The Precipitous Bar, part 1

Harriet loved being in these woodlands.  She always arranged a trip out here every year.  In the past, it was always during vacation, and it was always much lonelier.  In recent years, she had convinced the school board that it would be educational for her science class, and she was allowed to bring a few of her eighth grade science students, normally the best and brightest as a reward for their hard work.

Two of them accompanied her this year, and they stood out even from the students she had brought along before.  Evan was genius of sorts, the typed that seemed terribly bored at school but still managed to finish his work and pass each of his tests with perfect grades.  Vicky was the opposite; although she was still quite smart, she was studious and driven, having most of her work done long before it was asked for and blazing through tests as if she had already taken them three times previously.

It was not a hard choice this year; last year, she brought five students simply because it was difficult to decide among them who should get to go.  It wasn't just a matter of who was performing the best, but also who would benefit from the trip.  She brought Evan to help him understand why his education was important, a step that might help him come to terms with the gift he had.  Vicky was invited partially to balance Evan on the trip, and partially because Harriet was worried what would happen should she not bring Vicky.  Her parents were both members of the school board, and proponents of her yearly trips.

Harriet sat down on a nearby rock while the children continued to scavenged for the horned beetle she requested they find.  She slid out the keyboard on her brand-new smartphone and began typing with one hand, fishing around in her backpack with the other.  She smiled as she remembered the two children's reactions to her invite.  They both managed to surprise her.

Evan's face lit up as soon as it was mentioned.  It turned out, or so he said, that his own family had been up here on quite a few "expeditions" of their own, often for a few days at a time.  He hadn't been back for almost a year, and was excited to find out it was only a week away before they left.  Although he had become a bit more reserved as they got closer, Harriet could still see the excitement in his eyes.

Vicky, on the other hand, was as surly about going on the trip as she was now.  She didn't seem to like the idea of being away from her books and schoolwork.  The first question she had was whether anything they found out here would be on the test.  When Harriet said no, and pointed out that not all education is about homework and tests, Vicky had at first refused to go.  The next day, however, she came in with a signed permission slip, obviously having been forced to attend on her parent's insistence.

As the two of them continued searching, Evan steadfastly digging through the grass and dirt with Vicky silently staring over his shoulder, Harriet finally managed to fish the high-definition camera out from her backpack.  She posed it on the rock facing her, grabbing the solar-powered battery pack and placing it against the camera.  She connected the camera to her phone and set it on the battery pack's charging pad, to make sure the conference wouldn't take up too much battery.

Initiating the conference took no time at all; she imagined her substitute, a veteran of fifteen years, must be used to this by now and was waiting for the call.  Her classroom erupted onto her previously dark screen, all of her students already mid-wave.  The connection delay must have been longer than she expected, but for being out in the middle of nowhere like she was, it was still impressive.

"Good morning, class.  Your fellow students are currently hunting for Lucanus elaphus, the elusive North American stag beetle.  However, it seems they've forgotten their lessons," Harriet turned the camera towards Evan and Vicky for emphasis, "as they seem to be rooting through the ground instead of checking the nearby trees."

Giggles erupted from the phone as Evan stood up, embarrassed.  "I told you you were doing wrong," Vicky said quietly, seemingly only half believing her own words.  Evan spared her a withering glance before walking over to the stump of a decaying tree, beginning his search anew.  Harriet turned the camera back to herself to address the class once more, satisfied that at least Evan seemed to remember where to start looking.

"So, while we wait on our fearless adventurers, does anyone have any questions?"

One of the students raises his hand.  Although the screen on her phone is clear, it's small, and Harriet hesitates to take it off the charging pad.  Fortunately, her substitute calls on him.

"Have you noticed anything different from the last time you were out there, Miss Stanford?"

Harriet smiled.  She recognized the voice of her student even if she couldn't see her face.  She got this question almost every year, surprisingly, but rarely was it the first question she received.  And despite two decades of teaching experience, she still hadn't gotten used to being called "Miss Stanford."

"One of the amazing things about these foothills out here, Tabby, is the fact that they don't change.  The nearby mountains are some of the oldest in the country.  No one has settled out here, and the ecosystem has remained fairly stable.  I can't say I've noticed much is actually different."

"Well, maybe you haven't been looking hard enough."

Harriet looked up from the camera.  Something seemed odd about that voice.  It was definitely Evan's, but at the same time not.  His tone was off from normal; it was subtle, but different.  Not deeper or quieter but... older.

Evan was standing up from bending over the decaying stump.  He had his hands cupped around something.  He turned slowly to face his teacher.  Vicky took a quick involuntary step back from his strange movement, unsure what he was about to do.  He had a strange smile on his face, mischievous but somehow sad.

"I'm sure you haven't yet seen the Precipitous Bar."

Silence hovered for a moment, her students becoming quiet as they tried to catch Evan's words.  The world seemed to slow down as Harriet found herself staring at Evan for a few seconds, mouth agape.  Even the ever-present noise of bugs and animals seemed to quiet for just a moment, the only sound being the careful breeze tugging at the clothes of the three sudden strangers.

Suddenly, Evan lunged, arms extending towards Vicky.  He raised his hands above her head and separated them, dropping a red-and-black beetle directly onto her hair.  Vicky began to scream as Evan spun on his heel, running towards a nearby stream.

Harriet erupted from her seat.  She scooped the beetle out of Vicky's hair and tossed it towards the stump it came from; wings spurt out from its back as it assured its safe landing, quickly hiding them once again under its shell.  Vicky stopped screaming and stood gasping, combing at her hair as if afraid it might have left something behind.

"Evan!" Harriet yelled as she made a dash for where the boy had just disappeared.  She grabbed Vicky's arm, ensuring that the girl began moving and followed her.  There was no way she was going to lose a student.  Not by one running off on his own, or one remaining catatonic and alone.  Not now, not ever.

to be continued