Darkly Wood II

by Power, Max

  It was an odd question and one that Blenerhorn was drawn to. He knew little of his mother for his father never spoke of her. Squelby drew him with the question.

  “She died when I was just a babe in arms.” That was what he had been told. “What has this got to do with you? What trickery is this? Are you a madman come to exact a beating from me?”

  “No sir, I assure you, I ask for good reason. Your mother did indeed die not long after your birth, but it was of no natural cause as I suspect you have been led to believe.”

  Blenerhorn was intrigued. He leaned forward threateningly and Squelby withdrew his hands from sight beneath the table in a defensive move. He fingered the pistol for security.

  “She hung herself on the day of your birth. She tied a sheet to the beam above the window of her room, opened it then with the rope about her neck, threw herself from the window and…well it was not a good end.”

  Squelby gave him a moment to take it in.

  “It was your father’s suggestion of course and she obeyed without question for she knew what kind of man he is.”

  “You are trying to provoke me again little man, do not test me further!” He banged his fist on the table. Squelby reached inside his coat and withdrew a small, once white piece of paper. It was carefully folded and tied with a faded yellow ribbon.

  “He kept it all these years.” Squelby placed the paper on the table and withdrew his hand and Blenerhorn simply stared at it.

  “It is for you of course.”

  Confused, he looked at Squelby as if to ask for clarification which Squelby was happy to offer.

  “It is a letter from your mother. He gave her time to write it and she asked that he promise it would come to you when it was time for you to understand. Your father is many things Mr. Wormhold, but there is one thing you can say about him and that is that he is a man of his word. If he makes a promise, then he keeps it. The letter is for you.” He gently pushed it towards the big man and continued. “Go ahead; read it, perhaps everything will make more sense to you then. Maybe you will understand why I am sitting here with you now sir. Go ahead, read it.”

  CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT- CHATTING IN THE PARLOUR

  When each tale is told or written of Darkly Wood, it is seldom that the stories are embellished. Indeed, it is in their very grotesque nature that they allowed the wood to remain a safe haven for all that happened there. The horror of each tale meant that no exaggeration was needed and the sense of unreality about them, left the audience to each tale in no doubt that while there may be some little truths behind each story, they simply could not all be true or indeed be all true.

  Folk are comfortable with fairy tales and myths. Legends are born from reality but seldom taken for more than mythical in themselves. That there was never a constant stream of accidents, strange sightings, disappearances or local catastrophes, meant that Darkly Wood became a place of dark tales, no more, no less. People went missing all the time, everywhere. Not everyone who went missing in Darkly Wood was missed and not every loss even attributed to that place. For the most part they were outsiders, travellers or there was some reason in the stories that were told, that made the listener suspect that perhaps they had simply upped sticks and left the village for some other reason. It was more interesting the audience to the tales suspected, to attribute the missing souls to Darkly Wood. After all, who doesn’t love a good scary story?

  But some folk believed. Some understood. In Daisy May’s little foundling book Tales of Darkly Wood, the book she found on her first day in Cranby all those years ago, Daisy discovered one such person. The author had studied the tales carefully. He had read everything he could, collected oral history and compiled a dark little collection that while it seemed like fairy tales to most, the book had struck a chord with Daisy. It was that very book, combined with her childhood experience that had set her on a lifelong mission, to go beyond the tales and discover the truth about Darkly Wood. She had never intended to go beyond research. Certainly, she never believed she would find herself back in the place that held all of her nightmares, yet here she was.

  “I have a secret.”

  Wormhold was still trying to recover from her declaration that she was more important than he was and he wasn’t sure exactly how much she knew. He couldn’t let her take the advantage but now she had a secret? What was this?

  “I do, don’t I?” Daisy turned her back and walked across the rancid floor of the wood, through rotting leaf litter, a jumbled mess of uneven ground, gravestones to be negotiated on her way. She stopped after a few paces and turned to face Wormhold again. He was watching her carefully. Now he knew what she meant. She had a secret alright, only she didn’t know what it was. But she knew that she had one alright and that Wormhold was its keeper. He couldn’t reveal too much, not yet. It wasn’t safe. He still didn’t trust her, or himself. Not wanting to answer Daisy, Wormhold needed to divert her attention.

  “Do you want to see your precious family again? If you do I suggest you stop wasting time and come with me. I have more to show you.”

  Daisy didn’t move.

  “You know what happened to me the last time I came to Darkly Wood. You know I am one of the few people to have escaped this place.”

  Wormhold didn’t like her attempted diversion; he was losing his control of the situation. Daisy May Coppertop was becoming more of a menace than anything, but he couldn’t simply despatch her like he would anyone else. Daisy did indeed have a secret and she was matching him at every turn.

  “Escaped? You make it sound like a prison my dear. This is my home, we were just chatting in the parlour”

  “More like a spider’s web.”

  Daisy tucked her hands into her coat pockets and never took her eyes off Wormhold. Wormhold had unravelled his scarf several times now and each time he removed it, he quickly covered his face again. It seemed to be a nervous habit of sorts and it was strange because Daisy didn’t take Wormhold to be a nervous kind of man. Normally he wasn’t but unbeknown to her, Daisy made Wormhold rather uncomfortable. His face was grotesque, disturbing and she wished he might cover it up. As soon as she thought it, he grabbed his scarf and wrapped it back around his lower face.

  “There my dear. Is that better?”

  That he seemed to read her mind was unnerving, but that was what he wanted, to upset her, throw her off. Daisy May Coppertop was better than that. But Wormhold continued.

  “No you have it all wrong. People come and go all the time. Why as we speak there are children cavorting at the south end of Darkly Wood, climbing a tree and having a picnic. Escape? I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Oh but you do. You know exactly what I mean. How do you choose them? What are your criteria? Why do some pass unscathed and others…simply disappear?”

  Daisy thought she knew the answer and was hoping Wormhold would confirm her suspicion, her theory. But that would be too easy.

  “You came here all those years ago. Little Daisy May Coppertop. You were filled with the joys of your first crush, hanging on Benjamin Blood’s coat tails, making love eyes with him. And then there was that kiss. Oh yes that first wonderful kiss.”

  He mocked her, clasping his hands together in fake excitement and casting his eyes to the heavens.

  “How do you know all of this when you weren’t here?”

  “Ah, but my dear, he tells me everything.”

  She knew now that he was referring to Benjamin. She wanted to ask about him, to know more. Daisy was desperate to find out how and why Benjamin and Woody morphed. Again he seemed to hear her thoughts.

  “You and Benjamin followed that sweet little lost-looking boy into the woods and then he turned into a monster. You saw Benjamin destroyed by the beast didn’t you? You saw Benjamin change into the beast? Benjamin even named him…Woody. But then you poor confused little girl, you saw Woody and Benjamin as one and the same thing. How could he fight with the beast and then be the beast? Are these the questions that have haunted you all the
se years? How could you have loved and lost in this way? Was it real? What did your parents say eh? It was the allergic reaction to the bee sting? You forgot your inhaler and you had a massive combined attack that left you near death in a coma? It was all a dream. How convenient.”

  He walked away with a purpose now. Daisy was angry. He knew so much and he mocked her without telling her the truth. When he had a good twenty yards between them, Wormhold stopped and turned to face her again. Once more he unravelled his scarf, but this time his face was perfect. There was no monstrous gaping hole there, only a bright white toothed smile.

  “Nothing is what it seems here. Haven’t you learned anything about this place?” He shouted at her like an angry school teacher annoyed that his pupil wasn’t paying attention.

  “You disappoint me Daisy May, you really do. You waste your life looking for answers and when I call you back here to this place to give you the answers, you refuse to listen.”

  He was angry now and his face darkened. Above, the already blackened, twisted sky-cloaking canopy of branches darkened even more and the air temperature dropped dramatically. She felt it and looked up. Just a tiny glow of faded light made its way through and she heard the trees groan as a ruffle of wind appeared from nowhere. It brought back memories and when she looked again to Wormhold, she jumped. He was standing right in front of her, his face as dark as the trees above. The man looked enormous as he towered above her. She tried not to show fear, but it was impossible in that moment when so many memories of Darkly Wood came rushing to her, for Daisy not to be afraid.

  “You’re afraid aren’t you?”

  She didn’t answer but they both knew the truth. She didn’t need to answer.

  “People say stupid things like ‘no need to be afraid’ but you won’t hear that from me. You’re afraid? You should be afraid! I could kill you right here in this moment in my little parlour.”

  He touched her chin with the back of his hand. The smell was rancid. Wormhold stunk and the feel of his hand, gloved though it was, turned her stomach and churned it with fear. But she didn’t flinch. Daisy May Coppertop had been here before alright and the one thing she remembered was that fear was of no use to her. It couldn’t be avoided, but she had to face it. He grabbed her face, holding it with his massive hand and he leaned closer. She thought she might gag at the stench.

  “You want the answers you have spent your whole stupid life searching for? Then you come with me now. Do as you are told for once and I will give you all the answers you ever wanted.”

  He paused and studied her face carefully. She gave little away. Daisy was trying to figure out how she could find her girls again. Nothing else mattered. The answers she so craved for all these years meant little, if she couldn’t get back to Holly and Rose. Above all else Daisy knew she had to protect them. Once again, he surprised her. He released her chin and took one step back.

  “You want your daughter and your granddaughter back safe don’t you?”

  She gave away her anxiety at the mention of her girls. It was just a parting of her lips but it was enough for Wormhold.

  “Very well then, I shall take you to them. You want answers and you want your family, I understand that. I am not a monster.”

  Daisy didn’t believe that for a second. He walked away again and beckoned for her to follow.

  “Come, come. Walk with me and I will give you both.”

  Daisy didn’t move. Something was wrong, she knew it. It was strange and she couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but there was definitely something strange happening. Wormhold had turned again. He was looking at her, rubbing his temples as though he had a headache.

  “Come!”

  He was more instant. She didn’t want to follow him, but she had no choice. There was no way out of his parlour as Wormhold called it, only by following him. She needed to get to Rose and Holly so she took her first step. The ground was just as she remembered it. Daisy had a flashback to the first time she was in this place. She saw the dead, rotting, damp leaf litter, the crawling creatures and she looked at her feet. The forest floor was moving. She took another step.

  One foot surely followed the next. She was drawn to follow. Wormhold walked slowly towards the centre of the clearing and bent to reach down again inside a rotting old log. It was like déja vu. She looked at Wormhold as he pulled on something inside the log. She heard a mechanical sound and she felt a little light-headed, dizzy almost. Then she heard it. The sound was part feeling really but it was there, tiny and almost imperceptible at first, but it quickly grew and soon it was a full blown noise in her head. Thump…thump…thump.

  CHAPTER FORTY NINE- LEFT OF THE GREAT OAK

  Just as he had told them, to the left of the great oak there was a path. It was invisible until he actually reached it and they didn’t hesitate to run straight onto the path. Rose pushed her daughter in front of her.

  “Go, Go.” She urged her girl to run. Holly was fast, but Rose was no slouch either. She had always been fit but this was a challenge especially in such frightening circumstances. The path was not an easy one. All around it closed in constantly, there were treacherous bramble and hawthorn branches left and right and every now and then it closed in from above also. There were times when they had to drop to their knees and crawl just to keep going.

  Neither girl hesitated. There was no other choice. They knew what was behind and there was no alternative escape route on either side. It wasn’t long before they heard a terrifying screech.

  “Wassssseeeeeeecccch!”

  The fearful sound rang out through the wood and for one moment they both stopped and listened. They knew what it meant. It was Woody or perhaps it was both of them. As they listened, they knew what it was. They didn’t want to hear that sound so close and as much as they dreaded it, they knew it was an inevitable pursuit. There was a thrashing sound as the creatures took off through the wood after them. Benjamin took to the trees above and Charlie, blood lusting Charlie, couldn’t contain himself. He followed their scent on the ground and took off down the track after them.

  Rose grabbed her daughter’s face and she kissed her forehead.

  “Run and don’t look back.”

  Holly ran and Rose was in her wake. The track widened for a while and the forest seemed to give them some respite as the path also gave them more height to manoeuvre. There were no branches, thorns or barbs lashing at their bodies for once and they ran as fast as their legs could carry them. Neither girl looked back but they could hear Woody in the trees, leaping, jumping, always swinging and the sound seemed closer. On the ground the Charlie-beast snarled and slavered, intent on tearing flesh from bone.

  But just as the forest gave them hope it took it away. The path narrowed again. The brush closed in. The canopy lowered. It felt like they were being herded into a trap. Ahead it was no more than a tunnel that faced them. They stooped and scurried along as fast as they could manage. Woody was right above them now, they could hear him and from the beastly growls behind they knew the other creature would soon be on their heels.

  “Mum I can’t…” Holly was being snared in every snag-binding piece of forest and her face and hands were being torn to shreds as she rushed through the bush. Rose couldn’t let her stop.

  “Go, keep moving...Keep moving Holly!”

  She pushed her daughter and as she did, the tunnel opened up again and they quite literally crawled out into space at the edge of a dark pool of water. It was a circular pond and it looked like there was no other exit. From where they stood, they had come to this pond from the only opening in the wood. They were trapped in a watery dead-end.

  They stood together, side by side, just a foot of earth separating them from the water. It was a cool space compared to the claustrophobic tunnel they had just emerged from. Rose looked up and could see a small glimmer of light through the tree tops. They had no idea of time in this place. Something hit the ground to their left with a loud thud. It was the Benjamin-beast. There was not a momen
t’s hesitation. Rose looked at Holly, took her hand and they nodded a silent agreement.

  Hand in hand they began to walk straight into the pond. At first it was very shallow, but after only four steps, they felt the pool deepen just a little. They were quickly shin-deep as they waded but then it levelled off, not getting any deeper. There was no panic. Neither girl knew what to expect and when they looked back Benjamin was staring at them from where he had landed. It seemed strange now that they could tell those vile creatures apart, but there were subtle differences. He seemed unwilling to follow and as they watched him over their shoulders, Charlie literally bounded through the space that they had emerged from just moments before.

  He tried to apply the brakes but was going too fast and he tumbled head over heels, ending up with his lower half in the water. His reaction was extreme. There was a mad scramble as he pulled himself from the water and he screeched like a stuck pig as though the water was acid. Rose and Holly stopped walking. They had barely gone ten yards, just a fraction of the way across the little pond, but they realised from his reaction that the water was a problem for the Charlie-beast.

  He shook himself off, brushing his wet lower half frantically as though trying to remove the wet bits. The Benjamin-beast simply stood staring at them as if Charlie was not there. He walked along the water’s edge until he reached Charlie and looked down at the stupid boy beast sitting in the dirt, slapping at his ankles and then he looked out across the water at Holly and Rose.

  His eyes narrowed and his vile, purple lips parted to reveal those sharp rows of pointed teeth. He hissed and craned his neck towards them. There was something incredibly evil about him in that form. Benjamin seemed kind but his transformation was anything but. Nothing seemed beyond him. He looked to the trees and the girls followed his gaze, still standing hand in hand, now facing him, trying to see what he might see, not sure if they should keep going or stay where they were.