at !i#le college the

elders o the church asked me to

#e the interim pastor.'


151/869

$*ow did you like #eing a pastor

Dad(' asked Ryan.

$I en-oyed it #ut I knew I was

only holding the ort until the

church ound a permanent

replacement. I was -ust a young

man at the time and thecongregation didn%t put too

much pressure on me. I they

were ha&ing serious issues they

usually went to one o the eldersor support.'

$,o why didn%t you fnish !i#le

"ollege so that you could

#ecome a ull time pastor('asked ,tephanie.


152/869

$The ministry is a calling dear

and I didn%t get the call'

answered John. $/lso I wanted toha&e a amily one day and #eing

a preacher%s kid can #e awul

hard on the children.'

$,o you sort o protected usrom ha&ing to li&e in a glass fsh

#owl' said Ryan.

$)es #ut I was protecting mysel

also. I didn%t think I had the sel8discipline to li&e a good

"hristian lie and would pro#a#ly

ail as a minister.'

"hapter Thirty8Three3


153/869


154/869

lie. /lso planning this

e4pedition would gi&e him a

chance to work with youngpeople. Lionel had always liked

ha&ing young minds and #odies

in his classroom. *e elt that this

helped keep him up with trendsin youth culture. Lionel held no

illusions that his generation was

superior to the youth o today.

Dr. 5helge was not yet ready totell Kyle that he had once had a

close encounter with 1gopogo.

+hen Lionel was si4teen he and

a ew o his #uddies decided to

camp out close to Lake

1kanogan. They sat around

drank #eer toasted weiners told


155/869

stories and generally had a

grand old time. 1ne o his

riends #rought along hisacoustic guitar. The more #eer

that the group consumed the

more they sang along with old

classics like !ar#ara /nn #y the!each !oys and *ang 1n ,loopy

#y the Mc"oys.

/s the weather was still airly

warm and the camp fre wasadding to the heat Lionel and

his riend Kerry decided to take a

speed #oat or a ride. They

fgured that they would dri&e the

#oat out a little ways anchor it

and then go or a swim. The sun

was -ust starting to set when


156/869

Lionel and Kerry -umped into the

water and started their swim.

They #oth do&e se&eral eetunder water. Kerry spotted what

appeared to #e a large log

driting towards them. /s they

were swimming in the directiono the log the #oys noticed that

the o#-ect was mo&ing in an

undulating serpentine manner

and had paddles. Lionel and

Kerry #oth #ecame e4tremely

rightened when they reali9ed

that what they were approaching

was not a log #ut a large li&ing

creature. The two guys hurriedlyturned around and swam

upwards towards their #oat. Just


157/869

as they started up the speed

#oat they elt the #ottom o the

#oat take an alarming -olt. Lionelpushed the throttle ull speed

ahead as the #oys headed #ack

to camp.

+hen they -oined the rest otheir riends #y the camp fre

#oth #oys were trem#ling and

appeared to #e in a da9e.

"hapter Thirty86our3

Dr. Lionel 5helge decided that it

was time to gi&e Dean

,anderson a phone call. $*ello@dward. I ha&e some ideas a#out


158/869

my sa##atical research pro-ect.

+hen can we meet('

$I wasn%t e4pecting to hear rom

you so soon Lionel. I thought

you would #e at home resting up

and en-oying your holidays or a

ew days' replied Dean,anderson. $I you eel up to it

we could meet or lunch this

aternoon. There is a new

"hinese restaurant not ar romthe uni&ersity that I%d like to try

out. )ou -ust dri&e to the

uni&ersity and we can go in my

car. "an you #e here #y noon('

$I sure can. I%ll come up to your

oAce at noon' answered Lionel.


159/869

/t around EH3E< 5M Dean

,anderson and Lionel arri&ed at

The ,hangra La restaurant. /waiter took their order and then

#rought the two men some

"hinese tea.

$I%m ama9ed that you came upwith a pro-ect idea so 7uickly

Lionel' said Dean ,anderson.

$/ctually so am I. /ter our last

meeting I walked o&er to theuni&ersity%s pu# and decided to

ha&e a couple o drinks to

cele#rate my sa##atical lea&e.

/ter a#out fteen minutes oneo my students sat down ne4t to

me at the #ar and said that he


160/869

had an idea or a research

pro-ect that he wanted to discuss

with me. The student%s name isKyle Jackson.'

$1h yes our uni&ersity%s star

7uarter#ack. I%&e talked to Kyle

on a couple o occasions. *e%s a&ery determined young man. I

imagine he%ll go a long way in

lie.'

$That%s the impression I got. *e%ssure not shy. That%s or sure'

said Lionel.

$+ell you certainly ha&e me

curious Lionel. +hat idea didKyle ha&e or a research

pro-ect(' asked Dean ,anderson.


161/869

$/ thorough in&estigation into

the possi#le e4istence o

1gopogo in Lake 1kanogan.'

$+ow. /re you and Kyle going to

work together on this pro-ect('

$That%s the plan. Kyle mentioned

that he also has some studentassociates o his that are also

interested. The ne4t thing I%ll do

is arrange or a meeting to #e

set up where I get to meet hisriends and start planning our

pro-ect.'

"hapter Thirty86i&e3


162/869

John ,tephanie and Ryan all

chowed down on the #urgers

that Meg #ar#e7ued. They allhad time to catch up on what

had transpired in each others%

li&es since the last time they

were altogether. /ter lunche&ery#ody went or a nap.

Ryan was so e4hausted ater the

long car trip that he slept or two

hours. +hen he arose it wasclose to 3;; 5M. Ryan pulled a

Rockstar @nergy drink out o his

#ack pack along with his mp=

player. +hile he drank the

Rockstar Ryan listened to Led

Geppelin%s The ,ong Remains

the ,ame. This had always #een


163/869

his a&orite al#um #y Led

Geppelin. *is a&orite track was

the li&e &ersion o ,tairway to*ea&en.

+hen he elt ully awake again

he headed downstairs to /unt

Meg%s li&ing room. The otherswere all watching an episode o

86actor that Meg had recorded.

It was one o those episodes

where the -udges wereauditioning potential contestants

and some o the perormances

were horri#le. Ryan wasn%t that

interested in watching the show.

*e told the others that he was

going out or a -og and was also

going to do some e4ploring.


164/869

/ couple o minutes into his -og

another -ogger was -ust a ew

eet #ehind him. *e turnedaround to see a &ery attracti&e

young woman wearing a !. ".

Lions -ersey. ,he asked Ryan i

he minded ha&ing somecompany on his -og.

Ryan told her that he would #e

delighted as he was -ust

&acationing in Kelowna andreally didn%t know anyone

#esides his amily and relati&es.

$Let%s stop or a ew minutes and

talk' suggested the attracti&eyoung emale -ogger. $+e should

introduce oursel&es. My name is


165/869

Moni7ue 5ainchaud. I%m rom

Montreal ue#ec.'

Ryan stopped running and

e4tended his hand $5leased to

meet you. I%m Ryan Richards

rom +innipeg Manito#a.

1#&iously you speak @nglishMoni7ue.'

$That%s right. I%m >uently

#ilingual in #oth 6rench and

@nglish. I ha&e -ust #een inKelowna or a week. My mother

li&es in Kelowna and I spend the

summer months with her. During

the winter months I attenduni&ersity and li&e with my dad

in Montreal' said Moni7ue.


166/869

$I hate to #e so #lunt #ut are

you married or do you ha&e a

#oyriend(' asked Ryan.

$either' replied Moni7ue. $*ow

a#out you('

$The same as you. I%m a ree

agent right now' answeredRyan.

$6ree agent eh' Moni7ue

laughed. $)ou must #e

interested in sports.'

$I am. I played #oth hockey and

oot#all at my high school. I -ust

graduated this year.'

$+hat are you going to do in theall(' asked Moni7ue.


167/869

$I%&e applied at The Bni&ersity o

Manito#a and intend on trying

out or #oth their oot#all andhockey teams.'

$+hat area o studies do you

want to ma-or in(' asked

Moni7ue.$@ducation. I%m signing up or

the our year !achelor o

@ducation degree.'

$,o you want to #e a teacher('

$That%s plan !. I%d rather #e a

proessional athlete' said Ryan.

$+ell you%d make a lot more

money. That%s or sure.'

$+hat do you study at

uni&ersity Moni7ue('


168/869

$I%ll #e starting my third year at

The 6aculty o @ducation.'

$/h so we%re looking at two

potential teachers here' said

Ryan.

$*e

The Lake Demon So Far

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