Bill’S Life;: Life Stories of a Shape Shifter

By Ken Chodak

If you ever wonder why all the reality shows that deal with cryptozoology and monster mysteries can never find any real evidence as to their actual existence, its because of people like Bill.

Bill is an ordinary man with a not-so-ordinary life, although he would really like you to believe that it is. Bill has learned something about himself; it came to him in a dream, and he has taught what he has learned to his wife and kids. Bill doesnt think that he is overly special and doesnt look to go out and save the world from its self, just his kids. He would like to let you know that he has done some good and also some bad, but mostly he just wants to be.

You too can be just like Billyou just have to believe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Apr 5, 2016
• ISBN: 9781514468555

Ken Chodak

Born in Drayton Valley and raised In Rock Rapids, Alberta, Canada, the father of two wonderful boys, I grew up in a blue-collar household: everyone worked. I spent a lot of days just running around the woods that surrounded our hamlet and playing in the creek for which it was named. In grade school, I discovered a desire to tell stories; some of them were history-class knowledge twisted with fiction for English class assignments. Sometimes telling stories around the camp fires by the old abandon buildings behind our house. After school, like most people in this town, I went to work. For twenty-five years I worked in the oilfield, much like Bill. Started as a helper and worked my way to supervisor, owning my own contracting company. For about the last six years I have had an urge to write about Bill, I finally just got to it.

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Bill's Life;

Life Stories of a Shape Shifter

Ken Chodak

Copyright © 2016 by Ken Chodak.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2016903765

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-5144-6857-9

                Softcover       978-1-5144-6856-2

                eBook             978-1-5144-6855-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 03/04/2016

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Bill's Life:

Life Stories of a Shape-shifter

CONTENTS

1. Prologue: Kids Will Be Kids

2. Introduction: This Is Me

3. What Happens At Work Doesn't Always Stay At Work

4. Just Camping

5. The Out of Town Job

6. Swimming at the Lake

1

Prologue: Kids Will Be Kids

It was a long day, and coming home to find the kids took off, I was not very happy to have to go after them again. It was a Friday night, late fall. I knew exactly where they went and what they're up to.

About a mile or so from our property, there's a cabin for the cross-country ski club with miles of trails surrounding it. The trails came within yards of our property's edge. This cabin was fairly secluded and was popular with the high school kids to get their party on. Sometimes there could be hundreds of kids. Other times, it's only a few. This was one of the latter times, six or so kids, an even mix of boy-to-girl ratio. I always found it humorous how the boys were always trying to impress the girls with their stories or feats of grandeur or embellishments of sports prowess. Most were fiction, and some were outright lies, and thrown in were a few acts of utter stupidity---all just to try to get to first base with one of them.

This was where the kids went. They're not old enough to understand what's going on, but they liked to watch the antics that go on. Sometimes they interfered with these gatherings. When they interfered, that's unacceptable. I had to go get them.

I dropped my work stuff and headed for the bush. The thump from my growing feet sounded loud across the yard as my mass increased until my large leathery wings took over. The silky whoosh from the powerful thrusts was virtually silent as I ascended over the trees. It was late fall. The trees were bare, and sound was carried easily because there was no snow yet. This was one of those falls where the snow had held off. It was unusually warm for fall. As so, the grass, leaves, and twigs were quite dry and were very noisy to walk over.

Bush Partiers

Justin asked his friends Paul and Mark if they would like to hit the cabin tonight, knowing full well that if Paul came, he would bring his girl, Jenny, and she would invite her friends Carie and Sara. Justin really wanted to get to know Sara. She was a cheerleader on the honor roll, what a combo.

Aw, come on, this could be the last bush party of the year, Justin said with his best sad face. I'll give you my GTA game. He paused, checking the look on Paul's face. Assassin's Creed? A little begging and a few promised favors, and Paul agreed, Okay, we'll do this. And keep your shit. I don't need any more games. It was planned. Justin and Mark would get the beverages and snacks and meet Paul and Jenny there, and Carie would drive Sara.

It was a good night for a get-together, and because it was unseasonably warm, light clothes were all that were needed if you were close to a fire. As the party progressed, things were looking up. Justin was bragging about his recent accomplishments at the gym and his numerous sports trophies, saying, I can bench two hundred pounds fifteen times; Last track meet, I placed first in five of the events; or Coach wants me to be first string running back this year 'cause of my speed. His voice was getting a little annoying.

The stereo in Paul's truck blared music, not so loud as to impede conversation, except when Sweet Home Alabama came on. Up went the volume then, and they all started dancing. After a few embarrassing dance moves were shared, Justin had finally consumed enough liquid courage to ask Sara to go for a walk. She accepted. Paul and Jenny had moved to the cabin awhile before to have a private party of their own. Mark appeared to be making headway with Carie. He'd been chasing her for years, so no one noticed as Justin and Sara wandered off.

The ski trails were well maintained, wide open, and free of large logs. There were no surprising potholes or ruts. They were quite smooth in fact. There were a few aggressive hills and dips to make the trails a bit of a challenge. They left the firelight, walking slowly and chatting. Within a hundred yards, Justin and Sara were out of sight and, after a few minutes more, were out of earshot, the music fading away behind them. The labyrinth of trails were confusing enough in the daylight, let alone at night in the dark with moonlight peeking in and out of meandering clouds on a windless night. So after wandering the system of interconnecting trails for half an hour, Justin wouldn't admit to it, but he wasn't quite sure of the way back to the chalet.

Not that it really mattered; he was winning the heart of the young lady at his side. They had walked and talked for what seemed like forever. She seemed to like him, especially since he had given her his jacket when she shivered slightly, showing he could take subtle hints and cues.

Maybe he is marriage material was the thought in her mind. They wandered farther away from the cabin. The noisy crunch of leaves underfoot was quite loud but not so much that they needed to raise their voices. But every so often, Justin thought he was hearing footsteps other than their own, slightly out of sync and a little ways off.

It was dark, and in the quiet night air, your imagination starts playing with your thoughts. Your steps crunching the dry leaves seemed so loud. Maybe Mark had Carie out walking as well, or it may be rabbits or bush chickens.

Justin started to get uneasy. It was like a primal instinct. At the fringes of his hearing, Justin was aware the steps were getting closer just in the denser bush adjacent to the trail. It now sounded as if there were at least two separate sets following them. He shook his head at the thought and redoubled his efforts at conversation, more out of his growing fear than his desire to woo Sara. She noticed his eyes were no longer directed at her but on the bushes, darting left and right. This made her uneasy.

Whatever was out of sight making noise was getting closer, and they were way bigger than rabbits. It was as if the animals making the noise knew they were discovered and were not stealthy at all anymore, visibly disrupting small trees and agitating shrubs. Then the creatures came fast from the bush. There was the sound of the rustle of leaves and snap of twigs as the two doglike animals burst out onto the open trail, coming right at the teens with their teeth bared in furious grins.

Fear gripped the teens, and they ran, Justin quickly outdistancing Sara. In his fear-fueled flee coupled with his athletic ability and fitness level, his strides pulled him yards ahead of her in mere seconds. This scared her to her soul, being left alone to die. Her tear-streaked face was covered by hands no longer needed for running. As she slowed her uncooperative shuddering body, she slumped to her knees in total resignation, even accepting her fate as the two dogs slipped past her. Their unusual yip barks sounded like mocking laughter as they closed in on Justin.

She was in a bit of shock. She felt both relief and confusion that the dogs left her completely alone. A large man slid out from the bush a few feet from Sara. She physically jumped backward on her knees, and this caused her to sprawl on the ground. Towering over her menacingly, he pointed to the direction of the cabin, gave her quick instructions, and told her to hurry but to not run.

I'll help your boyfriend, he stated, his voice so deep it was almost guttural.

There's no chance in hell he'll be my boyfriend now, she snapped though tears. What's chasing after him? she said as an afterthought.

Coyotes, he said, pointing a finger for her to go. I'll get them to quit.

She turned and started to hustle down the trail, thinking she never did thank him. She felt a fierce draft of air as she started to turn back, and the strange mystery man was gone. No one was there---no sound of leaves crunching and no twigs snapping. Nothing. It was creepy enough out in the dark alone, but to have things and people appear and disappear was downright freaking her out. She quickly headed back to the cabin, resisting the urge to sprint.

Justin ran as the dogs got closer, snapping at his heels. Guttural growls escaping their throats, they crisscrossed the trail behind him, clearly making joyous, mocking laughter sounds. This scared him to his core. He started to cry. This took the steam out of his fear-fueled strides. He slowed, and his mind was clouded by images of beings taken down and consumed by wild animals. Futile hysteria had overwhelmed him, his motor functions ceasing along with his bodily functions. Justin collapsed on