14: A Tale of Indrid Cold, or “Escape”
For many years, various writing contests have challenged authors to compose a short story of the fewest words possible, often under a hundred. (Supposedly, Hemingway wrote a story that was only six words long, and you may have read it before; if not, “For Sale: Baby shoes, never worn.” There, now you have.) These contests have never interested me much—I’m far too verbose for such challenges, and I’ve published enough works on cryptids now that I’m not sure I actually could write about anything else.
But it may well not be the case with a caster named Indrid Cold.
I found this story in an anthology entitled Life Cut Short (“Hide Behind.” Life Cut Short: Shortest Stories about Death, edited by Marissa L. Granger, Twilight Quill Press, 2018, p. 45), with no author attributed to it. I reached out to the publisher, who reached out to the editor, who reached out to me.
“It was submitted in a call for manuscripts,” she confirmed. “Seventy-five words or less and in theme was what we asked for. But the author never came forward to collect their check.”
No, he wouldn’t. He’s not concerned with the material things that most of us are. He just takes what he needs and ignores the rest.
I have added a few annotations after the story. I would not want you to think less of me for letting him walk away from such acts without at least trying to find out what he did.
Only 988 tales to go.
Three go into the escape room; two come out, not in time.
“Let’s go again,” Indrid says, grinning until the police arrive. They don’t find Laura. Indrid jokes there’s nothing for her to “hide behind.” They don’t get the joke.
Riley, not in on it, accompanies Indrid to the city, to another escape room.
Two go in; one comes out.
There is still nothing to the Hide Behind.
Still grinning, though, Indrid escapes in time.
***
Annotations (Abraham MacCamran)
Indrid: Indrid Cold, born Ian Caulfield. Caster.
Laura: Possibly Laura Blessing, novice caster, Lewiston, Idaho; missing since 2016. No record exists of police being called to either of the two escape rooms in Lewiston in 2016.
Riley: Unknown. Laura Blessing was said to “hang out” with someone with that name, but nothing is known about this person, not even gender.
“The city”: Likely Portland, Oregon, as Indrid Cold’s name appears in multiple hotel registries there in late 2016.
Hide Behind: A tall genderless cryptid with undocumented physical features beyond “hollow eyes” and a “twisted mouth.” Able to twist and contort its body to squeeze into impossibly tight spaces or to conceal itself behind objects presumably far too small to hide its frame. It stalks its prey, terrorizing it with paranoia and fear as it moves closer and closer, unseen until the victim is unable to react in time.
Given the setting of No Escape, one of the two escape/puzzle rooms operating in Lewiston in 2016, I believe a Hide Behind would be able to take full advantage of the chaos of that particular escape room—low lights, flickering lamps, fog, cobwebs, at least one confirmed “secret” passageway, and what was described on the now-shuttered website as “strategic jump scares.”
I believe Indrid Cold arranged a jump scare of his own for Laura Blessing. And possibly another victim named Riley.
