The Golden Talisman

by J. Stefan Jackson

  “I stared into the bubbling pool below, as if charmed by the brilliant blue-green color of the water. I knew it was an illusion caused by the mineral deposits from the water encrusted upon the rock sides of the pool. Yet, the color and the big bursting bubbles reminded me of something... All of a sudden it hit me as to what it was, and I backed up quickly from the slab’s edge.

  “‘What’s wrong, son?’ Grandpa asked, as a look of worry spread across his face. ‘Is the steam too warm for you?’

  “‘Yeah, a little bit, Grandpa,’ I told him. I really hated lying to him. The steam was hot, but that wasn’t the reason I backed away. Rather, the bubbling water reminded me of the throbbing blue mass I’d seen in Genovene’s village. It reminded me an awful lot of that hideous thing, and I now wanted to get as far away as I could from it. ‘Can we go now, Grandpa?’ I pleaded, and looked up at him with imploring eyes. ‘I’m feeling kind of sick to my stomach from that awful smell.’

  “‘Are you sure, Jack?’ Grandpa studied my face, seemingly torn between genuine concern and disappointment.

  “‘If you can hold off puking your guts, Jackie, I’d like to take a quick look into the other pool down there,’ said Jeremy, moving quickly down the side of the rock formation to the ground below. ‘I’ll be back in just a minute, y’all!’

  “Before either of us could stop him, he finished his descent and was on his way over to the larger pool of water. Large patches of algae covered boulders and smaller rocks that enclosed the pool. Jeremy leaned over the edge and looked down into the water. ‘Hey! This is pretty cool down here!’ he shouted up to us. He stuck his hand into the steaming water, swishing it back and forth near the surface. “The water’s pretty clear down here, too! Nice and warm, though I’d have to say it’s a little on the hot side!’

  “My brother continued to inspect the pool from where he stood, smiling with the smug look that’d become his trademark over the years. Suddenly, his eyes grew wide with terror and he quickly withdrew his hand out of the water as he staggered back from the pool’s edge. ‘Holy mother of Jesus!!!’ he cried out. ‘Fuckin’-A!! There’s something moving around in there!!!... Could be a goddamn poisonous water snake or some other shit-head, but whatever it is, it looks like one big motherfucker!!! Did you know if this thing has fish or snakes, Grandpa?’

  “‘No, son, I’m not!’ he replied, the worried look steadily deepening in his ruddy face. ‘You need to get the hell away from there now, Jeremy!!! We’re on our way down! Come on, Jack!!’

  “Just as Jeremy moved back over to us, the pool began to show ripples and waves as if some large creature was moving just below the water’s surface. Suddenly, a heavy splash of water flew into the air and the shimmering body of the mysterious critter was briefly visible to all of us. To me it looked more lizard-like than a snake or a fish. Perhaps a miniature version of Vydora had managed to hide here. If it was, even her small size scared the shit out of me. Jeremy and Grandpa seemed to recognize the same thing, probably from my description the night before.

  “Jeremy took off running and shouted over his shoulder for us to follow his lead and get the hell out of the clearing. At Grandpa’s insistence, I scurried down the rock formation’s side first, with him following close behind me. As soon as we reached the ground, a menacing murmur came from the pool. The motherfucker slithered out of it and dropped down into the camouflage provided by the tall grass and weeds that filled the clearing.

  “‘Run, goddamn it!!! Run!!!’ Jeremy screamed. ‘It’s headed straight for you!!!’

  “Grandpa and I immediately sprinted toward Jeremy, who was already on the path that led out of the clearing. A heavy rustling sound followed us as we ran, but I never saw the critter itself even though I glanced several times over my shoulder. I could only see the quivering weeds and grass less than a hundred feet behind us announcing its pursuit. It was closing fast, and just before we reached the edge of the clearing, Grandpa suddenly stopped.

  “He quickly removed his rifle from his backpack and aimed it in the direction the noisy thing was coming from and tried to squeeze off a shot, but the Winchester jammed up on him. He tried to get it unstuck, but it was no use. The unseen menace quickly bore down upon him. In frustration, he threw down the rifle and removed his backpack, literally ripping it open in the process. He reached underneath our lunch and uncovered his semi-automatic pistol, pulling it out from its holster while he motioned for me to keep moving toward Jeremy. ‘Go on, son!’ he urged me. ‘I’ll be along in just a minute!’

  “Grandpa turned to face the lizard, which was now less than twenty feet away. He fired several shots into the dense grass and weeds. At least one of the bullets struck the thing. It let out a blood-curdling howl followed by an angry roar. Despite its obvious rage it refused to reveal itself, whimpering in pain and for the moment no longer interested in being the aggressor. Grandpa made the most of this reprieve, running as fast as he could to catch up with us while we anxiously waited for him near the entrance to the woods.

  “‘Did you kill it?’ Jeremy asked.

  “‘I don’t think so,’ he replied, panting hard as he tried to catch his breath. He bent over for a moment to replenish his body’s oxygen supply, all the while keeping a watchful eye on the area he’d vacated just a moment ago. ‘I think I hurt it some...and it’s not coming after us... At least for now.’

  “He stood up and allowed himself one last look to survey the boyhood haunt he hadn’t seen in years, and to talk himself out of his immediate desire to go back and retrieve the Winchester. Even though it was an heirloom from his father’s side, he decided it presented too great a risk to try and recover it right then. He told us later that he intended to come back for it with Sheriff McCracken or at least one of his deputies in the next day or so.

  “When he turned back toward us, I watched him intently, studying, in particular, his eyes. They were darker than usual and revealed his fear—same as they had just two nights before. The thing lurking in the clearing had truly frightened us all, but none as badly as Grandpa. I confirmed this by shifting my gaze to my brother’s face. Even though Jeremy’s sure-fire cockiness was nowhere to be found, I couldn’t honestly tell if he was still scared. Surprised perhaps, but after the initial shock wore off, he seemed like his old self. Even as I thought this, I watched him reach for the cigarette pack and lighter in his breast pocket, confirming further that he was fine.

  “As for myself, I felt more confused than frightened. I thought for sure everything magical, or supernatural for that matter, had disappeared with Genovene the day before. Now, I realized that assumption wasn’t correct.

  “‘Don’t plan on smoking just yet, Jeremy, because we need to get the hell out of here first!’ Grandpa warned. Without waiting for a response from my brother, he firmly grasped us both by our shoulders, turning our attention to the nearby woods. ‘I don’t want to wait around here any longer in case that thing’s got friends, or decides it’s well enough to come after us on its own!’

  “At his urging, we ran into the woods and didn’t stop running until we reached the bridge. I remember the air was thick and humid, and rain clouds obscured the sun. The birds and insects seemed oblivious to both our presence and the impending weather, never ceasing their songs to one another. As I listened to them, I thought I heard something else. Something sinister? I wasn’t sure. But there was something quietly stalking us. I didn’t think it was the thing from the hot spring, because it felt different somehow. I was pretty certain Jeremy and Grandpa felt it, too.

  “‘Man, this place is creepy,’ whispered Jeremy, loud enough to draw a responsive look from Grandpa and me. ‘I can’t imagine why you and Uncle Monty would want to spend as much time as you say you did here, Grandpa. It seems pretty fu—.’

  “‘Sh-sh-h!’ Grandpa interrupted. ‘I just heard something! Over there...just to the left of the bridge.’ He pointed to a place where the woods came to an abrupt halt just a few feet from the bridge. There was no one the
re at the moment, and the ground was almost bare. Only a few clumps of crabgrass and a short spiny weed populated the spot.

  “Suddenly we all heard an audible ‘snap’ in that very spot, as if some invisible person stood there and had shifted their weight from one unseen foot to another, inadvertently stepping on a brittle twig or something similar. Immediately, the entire wooded area grew quiet around us, as if every living thing picked up a predatory scent unavailable to our startled senses.

  “The hairs on the back of my neck sprang to life, and the feeling of being watched hit me and then intensified. I Gradually became aware of a smooth cool breeze in the area, blowing toward us from the clearing. The breeze picked up in intensity and as it did, I heard a sultry whisper pass just above my head.

  “‘Ja-a-a-ck. Ja-a-a-ck.’

  “‘Did y’all hear that?’ I asked

  “‘Hear what?’ said Jeremy, a look of profound concentration on his face. ‘You don’t mean the sound by the bridge, do you? We all heard that.’

  “‘No!’ I said. ‘Somebody’s calling my name!!’

  “‘What do you mean ‘somebody’s calling your name’?’ my brother retorted.

  “‘I mean...like that!” I exclaimed, hearing it again while I spoke. ‘Can’t you hear it? Can’t you, Grandpa??’ I was near panic, and after the adventure I’d braved the day before, it wouldn’t take much to throw me into complete hysteria. All the while, the voice grew stronger and clearer, with longer drawn out vowels, as if taunting me.

  “‘Lovely Ja-a-a-ck. You’re mi-i-i-ne! Lovely, beautiful Ja-a-ack is...mi-i-i-i-ne!!’

  “It was Genovene. Her voice was so sultry and seductive. I realized then this was her favorite disguise. Perhaps only the unluckiest of her victims ever saw the real monster she is. ‘Don’t y’all hear that?’ I implored, near tears.

  “Grandpa looked over at Jeremy and then back at me. ‘Son,’ he said. ‘I don’t think either of us can hear it. I mean, what exactly are you hearing and where’s it coming from?’

  “I wanted to say the voice was coming from directly above me. That’s where it’d been when I first heard it, although it now moved freely with the breeze that gently blew through the area. She was everywhere but nowhere.

  “‘Sw-e-e-e-t Jackie boy! I love the way you ta-a-a-ste!’

  “The voice swooped in beside my left ear and then quickly drew away again, echoing throughout the area. I almost grabbed Grandpa’s pistol to shoot my invisible tormentor.

  “‘I love you Ja-a-a-ck! I love your luscious co-o-o-ck! I ba-a-a-dly want to su-u-u-ck it and fu-u-u-ck it again and again and ag-a-a-a-in!!’

  “‘Y’all! Help!! Help me NOW!!!’ I cried out, thankful they couldn’t here the last words. I was on the brink of no return. Grandpa and Jeremy looked on helplessly, since there was nothing either of them could do for me. I couldn’t believe Genovene’s seeming immortality, given all that happened to her the day before. She remained as cunning and as powerful as ever, which was evident in the way she attacked me now. After all, we couldn’t shoot what we couldn’t see and only what I could hear.

  “Tears began to well as I considered this. All the while, the verbal assault grew steadily worse. The wind increased its intensity as it blew against the trees and plants near the path, forcefully pushing them back and forth. At least my grandfather and brother could see this, as they anxiously looked around themselves.

  “‘Oh-h-h Ja-a-a-a-ck!!! Let me su-u-uck your big thro-o-o-b-b-b-ing pe-e-n-i-s-s!!! I need to su-u-uck you! I need to e-e-ea-t you! We all need to e-e-ea-t you, Ja-a- a- a-ck-e-e Bo-o-oy-y!!!’

  “Right then, an invisible pair of lips kissed my cheek, while a pair of invisible hands gently grasped my crotch, immediately stroking me through my pants. That was it! I wasn’t going to stand idly by and let this continue. I spun around and slapped at the unseen hands while shouting a string of angry obscenities. I must’ve looked like someone near a nervous breakdown to Jeremy and Grandpa.

  “Like a bear running from an angry beehive, I raced for the bridge. I could’ve cared less if anything else waited for me there. My entire focus was on reaching the other side of the river as quickly as possible. I prayed that my brother and grandfather had enough sense to follow me.

  “I ran across the flimsy structure and kept running until I arrived at the Jeep. When I stopped and turned around, I witnessed a strange and horrific transformation of the area for the second time in two days. Fortunately, Jeremy and Grandpa had hurried after me, crossing the bridge and reaching the Jeep shortly after I did. They were just in time to escape the magnificent metamorphoses that soon took over the other side of the Tombigbee River.

  “Enormous pyramids were popping up everywhere on the other shoreline, and a narrow golden pathway now ran between two of these structures sitting closest to the river’s edge near the old bridge. All of them were transparent with lavender and gold designs etched upon them, and each one appeared to glow from within.

  “The trees and plant life on the other side of the river were not exempt from this incredible event, as more tropical foliage soon filled the area, giving the western bank of the river an Amazon rainforest appearance. Where once was barren ground just a moment ago, a pair of thick palm trees now stood up against the rickety bridge’s foundation.

  “Standing on the bridge and watching me in my amazement was none other than Genovene and her four siblings, as beautiful as they ever were and all dressed in long flowing lavender gowns. Once I noticed them, they smiled and waved at me. ‘Y’all come back now, ya hear!!’ Genovene shouted, and then she threw her head back in laughter.

  “‘Do you see that?’ I pleaded with the others. ‘Look, damn it!!! Now, do you believe me??

  “‘Believe what??’ Jeremy retorted again, letting his irritation slip through as he and Grandpa turned their attention to the other side of the river. ‘What are we supposed to be looking at, Jackie?’

  “‘THEM!!!’ I shouted, pointing toward the group still standing on the bridge. ‘Them, and all of those pyramids behind them!!! They’re right there in front of you, if you’d just look—.’ A horrible realization swept over me as I suddenly remembered the previous evening when neither of them could hear me shouting while I stood with Banjo at the back gate to our home. It seemed like the same kind of thing was happening again.

  “‘They are, huh?’ said Jeremy, narrowing his eyes to indicate he was trying very hard to see what I claimed was across the way from us. ‘Either you’ve got some special type of vision, Jackie, or I’m as blind as a fucking bat. I don’t see a goddamned thing. Do you, Grandpa?’

  “‘No...I’m afraid I don’t either, son,’ he replied, and then turned his attention solely on me, his eyes worried. ‘Who’s ‘them’, Jack?’

  “‘Genovene and her kin,’ I said. ‘But it’s the human version of them all that I described to you last night. In fact, I really don’t think they plan to hurt us. At least not right now. Are you sure you can’t see them?’ I hoped I wasn’t placing us in any real danger, but I didn’t think I was wrong about what I felt.

  “‘Son, I don’t see anything and I can’t hear anything other than you two,’ said Grandpa. ‘It doesn’t mean I don’t believe you’re really experiencing this stuff. I think we’ve all been through enough already to prove most anything is possible.’ He sighed and looked out toward the bridge again. ‘Perhaps Genovene and whoever’s with her are visible and audible only to you,’ he suggested.

  “I felt desperate, wishing he was wrong, but fearing he wasn’t. I wanted so badly for him and Jeremy to see her at least.

  “‘What did she say to you?’ Grandpa asked.

  “‘Uh, she was saying my name over and over, and telling me she wouldn’t let me leave. That they needed me,’ I explained as calmly as I could. I purposely left out the sexual references.

  “‘Anything else?’

  “‘Uh, no. Not really, anyway.’ I lied.

  “‘Hm-m-m-m. Are you sure?’ asked Grandpa. He
eyed me thoughtfully, like he often did when I was in some sort of trouble. Since I normally was a horrible liar, this was all it usually took for me to come clean. I’d gained some confidence since skirting around Sheriff McCracken’s questions the night before. Yet, It was still hard to ignore the pain I felt from lying one more time to my grandfather. I guess it was a little like Saint Peter must’ve felt when he denied knowing the Lord three times following Jesus’ arrest by the Romans long ago. I just wasn’t ready to disclose Genovene’s fascination with using and humiliating me sexually. .

  “‘Yeah, I’m sure, Grandpa,’ I assured him. ‘It was nothing, really, mostly just some unintelligible gibberish. The only thing I could make out was that the voice kept saying my name and asking me to stay.’

  “I avoided his gaze by looking over at Genovene again. The smile on her gorgeous face suddenly dropped, as her lower jaw opened in an unnatural yawn. It looked dark and infinite inside, and suddenly I was shown a flash of her hideous snout and teeth. After revealing this she quickly shut her cavernous mouth and smirked. She slowly shook her head from side to side as she pressed her index finger to her lips. Then, she and the others turned around and walked off the bridge, disappearing into thin air as soon as they stepped onto the golden pathway. A moment later, the golden pathway, along with the surrounding rainforest and the ethereal pyramids, faded rapidly until all evidence of this event completely vanished.

  “‘Well, they’re gone now,’ I reported, my voice shaking. ‘They just disappeared a moment ago.’ I looked over at Jeremy, who shrugged his shoulders in indifference to the whole affair. Grandpa still seemed disappointed he wasn’t able to catch a glimpse of them and their wonderful handiwork.

  “‘Are you boys getting hungry?’ he asked, grimacing slightly once he removed his backpack from his weary shoulders. ‘I think it’s best if we just go home now. I’m sure y’all agree it wouldn’t be such a good idea to eat lunch here after what’s transpired. Besides, I believe it’s fixing to rain soon.’