BY NORMA RESTO & LOREN MOORE

Brrinnnnng...brrrinnnngggg..

She was just going to let the darn thing ring this time! It was never for her anyway. It was usually some girl for one of the boys! "Will someone pleeeease pick up the darn phone!" The only response was the annoying ring of the phone over and over again. One of these days I'm gonnaaa...oh what the hell, she thought, I may as well answer it before it drives me crazy! She yelled at air "IT DOESN'T BITE YOU KNOW and then sweet as candy used her best phone voice and softly said..."Buenas noches, con quien desea hablar?" "Hola?" She thought she heard some rustling from the other end and again repeated "buenas noches, quien es?"

A very tired and hesitant voice replied "er..hello is this the residence of Norma Sanchez Resto err do you speak english?" This voice was unfamiliar to her but she answered "This is Norma speaking. Who is this and how may I help you?"

"I am so glad that you are home. Norma this is Loren, Loren Moore"

Well now this sure was a surprise! She would have never guessed that it was Loren calling her. Loren was a friend she had made online about five years ago and they had developed a lasting friendship. They had shared many things, good and bad even though they had never met in person. She was even more surprised because she knew that Loren was visiting with his friend Jenny. "Loren" she was almost yelling. How are you? How is your vacation going? You are the last person I would have thought was calling. What's going on amigo?"

"Norma, you are not going to believe what has happened." "I can't believe it myself." "Now I know that you have invited me many times to your beautiful little island..well I sure hope you meant it!" "I am counting on it girl, cause I am going to need a place to stay. "I am here in Porto Rico and I'm not alone." Ok, now she knew that her friend was a bit of a prankster and she was trying to figure out what he was up to this time. He couldn't be here in Puerto Rico! No, he had to be up to something. And she knew that she would fall for it like always. But he sure did make her laugh alot. But she told him exactly what she would have said if she actually believed him...she couldn't help but laugh to herself. "Loren..of course you are welcomed here. Just wait there and I will go with my son to pick you up, it will only take us about half an hour."

"WELL NITA IN JUST A LITTLE WHILE THERE WILL BE SOMEONE HERE TO HELP YOU. I CAN'T BELIEVE I GOT ON THE WRONG PLANE AT ATLANTA WHEN I HAD TO CHANGE PLANES. INSTEAD OF GETTING ON THE PLANE TO DALLAS I WOUND UP ON A PLANE TO PUERTO RICO. BUT MAYBE IT WAS MEANT TO BE. WHEN I SAT DOWN NEXT TO YOU ALL I COULD SEE WAS A LITTLE GIRL WITH BIG BROWN EYES. "

"STOP YOUR CRYING, NORMA WILL BE HERE SOON AND SHE WILL KNOW WHAT TO DO. COME ON LET'S SIT DOWN OVER HERE AND WAIT FOR HER. "

NORMA WRITES:

She sat there for about ten minutes expecting her friend Loren to call her back and yell out "ahaa, I got you again!", but for once the phone just sat there quietly. Oh boy..now she really had to get moving. She had told him she would be there within 30 minutes. Lucky for her that she knew her son had to go to the airport to pick up his paycheck. After she explained to him what was going on he just told her to get in the car. There was a time when anything that involved meeting someone that she met through the internet meant a big lecture from him. She had to smile as she remembered the exact same words she had lectured him with, thrown back at her. "Mom..don't you know there are dangerous people out there?" Now he trusted her judgment.

When he was speaking to her she thought she heard a childs voice calling his name but unless Johnnie had a baby voice or Buck was really a "wonder dog" she knew that Loren wouldn't be traveling with a child. She started to laugh as she imagined Loren's dog Buck talking. Ha ha ha...

"Mom what's so funny?"

"Nada amor, just thinking."

He gave her that look that all mothers get, you know the one that says.."mom's going nuts again.."

They were pulling into the employees parking lot just as she was thinking about the plum jelly that Loren was always talking about. She hoped that he had brought some for her. Then she just burst out laughing again! "Mom?" The look on her son's face just made her laugh even harder. "I was just thinking about poor Loren." "Why do you say poor Loren? You have always taught me not to pity people with disabilities!" She just laughed even louder..she was praying that Loren didn't need a barf bag this time. Hahahahahaaaaa She got out of the car and walked as fast as could..which was at a turtles pace on her good days, but she was feeling happy! Loren is coming to visit with us. She thought about how much Luis, her husband would like him. Just as she was entering the terminal she became aware of all the commotion. She saw several men with navy jackets that had yellow letters on the back. F B I oh my gosh..something big was happening here. There were agents all over the place. She looked around hoping to see Loren.

She had a copy of the foto he had sent her and kept looking from the foto to the men in the terminal. All of a sudden she saw one of the FBI agents that had been kneeling by a little girl get up and say to another, "Agent Diaz, please make sure that Mr. Moore is comfortable. Bring him and Nita something to drink."........

LOREN WRITES:

"NORMA, NORMA OVER HERE. BOY AM I GLAD TO SEE YOU. AFTER I CALLED YOU THESE GENTLEMEN FROM THE F B I SHOWED UP AND GRABBED ME. THEY PUT ME IN HANDCUFFS AND TOLD ME TO SIT DOWN AND BE QUIET. I BELIEVE THEY THINK I’M SOME KIND OF CHILD MOLESTER. I TRIED TO TELL THEM THE REASON I WAS HOLDING NITAS HAND WAS BECAUSE SHE WAS SCARED, AND HER MOTHER WAS NOT HERE TO MEET HER WHEN SHE GOT OFF THE PLANE".

JUST THEN WE SAW ANOTHER F B I MAN AND A WOMAN RUNNING TOWARD US. WHEN NITA SAW THEM SHE STARTED RUNNING TO THE LADY, HOLLERING "MOMMY."

THE LADY TOOK NITA IN HER ARMS AND GAVE ME A DIRTY LOOK AND TURNED AROUND AND LEFT. BOY IF LOOKS COULD KILL, I’D BE PUSHING UP DAISIES RIGHT NOW.

"NORMA DO YOU THINK LUIS COULD HELP GET THIS MESS STRAIGHTENED OUT? I DON’T WANT TO GO TO JAIL FOR TRYING TO HELP THAT LITTLE GIRL. THERE IS ALSO THE MATTER OF RIDING FROM ATLANTA TO PUERTO RICO WITHOUT A TICKET. THESE GUYS AREN’T LISTENING TO ME. ALL THEY ARE INTERESTED IN IS PUTTING ME IN JAIL".

"IF I HADN’T GOT MIXED UP IN ATLANTA AND GOT ON THE WRONG PLANE I WOULD BE HOME NOW AND ON MY COMPUTER TELLING EVERY ONE ABOUT MY TRIP TO CHICAGO TO VISIT JENNY AND OUR TRIP TO THE SEARS TOWER. I’M NOT SURE I’D TELL THEM ABOUT ME GETTING SICK AND PUKING ALL OVER EVERY THING AND BEING BARRED FROM THE SEARS TOWER FOR LIFE. BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO TELL EVERYTHING, DO YOU?"

"JUST LIKE I’M NOT GOING TO TELL ANYONE ABOUT BEING ARRESTED BY THE F B I, AND DON’T YOU EITHER. NOW WILL YOU CALL LUIS AND SEE IF HE CAN HELP ME?"

"Loren, you ole codger, what in blazes have you gotten into now!" She had never been so scared and angry at the same time. This was not good, she knew she would end up saying something completely inappropriate. She found herself almost yelling, "now you listen to me, Luis can’t help you with this. He is head of FPS and has no jurisdiction over this type of thing." Loren..I SWEAR.." now she was really yelling, "IF YOU ARE A CHILD MOLESTER, I WILL KILL YOU MYSELF!"

Oh boy, no sooner had she said those words, than a million stone-cold serious faces turned her way. There really were only about seven or eight agents left, but she felt as if she were literally shrinking in her shoes. One of them raised his hand as if to say halt and approached her. He asked her a few questions, gave a few explanations and led her slowly to where her friend was sitting. Loren looked at her with indignation! She was smiling and actually laughing with the agent. "Loren, you are truly a story teller, haven’t you noticed that you are NOT in handcuffs." "Come on Loren, I’m taking you home with me..as they say in the movies, MI CASA ES SU CASA"

"Loren since they need you to stick around for a few days because they want you to make a statement and answer a few questions, we want you to call Johnnie and let her know that you wont’t be home for at least a week. Then Luis and I plan on taking you to El Yunque rain forest. It is beautiful and I know you will love it. It is said that there are extra-terrestrials there and some have even seen the Chupacabras. In your part of the world it is known as the Goat Sucker" She wondered what kind of trouble he would get into now.

LOREN WRITES:

"WELL NOW THAT EVERYTHING HAS SETTLED DOWN AND I GAVE MY STATEMENT TO THE F B I, MAYBE I WOULD ENJOY SOME SIGHT SEEING. WHAT DO YOU HAVE IN MIND FOR TODAY? THE EL YUNQUE RAIN FOREST SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING I WOULD LIKE TO SEE."

"I’M SORRY LUIS GOT CALLED IN TO WORK BUT I UNDERSTAND. WITH A JOB LIKE HE HAS, HE HAS TO BE AVAILABLE AT ALL TIMES. IT WAS GOOD OF YOU TO SAY YOU AND I WOULD GO ON TO THE RAIN FOREST BY OURSELVES. NOW THAT WE ARE HERE I CAN SEE WHY PEOPLE ARE SO SPOOKED BY THIS PLACE."

"CAN WE WALK JUST A LITTLE WAYS INTO THE FOREST? I KNOW THAT YOU OR I NEITHER ONE CAN WALK VERY FAR BUT I WOULD LIKE TO GET AWAY FROM THE ROAD. WE COULD HEAR THE BIRDS SO MUCH BETTER."

"BOY IT’S DARK IN HERE UNDER THE TREES. LISTEN TO THAT STRANGE SOUND. IS THAT A BIRD OF SOME KIND? NORMA? NORMA? WHERE ARE YOU? I THOUGHT SHE WAS RIGHT BEHIND ME. NOW I CAN’T SEE OR HEAR HER. IS SHE LOST OR AM I LOST?"

THERE’S THAT STRANGE SOUND AGAIN. I DON’T THINK THAT’S A BIRD BUT I DON’T KNOW WHAT IT IS. I DON’T REALLY BELIEVE IN THE MYTH OF THE CHUPACABRAS BUT THEN ….. WHAT IS THAT SOUND! IT’S GETTING CLOSER!

"NORMA WHERE ARE YOU?" OH GOSH, SHE MAY BE IN DANGER! I’VE GOT TO FIND HER.

NORMA WRITES:

"Loreennn..stop ignoring me please, I need to rest a bit now will you please stop play acting." She had never yelled as much as she had these last few days, mostly from laughter, of course. Louie and Loren were like two little kids trading stories and pulling pranks on her. The three of them were having a great time until Lou got called to work. She jumped up and began to shake as she heard for the first time the sound that Loren had been hearing for the last ten minutes. She had never heard anything so terrifying in her life. She walked quickly to where Loren was standing and reached out for his hand and then she felt true terror. Her hand had gone right through him and he acted as if he neither saw her or heard her. "Padre Santo, ayudame" "Loren?" she whispered his name right in his ear and still no reaction from him and that sound seemed to be getting closer………

LOREN WRITES:

THERE IS THAT SWOOSHING SOUND AGAIN. I DON’T KNOW WHAT THAT IS, BUT I DON’T LIKE IT. NORMA HAD SAID THAT SOME PEOPLE SAID THEY HAD SEEN THE CHUPACABRA IN THIS RAIN FOREST. BUT I ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT THE CHUPACABRA WAS A MYTH. THEN I READ THAT PIECE IN THE PAPER THIS MORNING TELLING ABOUT IT.

THIS ARTICLE SAID THAT THE CREATURE IS CURRENTLY RAMPAGING THROUGH THE ISLAND RELIEVING FARM ANIMALS OF THEIR BLOOD. THE ARTICLE ALSO SAID THE CHUPACABRA HAD NOT ATTACKED HUMANS, ALTHOUGH NO ONE COULD SAY FOR CERTAIN THAT THIS WOULD NOT HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE.

THEN THERE WAS THAT OTHER STORY SPECULATING THAT THE CHUPACABRA WAS A HALF-MAN, HALF-BEAST VAMPIRE FROM ANOTHER GALAXY. WHEN IT WAS CLOSE YOU COULD SMELL A SULFUR-LIKE STENCH.

I’VE GOT TO FIND NORMA AND GET US OUT OF HERE.

"NORRRMAA WHERE ARE YOU?"

SHE CAN’T BE FAR, WE WERE TOGETHER JUST A FEW MINUTES AGO.

I SHOULD HAVE HELD HER HAND. OH GOSH THERE’S THAT SOUND AGAIN AND IT’S A LOT CLOSER. IS THAT SULFUR I SMELL? THIS THING IS SUPPOSE TO HAVE WINGS. MAYBE THAT’S THE SWOOSHING SOUND I HEAR, THAT THING FLYING AROUND LOOKING FOR SOME BLOOD.

NORMA WRITES:

She was beginning to panic. "Loren! Stop fooling around, I am right in front of you!" "Dios mio..por favor" now she was almost in tears. She had heard on the news so many times of persons that had gotten lost in the Rain Forest and there were the stories of those that were never found!

I have been fighting against the MonSter (that’s how MS was called by the lucky bearers of it) and I sure am not going to let some stupid @*#%& make-believe alien legend, get the best of me! Of course her heart was racing and her legs were shaking as these thoughts ran through her head. But Loren…. He still could not see her. "Loren please, you know that I would not walk away from you in such a place..please..I am right here." She tried to touch him again and that is when everything seem to explode with a bright and blinding light and the swooshing sound became so loud, it was unbearable…..and then there was nothing but darkness

LOREN WRITES:

"NORMA NORMA WAKE UP. YOU MUST BE HAVING A BAD DREAM THE WAY YOUR WHIMPERING. I KNEW YOU WERE TIRED WHEN WE SAT DOWN TO REST, BUT I DIDN’T KNOW YOU WERE SO TIRED YOU WOULD DROP OFF TO SLEEP. YOU HAVE BEEN ASLEEP FOR ABOUT 30 MINUTES NOW. ARE YOU RESTED ENOUGH FOR US TO GO BACK TO THE CAR?"

"I’VE BEEN SITTING HERE LISTENING TO ALL THE BIRDS SINGING. IT REMINDS ME OF BIRD ISLAND ON CADDO LAKE BACK IN TEXAS. I THINK IT’S A GOOD THING MY FLIGHT IS TOMORROW BECAUSE I’M SURE GETTING HOME SICK."

"NORMA AND LUIS YOU SURE HAVE SHOWN ME A GOOD TIME WHILE I’VE BEEN HERE IN PUERTO RICO. IN A WAY I’M SORRY I HAVE TO GO, BUT JOHNNIE SAID FOR ME TO GET MY TAIL HOME WHEN I CALLED HER LAST NIGHT. YOU BOTH KNOW IF YOU EVER COME TO TEXAS I WANT TO SHOW YOU CADDO LAKE. OH THERE ARE LOTS OF THINGS WE CAN DO. LIKE GO TO SIX FLAGS AND RIDE THE SCREAMING EAGLE ROLLER COASTER. WE COULD TAKE IN A TEXAS RANGER BASEBALL GAME OR IF IT’S DURING THE FOOTBALL SEASON WE COULD GO TO A DALLAS COWBOY FOOTBALL GAME."

"THEIR CALLING MY FLIGHT I BETTER GET ON THE PLANE. LUIS I’D LIKE TO SHAKE YOUR HAND AND WITH YOUR PERMISSION GIVE NORMA A BIG HUG."