Meadowview Acres

by Donna Cain

  He stopped and took some deep breaths. Shasta could tell that this was tiring him out, mentally as well as physically. She felt sorry for him, but they needed to know the rest. “Is that when you found the Tritoria to bring you here?” she asked.

  His head came up suddenly as if he had forgotten the girls were there. “Yes, I went back to Tahiti the next day and was able to book passage on the Tritoria. I wish to God I hadn’t, though. At that point I still hadn’t thought that the captain from Banno’s death was anything but coincidence. And my appearance? Well, stress maybe. I didn’t really start to believe in the curse until we had almost made it back to the states. The ship was hell. Men were dying every day. And I, not knowing it was my fault. I thought it was some type of jungle fever like everyone else. But then something just clicked and I knew. It was the curse of Varuupi. I thought I had found the answer when I found the metal box on board and put the rock in there. I wrote a letter, even put in instructions and money in case something happened to me. Then I chained it with as many chains as I could find and kept it under the bed in my cabin. There were no deaths for three days. I thought that had solved it, until the day we docked in Glovercroft.”

  Bug chimed in. “That’s how we found you. We followed the string of deaths from the docks to outside Hallston. We followed your path.”

  “I remember how glad the crew was to be rid of me. They were almost pushing me off of the ship. They knew. They knew I had been cursed somehow. Then, that nice boy at the docks. I had put my luggage down along with the metal box and was turning to give the deck hand some money. It was all I could do for them. When I turned back, that young man had picked up my luggage, the box too, and was headed down the plank. I ran after him and grabbed my things. I thought he was alright. He was alive when I left him. I was still under the impression that the box was containing the curse. My plan was to go all the way through Hallston and bury it deep in the woods. There were so many miles of woods between Hallston and Chester back then. I never would have imagined that it could have been uncovered. Then, at the bus stop, I put my suitcase down beside me but held onto the box. I remember it was down at my side and a lady was standing very close to me. I switched hands to get it further away from her. When the bus came I got on and went to the very back. I put my luggage in the seat in front of me, so, I could put more distance in between myself and the other passengers. We were about to pull away from the bus stop when the commotion started with Ms. Littrell. She was the lady standing so close to me. I knew. I knew at that point that I had to get as far away from people as I could. I was beside myself that whole bus ride. Everyone on the bus was fine, though, which gave me another false sense of confidence.”

  Bug shifted in her seat and Professor Monroe cocked his head in their direction. Shasta thought that Monroe was very peculiar, but she couldn’t pinpoint the cause.

  “Getting off the bus in Hallston gave me hope. From there I just needed to find a car and drive as far away from town as possible. I was starting to feel pretty weak at that point. Having been cursed for that long was taking its toll. It was a wonder I was still alive at all. The curse seemed to affect people differently, and I had some kind of tolerance.”

  “How did you get Mr. Bell’s car?” asked Shasta.

  “He was too close to all of us getting off the bus. You know the kind? Always wanting to be first to get on? Crowding up too close to the people who haven’t even gotten off yet? He was one of those. I suppose his tolerance to the curse was very little. All the box did was graze his arm as I went past. I could hear the reaction to him falling to the ground. I didn’t even need to turn around. My focus was clear – get away from people. It was just coincidence that his was the only car in the lot with the keys under the mat. People did that all the time in those days, especially in small towns. I didn’t even think to look at how much gas the car had. I just drove as fast as I could toward the town limit. I didn’t make it, though.

  “When the car ran out of gas, my head was pounding. I was exhausted. My legs would barely carry me. I grabbed the box and got a spade that I had taken from the ship out of my suitcase. I left the luggage in the trunk and started walking. I had made it pretty far when I saw someone ahead. At that point, I could barely see, my head hurt so badly. It didn’t take much for him to overtake me. He was looking for my wallet, but took the box instead. I guess he thought that it was valuable since it was chained up. I must’ve passed out for a few minutes because the next thing I remember, I was on the ground. The box was a few feet away from me and he was on the ground a few feet away from it. I picked it up and ran. I ran until I thought I’d die. When I was as deep in the woods as my body would let me go, I started to dig. That was a chore, let me tell you. I’m still not sure where the energy came from.”

  “Adrenaline,” Bug said. “Adrenaline is caused by fear.”

  He replied with a small, weak grin. “I was afraid alright. But I got that thing buried. Not deep enough, it turns out. After that, I sat back and cried a good long cry. When I felt that I could stand, I got up and slowly made my way back out of the woods. I made it all the way back to the car and got my luggage, left the key under the mat. I had a bit of luck then when a stranger offered me a ride back to the bus stop. You can’t take rides from strangers nowadays, however. I jumped on the first bus to Shale and came back here, to my home. I fell into bed and cried some more. I still felt very ill. I was probably traumatized as well. And that’s it, the whole story. Well, except for one thing.”

  “What’s that?” Shasta asked.

  “The next morning I woke up blind.” He looked in the girl’s direction. They could see the vacant stare coming from his pale blue eyes. “I’ve been blind ever since.”

  BOOK THREE

  CHAPTER 22

  The Rock of Varuupi

  The last piece of the puzzle fell into place for Shasta as Professor Monroe faced them with his vacant stare. She had known something was off when they had first walked into the room – the way he had turned his head in their direction without looking at them, not getting up to introduce himself, staring out the window as he told his tale. Now she could see how obvious it had been.

  She felt the need to say something to him. She had still been processing his story when the last revelation had been disclosed. Her head was spinning with all of the new information. Still, she felt pity for the man. Even if it was his fault that this nightmare had been set in motion, she felt as if his whole life had been a punishment.

  Shasta was about to speak when the nurse came back into the room. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but the professor has to take his lunch now. I hope you’ve had a nice visit.” Her tone was pleasant, but final. It was time to go.

  She walked over to the professor’s chair and helped him to stand. As the kind nurse guided the frail man to the door, he stopped at a bookcase and held out his arm. The nurse released him so he could move closer to the bookcase. Feeling along the shelves, he touched the spines of each book until he came to a battered leather bound book. He obviously knew it by touch as he took it from its place in line. He held the book closely to his chest for a moment.

  Turning back to the girls, he said, “This is all I can give you to help. Everything I learned came from this book. This is where it all started for me. I was so enthralled with this legend above any others. I thought I could write a book that would explain the curse and the people it came from. Instead, it ended my career, and almost ended my life as well.” He held the book out.

  Shasta moved forward and took it from his outstretched hand. Still feeling sorry for the professor, she said, “Thank you. And thank you for talking to us today.”

  “No, young lady. Please don’t thank me. If it weren’t for me, this wouldn’t be happening to your friends. Good luck finding the answer.”

  The nurse smiled at the girls and resumed guiding her patient from the room. As she led him out the door, she said, “You can just gather your things and let yourselves out.” She smiled again
and was gone.

  Bug looked at Shasta. “I feel bad for him.” She hadn’t had a clue that the professor was blind. His confession had caught her off guard.

  Shasta looked at her little friend and said, “I know, but he’s right. If he hadn’t brought this rock back from Shaali, all of those people would still be alive. And Mr. Jackson, Heather, even Hansen. And the professor would still have his sight.” She handed the book to Bug and said, “Let’s get going. We need to see Hunter and Eli.”

  Bug looked at the book in her hands, Legends And Myths From Around the Globe. She hoped the answer would be easily found inside, but something told her that none of this would be easy.

  The girls gathered their rain gear from the front hall and let themselves out the door. The rain was still coming down, but not as heavily as before. Hopping over puddles, they dashed to the Ranger and got quickly inside. Shasta started the engine and turned on the heat. The dampness of the day had made her chilly.

  “Before we start back, I need to check my phone to see if Hunter texted back, yet.” She pulled the phone from her bag and saw that she had one missed call and two texts. The missed call was an automated reminder of her dental cleaning scheduled for Tuesday. The first text was from Darren, “Mom seems down today. What should I do?” It read.

  Worried about Mrs. Jackson and Darren, Shasta furrowed her brow. A part of her felt guilty for not spending more time with them. She texted back, “Tell her I’m coming over tonight with a pizza and a DVD.” It was the only thing Shasta could think of to do. Maybe it would take Agnes’ mind away from Mr. Jackson for a couple of hours.

  The second text was from Hunter. “Sure, 4’s good. My house.”

  “Okay, good,” she said. “We’re going to Hunter’s at four o’clock. We’ll be back in plenty of time. It’s only one thirty now.” She pulled away from the curb and headed back to Hallston.

  Bug was studying the table of contents in the Legends & Myths book. “Here it is, Chapter 14, The Rock of Varuupi. Want me to read it to you?”

  “I’m a little afraid of what it’ll say,” Shasta said. “But we need to know. Go ahead.”

  The Rock Of Varuupi

  The tiny island of Shaali in the South Pacific was home to a tribe of people called the Varuupi. The Varuupi were a people with deeply rooted beliefs in dark magic, rituals and curses. Of the known curses the Varuupian people are recognized for, the most remarkable is the curse of the Rock of Varuupi. Its far reaching and menacing disposition has been chronicled as extremely fatal.

  As with most other tribes, the Varuupi were led by a chief. The position was always inherited, never elected nor challenged. With that being the case, the chief was encouraged to have many sons, thus ensuring an heir. To that course, the chief of the Varuupian people could have as many wives as he chose, even another man’s wife.

  There was, however, one woman that was strictly forbidden to the chief. That woman was the daughter of a high priest. Any daughter of a high priest in the tribe was considered sacred. Her blood was thought to be magical and was often used in many rituals and spells. The daughters were also sacrificed if the need arose. The most chilling fact is that other tribe members would sometimes murder the daughter of a high priest, believing that the blood they spilled would gain them favor in the afterlife. For these reasons, daughters of high priests rarely lived long.

  If, however, the daughter of a high priest was fortunate enough to survive her fifth birth year, she would then be allowed to become a part of the tribe and taught to be a high priestess. High priestesses were highly sought after as their magic was considerably stronger than their male counterparts. The reason behind this is unknown, but some attribute it to the power of intuition. They were also quite feared as many in the tribe would attribute her living past age five to a guiding hand from the spirit world.

  In the Varuupian tribe credited with the curse, the chief had already acquired nine wives and had twelve sons. Upon his death, the eldest would succeed him. The chief, however, known as Chief Maalini, became aware of the daughter of the high priest as she grew and became a member of the tribe. He thought her to be quite beautiful and was intrigued by her skill at dark magic. He knew of her training to become a high priestess and would regularly have her come to him to treat any number of maladies. Eventually, Chief Maalini became convinced that he must be able to marry her, as well.

  Chief Maalini took his request to the high priest who immediately protested. He called it taboo and against the wishes of the spirits. The chief heard his protests, but was unable to be deterred. He planned to marry the daughter, Thuuni, at the next tribal ceremony.

  The high priest was outraged. He knew he could not stop the chief from marrying Thuuni, but he decided to make him pay. For the safety of the tribe, he would kill the chief. He then placed a curse upon his daughter causing any man who touched her upon a marital bed to be stricken down dead. The curse ensured Thuuni would remain pure, as tribal law dictated. By the time of her marriage, Thuuni was quite emotionally involved with the chief and very happy about the upcoming wedding. She was unaware of the curse her father had placed upon her.

  The marriage ceremony was held and Chief Maalini was wed to Thuuni. The celebration carried on for many hours until finally, the chief took his bride to their hut. Moments later, the screams of Thuuni were heard throughout the tribe when she discovered that the chief was dead.

  Thuuni was an incredibly powerful high priestess by this time and recognized the hand of a curse at work. Knowing it could only be the work of her father, she vowed revenge. She also vowed to reverse the high priest’s curse on Chief Maalini, thus bringing him back to life.

  After the burial ceremony was held for Chief Maalini, Thuuni placed a very strong curse upon his tomb. The curse was to protect it until she could find a way to make him live again. She used her own blood in the curse, making it extremely potent. Anyone touching the tomb would die. There are accounts of innocent Varuupian people being stricken down after passing beside the tomb. Clearly the curse of the High Priestess Thuuni is one of the most powerful curses known today.

  The last account that was made by an observer, simply states that the high priest died by his own hand the day following the burial of Chief Maalini. No other descriptions were provided. One can only deduce that Thuuni made good on her threat to kill her father in retribution.

  Soon after, the tribe of the Varuupi suffered mass casualties. Some believe it to be the curse of the rock; others theorize that an illness swept through the tribe. Nevertheless, in less than six short months after the chief was buried, the Varrupian people ceased to exist.

  A team of archaeologists went to the small island of Shaali some years after and found the gravesite of the tribe. The tomb of Chief Maalini was also found. No tomb nor marked grave was found for High Priestess Thuuni. It is the belief of the team that the high priestess was the sole living Varuupian. There is no evidence, however, that Thuuni lived on. The team lost fifteen people on the trip. Whether their deaths were from an illness in the region or the Curse of The Rock of Varuupi one can only speculate.

  Bug put the book down on the seat beside her and started to cry. Alarmed, Shasta quickly pulled over to the side of the road, put the Ranger in Park and scooted over on the seat to hug her.

  “It’s okay, Sweetie. It’ll be alright. We’ll find a way to get rid of it. Maybe the boys will have some ideas. Remember? They’re the Shazaam Brothers!” She was rocking Bug back and forth trying to say anything to make her stop crying. Shasta had never seen Bug cry, not once. Not even when she had hurt herself, Bug had always just laughed instead. This was very unnerving to her.

  “It’s o, o, okay, Shas. I’m j, j, just sad for Th, Th, Thuuni. She loved the chief so much and her dad just k, k, killed him. That’s so mean!” Bug started wailing again, and Shasta was more surprised than ever. She wasn’t afraid of the curse, Shasta realized, she was sad about the love story. Shasta smiled and thought to herself, “Maybe my little Buggie
is growing up.”

  After a couple of minutes, Bug sniffled and sat up. “Sorry, I think I must be super stressed out. I usually don’t cry about things like that. I usually don’t cry at anything.” She wiped her nose with the sleeve of her raincoat. “You know, crying is the natural way for your body to release tension. I actually feel better than I have in days!” Through bright blue eyes made puffy by all the tears, she looked at Shasta.

  Shasta couldn’t help but giggle a little and said, “I’m glad you feel better, Bug. But that kind of scared me.” Feeling a little relieved, Shasta pulled out onto the road again. They were only about half an hour away. Shasta decided to change the subject for a while. She and Bug had been immersed in the research for what felt like days.

  “So we have about an hour and a half before we need to be at Hunter’s. Why don’t we get some ice cream and then go to the Movie Vault? I need to pick out a DVD for tonight,” Shasta suggested.

  “That’s a great idea! I could use a little Rocky Road!”

  They drove in silence for a few miles until Bug finally brought it up again. “I’ve been trying to come up with an idea to get rid of that piece of Chief Maalini’s tomb. The only thing I can come up with is to disintegrate it. Do you think that would work?”