The Tree Goddess

by Tom Raimbault

  He called out to disguise his plan and lead the young girl to believe safety was reached. “Eileen! Don't you dare cross that stream!”

  It was only ankle high, cold but not terribly deep. Once getting to the other side, Alexi continued running. The fear and state of panic made her numb to the cold and fed her need to push on.

  Wayne only watched as she ran uphill. He had been here before on those nights of wild partying many years ago. They used to call this section of forest, “the trippin' woods”. It was the place where he and his friends would consume beer and finish pipes filled with cannabis. But there was a rule that partiers would follow that was more of a caution in case police ever raided. If the police came, one should never cross the stream and run up the hill to the other side. Officers would only run along the bank of the stream where a little-known trail would quickly be met. It traveled diagonally and would intersect with the path of one who had fled. Whereas an escaping partier made noise through sticker bushes and fallen leaves, the pursuer had a clear path which made travel easy and faster.

  Knowledgeable of this little-known trail, Wayne ran along the bank of the stream until finding it. He crossed it and lightly jogged uphill. Alexi was heard some distance away, fighting through sticker bushes and many obstacles in her way.

  Looking behind her, Alexi noticed that Wayne no longer chased. Perhaps he gave up! This was the perfect opportunity to call for help. The cell phone was pulled out of her front pocket, powered up and then watched as the logo flashed on the screen. It felt like an eternity for the home screen to appear. And when it did, she wasted not one second calling Mother.

  Back at home, Mother picked up her daughter's used pair of jeans that lay next to her child's dresser. There just had to be something, anything! Do kids pass notes these days? Would there have been a receipt? Reaching into the front pocket, Eileen took hold of a ring and pulled it out. The sight of the piece of cosmetic junk brought on extreme revulsion and an urge to whip it across the room. She recognized that ring; and in a few seconds, the memories pieced together “the whos and the whats” which transformed revulsion into a God-awful fear. The very name that had haunted her daughter's cell phone did not belong to an older boy named Wayne. It was the same Wayne who tormented Eileen years ago. Wayne now had her daughter, Alexi!

  At the very moment of Eileen's realization, her cell phone rang. It was Alexi! The teenage girl was truly in danger as Eileen hadn't been called “Mommy” in many years. The voice was choppy and frustrating to comprehend. Even still, Alexi was breathing heavy. From what Mother could make out, Wayne had her daughter in some forest preserve and was chasing her.

  “That son-of-a-bitch!” But there was no time for anger, now.

  “Alexi, what woods? This is important!”

  “I don't know, Mommy! Please help me! It's the same road before we get on the highway!”

  Eileen knew exactly where that monster had taken her daughter as her mind went back to that night of 15 years ago. It was such a horrible thing for Alexi to experience; in addition, being chased by the same man who was capable of transforming into a stark-raving maniac.

  Mother warned while holding back her tears, “Baby, we're getting help. Just keep away from him, okay?”

  Alexi did not respond. Instead, the squeal of a terrified girl shrieked through the receiver. Wayne had finally surprise-intercepted Alexi who thought she was alone and safe to call Mother. Her youthful 20/20 vision was sharp enough to perceive the hand that reached out from the side of a tree, and took a firm hold of her jacket shoulder. It was necessary to drop the cell as she quickly unzipped the jacket with amazing speed, providing an ability to slip out and escape a near capture. Wayne was cunning with his knowledge of that forest and nearly had her. But the Alexi was far more acute than he imagined. Adrenaline now enabled his young Eileen to leap over bushes and logs, youth and fear being the advantage over his older and out-of-shape body.

  A young girl has little tolerance for sticker bushes and must leap over in a moment of unexplained power. A grown man who is desperate can tolerate sticker bushes and only runs through while bearing the sharp stings and scratches. She could not escape; Wayne would not allow it! The blade of the commando knife had been withdrawn from the sheath. And when the chase had slowed Wayne remained some distance behind. “Eileen! You can't last! You don't know these woods! I will capture you and I will be very angry!”

  Looking back, the sight of the crazed man who wielded a large knife only spelled life's end if captured. Where were Mother and Father? Where were the police? How would they find her out in these woods?

  It was in this moment when Alexi realized her mistake. She was deep in the woods which would make it impossible for help to locate her. Needless to say, it was best to be closer to the road. But going the opposite direction was not so easy. Wayne was highly successful in barricading his young Eileen's return to the opposite direction, which forced the young girl to continue running deeper and deeper into the forest.

  Cold, without a jacket while growing weaker every moment, the chase had continued for over an hour. In Alexi's favor, thanks to her desperate call to Mother, the Mapleview, Sillmac and State police knew for certain that Wayne Brockman had the young girl out in the untamed forests off Creek Highway. A midnight-blue Mustang was parked some distance from one of the entrances. But the forest was miles and miles of wilderness. Finding the young girl would take some time.

  It this was 50 years ago, such a search would end unsuccessful. It might have been days before the body of a young girl was found; perhaps months for an unfortunate hunter to stumble upon human remains, all the while a fugitive on the loose. But this was the 21st century. Helicopter crews, all of whom had much military training, now hovered over a 5 mile radius of deep forest with heat-sensing cameras to detect living creatures and people who were shrouded by towering trees.

  After some time through the image of those heat-sensing cameras, the glowing ghosts of two humans danced along the bottom of the forest in a most frightening scene of a girl trapped in a chase. This was when highly trained specialists were lowered from ropes to the forest below. 2, 4, 6 officers were very near the crazed abductor with a knife. Believing the chase to be over and much relieved, Alexi made the mistake of remaining still for help to arrive. This only provided an opportunity for Wayne to seize his young Eileen in a last moment's attempt to freedom.

  The knife was to her throat which communicated to officers that Wayne expected to be left alone. But in this part of the country, officers who trained for such missions (that would probably never happen until that Saturday in November) were skilled hunters and very handy with scope rifles. Do you really think that the crazed abductor could slit the young girl's throat upon a rifle's bullet which penetrated his eye?

  Detective Tom cursed when the announcement was made over police radio. He and his partner were there that morning, hopeful that they had found the person behind the disappearances. If true, maybe the suspect could have provided information of the three, other missing women. The girl was unharmed, but Wayne Brockman had been killed during the rescue.

  Chapter 44

  Now towards the end of a second bottle of Halloween Merlot, which included an unusual painting of a half human / half tree, Dana began to question the unbelievable story as she set her empty glass down.

  She exclaimed, “But Wayne didn't have anything to do with the previous disappearances of Mapleview! The person behind the disappearances was still out there, right?”

  Dana watched as the man she was falling in love with finish his glass of Merlot before pouring the remains of the bottle in his own glass, never offering to fill hers. Considering his often generosity, it was an act very much unlike him. Maybe he exhibited more selfish tendencies while drinking. With a good wine buzz, herself, Dana wasn't going to make a big deal. She probably had enough wine anyway.

  Neither Dana nor the wonderful man she was with understood the story as clearly and detailed as you and I. Based on
information in the news and mostly hearsay, the story told over a couple bottles of wine was a bit fuzzy and sketchy. There were some moments that were of fine detail, in particular, those moments of Mary's suspicions and frustrations, and the time when Kelly lived in the Trivelli house.

  He took a sip of wine before answering her question, “And right you are, Dana! Ironically, there were no further disappearances after Wayne Brockman had been killed by the police. And despite the fact that the Mapleview police announced that he could not have been the person behind the previous disappearances, townspeople, along with the media, concluded that the villain had been caught.

  * * *

  Thanksgiving had come and gone. Detective Tom sat in his warm and cozy office on the Monday after the holiday weekend, drinking coffee made by Officer Ralph. Although a peaceful weekend with no homicides or disappearances, the veteran detective was disappointed.

  Detective Larry entered the office and sat down in front of his partner's desk.

  Detective Tom was not in his best form that morning. “What do you want, Larry?”

  “Why so down, Tom? Is it rough coming back after a holiday weekend?”

  “No, the weekend was fine, but Monday is a little too quiet. It would appear that Coldsworth is no longer abducting women. I bet he's done with that painting. And you know what kills me? Everyone wants to believe that Brockman was behind the other disappearances.”

  Detective Larry nodded in agreement, “Well if that's what they want to believe, let 'em. I guess people need to feel safe. What if there are no more disappearances and the public just figured we did our job?”

  Detective Tom took one final gulp of his coffee before throwing the Styrofoam cup in the wastepaper basket. “Larry, if you want to put another notch on your belt, be my guest. But that would be the difference between you and me. There's a serial killer on the loose, and I won't rest until I've caught my man!”

  Chapter 45

  As late November transitions into early December; the cold, Mapleview air brings with it fallen snow. Just like everywhere else, the blanket of white is a welcome sight after Thanksgiving while people anticipate the holidays.

  The snow put Mary in the mood for Christmas as she had already set up her tree on the Saturday morning which followed the Thanksgiving weekend. Colored lights illuminated the house along with wintery decorations, a beautiful nativity and many holiday candles throughout various rooms. Unfortunately, the radio stations throughout Mapleview and surrounding areas played their idea of holiday music: Twangy ballads that spoke of being lonely and unable to face the cheer, or songs that preached we shouldn't be happy for Christmas because it might sadden those who are less fortunate. Fortunately for Mary, she had a CD collection of real Christmas music to put one in the holiday spirit. The Trivelli house now echoed with those joyful tunes as she worked feverishly, outside, decorating the lawns and exterior with more colored lights, illuminated figures of wintery animals, and of course, an outdoor nativity.

  Don't even think that Mary's nativity contained the inflatable Snoopy and Grinch that overlooked the sleeping, infant Jesus! Mary was quite familiar with the story of Christmas as it was told in church each year. Snoopy and the Grinch weren't part of it, at least to her recollection!

  Working through lunch, the holiday decorating project was completed by about 1:30 that afternoon. Through experience, Mary knew that it was best to eat light when having a late lunch. And a nice cup of coffee was enjoyed afterwards while sitting near the Christmas tree where, for a brief moment, she dozed off for a quick recharge.

  She probably hadn't slept more than a few minutes when the voice of Kelly spoke an alarming phrase, “…when you finally join us…”

  Irritated from being awoken so soon, Mary reached over to the side table for another sip of coffee. The dream originated from the people who now lived in the mausoleum: Kelly and her friends who often communicated with Mary.

  It was sad, really. Poor Mary was finding herself lonely for the winter months as her husband continued to travel in his job. She was making friends with people who were imaginary and called out from the blasted mausoleum in the backyard!

  Married for nearly six months, she hoped to have been pregnant with their first child by then. Daren often argued that he wasn't ready for parenthood, but he went along with Mary's wishes and seemed fully cooperative. But despite the attempts, no children were on the way. Was this the life that Mary had to look forward to?

  What Mary needed was a pet, a puppy that would remain small enough to live in the historic house while providing companionship during the cold and lonely, winter months. But would Daren allow a dog? Even if this went against his wishes, Mary recalled a day of returning home to discover the hideous mausoleum in the corner of her backyard. Daren went against Mary's wishes and had the mausoleum constructed. If anything, he owed his wife. Mary should have been allowed to get her own dog, and that's just what she did!

  A visit to the pet store on Sunday afternoon resulted in the purchase of the cutest puppy one could ever find: a brown Yorkshire terrier that barked from behind the glass window as-if calling out to Mary as she approached. She immediately named him Muffin, after a stuffed animal dog that she had as a child.

  Of course it would require much energy and patience to house train the puppy, but Mary expected this and followed the proper guidelines. She was diligent and observant for those warning signs of when to take the dog outside. And although the saddest thing one could experience, Mary caged Muffin while leaving for work on Monday. The puppy's panicky yelps called out for Momma as Mary closed the door behind. Fortunately her friend and boss, Shelly, allowed Mary to return home during lunch to let the dog out and offer some comfort before, once again, caging it.

  The dog was more of a pleasure than it was work. Daren wasn't to return from his business travel until Wednesday evening. Under normal circumstances, Mary would spend the days lonely. But the yorkie offered plenty of companionship as it saw Mary as his Momma that fed him and offered warmth while seated on the sofa. And during playtime, Mary realized there had never been so much activity and excitement in the Trivelli house. She played tug of war with Muffin and bounced the dog's squeaky ball down the hallway in a game of fetch, all the while the puppy would bark in excitement.

  One of Mary's most favorite events would happen daily in the early morning hours as she let Muffin out into the snowy backyard. Upon coming in, he would follow Mary back to bed and run through the tunnel of blankets to dry off and get warm.

  It was so simple to rid those depressing moments of imaginary friends that called from the mausoleum. This doesn't mean to say that Mary forgot the important messages of her husband and the frightening dreams that pointed out her suspicions. She kept those memories at the edge of her consciousness, waiting for more evidence that might further prove her doubts of Daren. But for now, she had her baby to take care of and a husband who was soon to return to the surprise addition of the family.

  Muffin screamed at the window while watching Daren pull up from the driveway on a late, Wednesday afternoon. It was already dark, and he could see through the illuminated window the spasmodic dog that scratched at the glass with a look of being ferocious. Inside, Mary announced to the dog that, “Daddy is home! Is that Daddy? Are you excited to see your Daddy?”

  Daren entered the house that echoed the sounds of the dog's hideous barking. It stood 6 feet away and warned the intruder not to take one step further in the house. After a week of traveling on business and dealing with the commotion at the airport, Daren had hoped for a quiet evening with his wife. Still, he could see that Mary purchased a companion and was sure to appear happy with the addition of Rat Dog, which now declared Daren to be most unwelcome.

  He kissed his wife and spoke over the barking, “You got yourself a rat dog?”

  Mary playfully slapped her husband's arm, “Stop it! He's a yorkie. Isn't he cute?”

  Rat Dog growled and snarled at the man.

  Reali
zing it was best to make friends with the animal, Daren knelt down in an attempt to pet it. But Rat Dog only backed away while producing more ferocious barking.

  That's when Mary picked up her puppy. “Oh, it's only Daddy!” She carried her baby over to Daren who tried, again, to pet the dog. Rat Dog nearly snapped at his hand.

  Daren quickly pulled away, “Oops! Okay, you just need to get used to me.”

  Rat Dog followed Daren through the house with its hideous bark while biting at the strange man's feet. It was annoying for Daren, but he maintained his composure and appeared to see humor in the situation. Secretly, he wished for a quiet evening after his travel and wished his wife hadn't purchased Rat Dog.

  Mary had a hearty beef stew prepared for dinner. But that night was unlike the previous dinners at the Trivelli house as Rat Dog continued its ferocious barking at Daren. If he tried talking to his wife, the dog would intensify its threats.

  Halfway through dinner, Daren kindly suggested, “We're going to have to get a de-barker collar for that dog.”

  Mary dropped her fork. “A de-barker collar? No, that's cruel! How would you like it if I tied a de-barker collar to your neck?” Of course, the dog screamed along with Mary.

  Daren remained calm, “If I had an inch of fur on my neck it might be equal. Come on, they make those for dogs and they're proven to work. We're going to have to do something!” It was now necessary for Daren to shout over the dog's hideous barking. “I mean this is ridiculous!”

  Mary shouted in return, “So are you telling me you don't like the dog?”

  “I didn't say that, Mary! I just wanted to eat dinner with my wife without shouting over a barky rat dog!”

  Mary quickly picked up the dog, “Shhhh! Calm down, calm down! Daddy doesn't like it when you bark. Here, you want something to eat?” She hand fed the dog some pieces of meat from her plate which actually quieted the yorkie.