Furchtlos und heldenhaft

Rowan was browsing the internet, looking for a new watch, when he stumbled upon something he had to show Claire.

Rowan: “Look, Claire. You know I’m searching for a new watch. I found this one on Abay. It looks just like Gillian’s uncle’s watch.”

Claire: “You mean the one he’s wearing in that photo? That can’t be. It’s a one-of-a-kind. But… this really does look like it.”

I met the two of them at the stables, and they approached me.

Claire: “Are you selling George’s watch?”

Gillian: “No! But that’s funny you ask. I only showed it to Jamie last week. It’s unique and very valuable. It stays in the family.”

Rowan: “You should take a look yourself. It looks exactly the same.”

Rowan was right. The watch on Abay looked identical to Uncle George’s. Just to be safe, Claire and I went into the house to make sure the watch was still in its place. But it wasn’t.

Gillian: “This can’t be happening. It was always in this cabinet.”

Claire: “You probably just misplaced it. Where did you last look at it? Come on, let’s search together. Still… this is strange.”

We searched the entire house but couldn’t find it. I had to ask Jamie.

Gillian: “Jamie, do you remember where we put Uncle George’s watch? Claire and I searched everywhere. It’s gone.”

Jamie: “You mean the flashy one? Platinum and gold? The incredibly valuable one you plan to pass down to our great-great-great-grandchildren? You left it on the dining table.”

I drove to Rowan at the Silverglade Manor to ask him to investigate the online listing.

Gillian: “The watch is really gone. We’ve looked everywhere. Could you try to find out something about the seller?”

Rowan: “I already tried… nothing. But Jamie and I have a plan. I’ll pose as a buyer and meet the seller.”

They had already put their plan into action. Under the alias “Nawor,” Rowan had already bought the watch. The handover was scheduled for that very afternoon at the horse market in New Hillcrest. I had serious concerns… this could be dangerous. But Rowan said we should leave the police out of it for now – and that all of us should come along. That afternoon, we were all in New Hillcrest. Rowan stood at the agreed meeting point, while we hid near the sales stalls, able to see everything clearly. A man approached, and it was… Scott Buttergood! The cryptid hunter from the woods.

Scott: “Are you Nawor? I think we spoke on the phone.”

Rowan: “Yes, we did. Let me see the watch.”

We stepped out of hiding and confronted Scott Buttergood.

Jamie: “Scott, you stole the watch? I can’t believe this.”

Gillian: “I thought you were strange from the start. But I trusted you and let you camp on Meadowland. And now this?!”

Scott: “I never meant to do it. I went to the house, the door was open, so I went inside. No one was there, but the watch was lying on the table… and my father no longer supports my jackalope research, and—”

Since the age of nine, Scott had been obsessed with hunting cryptids. His father had supported it for years, believing it to be a harmless hobby. But eventually he realized it had grown into a full-blown obsession. He stopped funding it and insisted Scott seek therapy. The result of that decision now stood before us. 3/3 I decided not to press charges and instead had a long conversation with Scott and his father. We reached an agreement: Scott would enter therapy under his father’s supervision. He also had to dismantle his camp on Meadowland and was banned from the entire property. Scott was ill, and the watch was back. For me, that was the best possible outcome.

Gillian: “Alright, the watch is back where it belongs. Or should we put it in a safe deposit box instead? Jamie, tell John I want a security system for the house – alarms, motion sensors, the works…”

Jamie: “At your command, ma’am!”

Later, Jamie and I stood in front of the house.

Gillian: “I’m so glad everything turned out well.”

Jamie: “Me too. Now our great-great-great-grandchildren will have an amazing story to go with their heirloom – about how Great-Grandpa Jamie fearlessly and heroically recovered the watch.”