Page 2 of Glow

He waited, and a few moments later saw a reply flash onto the screen from “Boone.” Are you safe? Do they know who you are?

Most people knew Boone as “Bigfoot,” the legendary creature who roamed the most remote forests, and one of several of his kind around the world. Here among friends on the Monster Network, he could be himself since the site was heavily protected from outsiders.

I’m safe. Lost them in the woods, but it felt too close for comfort, Dan typed back. No one’s shown up with pitchforks, so I don’t think they know who I am, but I don’t know how long that will last.

That is dreadful, his friend agreed. I think we have all been through it. How can I help?

Dan sighed. Just being there and listening goes a long way. Thanks.

Any time, Boone replied. They chatted about new streaming shows and the weather for a little while, and Dan felt his mood lighten by the time they signed off.

If anyone had told me when I was growing up that I’d be chat pals with a Bigfoot and the Beast of Bray Road, I’d have thought they were high. But here I am.

Dan’s father had hated the family legacy and refused to discuss the “curse” with Dan or to let Grandpa Steve talk to him. It wasn’t until Burt died that Steve had fully explained the reason for their rift and the inevitability of the heritage Burt had tried so hard to deny.

Grandpa Steve still managed to sneak in as much information as he could, despite Burt’s opposition.

Dan remembered the first time Steve had shown him his “other” side. He figured he must have been about ten years old, and his dad was gone on an overnight trip, giving Grandpa a rare opportunity to share the family secret.

“Now don’t be scared at what I’m going to show you,” Grandpa had told Dan. “You can’t tell your friends, and your dad already knows. But I need to show you and then I’ll explain everything.”

Dan had fidgeted, then gasped when he saw Grandpa’s form shimmer and transform into the golden-eyed creature locals called the Dover Demon.

“Grandpa, is that you?” Dan ventured, curiosity quickly dispelling any fear.

The creature nodded and beckoned for Dan to come closer. With all the fearlessness of a ten-year-old boy, Dan had stepped in and run his palms over the strange being’s arms, searching the amber eyes for any sign of his grandpa. It hummed to reassure him, and Dan remembered laughing in the joy of discovery and being included in such a precious secret.

“If the creature is good, why can’t we tell people?” Dan wanted to know when Steve had changed back.

“Because some folks are afraid of anything they don’t understand,” his grandpa had replied. “Just like the name. It’s not a ‘demon’ like in the Bible or the movies, nothing to do with hell or the devil. The real word is ‘daemon,’ a nature spirit. Guardian. This is a precious gift and a very special heritage.”

“Then why doesn’t Dad want to talk about it?”

Steve looked sad at the question. “He cares too much about fitting in and being ‘normal.’”

“Why would I want to be normal if I could turn into that?” Dan had exclaimed. But he knew even then not to tell his father about what Grandpa had shown him and to keep his questions to himself.

Unfortunately, Grandpa Steve didn’t outlive his son by very long. Only one daemon could be active at a time, so he showed Dan how the shifting worked and shared as much information as he could—including introducing him to the Monster Network in the US—but Dan didn’t come into his powers until Grandpa died. That left Dan to figure out a lot on his own despite Steve’s best intentions.

Being a supernatural guardian didn’t come with instructions.

Unlike his father, the daemon legacy intrigued Dan, and he tried to learn everything that Grandpa Steve could share with him. Nothing really compared to his first few shifts, and how exhilarated and adrift he felt in this new form that was him, but also very much not him.

His daemon form, which he nicknamed “Wally,” moved fast and silently. His long limbs could cover territory and climb over rocks like a gazelle, much less fragile than he appeared. Wally’s senses were sharper, more animal than human. And while Wally wasn’t equipped with sharp nails or teeth to be a predator, other animals gave him a wide berth, either out of respect or in acknowledgment of him being other.

Sometimes, Dan understood a bit of his father’s resentment. Dover wasn’t a big town, despite not being far from Boston. That meant people either knew each other or knew about one another. Dan’s parents had split up not long after his birth, and while Burt had assured him that it wasn’t Dan’s fault or because of the curse, Dan always suspected that his mother figured something wasn’t quite right and skipped out.

When he was younger, Dan had school friends, but their interests diverged as they got older, and Dan became increasingly aware of the need to keep his family’s secret. He and his father got along with the exception of any mention of the curse, and Dan turned to books and the internet for companionship as he got older.

And me. You have me, Wally spoke up in his mind, stoutly loyal.

Dan smiled. Yes. You’re my best friend. It was true, even if the bond he felt for his other side was something his father wouldn’t have understood.

We’ll be okay. Just wait and see. Wally was a relentless optimist and always seemed to know how to lift Dan’s mood.

He had never figured out why his father hated the daemon heritage so fiercely. Dan wondered if he blamed it for his mother leaving, or if he just resented not being able to be like everyone else and needing to keep a secret. His dad refused to discuss his feelings, just like he wouldn’t talk about the abilities themselves. As close as Dan and his father were in other ways, that silence was a chasm they could never bridge.

Dan finished his coffee and set the cup aside. After the chase through the woods that morning, he knew he should tune into a popular regional podcast called Cryptids and Creatures that covered sightings, fan theories, and plenty of unhinged opinions.