by Atropos
They'd been crouching at the fringes of the clearing for hours. Peter was bored and restless. "Guys, nothing's happened. Nothing's GONNA happen."
Egon didn't take his eyes off the PKE meter. "The meter says otherwise, Peter, and keep your voice down." Peter sighed and settled in to wait some more.
"Look!" The PKE meter trilled faintly and Ray's whisper was almost inaudible, but still contained more excitement than most people managed at a shout. Half a dozen figures were prancing into the clearing, accompanied by a faint, fluting music.
"Not more friggin' goats!" Peter squawked, trying to get up, but his legs cramped. Winston grabbed him by the arm to prevent him from scrambling away.
"They're not goats, Peter, they're fauns," Ray explained, fascinated by the creatures as they gamboled and danced.
"I'm not that much of a city boy, Ray. Deer don't dance around on two legs."
"Not fawns, Peter, fauns. They're woodland genii."
"It's most unusual to see them in North America," Egon added. "There are few places wild enough for them to manifest."
"I didn't think Saranac Lakes Wild Forest was really that wild," Winston said. He watched the fauns. "They don't want us to bust these things, do they?"
"No, just identify them, and confirm that they're not dangerous." Egon took a few last readings, then shut the meter off. "Which we've done."
"They wanted us to get a photograph--do you think that's a good idea?" Ray sounded uncertain. "I'd hate to think they'd turn these guys into a tourist attraction or something."
"Is it even possible?" Winston asked.
"Theoretically--they're corporeal beings," Egon said. "Though it's hard to say what glamours might surround them."
"Well, we'll see what the magic of Polaroid can do," Peter said, picking the camera up. "Aw, Tex, you put it in a puddle." He shook some stagnant water off it.
"It'll be fine," Ray whispered back, trying to take the camera. "Give it here." His fingers slipped and they dropped it; the impact triggered the flashbulb. The fauns froze in their dance, then scattered into the forest in a heartbeat.
"Guess that solves your ethical dilemma, Ray," Winston said. "Let's head back to Ecto before they send a search party out for us."
Last updated Tue Jul 20 2010 at 9:32:45pm