The Supernatural Private Detective

Birchwood Chronicles was the only newspaper organization on the island, covering everything from updates on the timber and fishing markets to tourism and politics. This was where Anie Quest, the best investigative journalist in Birchwood, worked. Annie, dressed in a crisp white blouse and a black skirt that stopped just above her knees, her dark hair tied up in a ponytail, stood in the office of Richard Newman, the Editor-in-Chief of Birchwood Chronicles. Newman, a middle-aged man with a receding hairline, wore a pair of reading glasses perched on the end of his nose and a worn-out suit that had seen better days. Oscar, Annie's best friend and videographer, stood beside her, his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his faded denim jacket, his eyes fixed on the floor as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, wearing a pair of scuffed-up sneakers.

"Please, Chief, I spent all night on this; you gotta print it," Annie pleaded.

"Come on, Chief, at least give it a read," Oscar chimed in, supporting Annie.

"I have read it!" Newman retorted, "Annie, you're our best reporter; the stories you've written for this establishment have done wonders for us, but I'm not going to print a story about a mysterious vigilante who fights supernatural creatures for the Birchwood police department—what is this, some kind of superhero comic book story? You're lucky I'm even letting you submit reports after the stunt you pulled yesterday. I asked you to cover a car accident, and you went live talking about mysterious beasts."

"But Chief, it's the truth," Annie protested.

"No, it's not! Supernatural creatures are not real!" Newman exclaimed.

"But Chief—" Oscar tried to interject.

"Shut up, Oscar!" Newman cut him off.

"Chief, if I may, the proof is all there; I included numerous sightings and testimonies in my report," Annie persisted.

"Sightings and testimonies from superstitious country folks, kids, and blind old people," Newman scoffed, flipping through the pages of Annie's report.

"How did a blind old man see a...?" He raised his hands, gesturing with finger quotes, and said the words "supernatural creature."

"Are you saying their opinions don't matter, Chief?" Newman ignored the question.

"Annie, do I have to remind you that you are an investigative journalist and not a fictional story writer?"

"I know that, Chief; I'm trying to prove the BPD are up to something; they're doing something they don't want the public to know."

"And what is that exactly?" Annie paused for a moment.

"My theory is that they're creating these creatures, and some of them got loose, so they have a hunter that catches them." Newman placed his fingers on his forehead in frustration.

"Annie, listen to yourself; you can't be serious."

"But Chief, if I may—" Oscar tried to interject again.

"Shut up, Oscar!" Newman cut him off once more.

"Come on, Chief, please; I'm begging you, I'll do anything."

"No, I'm not printing this, and that's final."

"Please, Chief!" Annie and Oscar begged in unison.

"I said no; now leave my office and get back to work."

"I didn't want to have to do this." Annie took a deep breath, cracked her knuckles, and began to stroll towards Newman's desk, her hips swaying in a playful rhythm. Newman's eyes widened in surprise, and Oscar's eyes went wide with amusement.

"Eh?" Oscar uttered, completely flabbergasted. 'No way she went that far.' He thought.

Newman's expression changed to a mix of unease and fear; his face turned bright red as Annie sat on his desk and leaned forward, giving him a view of her bust through her blouse. She placed a finger on her lip, her eyes sparkling with mirth, and said the word "Uwu" in a playful, exaggerated tone.

Oscar, on the other hand, was trying hard not to burst out laughing.

Newman's face turned red with rage. His fists clenched, his teeth gritted, and he struggled to suppress his boiling anger.

"Oh, Annie, you've done it now," Oscar said, folding his arms and shaking his head.

"You two...duties...further notice," Newman mumbled, his anger making his words barely intelligible.

"What was that, Chief?" Annie and Oscar leaned forward in unison, trying to hear him better.

"I said you two are relieved of your duties till further notice! Now get out of my office!" Newman yelled, his anger finally boiling over.

His sudden outburst startled Annie and Oscar, causing them to step back from his desk.

"Get out! Get out! Get out! And pack up your desks while you're at it." Newman furiously threw Annie's 

As they stood panting in front of the office door, Oscar turned to Annie and said, "I still can't believe you actually did that."

Annie grinned mischievously. "I thought for sure that would work."

They both looked up to notice that everyone in the office was staring at them. They tried to act natural, with Annie arranging her outfit and folding her hands, whistling, while Oscar placed his arms behind his back and stared at his shoes. After a brief moment, they excused themselves and headed to their desks to clear out their belongings.

As they walked out of the Birchwood Chronicles building, Oscar turned to Annie and said, "Well, I guess we have to go home now and pray that Newman forgives us."

Annie shook her head. "No, we're not done yet. I'm not giving up."

Oscar had a puzzled expression. "What do you mean?"

Annie's eyes sparkled with determination. "We just need a way to prove to Newman that these creatures and the vigilante samaritan are real."

Oscar thought for a moment. "And how are we going to do that?"

Annie grinned. "You're good with the camera, aren't you? We're going to take pictures."

Oscar was surprised. "Huh? How are we even going to find these creatures?"

Annie turned to face Oscar with a mischievous smile. "Get in the back seat of my car."

Annie crawled into the back seat first, her black skirt riding up slightly as she moved. Oscar followed, trying his best not to look at her exposed legs and behind as he crawled in behind her.

Annie pulled out her laptop and opened a software called MindMaster.

"What's that?" Oscar asked, peering over Annie's shoulder.

"It's mind mapping software," Annie explained. "I used it to make a visual evidence board that connects all the clues and sightings I could gather about the supernatural events in Birchwood."

Oscar's eyes narrowed as he took in the complex web of connections on the screen. "I see. So, the masked man icon is for clues connecting to the vigilante, and the creature icon is for creature sightings, right?"

Annie nodded. "Exactly. The culprit always returns to the scene of the crime; we're going to all these sightings with hopes that the creatures, or preferably the vigilante, return."

Oscar made a worried face. "I highly doubt this is going to work."

Annie's expression remained determined. "It's our only chance at proving this to Newman."

Oscar sighed. "Well, I guess we can try."

Annie grinned, sending the MindMaster link to Oscar's phone. "Thanks, Ozzy."

Oscar's phone buzzed, and he opened the link, revealing the mind map. 

"Alright, let's go!" Annie exclaimed, packing up her laptop and attempting to crawl to the front of the car through the space in between the front seats. However, her waist got stuck between the seats, leaving her legs and her buttocks, taking up a lot of space in the back.

Oscar's tried his best to look away. "Hey, Oz, a little help, please," Annie asked, wiggling and wobbling in an attempt to slip through.

Oscar hesitated before grabbing Annie's thighs and pushing. "Maybe you should cut back on the late-night snacks."

Annie laughed. "Haha, very funny; don't be mean, Oz."

After a few moments of struggling, Oscar managed to free Annie. "Yay, thanks, Oz!" she exclaimed.

Oscar rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Yeah, yeah."

As they drove out of the parking lot, Oscar consulted the mind map on his phone. "Alright, first stop: the most recent sighting. A testimony by a man named Frank Malone."

As they arrived at the Burger Queen restaurant, they spotted Frank, dressed in a mascot costume, dancing in the parking lot. "Hey everybody, welcome to Queen; we make the best burgers in the whole wide world!" he exclaimed in a comical voice.

Annie parked the car, and Oscar asked, "So, where is this Frank?"

"He's the one doing the funny dance," Annie replied.

Oscar's eyes widened in surprise. "Eh? He works as the mascot? That must really stink."

As they stepped out of the car, an elderly couple approached them, seeking help with directions to the Birch Forest bird-watching sight. Annie commanded Oscar, "Oscar, help the old people."

Oscar hesitated, "Huh? Why me?"

Annie ignored his question and walked towards Frank. Oscar reluctantly assisted the elderly couple while Annie approached Frank.

"Hey, wait up!" Oscar called out, jogging to catch up with Annie.

Frank noticed their presence and asked, "Annie Quest, what are you doing here?"

"I'm investigating the Vigilante incident," Annie replied. "You said he beat you up at an alley last night?"

Frank hesitated, "I already told you about this. I don't want to repeat myself; my therapist told me to forget about it."

Annie pressed on, "Yes, but you never told me the name of the street."

"Bark Street, the alley opposite the Birchwood Cemetery. Now leave me alone; I don't want to remember that night," Frank said.

"Curse you, Burger Queen ice cream machine!!!!" Just then, they heard a voice exclaim near the ice cream machine, which was located on the other side of the parking lot. A teenager, dressed in a peculiar outfit, including a breastplate armor and a sword, over a collared T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers, was yelling at the machine.

"You've foiled my plans for a cool treat once again! Every time I come here, you never work; I'll never forgive you!" he yelled, unsheathing his sword. 

Oscar expressed confusion. "Is that a sword?"

"I swear, this twon is so full of weirdos." Frank said, still wearing his mascot costume, he sprinted towards the teenager and the ice cream machine, his oversized shoes flapping wildly as he ran. "Hey, kid! What are you doing? You can't just attack an ice cream machine!" he exclaimed.

The teenager turned to face Frank, asking, "What kind of creature are you?"

Frank retorted in annoyance, "Who are you calling a creature?" He grabbed the teenager's arm in an attempt to bring down his sword.

"Hey, let go!" The two of them began to struggle while Annie and Oscar watched the whole thing unfold, a look of disbelief on their faces.

The situation was about to escalate when the teenager suddenly noticed Annie standing in a distance, next to Oscar. 

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Who's that?" The teenager asks as he frees himself from Frank's grip so easily, like he had the strength to do it from the start. 

He sheathed his sword, arranged his hair, and dashed towards her. His eyes fixed on her as he spoke. "You must be a goddess, sent from the heavens to bless me with your presence."

The teenager's smooth talk made Oscar's eyes narrow in irritation. He didn't like the way he was looking at Annie.

"I'm Annie," she said, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Carlton's grin widened. "Annie, you're as beautiful as a sunrise over the mountains. I'm Carlton, but you can call me Carl. And you, my dear, can be my queen."

Oscar's scowl deepened. "Hey, kid, back off; she's twice your age," he said, his tone firm.

Annie shot Oscar a stern look. "Don't be rude, Oz." She said before she turned to Carlton.

Carlton chuckled. "Age is just a number, my friend. What matters is the connection we share. And I can tell, Annie and I, we've got a spark."

Annie rolled her eyes, a hint of a smile on her lips. "You're certainly confident, Carlton."

Frank came back, this time holding his mask in his hand, revealing a shiny silver chain around his neck. "Damn, you're going to let him talk to your girlfriend like that?"

"She's not my girlfriend." Oscar retorted angrily.

"You see, Carl, the thing is..."

Carlton's smile never wavered. "Not interested? Ah, come on, Annie. I'm a catch. I'm charming, handsome, and I've got a sword."

Oscar's face darkened. "Kid, you're pushing your luck."

"That's just part of my charm."

"How old are you?" Annie asked.

"I may or may not be fifteen." Carlton replied, shrugging his shoulders.

Annie chuckled, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "I think you're sweet, Carlton, but you're a bit too young for me."

Carlton's grin faltered for a moment before he recovered. "Age is just a number, Annie. Maybe someday I'll see you again, when I'm a bit older."

Oscar gave Carlton a mean look as they walked away. He turned to Annie and said, "What was that kid's problem?"

Annie smiled, a hint of a blush on her cheeks. "He's just a teenager with a crush."

Oscar's scowl lingered. "I don't like the way he was talking to you."

Annie rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Oz. He's just a kid."

Carlton looked at Frank and shrugged, "Well, it was worth a shot."

"Kids these days." Frank said as he wore his mask and resumed his funny dance.