by Jay Barnson
The urge to travel upstream came from nowhere.
He dismissed the thought. Wasn’t wandering like this how you got headlines in the news that read “Body of Lost Hiker Recovered?” The idea stubbornly returned moments later, coupled with emotions he’d felt during his barely-remembered dream—frustration, the urge to search. He looked around, but everything around him appeared peaceful, quiet, and ordinary. No sign of any kind of spirit, but the impression wouldn’t leave.
Sean stood, and snapped the branch of a tree over so it drooped over the brook. Hopefully on his way back, the marker would help him know where to turn to start looking for the house again. Feeling stupid, he followed the stream.
Within fifteen minutes, he came to the source—a shallow pond surrounded by trees. Insects buzzed incessantly around the water. One huge tree stood out from the rest, not far from where the brook descended from the pond. A strange bottle dangled from one branch on a rope. It bore two glass handles with the rope strung through them. The bottle was coated with dirt, obscuring its contents, topped with a wooden cork marked in mostly-faded black marker with a strange rune.
In spite of the darkened, dirty glass, the bottle glowed with a faint, flickering blue light. He stepped closer, slapping idly as something—most likely a mosquito—landed on his face. The bottle’s glow wasn’t reflected light, or from any internal light source he could see. It simply glowed, like a weird post-processing smudge of light in a photograph. He could see it even when he blinked. A small fracture in the glass near its base interrupted the glow, like a dead section of a neon light.
What kind of spell was this? What did it do? Who made it? Maybe Hattie could help. Assuming she was okay and would even speak to him after whatever Evelyn had attempted. As much as he hated Evelyn, she might soon be the only person in town who would talk to him.
He slapped another insect on his hand. He had mosquito repellent somewhere in his backpack, if he stayed here much longer, he’d either have to fish it out, or get eaten alive by the things. In the back of his mind, he noted the buzzing seemed to be growing louder and deeper. Were they calling in reinforcements?
He spared a few more seconds to pull out his phone and take a snapshot of the bottle. The picture showed none of the glow that he couldn’t avoid seeing in person. He would go to Hattie first. After the events of the last two nights, he never wanted to deal with Evelyn again.
He turned and followed the stream down to the broken branch. Retracing his steps took significantly longer, but once he located it, he found the path back down to town without further problems.
Jack awoke to a beautiful Monday morning. After the disaster of the day before, it had ended well, and he’d slept soundly after Hattie had dropped him off after dinner. Too soundly, as almost twelve hours had gone by. Maybe that was the effects of the healing juice working overtime to fix him up after his encounter with Mason and Alan.
He checked himself out in the mirror, seeing only mild discolorations where his injuries had been. It was as if had been healing for days instead of less than twenty-four hours. Mason and Alan would look far worse off, if some of his hits had landed as well as he thought they had. Jenny had some powerful talent he didn’t begin to understand. Now, if she could just learn how to make it taste like something other than rotting hay soaked in urine, she’d be amazing. Unless the taste was part of the secret. Maybe injuries fled in disgust.
He showered and made himself presentable. Not that he planned to present himself to anyone. Even his mother ignored him and watched television in her bedroom. It suited him fine.
Jack made himself a meal of cold cereal, and wrapped some pieces of bread and cheese in plastic wrap for lunch later. He had an old Boy Scout canteen that he filled with water, and threw it, the food, and a flashlight into an old book-bag. Thinking of the nails in the door at the Norton / Rose home, he dug through his father’s rusty tool box and threw in some basic tools. He hefted the book-bag and found it was meant for smaller shoulders that he no longer possessed. The weight didn’t settle well on a single shoulder, and he knew he’d regret hiking around with it after an hour or two. Maybe he’d drop it off as a central base station in his wanderings.
Today, he’d continue the quest he’d started out on yesterday. Someone had to find out where these monsters were coming from.
He considered hauling around the shotgun — now hidden under his bed. It hadn’t done him much good against the ogre, although he may simply have missed a vital area. The snallygaster was dead. For now, he’d leave it. He’d come back if he needed it. This foray was only to scout.
His plans lasted no longer than the time it took for him to step out the door. His world had changed while he’d slept.
First, there was a hand-written announcement taped to the screen door. It read, “Meeting tonight 7PM at the church. All invited. All with knowledge of recent attacks invited to speak.” In different ink, another note read, “Jack—be there.”
Jack puzzled over the sign for a few seconds. Was this about the snallygaster? Had someone found its body? Had something else happened?
He left the house, spotting the black cat before he reached the end of the row of houses that marked the biggest concentration of homes in Maple Bend. It shrank back, dipping its black head a moment too late in the weeds surrounding the Rose house. Something about it reminded him of Jessabelle. Could it be her? There were plenty of cats around Maple Bend, many of them feral. They kept the mice away. He decided to chance it. He waved and walked to the edge of the property. So what if someone saw him waving to a cat?
The cat darted away up the road. Jack continued walking, nearly convincing himself that it was just a cat, when he spotted Jessabelle walking toward him, face serious. As she drew closer, he noted the dark puffiness below her eyes. He quickened his pace. “What’s wrong?”
“Hattie’s hurt bad.” Tears came to Jessabelle’s eyes, and she hugged him, burying her face into his shirt.
“Hurt? When? Last night?”
She nodded into his chest.
“How? What happened?”
It took her a moment to regain her composure. She let go of him and stepped back, running the back of her hand across her eyes, and then once across her nose for good measure. “It was the ogre. It tore up Hattie’s house but good. Jenny went with her to the hospital.”
“Jenny’s potions work really good. She could have just given some to Hattie and fixed her up.”
Jessabelle shook her head. “I don’t know. The fridge was busted up bad, too. Maybe she didn’t have any. I don’t know. They ain’t got back yet.”
“I’m sure she’ll be fine. Did the ogre attack anyone else?”
She shook her head. “No. That witch from California, Evelyn, brought it and lost control for a minute. Jack, I watched it all happen. I couldn’t do nothing, I was so scared. Just like when you got whupped on yesterday. Just like with the snallygaster.”
“And what could you have done, aside from getting yourself killt? Huh?”
“I don’t know. I got it to chase me before.”
Jack shrugged his shoulders. “Sounds like you were just being smart. I ran away from that thing too. No sense getting killt if it don’t make a difference.”
She sniffed. “Still don’t make me feel like less of a coward.”
“Well, I’m glad you ain’t heroic and dead. We need to do something, though. What about Sean? Jenny was going to talk to him. Do you think he’s on Evelyn’s side? Or can we trust him?”
Jessabelle shook her head. “I don’t know. I reckon not, until we know for sure.”
“What about this meeting tonight at the church? Is this about the ogre?”
“I s’pose. They gotta know it weren’t no bear that tore up Hattie’s place. You reckon they’ll finally believe you about that giant?”
Jack shook his head. “I don’t know. Someone wants me to be there, though. If they ask me, they ain’t going to like what I’ll say.”
“Then ma
ybe you shouldn’t go.”
“Or maybe when we go, we go knowing full well what’s going on and where that ogre is. Maybe my shotgun only scratched it up some, but you get some of them boys with their big hunting rifles all going after it at once, and I reckon they’ll take it down.”
She frowned. “Maybe. Some are going to die in the fight, though.”
“Some are gonna die if we don’t fight, too. And a lot more people will die if they go running around like it’s deer hunting season with no idea what they are dealing with.”
She scrunched her lips to the side. “Yeah, you’re right. Okay. So how do we find an ogre? Last time it was on accident. You don’t think he’s back by the witch-house again, do you?”
“I’d say we see if we can follow its trail from Hattie’s trailer. But surely someone’s already done that?”
“Not that I know of.”
As they started going toward Hattie’s, Jack asked, “Hey, that cat was you, wasn’t it? Or was I just talking to some ol’ cat back by your house.”
She laughed. It looked good for a change. “Yeah, that was me. I been a little cat all day.”
“Why?”
“Cats don’t cry.”
Jenny was by her side when Hattie awakened. Her aunt lay pale and frail, as if she’d aged ten years overnight. The white linen and walls should have contrasted with her sun-darkened skin, but instead made her seem paler still. Machines fed her fluids and a regular dose of low-grade painkillers.
“I’m a lot tougher than I look,” Hattie said.
“Are you a mind-reader now, Aunt Hattie?”
“Don’t need to be. I can read your face plain enough. Do yourself a favor—don’t ever play poker. They’ll skin you alive.”
Jenny laughed nervously. Hattie patted her hand. “So how bad is the trailer?”
Jenny shrugged. “It’ll be okay.”
“What did I just say about playing poker? It’s okay. It’s just a place. What we can’t mend, we’ll rebuild. We got the two of us, thanks to you being there for me.
Tears slid down Jenny’s face. “But Evelyn…”
“But nothing. You were safe. I was stupid. Somehow this week, we keep surviving stupid.”
A nurse came in. “Why, good morning, Hattie!” she said. “Glad to see you are awake!”
“Y’all took good care of me last night. Thank you.”
“You’ve got another visitor, if that’s okay.”
“Oh, is it the preacher? Send him on in.”
The nurse nodded and left the room.
Hattie turned to Jenny. “You heard from anybody else up there yet?”
Jenny shook her head. “I didn’t know how to contact anyone. Preacher Harris went back earlier this morning to let everyone know you were recovering, but he said he’d come back. They say you might not even need surgery.”
“Small victory. They say when I can go home?”
“Um, no. Sounds like not for several days. They wanted to know your insurance information. I found a card in your purse that seems to have worked.”
“And here I was thinking I wasted my money on that.” Hattie’s smile faded, and her forehead creased. “How long ago did Harris head back to town?”
“About an hour or two. Why?”
“That’s awful quick for him to be back already. Who else is here?”
“I don’t…”
As if in answer, a thin man in a white suit came through the door, a fine straw hat in his hand and a shy smile on his face. Pale as she was, Hattie’s face grew even whiter. “What are you doing here?” she demanded.
Jenny looked from Hattie to the man in the white suit in confusion. The man spoke softly, maintaining his mild grin, offering the faintest of bows to her. “It’s been many years, ain’t it, Ms. Rose? I heard you were hurt, and, as I was in the neighborhood, I came by to check on you.” There was something in his voice that was vaguely familiar, but there was nothing comforting in it in spite of his pleasant demeanor.
Hattie’s voice was cold. “I’ll manage. Thank you for your concern.”
“There were a couple of other things I meant to talk to you about. Alone.”
“Anything you wish to say to me, you can say in front of my niece.”
He nodded. “Ah, right. You must be Jennifer. Please to meet you, ma’am.” He again inclined his head in something of a bow.
Jenny did the same out of politeness. “Please to meet you too, Mr.…?”
“Longrave. Thadeus Longrave.” He closed the door behind him. “First of all, I wanted to express my regret about the incident and damages last night. Evie told me what happened. If there’s anything I can do, just ask.”
Realization crept up on Jenny, and she felt her bones going numb. This was the man in the white suit, the man Hattie had warned her about.
“You’ve done plenty already,” Hattie said. “Thank you for your concern.”
The slight smile didn’t waver. “You’re so very welcome. I suppose that you’ll be in here for a while, and none of this will be a problem, but I figured perhaps you didn’t realize Evie works for me.” Hattie said nothing, and he continued. “So I came to give you my customary warning. You remember how those work, don’t you? What Evie is doing is critical. I don’t require your cooperation, but I must insist you stay out of her way.”
“Or you’ll kill me? She dang near took care of that for you last night.”
“And that was regrettable. Honestly, Hattie, people keep accusing me of being omniscient, but I really ain’t. I had no idea what you were capable of. You Rose women constantly impress me.” He flicked his eyes toward Jenny so quickly she wasn’t sure it had happened. Or if he’d intended her to see it. “To tell you the truth, I’d always hoped you’d be the one with your mama’s powers. You were the more sensible of Annabelle’s daughters.” He turned to Jenny. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean any disrespect to your dear mother, miss. Don’t get me wrong. I was quite fond of her.”
Jenny had no answer. She couldn’t answer. Her world was spinning, and every ounce of her energy was devoted to standing upright and listening to every word this man was saying.
He turned to Hattie. “You are surprisingly resourceful. You know, we could still find room for you in my organization. Things are about to change in Maple Bend, and if you are truly looking out for the best for your two nieces, you should consider the offer.”
“No thank you, Thadeus. I know the cost of your offers.”
“Do you? Well, consider this: I know about your niece. I’ve known about her for some time.”
Hattie’s eyes narrowed. “You leave her out of this.”
“I intend to. But, only if you behave. Set a good example for both of them.”
Jenny steadied herself with the edge of a table. She didn’t understand exactly what he was threatening, but he did so with incredible confidence. He really was making the offer out of politeness. He was a man who could and would take what he wanted. It didn’t fit with his appearance, with the old-fashioned suit and black string tie, the short stature and bald head. But she recognized the confidence he exuded came from power. A great deal of power. What kind, she didn’t know. But, she was terrified.
“Then you’ll leave her alone?”
“I will not approach her. She can live out her little rustic life with the yokels popping out a whole litter of kittens, if she chooses. Can she do that? That would be interesting to study. We could definitely use someone of her skills. If she approaches me, that’s another story. But, my people will leave her alone, I promise.”
Kittens? He was talking about Jessabelle. The terror turned to rage. Jenny did everything her mother taught her, trying to summon the poker-face Hattie claimed she couldn’t handle. Blank and demure, that was all she needed to be, until this horrible man left. But she would not let him take Jessabelle.
If Hattie was confused, she didn’t show it. “She won’t.”
“Well, I do suppose I have done my good deed for the day
then. Get well soon, Hattie. And nice meeting you at last, Jennifer.” He offered the tiniest of bows once again, then opened the door and left.
Jenny was about to say something, but Hattie fixed her with a glance and a quick shake of her head. Jenny waited, trying to decide if she was more frightened or furious. This stranger knew who she was, knew Hattie, threatened to take Jessabelle away, and his employee had nearly killed Hattie. He tossed threats around with casual contempt.
And he was the man her mother had been hiding from Jenny’s entire life.
The nurse came in, chatted with Hattie, and checked her IV. When she left, Hattie motioned Jenny closer.
“When Preacher Harris returns, you need to go back to Maple Bend with him immediately.”
“I should stay here with you.”
“Naturally, you should. That would be the smart move.” She sighed. “Jenny, Longrave is one of the strangest and most dangerous men I’ve ever met. I haven’t seen him since the day he took your mama away, but he hasn’t changed. He came here today to threaten me. Why?”
Jenny shook her head even mulling it over. “He wouldn’t have come by unless he was really worried you could stop him, I guess.”
“Probably. And that means whatever Evelyn is doing in Maple Bend is important to him. So important he had to handle things personally.”
“So you should stop him.”
“No. I’m in no condition, first of all. But also, he’s absolutely serious about his warnings and promises. He’s got some kind of code he lives by, I suppose. But I don’t dare get in his way, now. Not for Jessabelle’s sake.”
“So then what?”
“Jenny, I don’t dare get in his way.”
What she meant slowly dawned on Jenny. “Won’t it be dangerous if we do anything?”
“More dangerous than tangling with that ogre. I would much rather take you and leave town forever.”
“But that would mean leaving Jessabelle and Jack and everyone else behind. And that would be even worse for them.”