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Jake smiles before he even looks at the figure she is pointing at. He glances around the conference room and thinks, "This must be some kind of joke or gag, or maybe I just won the lottery". He looks down at the paper Miriam has and focuses on the salary. The amount changes his humor; this is beyond some joke, and Jake becomes serious as he takes the papers and begins to look over the details and fine print. It didn't matter, though, even if Jake's soul was somehow on the line, he was signing as the amount was ridiculously high. In addition, a mere four assignments, one a month, guaranteed him the same salary every month, and more means a bonus. Miriam tells Jake, "I'll leave you here to look that over. I'll be right here at my desk if you have any questions." Jake thanks her and takes another 15 minutes to read and fill out the paperwork.
Jake takes the papers back to Miriam's desk, hands them to her, and says, "I've provided the required information and signed the contract. When do I report to work?" She gives Jake that same look over the top of her glasses and replies, "You can report to this office anytime from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday except on holidays, but there is no need to." She takes the papers and makes copies as she continues, "You can hand deliver assignments, send them by email, text, or postal delivery service during normal business hours. Technically, there is no reason you ever need to come here again." Miriam pauses, giving Jake a particularly serious look after her last statement. Once finished with the copies, she puts together more papers, places them in a folder, and hands them to Jake. "Everything you need to know is in this folder, including five assignments. You will receive an email regarding signing in to our website portal by the end of business hours today. You will also be receiving text messages that include feedback from the editor on each assignment as they are turned in. I see you prefer direct deposit. That will occur after midnight on Friday morning of each week of the contract. Your contract begins on Sunday with your first assignment due in thirty days."
Jake, having gotten over the idea that this was some joke, begins to become giddy at the money he would be getting from this job. Grinning from ear to ear, Jake thanks Miriam for her time and the opportunity, and adds, "I'll call to let you know if I'll be stopping in to drop off an assignment; otherwise, I will likely submit the assignments via email." Miriam responds without looking up, "That will be fine." Jake leaves the office, gets into his vehicle, and begins his trip back to the cabin. Of course, he plans to stop at a retail store specializing in craft beer to get properly stocked for the week and at a local brewery to sample their wares and possibly purchase even more beer.
As he drives, he thinks about his new job, about going through the paperwork to determine exactly what is required to ensure he doesn't lose this gold mine. He considers that even if he can't get hired permanently, the money he will get for the probation period is enough to be picky about his next job prospects. This new job and income have Jake in a glorious mood when he arrives at the brewery. He is so happy that he buys a 12-pack of the first IPA he tastes there. Jake wants to get to work as soon as possible, so he makes his visit to the brewery a short one and heads home to the cabin.
Once back at the cabin, Jake reads the paperwork he signed again and then opens the manila envelope containing the five assignments from which he must produce one story per month to honor his contract. Jake reads the list of assignments and realizes that his suspicions are correct: the Shadow News Service is a paranormal news publication, part of the sideshow he hoped to avoid. Having signed on and committed to honoring his contract, he reads each topic, knowing that whatever he submits is better than nothing, considering he will get paid regardless. He notices that the assignments are summaries with a paragraph or two of information, including official reports, witness names, and other leads.
His paperwork is now lying around haphazardly on the coffee table in the living room area where Jake is working. He begins to think about how he will approach these assignments: "Should I randomly pick one at a time or work on two, three, or all of them concurrently?" He decides to do one assignment at a time. At that moment, Sam the cat walks into the room and Jake asks him, "Sammy, my friend, why don't you choose my first assignment for me?" Sam walks up closer to the table, jumps up onto the papers, and meows loudly. Jake looks closer and sees the assignment that Sam is sitting on as he moves the cat back down to the floor. He picks it up, reads it, and sees it's about a creature sighted right here in Winn, Michigan. "Well, Sam, you have chosen very well," Jake tells Sam, adding, "Nearby and a witness, if we can find him." With the choice of his first assignment out of the way, Jake then decides he will cook up a large evening meal and drink some of the IPAs he purchased at the brewery, but first, he must go to the closest grocery store that John had recommended to fill his shopping list. He does his shopping quickly and returns to the cabin where he eats his dinner and begins his first assignment.
