B is for Bigfoot

A Dresden Files short story

Found in the short story collection: Brief Cases

By Jim Butcher

Published in 2012

B is for Bigfoot is the first of three Dresden Files short stories involving Bigfoot. This story is set between the events of Fool Moon and Grave Peril. In reading the title of the short story, I wasn’t expecting much and was a little put off by the concept of Bigfoot becoming involved in the world of The Dresden Files. But in typical Jim Butcher fashion, he is able to craft a story and create characters that make the silly and unexpected fit in with the already established characters and this magical world. I was pleasantly surprised to read this short story and how it opened a small door for more opportunities and stories to explore in the future.

Harry Dresden is contacted by a client who wants to meet in the woods, six hours away in Wisconsin. After driving to the designated spot, he walks a couple of miles into the woods and builds a fire and waits. After awhile a huge person shows up at his campfire, and it is a Bigfoot! His name is Strength of a River in His Shoulders, of the Three Stars Forest People. He needs help with his son, who is a scion or half Bigfoot and half human. His mother has told him that their son needs help. River Shoulders pays Dresden in a big gold nugget and asks him to help. Dresden accepts the case.

Harry meets River Shoulders. Artwork by Vincent Chong.

Harry goes back to Chicago and meets with Dr. Helena Pounder, who is the mother of Irwin Pounder. Helena talks about how Irwin has been coming home from school with scrapes and bruises and won’t say what has happened. Helena thinks that he’s being abused at school and wants Harry to investigate so she can get it resolved. Helena has set it up so that Harry can pose as a janitor at the school and watch Irwin and see what’s going on.

Harry shows up to the school the next day in janitor get up and is able to observe Irwin. He sees him at lunch minding his own business when two bully’s come up and antagonize Irwin and knock his lunch tray with food on the floor. A PE coach, Coach Pete, shows up and chastises Irwin and gives him detention. Harry finds this whole sequence of events odd and continues to watch them throughout the day.

Towards the end of the day Harry confronts Coach Pete about the problem of the bully’s. Harry uses his Wizard Sight to see Coach Pete for who he really is. Harry’s suspicions are correct that Coach Pete is a not human, he is part of the Svartalfheim a small supernational nation that uses powerful magic. If Harry challenges the svartalf and wins, which he thinks that he probably won’t as he seems to be more powerful than Harry is, the Svartalfheim nation will cause problems with the White Council which is something he can’t afford to do right now.

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Harry and the svartalf face off and he tells Harry that he is training the bully’s to be ruthless and that he is their guardian. If Harry interferes, the svartalf will kill Harry. Harry has to come up with another way.

At detention, Harry meets up with Irwin and talks to him about the need to stand up for himself and even though Irwin doesn’t like conflict and hurting people, sometimes he must do these things to protect himself and others.

Just then the bully’s come in with the protection of the svartalf and start beating on Irwin. Irwin takes the abuse for a minute then reacts and throws them across the room. Irwin tells them that they must stop and that he has asked them to stop before. He won’t be taking this abuse anymore. The boys are afraid of Irwin and his strength and agree to stop.

The svartalf is angry at Harry and accuses him of interfering. Harry points out that he did not and that Irwin stood up for himself. Harry also points out that the bully’s learned a valuable lesson, that some prey is too much handle and that they must be cautious or they could suffer consequences. The svartalf thinks about it for a second and then respectfully agrees and leaves.

Afterwards, Irwin asks Harry to tell his dad, River Shoulders, what he did and that he did good. Harry promises that he will.

Overall this short story is a good side story for Harry and offers good insight into his character and his ability to think quick on his feet. Harry also have to exercise caution and when it is good to outsmart a potential enemy instead of trying to overpower them. The topic of a Bigfoot hasn’t been addressed yet in the chronological story and this is a good introduction to the Bigfoot culture that is out there in the Dresden Files. There are two other short stories regarding Bigfoot, but as far as one of the main novels addressing the Bigfoot culture we will have to wait and see if that happens or not.

I give this short story a 4 out of 5, with the only detriment being that while it opens new opportunities for the overall story, it doesn’t add much to the overall ongoing narrative. Which is fine as that gives the overall story and the character of Harry Dresden a chance to breathe and to grow without having the life and death situations and world ending events that the novels tend to address. It was refreshing to just read a quick 15 min story about Harry and his adventures and then be done with it.

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This short story is found in the Harry Dresden short story collection - Brief Cases.