Stag hunter's note

Pop-Pop used to tell me a lot of hunting stories, but if I had a favorite, it was the one about the Quantum Stag.

The thing about the old man was, he loved Quantum. He even had a trick for boosting the concentration. The result was a drink was so thick and so heavy that it dyed his beard blue. We used to joke that if we ever ran out of a light, Pop-pop's face was better than any lantern.

It also made for bad camouflage. So according to him, whenever he went hunting, he'd stop by a small pond and wash the blue out. But that night, the moment he knelt down by the water, the entire surface lit up like a Christmas tree. Except the light wasn't coming from his beard.

Pop-pop says it was twice the size of a normal stag, with glowing blue fur and antlers made of gold. Apparently the beast was so freaking majestic, he forgot to pick up his gun and shoot the damn thing. Instead he just froze like a goddamn chowderhead as the animal licked the Quantum off his face.

Now, Pop-pop was always two ounces short of a pint, so I never really put much weight into the things he said. Of course, that didn't stop me from telling the same story to my boy. Kid's gotta believe in something, why not that.

But the kid says he's seen it too. I thought he was taking the piss outta me, but then he showed me the tracks. I don't know if this stag has blood full of Quantum, but it sure looks like it has a ton of meat.

I'm gonna head down to the water and place the bait. The kid's gonna stay up on the roof and take the shot. Hopefully he doesn't miss.

The kid doesn't know it yet, but we're out of food. I told him, no matter what happens to me, you chase down and kill that beast.