Darkly Wood II

by Power, Max

  “Do you want to hear one of them?”

  Charlie wasn’t that interested in listening to stories from a book. He never read books. They were boring. But as it was Holly asking the question, that made his answer easy.

  “Sure, why not. What else are we going to do now anyway?” Then he asked “Are they scary?”

  “Some of them are, but some are just a bit sad.” She stopped flicking and the story that she landed on had a strange title. Holly read it out loud.

  “Zachary Westhelle Hartfiel.”

  They looked at each other and then simultaneously shrugged in agreement as if to say, ‘why not’. Holly coughed a little to clear her throat and Charlie slid off the wall and sat cross-legged on the grass in front of her.

  In 1864, a stranger came to Cranby. That is how the story began. It wasn’t unusual for strangers to land in Cranby and indeed it seemed to attract all sorts of waifs and strays, who quite often settled down in the quiet little village. Usually those that settled did so because they had value to the community. They were often men and women with skills that could be utilised and had value.

  Unusually, this particular stranger that arrived happened upon the village in the depth of winter. For the most part those that came to Cranby uninvited did so in the spring and summertime when work was plentiful. Even in autumn there were crops to be harvested, but other trades and needs fed off the largely agricultural labour demand. Once the days shortened things changed. The roads were poor and in winter they were often muddy and impassable. The men that sat drinking by the fire in the local hostelry ‘The Black Hound’ remembered his arrival distinctly.

  It was December 5th and the rain had been blowing sideways all day long. It was very cold, cold enough for snow, but instead it was rain that soaked the stranger through to his skin. There were five people in the inn that night. Matthew Larchwood, John Everly, Jim Crookshank or Jem as most folks called him, Bentley Boothe and the innkeeper William Boozle whom everyone affectionately simply called Boozle. What they all recalled with clarity about the arrival of the stranger was the grand entrance that he made.

  The door burst open and in washed a man, dressed in the most elaborate costume they had ever seen, at least around Cranby. He was a tall man who wore a feather cap on his head. The hat was made of velvet and there was a collection of coloured feathers on either side of the headpiece. He closed the door, with some struggle against the strong gale and turned to his silent audience. They all sat and stared at the unannounced and unexpected visitor and nobody spoke.

  The stranger unhooked the top two clips on the red and black cloak that he wore and swung it with a flourish, before sharking off the excess rain water. He tossed it on a chair near the door and removed his cap to reveal a head of thick, long, blonde curls. Before he did another thing, the newcomer ran his fingers through his hair and loosened his curls. It was the sort of gesture one might expect a woman to make. Some of the watchers exchanged glances.

  “Good evening gentlemen.” He bowed to his waist and rose again. His accent was foreign and clipped but unrecognisable to those in the inn who were not worldly.

  “I am Zachary Westhelle Hartfiel. I wonder if I might impose on your hospitality.”

  Zachary strode up to the bar and Jem noticed his knee high riding boots and matching leather waistcoat. He was a peculiar sight indeed. When he reached the bar, his height became even more apparent. Boozle was tall by most standards and he stood on a slightly raised platform behind the bar. Zachary towered above him.

  “Might I enquire if there are any rooms available?” He leaned forward placing his hands on the bar. Boozle was cautious.

  “There might be, for the right sort of gentleman.”

  There was no man that Boozle feared offending. In his younger days he was a champion fighter and he had at some point or other, thrown the leeriest and biggest men from his inn, when they got out of hand. There was no automatic right to stay in his establishment, even though he did offer board to travellers. Boozle had to like you first. Zachary gave him a reason to like him.

  He reached beneath the folds of his waistcoat and elaborate blouse and produced a small pouch which he slapped on the bar. The contents of coin spilled out onto the counter.

  “Perhaps this will help me find lodging for the night.”

  He smiled and his face softened. Zachary turned to the four customers and waved his hand in their direction.

  “A drink landlord, for each of your customers and one for your good self of course.”

  It was at this point that Charlie interrupted the story.

  “This isn’t scary. I thought you said they were scary stories?”

  He shouldn’t have interrupted Holly. She was enjoying herself.

  “Tell you what, why don’t you go off and chase some squirrels or something if I’m boring you.” She half closed the book but kept her middle finger on the page where she had stopped.

  “No…no…go on I just thought that it was going to be a frightening story…I like it really. Go on please Holly.”

  He was fooling no one but as Holly wanted to finish the story, she pretended to believe that he wasn’t bored and opened the book again.

  Now it turns out that on the night of his arrival, Zachary bought drinks for everyone until the early hours and then went to bed. He was an instant hit and the next day while he remained in his bed, Matthew, John, Jem and Bentley, spread the word about the new arrival to the village. They were eager to tell of his elaborate dress and flamboyant style so before evening; pretty much everyone in the small village was talking about Zachary.

  Strangely, none of the men could remember much detail other than a physical description. They had all spoken with him, but they figured that the large amount of alcohol they had consumed, must have affected their memories. Boozle on the other hand hadn’t been drinking and he too was in the dark about the origin, or any other important facts regarding the stranger.

  All day long Boozle waited for him to rise but when evening came and there was still no sign of him shifting, he decided to go and rouse Zachary. He knocked gently on the door and when there was no answer, he opened it and walked straight into the room. The room was dimly lit by a sliver of light sneaking through the curtains and Boozle could see a shape on the bed. He had already forgotten Zachary’s last name as it sounded so foreign and he didn’t want to be so informal as to use his first, so instead he called out without using his name.

  “Hello…Hello…Are you awake sir. It’s late in the day.”

  Zachary moved on the bed but did not answer. Boozle moved closer. He heard a groan from the man lying before him and he moved closer still. As he did, Boozle almost slipped. There was something wet on the floor. He reached out and tried to gently shake the stranger. When he did, he felt something damp.

  Boozle walked to the window and pulled back the heavy curtain to let more light in. He turned around to discover a shocking sight. Zachary was covered in blood. There was blood on the floor and on the bed. It seemed impossible that he could still be alive. Boozle slapped his hand to his mouth in horror.

  “In the woods.”

  The three words were almost whispered but Boozle heard them in the quiet of the room. He couldn’t move. He wanted to do something but he didn’t know what to do.

  “In the woods.”

  He repeated the words and then something else moved on the bed. Boozle felt a cold chill run through him. There was something moving in the bloody cavity that was Zachary’s chest. It moved again and Zachary winced with pain.

  “Help…me.”

  The desperate plea finally moved Boozle to action and he moved to Zachary’s side to see what was moving there. It was almost impossible to distinguish his clothes from the bloody flesh beneath. It looked like some wild creature had ripped open Zachary’s chest and stomach cavity. The shocked landlord stared into a torn mass of flesh, intestine and an ever expanding pool of blood. Boozle leaned forward to see what could be moving inside the g
ory mess. It was something that he would regret for the rest of his life.

  CHAPTER SEVEN – THE CORNER OF YOUR EYE

  Holly snapped the book shut. She looked at Charlie anticipating his reaction but she didn’t say a word.

  “What was it? What was moving in Zachary’s chest?”

  He was excited to know. Holly had completely gripped him with her tale from the little book.

  “You’ll have to wait and see.” Holly stood up. She enjoyed having him on the hook.

  “Come on, I want to try and get inside.”

  She tucked the book inside her rucksack, slung it over her shoulder and stepped up onto the wall that she had been sitting on. Charlie stood up and looked at her as she stared at the ruin. She was something else. He genuinely didn’t know how to deal with this girl. One minute she was insisting that he listen to her while she read from her book, but as soon as he got into it, Holly seemed to get bored. Now she was back looking for more adventure. He decided that there was no point arguing with her.

  “There must be some way to get inside. You’re a bad boy aren’t you Charlie? Surely you know how to break into a house?”

  She was joking but the words embarrassed him and he wanted to please Holly.

  “Right then, you wait here.”

  Charlie took off without another word and disappeared around the side of the house.

  “Charlie!”

  Holly called after him but he ignored her. She wasn’t going to follow. Holly was much too controlling to follow someone else, especially someone like Charlie. She liked him but he wasn’t the brightest boy she knew.

  Out of sight, Charlie scouted along the side of the house until he came to a break in the wall about seven feet off the ground. It looked like someone had taken a wrecking ball to that precise spot and smashed a hole in it. He stood against the wall and reached up to see how high he’d have to jump to reach the gap in the wall. It wasn’t that far. All he had to do was make a run at the wall and jump up to grab the lip at the bottom of the hole and then he could pull himself through. It was a big enough hole.

  He took a run and made it first time. Charlie pulled himself into the space and looked inside. The drop on the inside was similar, so he lowered himself down, hanging for a moment by his arms and that was that. Charlie was inside and it was easier than he had anticipated. He looked up. There were still some beams and a partial ceiling for the first floor in places, but he could see the trees above and there were no upper floors.

  Outside, Holly was growing impatient. She walked along the small wall balancing by holding her arms out like wings. It was hardly a tight-rope but she was bored. When the half-rotten wooden boards that blocked the small window near the front door were smashed open from the inside, she was so startled that she almost fell off the wall.

  What looked like a thick tree branch was being rammed through the boards and then it all stopped. There was complete silence for a moment until Charlie poked his head through the hole.

  “Ta-da!” He was smiling broadly. “See, you can depend on Charlie.”

  “How on earth did you get in there?”

  Holly skipped over and looked through the hole. He didn’t answer her question.

  “Can you get through or do you want me to come out and give you a bunt up?”

  Holly wasn’t impressed by his suggestion. In a single sweeping motion, she swung her backpack from her shoulder and into the hole. It almost hit Charlie in the head but he caught it instead and he knew that Holly wasn’t in need of his help. She scrambled through the gap and in seconds the two of them stood in what had once been a grand entrance hall of Darkly Manor. There was nothing grand about it now and as most of the inside walls had collapsed, it was hard to tell one internal space from another.

  Holly led the way and they quickly scoured the entire ground floor only to discover that the forest had pretty much taken over. Every inch of floor was covered in grass or weeds and there were even some good-sized trees well established inside the walls of what remained of the building.

  “There is supposed to be a cellar somewhere in here. I reckon that must still be intact.”

  Holly was desperate for her adventure not to end in disappointment. “You go that way and I’ll head over to the other side. There has to be a way into it somewhere.”

  Charlie was hardly enthusiastic but he did as he was told. It seemed like such a waste of time as they had already searched the house. He reckoned he’d search again anyway. Slowly and meticulously, Holly lifted every piece of debris that she came across, hoping to find an entrance to the cellar. But it was Charlie who discovered what they were looking for, albeit by accident. She heard him scream out loud in pain. When she found him, he was carefully removing his leg from a splintered wooden board.

  The walls above it and doorway used to access it were long gone, but the opening for the stairwell to the cellar was still intact and someone had boarded it up a long time ago. They hadn’t noticed it because it was covered in weeds. He had put his left leg straight through it.

  “Are you alright?”

  The concern in Holly’s voice as she helped him pull his leg free, felt good. It meant that she liked him. At least that was how he interpreted things.

  “I’m fine. I just scraped my leg that’s all. Looks like I found the cellar.”

  They both worked to clear away the overgrowth on the board and then pulled to lift it up. It didn’t move for a few moments but then it just splintered. The wood was rotten which was why Charlie had almost fallen through. The spent a few minutes carefully tearing the mouldy, soft boards piece by piece until eventually they could see what lay beneath.

  “Wow, how cool is that?”

  Charlie preceded his declaration with a soft whistle.

  Below them in the ruin of the house, was a stone stairway that led into the darkness. They both smiled. It finally felt like an adventure and they were excited. Holly opened her back pack and produced a torch.

  “I thought I’d need this for the house.”

  She smiled and Charlie thought that Holly was just amazing.

  “Let me go first.”

  Charlie began to twist his body around to lower himself onto the top step, which was about three feet below the opening.

  “Na-ah. This was my idea, I get to go first.”

  Holly wasn’t taking no for an answer and Charlie knew better than to argue. He helped her on to the top step and she was already heading down the stairs, absolutely fearless before he had managed to drop down after her.

  Charlie was about to follow but as he stood there with his head and shoulders poking above the ground floor of Darkly Manor, he caught something in the corner of his eye. Something moved high up in the trees, just poking its head out above them and off to his left. It made him pause. He wasn’t sure but it seemed to have been too big to be a bird or a squirrel but when he looked to try and pick it out, he couldn’t see anything. It was probably his imagination. Charlie followed Holly into the darkness.

  The corner of your eye should sometimes be trusted. The sense that someone is watching you or that you are being stalked, goes back to a time when men and women roamed the land competing with other larger, fiercer predators. The corner of your eye should definitely be trusted. Charlie Callous Colson made a terrible mistake in not trusting his instinct. High in the trees something was indeed watching. The creature could hear a pounding beat in his head, a familiar beat and he had been waiting for so long that he wasn’t sure what he was feeling.

  All he knew for certain was that there was something very familiar down below. Someone had come back to Darkly Wood. That someone had drawn him from his place of safety, deep in the heart of that place. That someone was a familiar soul but a fresh face. That someone was Holly Coppertop.

  CHAPTER EIGHT – DEAD END

  To say the cellar was a disappointment would be an understatement. From above it looked like a dark and dangerous place, but once they had descended the steps to the bottom,
there was really nothing to see. All that was left from its days of glory were the stone walls that shaped it and a fallen support pillar.

  Holly sat down and opened her back pack again. She pulled out a packet of nuts and threw a handful into her mouth before offering some to Charlie. He gratefully accepted them and paced in a circle feeling disappointed. Looking up he could see the canopy of trees and the tiniest smidge of blue sky through the opening above. One side of the cellar was filled with a pile of rubble and the rest was empty. It was indeed a disappointment. When he turned around, Holly had vanished. Charlie spun left and right but he couldn’t see her anywhere.

  “Holly?” To his relief she answered immediately.

  “Over here.”

  Charlie squinted to see Holly was crouched down in the darkest corner of the cellar. As he looked skyward, Holly had been chomping on nuts and scanning every inch of the cellar with her sharp young eyes. She had found something. He stood over her and watched as she cleared away debris from an old metal looped handle.

  “Look what I found Charlie.”

  It was a trap door. It didn’t make sense. Surely the cellar was the lowest room in any house? He expressed his misgivings.

  “There’s a room under the cellar?”

  “Looks that way, here…give us a hand.”

  They pulled on the handle and it gave way with surprising ease. The cellar was dark but once their eyes became accustomed the lower light, it wasn’t too bad. What lay beneath seemed like a black hole by comparison. Holly grabbed her torch and flicked it on to shine its beam into the darkness. The air that rose from the dark was very cold and she shone a beam of light into the mysterious space. There was a wooden ladder trailing off beneath them and it continued to the end of the beam from her torch. She smiled at Charlie.

  “Come on Charlie.”

  He wanted to stop her. Charlie wanted to tell her that the ladder had to be a hundred years old and that it might collapse beneath her. He wanted to warn her and tell her to be careful but he was never going to be quick enough for the impetuous girl that sparkled for him.