Fobi Tog

Annabelle stood in line waiting anxiously as she stepped closer and closer to the front. She was waiting for the latest release of ‘No One Knows Me’. It is a book about a man living his life in the forest. Little is known about the author besides his name, Fobi Tog. He never comes to his releases. He has never done an interview. Movie producers want to make a movie about one of his books, but no one knows how to reach him.

The line became shorter and shorter. Meanwhile, she had his previous book in her hands. She was hoping, just hoping that he would show up. Something about the book gave her hints. But when she made it to the front of the line, he was not there. She purchased her book, went to her car, and read the synopsis. 

As she drove home, she wondered, ‘Why keep yourself secret? Why wouldn’t you want people to know about you? What are you hiding?’

The next morning she had the day off so she spent her time reading the new book. She enjoyed the book. She began to picture in her head the forest inside the novel. The trees. The grass. The rocks. He began to describe a small house he built for himself.

Annabelle stood up from her chair. “The best way for me to picture this is to go out into the forest and read this book.” So that is what she did. She packed a backpack with clothes, a jacket, extra shoes, and boots.

She left her house and made her way to the forest. When she arrived, it was starting to rain. She put on a raincoat and started her trek through the forest. After almost three hours of walking, she came up on a small grove. She stopped to admire it. 

The more she looked at this grove, the more it started to seem familiar. She pulled her book out and started flipping through the pages. She stopped and read a paragraph. 

The large opening of the forest is where I spend most of my time. The space is amazing. I feel free. Trees surround it. Rocks make great furniture. I have a small fire in the middle where I can cook and keep warm. To the north is a perfectly shaded area for me to escape the sun's rays and keep me dry from the rain.

Annabelle read the paragraph and then looked above her. The same shaded area that was mentioned in the book is right above her. The rain had stopped but was still dripping down the trees. She looked to the middle and found the fire and rocks that was used to sit on.

A moment of confusion came over her. Then she realized. She looked at the paragraph again. It was written in first person. She pulled her backpack up and pulled out another book. This one was written in the third person. 

It was quiet around her, except for birds chirping and frogs croaking. For the most part, she ignored those sounds. But then a crunch of leaves spooked her. She quickly jumped to her feet and turned around. She couldn’t see anything except for the foliage. She heard another footstep. This one some sticks cracked. Each second the footsteps came closer and closer. Her heart was racing. She panicked and stepped back. She knew to be careful not to make any sound. 

She was about eight feet from the area where she heard the footsteps coming from. Then she saw that her book was still sitting on a rock. “Oh no,” she whispered. She took large steps back towards the book. When she placed her hand on the book, the vines in front of her opened up. 

Annabelle froze. She looked up slowly. She saw where the vines started to split. She saw a large, hairy hand on one side. Up a little further she saw an ape-like face. A rounded chin, an upward pointed nose, big black eyes, and a wild mane. 

The figure staring back at her was also frozen in fear. Thirty seconds went by before Annabelle screamed in terror. She had realized she was face-to-face with what she thought was an urban legend. 

Bigfoot. 

She gripped her book, pulled it close, and ran off. She leaped over a rock and went through a section of trees.

“Wait!.” Bigfoot shouted. He has a deep gritty voice. One that almost sounded cartoonish.

Annabelle stopped. Her eyes widened. Did I just hear that? She thought to herself. She turned around and slowly walked back. “Did. Did you just speak?” She asked even though she thought she was crazy for asking such a question.

“Did you?” Bigfoot replied. Annabelle screamed again. She tried to hide behind a large rock. “What are you doing here?” Bigfoot asked.

Annabelle peeked around the rock. She was shaking in fear. She stared dumbfounded at the large creature across the grove. “I, I am looking for a friend.” She replied lying to him. 

“What are you really doing here?” Bigfoot replied.

Annabelle took a step out from behind the large rock. “This might sound a little crazy,” she said. “I was reading this book and wanted to get the full experience, so I came out here to the forest to read and happened to come across this grove. Then I noticed that it’s the same place in the book. Then you showed up.”

Bigfoot stepped into the grove and sat down on the rock under the shade. He put down a stack of wood he was carrying. “I heard you in here and thought you were my assistant.”

Annabelle looked confused. She sat down on the rock she was hiding behind. “You have an assistant?” She asked.

“Well, yeah. I write the book, Peter edits, prints, and even publishes it. If word got out that I am the one writing these books the whole world would go mad. Peter does all the leg work for me. He takes all the profit because what am I gonna do with it?” He said with a chuckle. He stood up and walked over to a small hut he made. He pulled out a typewriter that was altered to fit his fingers. 

As they were talking, a sound came from behind Annabelle. She turned around to see Peter. “Oh boy.” He said. 

Bigfoot raised his arms at his shoulder height. “It’s okay. She's friendly.” He sat back down on the rock and looked at Annabelle. “You do know you can’t tell anyone, right?”

“If word got out that Bigfoot is real, the world would go mad. He would have to go into hiding and would never write another book again.” Peter explained.

Annabelle had a confused look on her face. She looked at the book she was holding it. She was enjoying the books and the stories. “Okay. But you are gonna want to stay away from writing in the first person. That is one giveaway that something might be out here.”

“Told you,” Peter said toward Bigfoot.

Annabelle’s expression changed as if a light went off above her head. She looked at the cover of the book in her hand. “Fobi Tog. Is that an anagram for Bigfoot?” She asked as she made eye contact with Bigfoot. “Has no one figured that out?”

Bigfoot looked at her and replied. “You would be surprised how many things are hidden in this world that people haven’t found if they aren’t looking for it.”