The Man in Black | MPHFPC AU

•The Man in Black•

"They was aliens, I swears it!" exclaimed Farmer Portman.

     "Aliens... you're sure about that?" asked the investigator, a tall man dressed in a suit, long black coat, and a bowler hat. The strange man also sported a pair of sunglasses that kept his eyes hidden underneath a shield of black. He held a small notebook in his pale hands, taking notes on everything that he could.

     "What other goddamn invisible creature could attack my cows like that!?" the man fumed. He looked over at his son, who was sitting next to him. "Right, Jacob? You saw it too. Tell him, Jacob!"

     The boy, Jacob, remained silent for a few moments. He was confused, unsure of what to say. He did see something attack his father's cows, but it wasn't invisible. He could see it clearly—a large, black monster with glowing, empty eyes, sharp teeth, and many tentacle-like tongues emerging from the creature's mouth. He counted at least five of those horrid tongues.

     It was a horrifying sight, seeing that thing trying to eat the cows. It would wrap its talon-like hands around the poor animal as it mooed and cried in terror. Then, it would use its tongues to rip open the cow's—

     "Young man? Is there anything you want to tell me?" the investigator asked. He looked up from his notes, raising an eyebrow at the boy.

     Jacob snapped out of his trance, still shaken by what he had seen. Should he lie and tell the strange man that his father was crazy, sparing himself, or should he confess and explain what he saw?

     "Jacob!" Farmer Portman urged him. "Say something!"

     "Something... something did attack Dad's cows," Jacob finally spat out. "It was an animal though, not an invisible monster."

     The investigator with the sunglasses scribbled something down. "An animal, hm?" He looked over at Farmer Portman, whose eyes had gone wide with shock.

     "What!?" the farmer screeched.

     "What type of animal was it?" the investigator asked the boy, ignoring his father. "A mountain lion? Bear? Wolf? Lost puppy?"

     Jacob was silent again. What animal would be believable enough? Octopus kept popping into his head because of the tentacles, but there wasn't an ocean nearby for miles. The monster stood on two legs like a human, but Jacob had already stated that it was an animal, so escaped mental patients weren't an option anymore either.

     Half of him believed his father. Maybe the creature was an alien—a less intelligent one compared to the ones he had seen on television—but where were all the bright lights or the spacecraft? And there weren't any crop circles anywhere on the farm to support the theory, which is why the other half of Jacob disagreed with his old man.

     "A wolf," Jacob blurted. "It was a wolf. I saw its glowing eyes in the distance."

     The investigator wrote that down in his notes. "I see," he said. "Where were you when this happened?"

     "Upstairs in my room. I heard my dad yelling, so I ran over to the window to see what was happening. That's when I saw the wolf run away."

     "I see."

     Farmer Portman looked outraged. "Why didn't you tell me any of this before I called the police?" he wondered.

     "I was just a little freaked out. That's all," Jacob lied.

     "And what about you?" the strange investigator turned to Grandpa Portman, who was hiding in the shadowy corner sitting in his armchair. He had been so quiet Jacob and his father had forgotten he was there. "You've been awfully quiet this evening, sir. Did you happen to witness any of this?"

     "Nope," the old man replied in a thick Polish accent. "I ran to get the shotgun, but by the time I got it the cows were already dead."

     Jacob knew right away that was a lie. As soon as his father started yelling, Grandpa Portman went to hide in the basement's bomb shelter. He told the boy not to say anything for his own safety, so Jacob kept his mouth shut and ran to his room. So many lies in one day. They were starting to leave a foul taste in his mouth.

     The investigator looked back down at his notes, not looking at all convinced. "I see." He was silent for a moment, rereading everything he had written down. "I believe that's everything I need to know. Thank you for your time, gentlemen."

     "What!?" This time Farmer Portman stood up in surprise and rage. "That was it!? What about my cows!? Aren't you going to find the aliens that killed them!?"

     "Sir, calm down." The investigator slammed his notepad shut and tucked his pen away. "Your son said the attacker was a wolf, you said you couldn't see your attacker, so we can only come to the conclusion that it was indeed a wolf."

     This time Farmer Portman was too angry to say anything else. He just stood there, glaring at the floor.

     "Thank you for listening to my son's delusions," Grandpa Portman said, slowly rising from his chair. "I'm going to bed. Have a nice evening."

     There was something in his grandfather's voice that concerned Jacob. The old man seemed nervous, and he was rushing every word that slipped passed his lips. He even left the room a little too quickly.

     "Jacob, will you please show this man to the door?" Farmer Portman forced himself to say before he too left the room.

     Jacob started to head towards the door, but the investigator stepped in front of the boy, stopping him. The strange man was menacingly silent for a moment—dead silent—causing Jacob's heart to nearly stop.

     "Listen, boy," said the man, quietly but firmly. "I know what you saw."

     Jacob swallowed. "I'm-I'm sorry, sir?"

     "I know you were lying. Your grandfather too."

     "I'd never lie, s-sir."

     The investigator—at least he said he was an investigator—bent over slightly so that he could meet Jacob's eyes. From this close, the boy noticed something even more odd about this man. It was his eyes.

     From behind his sunglasses, they didn't look like they had any pupils.

     "Forget what you saw, and we won't harm you."

     We?

     With that, the man left, leaving Jacob speechless. He had so many questions. What was that thing that had attacked his father's cows? Who was that man and what was wrong with his eyes? Was he blind? Was he an alien? And, the most frightening one, what did he mean by 'we'?

     Jacob just hoped he never found out.