“I was day-hiking along the lake,” Ben continued. “I was—oh, I don’t know—three or four miles from camp, staying close to the lakeshore. It was late, dusk, everything gray and shadowy, and that was when I heard this loud snort. It wasn’t like anything I’d ever heard before. I didn’t have a camera or anything, and I couldn’t see very well. But I ran along the beach, and that was when I saw him. Just a glimpse as he vanished into the trees with a crash. Upright, huge, spiky orangish fur. I ran, and I found the place where he’d disappeared, but it was dry, and there were no footprints. I spent another hour trying to find him, but he was gone. I’ve never seen him again. Mind you, I’ve looked and looked, but all I had was that one glimpse, a split second, no more. I’ll tell you the truth, though. Once you’ve spotted him, you grow obsessed with the experience. I won’t die a happy man unless I see him again. I suppose that sounds crazy. You probably can’t understand it.”

“Oh, I understand,” I said with a catch in my voice.

Ben pondered my tone. He turned on his own lantern and held it up to see my face, and then he simply stared at me. I tried to hide my emotions, but everything he said about his sighting—and how he’d felt afterward—was the same way I’d felt since I was ten years old.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Ben said.

“What?”

“You’ve seen him, too.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“You search for him, don’t you? You listen for him. Just like me. That snort, it’s very distinctive, isn’t it? Sort of a hufffffff. ”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Ben shook his head in wonder, as if discovering a long-lost sister. “That strange look you had. It wasn’t skepticism. You were jealous. It’s hard to share him, isn’t it? I know what that’s like. It makes you feel special to have him to yourself. I’ve met a lot of people who’ve claimed that they saw the Ursulina, but honestly, I’m pretty sure most of them were lying. Except for this one old man. His story was almost exactly like mine, and there was this look in his eyes. A look that said he shared my obsession. I was actually depressed for days after I met him. I know how it sounds, but it’s like the monster had cheated on me. And yet, eventually, I came to realize that it was a good thing. I was able to put to rest that voice in my head that said I hadn’t seen what I did. You know the voice I mean, don’t you?”

“No. I really don’t.”