It had started raining. Jodie hadn't actually realised it was, until the folds of her shirt had begun clinging to her stomach, rapidly chilling, sticky ice, now noticed- unbearable. It must have been a while since the sun had disappeared and the clouds had covered the sky, but more worrying than the precipitation was the expanse of sodden ground she had covered without notice. Jodie picked at her damp clothes, annoying sensations of gripping fabric mixing with her worried retrospective about all the roads she had crossed outside of cognisance. Evidently no car had mowed her down though as her vague body auto-piloted through town. A shiver ripped through her, partly due to the chill, the other part- the dread of what could have happened to her while her mind had floated out of her body, so frequent an occurrence these days. What would Matt have said? He would have rolled his eyes at the very least, she knew it. So many times he had lamented her daydreaming. Back then though the fantasies were cotton candy pink hued clouds of hopefully adorned plans, barely formed but beautiful future ambition. He would summon her back to her body with a sweet smile and kiss on whatever part of her he could reach. Now her blinding fixations were nightmares, living doom and barely survivable sorrow and she remained unwoken from her insides for what felt like days, with no one to pull her out. Jodie's left thumb rubbed the inside of her bare ring finger. As happened periodically, a jolt of loss and guilt prickled from her core and sent pins and needles to the ends of her fingers and toes as she noted the continued absence of her wedding ring. It's disappearance had felt like a cruel joke when first acknowledged, and now- now it was a ongoing punishment for some unknown crime. Karma seemingly wanting to chip away her soul until there was nothing left. Matt's own ring lay under the earth with him. Whenever she had visited his grave before her band went missing, she had poeticly buried her hand into the loose soil atop the burial site, cool dirt pressing tightly around her fingers, feeling the imagined connection of the two pieces of metal through the earth, her last link to her dead husband reduced to a pathetic metaphorical gesture. A widow. The label was gross, unfitting, surely a lie. Jodie was sure it would never slot neatly into her psyche. Sometimes she hated Matt for slapping that label on her, more annoyed by the redefinition of her own identity than her actual loss. Ridiculous, she would tell herself as she shook off the resentment and sunk back into classic, uncomfortable yet acceptable grief. When the ring had first gone missing she had assumed it had slipped off her finger on one of those occasions in front of Matt's headstone. Running back to the cemetery in the dead of night, Jodie had rattled at the gates like a ghoul, the tall iron bars locked and immovable. Scaling the adjacenct wall, driven by feverish, agonised desperation, Jodie had ripped most of the skin from her knees and palms on the brick but didn't feel it, didn't know it until she returned to the light of home, mud-coated and bloodstained from her grave digging escapade. Scrabbling around in the wet earth in the perfect darkness she had suddenly become aware of how obsence her behavior was. Horrified, Jodie froze, kneeling in the pit- realising she had stopped searching for the ring a while ago and instead was throwing handfuls of dirt over her shoulder, imagining she was about to reach the coffin that lay six feet below, almost yearning for her finger nails to scratch the wood of the box that held her beloved, the idea of it both intriguing and unbearable. As she recalled this uncomfortable memory the trusty autopilot completely failed for the first time and Jodie experienced an utterly new kind of pain as she was thrown into the air then slammed impossibly hard into the tarmac, the screeching brakes of the car reverberating around her head. The cliché idea of time slowing became reality as she flew through the void and knew the impact with the ground was coming so impossibly long before it did. Detailed information of what that meant circulated her brain, awareness of all the potential harm that was milliseconds away from being a possibility. What an interesting kind of freedom- the inevitability of the next few moments and an absolute clarity that there was not a damn thing she could do to change the outcome of this event. It felt... nice- to know that control was robbed from her for that time, a kind theft of responsibility and intent, just the universe, universe-ing regardless of her wants or wills. By absolute chance, the collision caused no damage and Jodie was back on her feet almost straight away, pulling her arm away from the grip of the worried driver who was insisting a hospital visit and shouting desperate pleas after her escape. Maybe she was actually dead, maybe the car's impact had ended her life and the ghost that stalked through the world was just a shadow of she, who was formerly Jodie. This possibility was unimportant, the end goal was Matt's grave and it was to be, living or dead. The pull towards him was stronger now and Jodie pondered if there was a reason for that. She had often wondered when the last time she would visit his grave would be, maybe that was today. Everything has a last, for one reason or another. There were so many things that Jodie had already done for the last time that she had not known at the time was her last. Had she had already eaten her last peach? Maybe she had been to Spain for the final time when she visited her aunt on the continent the year before last. Then again, maybe she would be reclining in a deckchair on the sand in Barcelona next month, a juicy piece of fruit in hand, feeling the prickle of the Catalonian sun on her skin. Everything felt unwritten, everything tasted of... blood. Jodie spat onto the path in the cemetery between the graves, ruby splatters coating the ground as she continued to beat a path onwards. The glint of the reflected light hitting the object that sat on top of the headstone was visible from a distance. Flashing either like a lighthouse beacon warning her away from danger or like a green light at the end of a dock calling her in with promise. Either way, she knew exactly what it was that glinted in the returning sun long before she got to his grave, even if it seemed impossible. The ring was alive, like it had placed itself there, as if it had located and presented itself to where it knew Jodie would find it. Caught between the urge to snatch it up and hold on tight and the horror of what exactly it's reappearance meant, Jodie froze, gazing at the circle on top of her dead husband's headstone and it gazed back at her. All the times she had wished to possess the jewelery again, she had never imagined that it's reappearance would make her feel so uneasy and it took her a moment to realise why. This was it. This was the last time. There was no rhyme or reason to why she knew, but once she reached out for the ring, whatever happened, this would be it, this would be the last time she visited Matt's grave. Maybe the ring was setting her free, maybe it was heralding her end, there was only one way to know. Stretching her fingers out, she spoke silently to the universe. "What's next? I'm ready."


Katherine and Adam had known each other since childhood. Katherine’s family had moved into the house next door to Adam’s when he was nine and she was eight. They became fast friends, always playing together, in one house or the other. By the time they were in high school, they were considered an item. No one could get in between them, and everyone knew, that when the time was right they would get married. Adam knew it, and Katherine knew it too. Adam was looking forward to graduation. Katherine was an honors student, so although she was a year younger than him, she would be graduating as well. They planned on going to the same college. Adam was waiting for the day when he and Katherine both graduated from college. He knew that at that time he would propose.

Adam was daydreaming about his future when he got home from school. As he approached his house, he was surprised to see a moving truck in the driveway of Katherine’s home. Katherine was standing in the doorway and he ran over to her. “Katy, what’s going on?” “We’re moving, Adam, as you can see....” Katherine said pointing to the truck. “I see that. Why? What happened?” “I am not really sure. All of a sudden my parents told me we were moving. They won’t answer any of my questions and they told me I have to go with them.” “What about us? What about college?”

“There won’t be any us anymore and I’m not going to go to college. I was told I have to work. And, there you have it.” Adam just couldn’t accept what he had just heard. He started to run into the house in search of Katy’s parents. “Adam it won’t help. My mom and dad are determined that we leave and cut ties. I can’t say anymore.” “Let them tell me that!” Adam disappeared into the house. He was out two minutes later. Katherine’s parents refused to talk to him and told him to leave.

Katy had disappeared. Adam wanted to at least say goodbye. Suddenly her parents came out of the house with a few more boxes and slammed the door shut. It was over. They were leaving. “Can I at least say goodbye to Katy?” Adam called out to them. “Not a good idea, Adam. Don’t prolong the agony for you or for her. Just go home!” He watched as Katy’s parents got into their car. Then he saw her. Katy was sitting scrunched up in the back seat. She peered slightly out of the window. Adam waved. But Katy turned her head. As the car pulled away, Adam watched until the car was out of sight. His face was wet with tears. **** As Katy’s parents drove, she sat silently in the back seat. She was numb. She didn’t understand what had just happened. Yesterday everything was fine. Katy was looking forward to her upcoming graduation and standing beside Adam as they both received their diplomas. They were supposed to go to the local college together, and she knew that ultimately they would get married and have a family. Until last night, life was looking so bright. What happened? “Can you tell me now what’s going on?” Katy asked, her voice trembling. “We can’t, honey,” Mom said. “But trust us, this is for the best.” “I don’t understand. Why is this for the best. What happened? And why did I have to leave Adam without even saying goodbye?” She didn’t want to start crying. Katy knew that once she started, she would never stop. “You can’t say goodbye to anyone. I’ve changed all of our numbers. I took the time to go through your social media accounts and deleted all of them. No one can know where we are.” “But why?” “I can’t tell you now. Let’s get to where we have to be and I will explain everything to you then.” “Will I be able to talk to my friends and Adam at some point. I can’t spend the rest of my life without him.” “No, sweetheart. I am truly sorry for putting you through this. But we will all be safer if we disappear completely.” Katy could imagine how Adam must be feeling. He had to know that she wouldn’t just abandon him. She loved him. They were meant to be together forever. **** Katherine and Adam never spoke to each other again after that dreadful day. Ultimately Adam moved on and finished college. He never wanted to date anyone. Many of the girls on campus chased him. But he chose not to get caught. He missed Katy terribly and didn’t think he could ever look at any girl like he had looked at Katy, ever again. He became quiet and wihdrawn. He still had his friends, but he stayed away from the girls. Adam’s male friends would kid him often about not dating, but he didn’t care. He was lost without Katy and just wasn’t interested in moving on with someone else. Adam’s parents grew very concerned about their son and tried to talk to him, but to no avail. Adam went to class and came home. He studied and did well. Ultimately he graduated college with honors, without once having gone out on a date. Katy was always on his mind, and he knew she always would be. A few years later, Adam was prepping to take the Bar Exam. He was sitting in the law school library when someone approached his table. “Can I sit here,” a soft voice asked. Adam looked up from his book. He thought he was seeing a ghost.

“Katy?” “I’m sorry. My name is not Katy. You must be mistaking me for someone else. I’m Trish.”

“Sorry. You look like someone I once knew. My name is Adam.”

Adam stared at Trish and then realized, that while Trish had Katy’s coloring, long dark brown hair and blue eyes, she didn’t look like Katy at all. The eyes were a different shade of blue, and her smile was wider. No, she definitely was not Katy. “I’m studying for the Bar Exam so I really don’t want to talk right now,” Adam said a little abruptly. “Well, so am I. Maybe we can work on some of it together?” Trish had a warm smile and a gentle voice. “I don’t think so. I prefer to study on my own. Maybe you want to sit somewhere else.” “If I make you that uncomfortable then of course, I’ll leave. Sorry to have bothered you.” Trish started to walk away, when Adam said, “I am sorry. That was rude. If you want to sit here you can. I’m just a little out of sorts. I have been studying all day. And you startled me just a little.” “No problem. Katy must have been someone special.” “She was. Very special. Anyway, if you want to study together that would be fine.” There was something about Trish that touched Adam, he couldn’t put his finger on it. But this was the first time that Adam had actually had a conversation with a girl since Katy had gone. Adam and Trish became study partners, meeting everyday for coffee and then hitting the books. Trish wished it could be more, but she was smart enough to realize that Adam was not ready yet and so she didn’t push. Maybe one day. About a week later Trish tried to ask Adam about Katy, but he shut her down so quickly and refused to speak to her for days. Trish never broached the subject of Katy again. Both Trish and Adam graduated law school and took the Bar Exam two months later. They found work and their respective offices were a few blocks from each other. Trish and Adam continued to meet for coffee during the week, and then one day, Adam asked her to dinner. Trish was thrilled. Maybe that shell that Adam had around him was starting to crack. **** It’s three years later and Trish and Adam are married with two kids and two careers. Life was hectic but good. Adam was feeling content. While he loved Trish with all of his heart, he did not have the same feelings for her that he had for Katy. Maybe it was maturity, he reasoned to himself. Maybe, had Katy stayed and had they gotten married, his feelings would have been the same for her as they were for Trish now. No. He had had a passion for Katy that he never felt for Trish. But he loved her in a different way, and he loved his kids. Life moved along and Trish and Adam were married for almost forty years. The kids had gotten married and moved out. Adam and Trish were grandparents now, and life was good. Until it wasn’t. **** “Adam, I just came from the doctor. I don’t know how to tell you this, but I have cancer, and there is nothing to be done.” Trish was in tears. Adam was stunned. For the second time in his life, he was losing the one person that meant the most to him. They cried together. And then they decided to live life as much as they could. Time was precious and they were going to take advantage of the time they had left. In the end Trish was in so much pain. She was taking so much medication that she slept most of the time.

One morning, as Adam was sitting at her bedside, Trish opened her eyes and looked at the one man she had truly loved for almost forty years. Trish smiled weakly at Adam and spoke softly, “Honey, after I am gone, I want you to look for Katy. I know that you love me. But I also know that you’ve been mourning the loss of that relationship all of your life. Go look for her and find your lost love.” Adam had tears in his eyes as Trish spoke. For the first time in his life, he couldn’t think about Katy, only about the woman who had made his life so rich and full. Trish then closed her eyes for the last time. Finally she was at peace. And Adam wept. **** It was a year since Trish died. Adam wasn’t quite ready to go looking for Katy. He missed Trish terribly. One morning his phone rang. “Adam? It’s Katherine.” It was the voice that Adam never thought he would hear again. He froze. “Adam, are you there?” Katy asked. “Yes Katy, I’m here. I don’t know what to say...” “You don’t have to say anything. I know this must be a shock.” “Where have you been all these years? You must be married, have kids...” “No. I don’t. And my parents are gone. I’m alone now.” “I am so sorry. My wife died about a year ago. And I miss her terribly. But my kids and grandkids bring me a lot of comfort.” “Can we meet?” “Yes. I want to see you.” “I am not the same person I once was.” “None of us are. It’s been a long time.” They hung up and Adam sent Katy the name of a local coffee shop which had private booths so they could talk. The next day, Adam decided he would walk the twenty minutes to the coffee shop. He was so nervous and he thought walking would help. It didn’t. When he reached the shop and looked through the window, he saw Katy sitting in one of the booths. Her long dark hair had turned gray. He couldn’t really see her face fully so he had no idea what other changes had taken place. He would soon find out. He walked into the shop. The waitress asked if he needed to be seated and he pointed to Katy. She nodded and he walked over to the booth. Katy had turned her head and was looking out the window as he approached. When she felt him standing beside the booth she looked up. “Hello,” Adam said softly. Katy smiled. Except for the gray hair, Katy looked the same. She had aged, of course, but she still had her slim figure and that beautiful smile. And that was all Adam saw. “I see you are looking well after forty years!” Katy smiled. Adam patted his growing gut and smiled back. He had aged, but he had been happy. He slid into the booth and sat across from Katy. After all this time, all he could say was, “What happened?” As soon as Adam asked, the story spilled out. Katy had a brother that no one had ever seen. He lived in another state. He hung out with a very unsavory crowd. Katy’s parents had disowned him long before they moved to the suburbs. Things had been fine for a long time. Katy’s brother, Rick, had no idea where they had moved to and her parents were happy not to have any contact with him.

Before Katy’s high school graduation, Dad had gotten a call from Rick. He was looking for money to pay someone off. He assumed that his parents had money and they would give it to him. At this point he had gotten connected to the criminal element. He demanded that his parents send him the money or else. Dad had no idea how Rick had found them. But he knew that they were not safe as long as Rick knew where they lived. Rick was a drug addict who was not thinking clearly. Dad had called the police, who had in turn contacted the FBI. It seemed that Rick was involved with some very dangerous people. Dad had decided that it was time to move away, again. This was not the first time, So they packed and left. They changed location, names etc. Katy was forbidden from contacting her friends and was told not to use social media. Someone from the police department had called to help them relocate. They felt badly for the family. Well, they did relocate. But life continued to be difficult as they were always wondering if Rick or his “friends” would find them. Ultimately, Rick had died of an overdose.

Meanwhile, Katy had met someone and fallen in love. She hoped that he would bring her the happiness she so longed for. They got married. And then the trouble began. What Katy never knew was that her husband was an addict too. He had tried to get clean several times. He went to rehab, but nothing ever worked. After years of dealing with his addiction and his erratic behavior, Katy was at a point where she was ready to divorce him. Then, her husband also died of an overdose.

It wasn’t long after, her dad died of a heart attack. Katy’s mom had a hard time living without dad and one day just didn’t wake up. Katy decided to come back and find Adam.

**** Four weeks later... A gentle breeze was blowing, and the stars were twinkling in the inky night sky. Outside, on the terrace they sat. The table set for two with a candle brightly lit in between them. They had finally found each other, after forty years. The feelings between them, the same. It was as if time had never passed.

"Where do you think we will be forty years from now?" Katherine smiled. Her blue eyes as bright as they were forty years ago. Sadly there were lines etched around her eyes. Time had taken its toll. But to Adam, she was still as beautiful as the day he had met her. "I hope we will be together, no matter what happens." Adam sighed. He looked at his first love and couldn't, wouldn't imagine losing her again.


The Incredible Edible Box By Denise A. Pearson            “Earth to Bradley Carpenter. This is your partner, Casey Tillman calling.”            I lifted my head.            “What’s the problem?”said Casey.            “Problem? We’ve been working on this for a month. How can we win first prize in the science fair if we can’t make our eco-friendly box project work?”            “We’ll get it to work. I don’t want Creepy Freddie Potter to beat us. Or that know-everything girl, what’s her name . . .”            “Susan Kinder,” I said. “But she’s not so bad.”            “Mmm,” said Casey as he scraped our latest failure out of my mom’s best fry pan and into the trash.            “What’s next?” I asked.            Casey glanced at the kitchen clock. “It’s late. I gotta get home. We’ll work on it tomorrow.” I just stared at him. “Don’t look so worried. We’ve got a whole week left. Just because the milk and flour paste on the cereal baked in the pie crust didn’t work, doesn’t mean anything. Tonight, I’ll sleep on it.”            “Sleep on it?”            Casey shrugged on his jacket. “Don’t worry. I do my best thinking while sleeping. We’ll come up with a prize winner by the end of the week.”            At lunch the next day, Casey leaned close and whispered, “You’ll never believe the dream I had last night.”            “Yeah?”            Casey hunched his shoulders and shifted his eyes right, then left. He looked like a second-rate Dracula stand-in. “I was in your mom’s kitchen. Then the fridge door opened. All. By. Itself. A long, green arm stretched out of the fridge and grabbed me. Then it dragged me into the fridge. It was so scary it woke me up. “And Ta-Da! I knew this had to be the solution for our project.” “Uh, I think I’m missing something here. I don’t get it,” I said. “Celery. The green arm was a stalk of celery. We’ll weave celery together to make our edible box.” Casey entwined his fingers to demonstrate.            “Weave celery? Uh, Casey, celery’s crunchy, not bendable.”            “Did I forget to mention the part about dehydrating it first? Then it’ll be in flat strips that we can weave together.”            “Won’t it leak?”            “We’ll use egg whites for glue. Clever, ain’t it?”            I had to admit it was.            After a week of slavishly weaving slabs of desiccated celery about each other in varying configurations, we had succeeded. A basket weave pattern proved to be the sturdiest. Now, here we were, in the school auditorium, setting up our project. Our poster read: The Incredible Edible Box. How more eco-friendly can you get? Eat the contents of the box and then . . . eat the box.            “Think our chances are good?” I ask Casey.            “Go-umphral.”            “What?” I glanced at Casey. “Hey, those samples are for people to try and then like us on our Facebook page. Don’t eat them all up.”            Casey swallowed. “I can’t help it. Your idea of using ranch dressing instead of egg whites was fabulous – and very tasty.”            Suddenly, a shadow hovered near our exhibit.            “Tillman and Carpenter. I wondered what project you guys would enter,” Freddie said. “I expected it to be in the field of science - not an entry to the Pillsbury Bake-Off. â ”            I wedged myself between Casey and Creepy Freddie. Since losing the Science Trivia marathon to Casey, they’d become mortal enemies.            “It’s better than depriving mice of sleep, then running them through mazes,” Casey shot back.            Freddie sneered. “We’ll let the judges decide that tomorrow.”            Although the judge’s decisions wouldn’t be until six that evening, we arrived at school early the next day so we could refill our sample bin. The ones we brought yesterday had been gobbled up by the end of last night’s open house - everyone liked them. This morning, we had broken up all our prototype boxes into small pieces to make more samples.            “Hi,” Susan Kinder said as we walked past her exhibit, which was next to ours. Her project was growing hydroponic vegetables.            “Hi Susan,” I said. Casey nodded to her. “She really is nice,” I whispered to him. “If you’d only . . . Holy Cow!”            Our exhibit, and only remaining edible box, looked more like a piece of Swiss cheese than a box. “Who would stoop so low?” I asked.            Casey lifted up a small, white mouse from the inside of the box. His eyes darkened with anger. “A two-legged rat, that’s who.”            “Creepy Freddie,” I said.            Casey gazed at the mouse.            “Hey,” yelled Freddie, thundering over from his booth. “My mouse! Dino escaped last night.” Freddie plucked the mouse from Casey’s hand.            He glanced up at our hole-riddled box. “Oops! Guess Dino decided to make a snack out of your project. So-o-o-o sorry. And before the judging too.”            Susan came over and said, “I bet he deliberately put that mouse in your booth last night.”            “Yeah, but there’s no way we can prove it,” said Casey.            “What’ll you guys do? An edible box is such a great idea.”             “There isn’t much we can do,” I said.             “Can you make a new one?”            “We haven’t any materials left,” Casey said.            “Maybe I could help,” Susan said. “I read the ingredients for your box on one of your posters. I have celery in my hydroponics tank which you can use. There’s a convenience store across the street that must sell ranch dressing. And we could use the oven in the school cafeteria for dehydrating the celery. We still have most of the day get this done before the judging and I’ll bet we could get out of all our classes to do this. What do you think?”            I tried to catch Casey’s eye so we could talk this over, but he was staring at Susan.            “Why would you want to help us?” he asked.            “Maybe because I think going green and leaving a small carbon footprint is the best way of preserving our future.” Then she grinned wickedly. “And, maybe because I like you guys much better than Slimy Freddie Potter.”            I smiled back. “We call him Creepy Freddie.”            “Creepy Freddie?” Susan tasted the words. “Fits him perfectly.”            Casey flashed her a smile. “Yeah, don’t it though.”            We pushed Susan’s booth next to ours and went to work. We were putting the finishing touches on our posters by the time the judges came around. The head judge peered at the latest edition to our poster collection. He looked at his clipboard and said, “I don’t remember seeing this exhibit listed.”            We all gave each other quick glances, then Casey stepped forward to explain how two science projects had become one. “. . . and it melds environmental concerns of recycling with the newest technological advances in agriculture,” finished Casey.            The judges nodded their heads and examined our combined posters that announced “The Future of Food - - - From Hydroponic Farming to Edible Boxes”. As they walked on to the next booth, they were munching our free samples of the Incredible Edible Box.            Needless to say, Creepy Freddie wasn’t happy to be in the audience as Casey, Susan, and I mounted the stage to claim first prize.


“What do you mean, you dared Barrie to go in the South Woods?” I was trying to keep my anger out of my voice. The little boy in front of me was digging his foot into the dirt. “Tell me what happened. Right now, Burton!” “I didn’t think he’d actually do it.” Burton’s grey eyes were wide. “He was bragging about how brave his is and how he could do anything! He was calling me a scardy cat because I wouldn’t go climb trees with him! So, I told him that he still wasn’t brave enough to go into the South Woods!” I sighed, “And so my headstrong little brother ran into the woods?” Barton nodded, tears rolling down his face, “Don’t be angry, Lexine! Don’t tell my mama!” "That depends on if Barrie is hurt." I told him "Now get out of here!" and he ran off, tears still running down his cheeks. What to do, what to do? I can't go to the elders. There are horrible consequences for going into the South Forest. A couple of years ago, a few kids had snuck into the Woods. The survivor that made it out was forbidden from ever marrying or having children. Should I tell our parents? No, Father would go straight to the elders out of fear. He wouldn't care about the fines. He would only want the help of the Warriors in retrieving his only son. There was only one thing to do. It was obvious that it was up to me to go in after him. Bloody hell. I am going to beat some sense into that boy once I get my hands on him. I would need a weapon, without thinking it over more, I ran to the blacksmith’s smithy. "Zachery!" I called out as I approached, "I need a weapon!" The blacksmith's apprentice, Zachery looked at me wide eyed "But...but 'Lex Why? I can get in major trouble for giving you one!" “It’s Barrie, he has gone into the South Woods! I need to go in and get him! Just a knife, please! I am begging you!" Zachery paused and then nodded "I can only give you a knife." He said as he pulled out a small dagger, studded with blue gems. "This was one of my projects. I can't promise it will last very long but it will be good for a good blow or two," I gave him a bear hug and then ran off without another word.

Well at last I was armed now. What was Barrie thinking going into the South Woods? Damn, that boy. Shortly enough I was at the border of the village and the South Woods. I paused there, pacing back and forth. The fear was running through me. How many stories have I been told of these woods? The monsters? Can I really go in there and find my pesky little brother?

I took a deep breath. I needed to do this, I dove into the forest before I could think any more about the danger or anything else. I started through the wood, the first few feet were a tangled mess of branches and briars. Looking for signs of Barrie's passing through the underbrush, I started down a path that was twisty and lined with giant mushrooms. The mushrooms were huge, almost reaching my waist.

It was getting dark, as I went down the path. I was praying I would find Barrie before it got too dark to see. The sun was low on the horizon when I finally found fresh signs that Barrie had passed through. It looked like he had been running, there were broken branches and smooshed mushrooms showing his frantic run down the path. Something must have spooked him. “Barrie!” I called, but, the overgrowth was so thick my voice barely carried. Before I could try calling again there was a massive roar from behind me. I spun around, behind me hidden in the dark forest was a shadow, easily two or three times my size. A scream froze in my throat, and I took off in the other direction of the giant shadow. The ground was shaking as the shadow followed me in my panicked run. The path twisted around a large tree, and up ahead there was rock wall. I desperately scanned the wall, hoping against hope that there was some escape. Under one of the boulders, I saw a small dark cave. I had no time to think about it, whatever was in that cave could not be as bad as whatever was shaking the ground behind me. The cave entrance was very tight, I had to get down on my hands and knees to squeeze into the dark. The rocks were tearing at my clothes as I passed. Once I was clear of the entrance, I entered into a cramped cave. In one of the corners of the cave, I saw a small bundle. Muffled sobs were coming from it. With my heart in my throat, I called out “Barrie?” Before I could even react, the bundle was up and rocketing into me. Barrie’s blonde hair was a mess and his face was dirty. He wrapped his arms around me and shoved his face into my shoulder. I pulled him close and let him cry, trying to comfort him. After a little while, he pulled himself away from me. “I am sorry ‘Lex. Don’t be mad at me, don’t tell mama.” His blue eyes were large, and his tears had cleaned streaks down his dirty cheeks. I smiled down at him, relived he was ok. “There is no reason to tell, you are ok.” There was another roar from outside, shaking the cave. Some rocks fell from the ceiling, I leaned over Barrie to protect him from the falling stones. Barrie started to cry again.

How many times had we been warned to stay out of the South Woods? By how many people? Why didn’t we listen? Maybe I should have told the elders? What could I do? I don’t even have any idea how to use the knife I borrowed. How could I bring myself and my little brother back to the village safely? Barrie was shaking in my arms, with every noise of the forest he let out a whimper. “‘Lex, is the monster coming back?” His little voice was shaking. I pulled him closer, “I don’t know.” I was trying and failing to keep my own fear out of my voice. What the monster was, let alone find a weak point to take it down with my puny knife. It was way too dark to tell anything about it. Staying still in the cave seemed like the only possible option at this point. It was almost pitch black in the cave by the time the noises from outside the cave started to fade. I crept to the opening of the cave and listened closely. The moon was full, thank god, it gave us some light to see by. Other than the faint noises from the nighttime insects, everything was quiet. I took a deep breath and made a decision. “Barrie, we are going home.” He backed up shaking his head, “The monster is out there!” I pulled the knife from my pocket, the moon light shined off the blue jewels. “I will keep us save. I just need you to be your brave self.” He sniffled “I am not brave. I thought I was. But I’m not.” I knelt in front of him, “True bravery is doing something even though you are scared. You must have been scared to come into the South Woods, but you did it. I just need you to be brave a little longer.” He nodded, rubbing his tears away. “I will try ‘Lex.” I hugged him tight and turned to the entrance. I squeezed myself back out of the cave and listened again. I still heard nothing. “Come on, Barrie.” I whispered back into the cave. He came out of the cave, the moon light showing the terrified look on his face. I grabbed his hand and clutched my knife in the other. We slowly made our way down to the path, the dark was making it hard to keep up a quick pace. We both kept tripping over roots and loose rocks. When we got back to the mushroom lined path, to my amazement, the giant mushrooms were starting to have a bright blue light coming from them. The glow was illuminating the path, and making our travel so much easier. In the blue glow, we hurried along. We were so close to the edge of the forest when the ground started shaking again. I could hear a loud growl, coming from behind the mushrooms. The blue light was glinting off a pair of large eyes that were deep in the wood. The monster let loose a massive roar and Barrie screamed, and pulled away from me, in an attempt to dart into the forest on the other side. Suddenly, the mushroom’s glowing light grew, I could see the eyes retreating further from the path, as the glow spread.  Then a small green glowing creature came out of the nearest mushroom. “Stay calm children.” It said. Barrie hid behind me, scared. He let out another small whimper. “The creature will not dare enter my path in the night.” It continued. “Stay in my light and all will be well.” “Who…who are you?” I stammered It chuckled “I am many things. Most call me the Spirit of the Forest. Now go, the creature is cunning and there is a gap between my forest path and the edge of the woods. Now hurry!” Barrie and I fled down the way. Before I knew it, we were at the end of the mushroom path. The green glowing creature was still right beside us. “Hurry, children.” It said. “The creature is coming.” I had no clue how to thank the spirit, so I just picked up Barrie and ran. I could feel the change in the air as I left the path. The air felt evil. Another terrifying howl shook the woods. It was right behind us. I ran faster, hoping to get to the edge of the forest. I felt something swipe by my leg. An agonizing flash of pain through me, I stumbled and dropped Barrie. I could see the forest edge. “Run!” I screamed at Barrie, “Just run!” He backed up with a uncertain look on his face, but finally turned and ran out of the woods. Relived that my brother was safe, I dragged myself up against a tree and drew my knife. The moon glinted off the blue stones. I sat there, breathing hard, listening for the creature. My leg was in agony, it would give out before I could excape. This is it, I am going to die here. Suddenly, Barrie was back at my side. “Lean on me, sister.” He whimpered, putting my arm over his shoulder. “We both need to be brave now. I can’t leave you.” He wasn’t going to give me a choice here. I was leaning on him heavily as we made our way out of the wood. I could hear the creature breathing, but for some reason, it was not approaching. It felt like forever, but soon we were out of the forest. Barrie set me down on the village side of the fence. We sat there, breathing hard, when the green glow appeared again. “Good job children.” It said. “Little boy, your bravery saved your sister and kept the creature at bay. It feeds on, and is attracted to fear. While bravery chases it away.” I gave Barrie a hug. “See, I told you that you were brave.” He gave me a small smile. The creature glowed, and the pain in my leg faded. “I have healed your wounds.” It continued. “Please do not come back to these woods. The here danger is all too real.” We both nodded, “Thank you, Spirit of the Wood.” I said gravely. The spirit faded, without responding.

I stood up and took Barrie’s hand “Let’s go home.” He looked up at me, “What are we going to tell mama and father, as to why we are out so late?” After what we had been through, that was a fear, I could totally manage.                                    THE END


 Everything was ready for the ritual. Candles lit, the mirror pointed at the tombstone that read, Dennis Morgan 1925-1955 , and five people holding hands in a circle.  “Are you sure about this, Kristen?” Vanessa asked. “Yes, I’m sure. I practiced the words a thousand times,” Kristen said.  Jason let out a loud belch and Charlie and Bobby began to laugh.  “Okay, be quiet guys. This is serious,” Kristen said. “Yes mam,” Bobby said.  Kristen began saying the words that were supposed to summon the spirit of Dennis Morgan back into the world of the living.  Dennis Morgan, the butcher of Cedar Falls was a local legend in the small town. During his reign of terror, in the late 1940s and early 1950s he had murdered and mutilated an estimated forty eight people and some think that number could be much higher.  The remains of many of Morgan’s victims were unearthed on his pig farm outside of town after his death in 1955. The chant was short and sweet; basically telling Morgan to follow the light of the flame through the mirror portal and reveal himself. The chant ended with some Latin words that didn’t mean anything to Vanessa.  When the ritual appeared to be over with, Charlie’s body stiffened and his eyes rolled into his head and he began convulsing.  “Charlie! Are you al…” Vanessa said as Charlie broke out into laughter. Bobby and Jason chimed in. Vanessa punched Charlie on the arm. “That’s not funny, you jerk.”  “I knew this ritual was a load of crap,” Jason said. “Maybe we need to sprinkle some blood over the grave,” Kristen said. “Where are we going to get blood?” Vanessa asked. “Yeah, we’re out of beer. Let’s just leave. Maybe we can try again later,” Charlie said.  Kristen let out an exaggerated sigh and said, “Fine. Whatever.”  Vanessa blew out the candle and Kristen grabbed the mirror. As she picked the mirror up, she caught a glimpse of her reflection and froze.  Kristen gazed into the eyes of her reflection and could not look away. Then the eyes changed and so did the face. Her reflection turned into the shape of a wicked looking man with a sinister grin on his face; the face of Dennis Morgan.  “Kristen, are you okay?” Vanessa asked. Kristen looked up from the mirror in her hands and smiled at Vanessa. “I’m fine, dear.”  Vanessa eyed her friend as she glared back with that grin. Bobby put his arm around Kristen as he walked by. “Come on babe. We’ll bring back the dead another time. Right now we need beer.”  Vanessa reluctantly followed her friends out of the cemetery and loaded into the car with them.  Bobby cranked the car and said, “Okay, after the beer stop, we can either go to Bill Ferguson’s party, or the haunted house in Steel County.”  “I have a better idea. Let’s go to Morgan’s pig farm,” Kristen said.

 “Uh, babe, there will be alcohol at Bill’s party, and everybody that is not at Bill’s party will be at the haunted house. Are you sure you wanna go to some old haunted pig farm?” Bobby said.   Kristen pulled Bobby’s face to hers and kissed him. “I am sure, babe,” Kristen said with a grin. “Morgan’s pig farm it is!” Bobby yelled.   They made the ten minute drive to the Morgan farm. Bobby pulled the car into the long driveway and put the car in park.  The main house looked like it was ready to fall in on itself, but it still stood behind a patch of tall weeds, and so did the old barn.  “Look guys, I don’t think this is a good idea. Let’s just go to the party,” Jason said. “Yeah, what are we even doing here, Kristen? This is just weird,” Vanessa added.  Kristen ignored them and opened her door. She smiled at Bobby and told him to follow her. Then she walked toward the old barn. “Kristen, wait!” Vanessa pleaded. Bobby shrugged his shoulders and opened his door and followed.  “This is crazy. I’m not getting out of the car,” Jason said. Vanessa and Charlie agreed.  “Maybe they’ll get spooked in there and just come on back out soon,” Charlie said.  A minute later, Bobby came running out of the barn, screaming. Kristen was right behind him.  “Is that an axe in her hand?” Jason asked.  Before anyone could answer, Kristen slammed the axe down into Bobby’s back and he went down.  Vanessa, Charlie, and Jason began to scream. Jason climbed over the back seat into the driver’s seat and put the car in reverse. They watched in horror as Kristen repeatedly chopped at Bobby’s lifeless body with the axe.  “We can’t just leave Bobby!” Charlie yelled. “He’s gone,” Jason said.  Kristen looked up from her kill with a bloody grin and began running toward the car. Jason hit the gas and started going in reverse down the driveway.  They made it to the main road and Jason put the car in drive and stepped on the gas pedal.  Once they had cell service again, Vanessa called the police and told them what had happened. The Sheriff told them to come to the station and give their statements and he would send deputies to the Morgan farm.  “So, your friend, Kristen, just out of the blue took an axe to her own boyfriend?” The skeptical Sheriff asked.  “Yes, and then tried to kill us,” Vanessa said.  “What were you kids doing out there anyway?” Sheriff Jones asked.  “It was Kristen’s idea. Nobody wanted to go anyway,” Vanessa answered.  The phone on the Sheriff’s desk rang and he answered it. After a brief conversation, he hung up the phone and stood up.  “My deputies found the body of Bobby Leland. They don’t see any sign of the girl. I’m heading out to the farm. You three can go home, but don’t leave town, I have more questions.”  Over the next two weeks, twelve people went missing from the town of Cedar Falls.  The Sheriff finally found and arrested Kristen at the old Morgan farm. Apparently Kristen had been staying in the main house.  They recovered nine bodies in shallow graves out by the barn.  The town made national news and media people were everywhere for a few days until the frenzy died down.  There was a trial, Kristen was convicted of several murders and she was sent upstate to live out the rest of her days at Fairview, a facility for the criminally insane.  Vanessa, Charlie, and Jason never spoke of the events that happened that Halloween night.


Chapter 1 Jack slumped into his threadbare armchair, a ghost haunting the ruins of his life. The city's relentless drone pierced the stillness of his apartment. Whiskey bottles, like tombstones of his failures, littered the coffee table. A sharp ring shattered the silence, cutting through the fog of his despair. He fumbled for the phone, irritation a thick fog in his mind. "What?" he growled. Mrs. Finch's voice cut through the haze. "Package for you." Surprise ignited amidst his despair. A package? Unlikely. Yet, hope, a fragile ember, flickered to life. He stumbled to the door, the ornate box, adorned with macabre skulls, an ominous presence on the welcome mat. His heart pounded as he tore open the packaging, revealing a parchment envelope. The familiar handwriting was a dagger to his gut. Jack’s hands trembled as he unfolded the letter, Arthur’s elegant script transporting him to a sunlit past. As a young, eager journalist, he'd looked up to the charismatic politician. “You’ve got fire, kid,” Arthur had said with a paternal pat on the back. “Use it wisely.” Those words had been his lodestar. Arthur became more than a mentor; he was family. The letter's contents shattered the idyllic reverie. "If you're reading this, I've disappeared. Trust no one. The Order is real, Jack. Find the truth." The words were a dagger to the heart. Arthur, missing? The shadowy Order? A nightmare was unfolding. Guilt and fear warred within him. He’d abandoned his mentor, dismissed him as paranoid. Now, a flicker of his former self ignited. A spark of determination replaced the despair. He glanced at the newest whiskey bottle. It would have to wait. Jack’s mind raced, adrenaline replacing the fog. The cramped apartment seemed to close in around him. Arthur's letter, a physical manifestation of his absence, trembled in his hand. He needed to move, to act. Grabbing his worn leather jacket, he made his way into the hall. He passed by Mrs. Delacroix's apartment. The annoying Christmas wreath still hung on her door. It was June, for crying out loud. He stepped out into the open air. The familiar cacophony was a jarring contrast to the quiet desperation he felt. Fresh air should help, right? A nagging doubt crept in. Why a letter? Arthur was a digital native. The cryptic package, a puzzle piece missing from the picture, sent chills down his spine. Paranoia gnawed at him as he navigated the bustling crowd. Every shadow seemed to lengthen, every glance a potential threat. The city, once a comforting backdrop, now felt like a hostile environment. Jack's mind raced as he closed the door behind him. The apartment, once a sanctuary, now felt like a cage. Arthur's disappearance, the cryptic letter, the ominous package—each piece of the puzzle hinted at a darkness far deeper than he'd imagined. With a deep breath, Jack decided. He'd dive back into the world he'd abandoned, using his buried skills to unearth the truth. His old life would become his weapon. As he gathered his scattered notes and contacts, a strange feeling settled in. The apartment seemed to close in, the silence heavy with anticipation. A cold dread gnawed at him. The storm outside mirrored his inner turmoil. He moved to the window, the city lights a distant, indifferent glow. Chapter 2 Jack's world narrowed to a single focus: finding Arthur. Days blurred into nights as he pored over old case files and newspaper clippings. His apartment, once merely cluttered, descended into chaos. Takeout containers piled up, dirty laundry spilled from overflowing baskets, and a thin layer of dust settled over everything. He barely noticed the passage of time, his eyes bloodshot from endless hours staring at his laptop screen. The wall above his desk became a tapestry of sticky notes, red string, and grainy photographs. Jack's obsession grew, feeding on each new scrap of information he uncovered. A sharp knock at the door jolted him from his research-induced trance. He ignored it, hoping whoever it was would go away. The knocking persisted, followed by a familiar voice. "Jack? It's Mrs. Delacroix. Are you in there?" He groaned, running a hand through his unkempt hair. The last thing he needed was his nosy neighbor poking around. But her voice carried a note of genuine concern that tugged at his conscience. "Just a minute," he called out, hastily shoving papers into drawers and kicking dirty clothes under the couch. Jack opened the door, squinting at the sudden brightness from the hallway. Mrs. Delacroix stood there, her silver hair neatly coiffed, a plate of cookies in her hands. "Oh, Jack! You look terrible, dear. Are you alright?" He forced a smile. "I'm fine, Mrs. Delacroix. Just busy with work." She peered past him into the apartment, her eyes widening. "My goodness, it's a mess in there! When was the last time you cleaned? Or had a proper meal?" Jack shifted uncomfortably, blocking her view. "I appreciate your concern, but—" "Nonsense! I'll bring you some of my homemade soup tomorrow. You can't live on takeout, you know. It's not good for your digestion." As she chattered on, Jack's eyes drifted to his desk. A folder had fallen open, revealing a document he hadn't noticed before. His heart raced as he spotted a strange symbol at the bottom of the page—an inverted pentagram surrounded by unfamiliar runes. "Jack? Are you listening to me?" He blinked, forcing his attention back to Mrs. Delacroix. "Sorry, what were you saying?" She sighed, shaking her head. "I was asking if you'd heard from that nice Mr. McBangus lately. He always seemed so fond of you." Jack's blood ran cold. How did she know about Arthur? Jack hesitated, torn between his instinct for secrecy and the unexpected comfort of human connection. Mrs. Delacroix's kind eyes and genuine concern wore down his defenses. "Actually, I'm worried about Arthur," he admitted, his voice low. "He's... disappeared." Mrs. Delacroix gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. "Oh my! Should we call the police?" Jack shook his head. "It's complicated. I think he might be involved in something... strange." "Strange?" Mrs. Delacroix's eyebrows shot up. "Like what? A secret government project? Or... oh! I know! He's probably planning a surprise party for you!" Despite himself, Jack chuckled. The idea of Arthur throwing him a party was so absurd that it momentarily lightened his mood. His amusement faded as he remembered the article he'd found earlier. "No, it's nothing like that. Look at this." He retrieved his laptop, pulling up the news story. Mrs. Delacroix squinted at the screen. "Arthur McBangus linked to occult activities," she read aloud. "My word! It says here he was seen at some sort of ritual gathering. But that can't be right, can it? Arthur's always been such a pillar of the community." Jack opened his mouth to respond, but his phone rang, cutting through the tense atmosphere. He didn't recognize the number. "Hello?" he answered cautiously. A distorted voice crackled through the speaker. "Stop digging, Harper. You're in over your head. Walk away now, or you'll regret it." The line went dead. Jack stared at his phone, his heart pounding. "Who was that?" Mrs. Delacroix asked, her eyes wide with concern. Jack swallowed hard. "I think... I think someone's trying to scare me off the case." Mrs. Delacroix gasped. "Oh, Jack! This is serious. Maybe you should listen to them. What if you get hurt?" He shook his head, a grim determination settling over him. "I can't stop now, Mrs. Delacroix. Arthur needs me. Whatever he's involved in, it's big. And dangerous." "But Jack—" "I have to do this," he interrupted, his voice firm. "I owe Arthur that much. And if there's even a chance I can help him, I have to try." Mrs. Delacroix wrung her hands, clearly torn between concern for Jack's safety and admiration for his loyalty. "Just... be careful, dear. Promise me you'll be careful." Jack nodded, his mind already racing with plans. The threat had only strengthened his resolve. Whatever secrets Arthur had uncovered, Jack was determined to bring them to light. Chapter 3 Jack spread the evidence across his cluttered desk, his eyes darting from document to document. The pieces were falling into place, forming a picture more sinister than he'd imagined. He knew he had to act fast. With trembling fingers, he dialed Mrs. Delacroix's number. The phone rang endlessly, each unanswered tone increasing his unease. "Damn it," he muttered, grabbing his coat. He had to check on her before leaving. As Jack rushed down the empty hallway, his footsteps echoed ominously. Approaching Mrs. Delacroix's apartment, his heart sank at the sight of the open door, a dark invitation to horrors unknown. "Mrs. Delacroix?" he called out, pushing the door wider. The scene that greeted him stole the breath from his lungs. Furniture lay overturned, shattered glass crunching beneath his feet. Signs of a violent struggle were everywhere. Jack's mind raced. The Order. They must have taken her. His fists clenched at his sides, a mixture of guilt and rage coursing through him. He'd dragged her into this mess, and now she was paying the price. With renewed determination, Jack gathered the evidence and prepared for his confrontation. He couldn't let them get away with this - he had to stop the cult. Jack's heart pounded as he approached the shadowy warehouse on the outskirts of town. The night air was thick with tension, and the distant barks of watchdogs sent shivers down his spine. He clutched a ring of sausages, his unlikely weapon against the canine sentries.  As he neared the perimeter, Jack spotted the massive, snarling beasts guarding the entrance. With a silent prayer, he tossed the sausages in a wide arc. The dogs' heads snapped towards the meat, their hunger overriding their training. Jack seized the moment, slipping past them and into the dimly lit shadows of the warehouse. Inside, the air was heavy with incense and whispered conversations. Jack blended into the crowd, his eyes scanning the space. At the center, a figure in dark robes stood on a raised platform, addressing the gathered members. "Our influence grows," the leader intoned. "With each politician in our grasp, we tighten our hold on this city's foundations." Jack's blood ran cold as he listened. The cult's reach was far greater than he'd imagined. They weren't just manipulating individuals - they were shaping the entire landscape, artificially inflating real estate prices to line their own pockets. He thought of Mrs. Delacroix, and the open door he'd found at her apartment. The Order had taken her, and he knew he had to act. Taking a deep breath, Jack stepped forward, ready to confront the cult's leader and expose their sinister plans, no matter the personal cost. Jack's heart pounded as he stepped forward, his eyes locked on the robed figure of the cult leader. The leader's gaze swept across the crowd, settling on Jack with an unsettling intensity. "Ah, a new face," the leader purred, his voice dripping with false warmth. "Tell me, seeker, are you prepared to prove your worth?" Jack nodded, his throat dry. The leader's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Very well. Answer these riddles three, or your life is forfeit." The first two riddles came and went, Jack's mind racing to decipher their meanings. But as the leader posed the final question, Jack felt his confidence waver. "What force and strength cannot get through, I with a gentle touch can do. And many in the street would stand, were I not a friend at hand." Jack's brow furrowed, the answer just out of reach. He could feel the crowd's anticipation, the leader's smug satisfaction at his struggle. Suddenly, the leader lunged forward, a dagger glinting in the dim light. Jack reacted on instinct, ducking and weaving as the blade sliced through the air. The two men grappled, locked in a desperate struggle. In the chaos, Jack's mind flashed back to Mrs. Delacroix's apartment, the open door, and the signs of struggle. The Order had taken her - he had to stop them. With renewed determination, Jack pushed back against the leader, fighting for his life and for the safety of the woman he cared about. Jack's mind raced as he grappled with the cult leader. With a heavy heart, he made his choice - he couldn't save Arthur, but he could still rescue Mrs. Delacroix. Breaking free from the leader's grasp, Jack bolted towards the back of the warehouse where he suspected they were holding her.  He found her bound and gagged in a small room. As he quickly untied her, Jack heard the approaching footsteps of cult members. There was no time for explanations. "We have to go, now," he urged, helping the shaken Mrs. Delacroix to her feet. They fled into the night, leaving behind the cult, Arthur, and the weight of Jack's past. It was a sacrifice that tore at his soul, but he knew it was the right choice. Months later, Jack sat on the porch of his new home, watching Mrs. Delacroix tend to her garden next door. The burden of his past still lingered, but a sense of peace had settled over him. He had found redemption in saving her, and in the quiet life they now shared as neighbors and friends. It was a bittersweet ending, but one that offered Jack the chance at a fresh start.


That girl who was laying quietly, and covered in darkness was Ichiko Yamada, she was laying very peacefully, unaware about her current condition. After staying unstirred for a while, she opened her eyes and look around to find where was she. She try her best to view the situation, but the vast amount of darkness create things harder to understand. She was unable to see anything but she try to figure out the circumstance. She didn't have any memories left about how she appeared that place. The last thing she remembered was, a sweet kiss on her lips by her husband, when she was heading to his workplace. She couldn't recognise anything after that, she blacked out completely. But then, she felt light behind herself, she's frighten to move but a male voice occurs from behind it was, "Are you alright Yamada-san . You are moving so, I think maybe you are alright. Let's move miss . We had to cover a long path." When she turns around she saw a silver hair colored guy, standing behind her, watching her with his deep and emotionless red eyes. He's wearing a white waistcoat, and a long black long jacket. The warmth she felt before was coming out from a vintage lantern which he was holding. Ichiko was confused about her situation and don't know what to do, 'Cause according to the schedule she has to be on her working desk but she was sleeping in that weird dark place and when she somehow handle that uncanny trauma, a male character popped out in that place and ordering her to follow him and head somewhere. How and why she did that, there is no sense to follow a stranger. She wasn't afraid but she don't want to go after him. So then, she take a deep breath and denies his offer. He can't look good after hearing that answer. He said, "Think about it Yamada- san, it's your lose if you can't follow me." And Ichiko , after hearing that rude reply, reacted aggressively and said, " I don't know who you are and where you come from and I even don't know what's that place how could I go after a stranger?" That guy nodded his head a bit and reply to that angry lady, "You don't know me? And you don't know why you are there? And you are right, how could a lady trust a stranger that she just meet and started following him" He take a deep breath and sigh. He view her for a while, and maybe he was thinking about the next step he had to do, He took out his hand towards her and tells, " I tells you everything, but for that you had to follow me. I insist Yamada-san please come after me. " Ichiko is still suspicious about that man but when she saw his cold eyes, she somehow agreed about that proposal. She stood up and ready to follow him. That person light up the path with that vintage lantern and both were continuously walking on it. She want to ask many questions to him but she is confused how to start, and then that guy asked her, " back then you were exploding with lots of questions but you weren't asking any of it that time, why? Are you perhaps confused what to ask first." It looked like that guy read her mind she blushed a bit about that and tell her that, " it's not that, I am confused over a silly thing, actually I don't know how to start the conversation with a stranger that you just meet." He turns his head towards her and tells her, "as I thought, you were a lively girl and yet stubborn kid, like your parents." And both were started walking again. While walking, she denying those facts and stared telling him those tags weren't true but she stopped, when she noticed he tells, "like your parents." She immediately asked, "how you know my parents." That simple question from her, stops his feet for a while, he sigh and continue guiding there way. Both were quietly walking behind each other and the atmosphere around them is getting stressed. She wanted an answer to him but, she couldn't make it and she keep her moth shut. The pin drop silence breaks with a reply by that man, " Let's starts with something simple. My name is Azrael . And the answer of your pervious question is a bit complicated and........ I am terrified, maybe the answers weren't suitable of your expectations." And after that, he spit out the truth, " Yamada-san you..... Hit by a truck and.... now your body is in deep unconsciousness. After hearing that answer, Ichiko chuckled and tells him, "you aren't good with jokes, Azrael . And specially with those cold eyes it looks so lame." And she couldn't stops giggling. The whole place has only hearing her wild laughter. She laughing like crazy or maybe she is waiting for Azrael to join but he's stuck with his emotionless face like he's telling her ' Believe me, it's true'. After those laughs faded, she realised he isn't fooling around. The sentence he spit out is pure truth. It's a shock for her. She come close to him and ask that question again but that time she's serious and shaking. 'Cause she know what he is going to answer. She want to ask more questions to him But before that he tells, " you don't need to get that upset Yamada-san , your body stills breathing but your soul loses it's way and if we cross that path maybe we reach the place where your body is and after that you may continue your life. And I, the spirit guardian led you that place for sure." She was relived after hearing that, she still had a chance to behold her family again. She sigh of relief. She looked again that silver hair guy and give him a smile. That smile tells him, 'let's continue our journey.' --------------------- It's been a while now since they started there journey. But she hear some weird moans of a girl. She asks that guy about them and he reply, "the path we are travelling is connected with other people's memory, you could call it a void of memories and sometimes we also, view or listen there memories, maybe Yamada-san you just hear is someone's old sexual experience. Now she felt embarrassed about those screams. She was mumbling, 'please stop, please stop.' and after a bit those moans were converts into talks, Ichiko is curious that what that young couple talking about and she asks to Azrael , "did you know what they are talking about." He is continually walking. And he ask a question in his reply, "Are you perhaps a gossiper? You looked interested." She refuse that fact by, 'I am just curious and nothing and nothing at all.' He tells her, don't stressed like that he's just teasing her and if she want to hear the conversation he allow that. She come close to that place where those voices come from and there is a small window, she peeks in it and she saw a classroom. A young teen couple were talking about a girl. "Jeez, your girlfriend is so dumb. She believed in that silly excuse for staying at school. She is an idiot. " You are right baby, she is a moron. She even believed that my first time was with her. She is such an idiot." "Yes, she is a stupid bitch." She can't see properly his face 'cause those were very old memories, but she felt sorry for his girlfriend. She took his head out of that window and her expressions tells, how bad she's feeling for that poor girlfriend. Azrael who is just behind her watched everything but can't be able to tell anything except, " we had to continue." They were started walking again and he said, "you are the lady with golden heart and 'cause of that you think about other's a lot. It's bad for you. But, it's not your fault. You were just mirroring your mother." And after that short conversation both were continued covering there paths quietly. Both were again started walking. And as much as they cover the path the quantity of those voices were increasing. That time that silent void turns into a local fish market. "It's like everyone is talking." Ichiko notice a thing, she can't just peek into anyone's memory and the reason Azrael explain is, "those memories only viewed by those people who were connected to the owner of those recollections." And she thinking about that fuck boy, that is he connected to her or not. She felt dejected but then she heard a familiar voice, it comes out of a window, she peeks in and it's her aunt's memories. It's the funeral of Ichiko's parents. Ichiko is sitting on a bench when her aunt pick her. She smiles that at least she witnessed a good memory. But her smile curved back into a straight line when she heard the complete conversation between her uncle and aunt. " Machiko , you don't like Kanako-san at all. So, why did you took her daughter home?" "'Cause I want her to earn money." "You, want her to earn money? Are you out of your mind? You want a child to work to get you that shit money?" " No! Not yet, I treat her like my own daughter and soon when she grown up and started working she send money for her old and unhealthy aunt and I also teach her all housework so, she could help her ill aunt when she want. Don't you think dear, it's a good plan. And top of that, I heard Kanako-san telling her husband about there insurance. The amount is enough to pay my dear Io-chan's college fee. Now you know honey why I let that orphan girl stay in my home." "You can't, it's wrong that money belongs to that child." "I said, enough. Conversation is over now, you dare to open that mouth in front of anyone, clear my honey." After hearing that talk, her facial expressions changed. Her legs felt numb and she fell down. She started crying and sobbing, Azrael who was standing behind her back as always, watching it with those expressionless eyes. She was crying and sobbing but she stops all of a sudden. She heard again a familiar voice. It was a moan. She stands up and started stepping up to reach that window but Azrael stops her with words, "please, stop right there Yamada-san you can't handle that." But she wasn't listening, she know what kind of memory she was going to view but she want to look who was that girl, who stole her husband. She come near that window and her face has no emoticons. Just pale and sorrowful face and nothing at all. She peeked and it was, Io-chan. Her husband merging his body with her cousin sister. She took out her head and stand silently. First, she smiles and then she started laughing and chuckling louder and louder the place which is echoing with strange voices is now resonating only by those laughs. But slowly those chuckles were converted into tears and sobs of sorrow. She sit down on the floor, took her legs in and started crying. After couple of time she looked up and she find Azrael looking her. She cover her eyes again with her arm and ask, " Azrael , where I went wrong? Is am I not lovable? Or am I can't planed anything? Or is it....." And he replied with his emotionless face, " Did you want to hear truth or just want me to comfort you?" She sense the deep meaning behind that simple question and think about it. The conclusion she finds out is, 'she want to know, the truth.' She wipe her tears and stand up near Azrael . After looking her eyes, he know what she wanted to hear. And he tell "You were wrong about many things, you went with your aunt to live with her, but you know that your parents didn't like her. She treated you and your cousin unequally, but you never questioned about it. You loved playing violin and you had talent too but you leave it 'cause of the fee. You marry your first boyfriend, but you already catch him flirting with other ladies. And then the biggest mistake you made is, you changed your job 'cause you wanted to spend more time with your husband. Yamada-san , you planed everything from the started, everything. You planed and organized everything to prevent yourself hurting. You know that, your aunt treating you unfairly but you continued living with her 'cause you wanted things to be normal. You marry your boyfriend although you know he may cheat you someday but, you can't cut ties with him 'cause you afraid to get your heart broken again. Yamada-san, you may plan everything but things run as it could. It may not be possible, that things run as they prepared. You love someone and sometimes they break your heart. It's hard to handle it but that's how life and love works. It's a part of life you can't deny that. You are a pure hearted person and you love everyone that was your mistake, and trust me those weren't flattering word, that's the truth." Her few tears were flowing down, some were stuck in middle and some still waiting to flow. But with those tears she looks happy. And all tears were flow down at once and she hugged the person who is standing in front of her. While holding him she still sobbing but that time words were different, she is thanking Azrael for leading the path. And after a bit she leaves his warmth, she felt a bit embarrassed and she also apologies for hugging him. But the path is completed and behind that door her new life is waiting for her. Azrael took Ichiko's soul to her destiny and the time was to go back to there life again. ×××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××× Lee's Thoughts, "Stick with a backstabber 'cause of love. But deep inside we know that, you did it because you don't want to hurt yourself anymore. But seriously it's foolishness not love Ichiko. " Ichiko , made big mistakes in her life and after she know the truth she regretted her decisions. We had to learn from Ichiko's mistakes. And choose people wisely.


Matthew has very little to offer.

He is a starving artist who lives in a van.

He is often late to everything and when he gets there he smells of weed covered with patchouli.

Although we grew up together, we are complete opposites and the five years between us further the divide. I am often early.

I never drink or smoke and I definitely don’t live in my car.

I live in a three bedroom condo in New York by the Hudson River.

My home is immaculate, my wife is beautiful, I drive a Mercedes - Benz, and my job is high paying. I take after my mom.

She was an amazing woman.

She traveled the world making deals and raking in the money so my father, my brother, and I could live well.

When she was home we would go to the spa or fancy meals or take my brother to the amusement parks. My brother takes after my father.

Always late, always dreaming, always taking the long way home even though they knew I had dinner waiting.

Those two lived on a whole other planet. I will never understand how my parents got together.

How does a hard working, driven woman even notice such a lazy, unfocused man?

My mother said it was at college but what courses could they have possibly met in?

My mother studied economics and business and my father was all art and communications. I was worried about my father now.

My brother, too.

Mother was no longer the bolt that could hold those nuts together.

Her departure was swift.

She had barely gotten the diagnosis and she was already gone. Of course, she had arranged everything for her funeral ahead of time.

My father couldn’t manage it.

He was lost without her before she was even gone.

When I picked the two of them up for the funeral neither was ready.

It was like they had forgotten how to function.

I got there early, of course, so I was able to help them.

I picked out their clothes and tied their ties and found their shoes.

I put my fear and sorrow aside.

I had to focus on moving us forward. After the funeral, I stayed. My wife flew home but I feared they weren't ready to be alone.

It took about a week to get them back on track.

My sorrow was replaced by exasperation,

my fear by frustration.

It was late the night before I was scheduled to fly out when brother came to me offering a ride to the airport.

Every ounce of me wanted to say no but this gesture was all my brother had to offer and I knew that.

Even though I did not want to miss my flight I couldn't take that away from him. I woke him early the next morning with a tap on his van door and some very dark coffee.

The windshield was cracked and I worried I would break it.

He had lived in this van for years on our parents’ property.

Both of them so proud of this derelict as he floundered about ‘creating’. I prodded him forward into his routine.

I checked my watch one hundred times. When it was time to leave I hugged my father.

I made

promises to return that I wasn't sure I would or could keep.

My heart ached for his loss.

My mind worried about his ability to care for himself and my reckless brother. Surprisingly we got on the road on time.

It was about an hours drive for my brother.

I would have done it in 40.

The radio played.

We were quiet.

I was thinking about everything I had to do when I got home.

I was thinking about all the meetings and appointments and chores that awaited me. My brother, without a word, pulled over to the side of the highway and turned off the radio.

Smoked billowed from under the hood.

I jumped out of the van grabbing at my things.

My brother sat in his seat immobile.

I yelled at him to get the hell out but he didnt move.

I threw my stuff to the ground and grabbed at him. “Move, Matthew, MOVE!”

I could see tears streaming down his face.

I unclicked his belt and ran to the other side of the van.

“Matthew, you have to help me!

Help me, Matthew, please!”

His eyes met mine and he fell onto me.

We moved slowly to the back of the van and onto the shoulder. He fell to the ground openly sobbing.

“I couldn’t fix it, I couldn’t save her!

I can’t even get you to the airport!

I’m so sorry.”

My heart broke then.

Emotions I was not able to manage before came pouring out.

I choked and gasped for air.

It felt like every part of my body would crumble into pieces. His sobbing was silenced as mine hit a crescendo.

My lungs heaving with every breath, he held me while I exorcized the pain from my body.

He held me until I stopped shaking, until I could breathe again. He held me until I felt my pieces coming back together. We sat on the shoulder of the highway, leaning into each other.

We remembered our childhood and laughed about our father’s antics.

Time passed and my plane surely flew away as we remembered my mother.

My brother told wild stories I had forgotten about.

We laughed about our father’s antics and cried some more about our loss. I looked at my brother and I understood the love my mother had for my father.

The adoration for someone so wildly different.

The comfort in someone who can offer so much more than you are able to give yourself and who does this with no expectation. I knew then that we would be okay. I realized that my brother had offered me so much more than a ride to the airport: he offered me the opportunity to break and become whole again.


That's the thing about this city; it was built in a spot where the veil between dimensions was thin. It was commonplace for people or things to pass through a temporary hole in the veil and land into our city. You would think that living in a town like this that I would have already seen it all. It's my job to find, catalog, and determine what to do with our city's new residents. The newly minted Rican City occupants, or veilers, as most people call them, are usually relatively easy to find homes and jobs for. For the most part, they are mostly just like people from our own dimension, although sometimes their outer figures can vary drastically. They tended to be as smart or smarter than those who are from this dimension. The veilers live out their new lives in our little city as happy as they were in their original dimension. But sometimes, things didn't end so well. Some of the veilers just did not fit into our little metropolis. It was also my job to deal with that didn't fit in as well. But I try not to focus on those times. "Tazzi? Have you found anything yet?" The voice of Reis, the dispatcher on duty, came over my com. His voice was accompanied by the ever-present clank of his abacuses. Reis is one of the older veilers to have come through. His home dimension wasn't as advanced as ours; he couldn't quite get the hang of the technology here. He still preferred to use a lot of the older tech. "I just got here, Reis." I rolled my eyes. "I need some time to find our new guest." "Well, hurry up. It is rapidly turning into a bad night. We've already gotten word of another four breaches. I am running out of recovery agents to send out." "You know recoveries happen at their own pace," I replied, hanging up my mic, ignoring the faint sound of Reis's response. I climbed out of my beat-up old Toyota and observed the old building that the breach alarm had signaled that someone had crossed over in. Its two large towers reminded me of an old-timey castle looming over me. I pulled a flashlight from my purse and headed for the front door of the towering building. The door was thankfully unlocked. I was grateful I did not need to use my rusty lock picking skills. My partner, Elyas, usually handled that part of the job. A recovery gone wrong had sidelined Elyas with a bum leg. Elyas had still tried to be in the field, cane and all until Reis had shot down that plan. Recoveries didn't often get violent, but the risk was too great for someone whose mobility was compromised.

Opening the heavy oak front door, I found myself in a dusty, empty living room. I scanned the spacious room, looking for signs of where the newest veiler was hiding. There were no gaps in the heavy dust on the floor; whoever was in here hadn't moved around much.

"Hello, anyone here?" I called out; I had long since learned my lesson about scaring new veilers. "I know you must be scared. I am not here to harm you." The creak of a door across the room made me jump. I was glad that Elyas was not here to see me get scared. He would never let me live down, jumping at the bumps in the night. After everything we had seen, you would think I couldn't be scared by the unknown anymore. * Hello? * The voice in my head was hesitant. * Where am I? One moment I was walking my cat down the road, and the next, I am here in this…place. * Great, another telepathic race. It was always so weird having someone else's voice in my head. Not to mention, they were always a headache to rehome. They had so many different requirements for their living space. Reis would be just thrilled with the extra work. "You are in Rican City. Can you come out where I can see you?" The cracked closet door across the room pushed open further, and a tall figure entered my flashlight beam. The being could best be described as a humanoid fish. The tall being also held a smaller furry creature on a leash. He had said that it was a cat, but this was the first time I had seen a cat with eight legs. * I have never heard of a Rican City .* He drew closer to me, his yellow eyes shining in my flashlight beam. He was about my height but was covered in shiny green scales. * Who are you ?* "It's a long story." I held out my hand, "Care to come back with me to the office? My name is Tazzi." * Do I have a choice ?* his tone was amused, and he made no motion to shake my hand. * My name is Calu, and this is my cat, Kuki. * Right, a telepathic fish and his eight-legged cat, this is a new one. "Well, you can always stay here. But coming with me will get you your answers, and we will be able to help you." I dropped my hand back to my side. "But I can't force you to come with me." Reis wouldn't be happy with me leaving an undocumented veiler in the city, but it wouldn't be the first time I had made a field decision that one was no danger. Calu took a moment and then nodded, * I will come with you to this 'office' * "Great! Follow me." I led the way out to my old Toyota. Calu followed me out of the house; I could tell that he was scanning the whole area. I wonder how different his own dimension was then mine. I always loved to hear about the other veilers' homes. "Climb on in." I opened the passenger door and gestured for him to get in. I may not be able to read his fish face, but his body language told me he had no clue what this thing that I was telling him to get into was. Calu slowly got into my car, clutching his cat. I got a random flash of his fear that the car door would slam shut. That he would be trapped and eaten by the strange beast I had told him to climb into.  I gave him what I hoped he would view as a reassuring smile as I closed his door and hurried to my side and got in. Once I was in the car, I felt relief flowing from him. The strange beast would probably not be going to eat him if I was getting in it as well. "Ok, when I turn the car on, it is going to be loud but don't be scared." I told him, "It's just the engine starting." He nodded slowly, clutching Kuki on his lap, its eight legs all bent up under itself. Even with my warning, he still jumped a bit when the roar of the engine started. He tightened his hold on the cat his in lap, and it let out a low growl in protest. He loosened his grip and patted the cat on its head in the way of apology. "Tazzi, you better have that veiler all ready to go." Reis's voice came over my com again, sounding harried; he even didn't stop for me to respond. "We have breeches all over the city. There isn't time for you to come back to the office. Head over to Kozak's diner. He has something locked up in his freezer." "Ok, we are headed over there now." I had to hide a laugh at Calu's look of fright at the sound of Reis's disembodied voice over the com. "I have a telepath with me that will need a proper home that accepts pets." "Of course, you would. Any other impossible tasks you want to throw at me tonight?" With that, Reis disconnected the line. "All right, Calu, let's go find who else is new to this city of ours, shall we?" Calu gave me a look that I could not read, but I could feel his acceptance. Calu didn't talk during our drive, but I could feel his wonder at all the different things that he was seeing through the window as we made the short trip to the diner. I wonder how he would react to knowing he was in a different dimension. I wish I had the time to tell him everything now. * Your surface thoughts are very telling ,* Calu said suddenly. * I understand now that I am in a different dimension than my own. * he looked down at his cat * And also that there is no known way for us to get back .* "I'm sorry." There was not really anything else I could say. Our scientists had been searching for years to find out how to return the various veilers to their own dimensions and recover any lost from ours. But try as they might; they still had no idea how the tears in the veil worked. It didn't stop them from doing different experiments to find out. Many people were worried that their attempts might make the veil even more unstable.

The rest of the drive was in silence; soon enough, we were pulling in outside of Kozak's dinner. Kozak was another veiler, but he was human enough. Most people didn't even know he was a Veiler, and he liked it that way. He never really talked about his dimension, but I had gotten the impression that he was glad to have left it behind.

The bells in the entrance jingled when I opened the door to the diner. Inside it looked as though a tornado had torn through the room. The display case that usually sat on the counter was smashed on the ground. All the baked goods that it usually held were scattered on the floor. The rest of the diner was in similar disarray. Kozak was seated at one of the only remaining tables that was still in one piece. The rest of the diner was in similar disarray. Kozak's pet, Skeeter, was joyfully eating all the broken glass and other trash off the floor. Skeeter was one of the veilers that came through that wasn't humanoid. But we had found a job for him here are at the diner eating, well, anything. He was basically a bigger, hungrier dog. Kozak looked up, and at the sight of me, threw up his hands. "Freaking finally! The thing in my freezer chased away all my customers! No one will come back in until you remove that...that behemoth!" "Well, I am here now." I shrugged. "It has been a busy night." He sparred a looked at Calu, who had insisted on coming in with me, obviously decided that Calu was not worth his time and looked back at me, "Where is Elyas? It's not like you to be out alone. Is this…person…your new partner?" "Elyas is laid up. Recovery went bad." "This recovery is going to go bad, mark my words!" Kozak threw his hands up, "Just get that thing out of my freezer!" With that, he stomped out of the diner. Skeeter was prancing out behind him, a broken chair still clenched in his jaws, his thick tail waving happily. "Let's go see this 'behemoth' shall we?" I grinned at Calu. * He is scared.*  Calu tilted his head, * And hungry .* "Can you read everyone…and everything?" I asked him as we headed towards the locked freezer. * Most people I can…read as you say. I can get their surface emotions at the very least .* Calu might make a valuable recovery agent. I should bring that up to Reis when I bring all of my charges into the office. Stopping at the freezer door, I glanced back to Calu to make sure that he was far enough away to be safe if this did go as wrong as Kozak had predicted. The creature might just be scared enough to do something dangerous. Elyas would have told me that I should have brought some sort of weapon, but I've found weapons to just make the situation worse. Scared veilers and the threat of violence rarely ended well. Elyas' busted leg as case in point. A blast of cold air when I opened the freezer door sent shivers down my spine. That shiver got stronger when I caught sight of the veiler that was locked within. The being was seven, maybe eight feet tall; even in the freezer's six-foot ceiling, he was being forced to hunch over. He was almost shaped more like an overly large bear mixed with a crocodile. He was clutching the remains of what looked like a donut in his front claws. The donut crumbs on his scaly face made me laugh. At the sudden noise from me, he retreated further into the freezer, whimpering and pulling his long tail tight along his body.  "Shh.. it is ok. We aren't going to hurt you." I held up my hands, trying to soothe him; when my hands came up, he squealed and pushed himself further into the freezer. I quickly dropped my hand. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." This was as good as time as any to see if Calu would make a good agent; maybe his telepathy could get through to the obviously scared giant. I looked over to the fish in question, "Can you tell him we won't hurt him?" Calu nodded and looked at the giant figure. After a few moments, the being's green eyes opened back up and looked at us. Calu started to slowly approach him. When he got within arm's reach, he reached out his hand towards the frightened veiler. *His name is Hachie.* Calu said *He says he is five cycles old. He would like some more of these sugared pastries and also out of this cold box.* "We can do that. I saw some unsmushed donuts on the counter." I said, "And I would like to get out of the freezer too." Calu slowly reached up and took Hachie's finger. Hachie's hand was easily three times the size of Calu's. Together we all carefully exited the freezer and came back into the central area of the diner. Kozak was back in the building, sweeping up what little debris that Skeeter had not eaten. When he saw us come out of the back, his eyes got wide. "That…thing is even bigger than I remember." "That 'things' name is Hachie. He is just a kid." I had forgotten how much I didn't like Kozak. For a veiler, he was remarkably intolerant to any beings that looked different to him. If they couldn't pass as humans, they were just things to him. Less than things, if I was being honest. So that I wouldn't be tempted to smash Kozak's face in, I turned to the donut box and retrieved it from the counter, took one out, and handed it to Hachie. Hachie made happy purring noise as he took a surprisingly small bite of the pastry. "Are you going to pay for those?" Kozak was glaring at me down his nose. "Consider it payment for removing Hachie from your freezer." I didn't give him time to respond as I headed for the exit. Getting Hachie out of the diner required him to do some creative stretching that I was glad I didn't need to attempt. But we got him out without further damaging the building. I rewarded him with another donut. Outside, I realized we had a bigger problem. There was no way he would ever fit in my small, beat-up Toyota. "Hey, Reis," I said, opening a com line. "You better have that veiler out of the freezer." Reis's voice was as impatient as ever. "I do, but there is a problem."  "That is the name of the game, hit me." "He is an eight-foot-tall five-year-old veiler." There was a long beat. "Right. I will have Wally there with a truck as soon as I can." * Hachie will require more pastries. * Calu showed me the rapidly emptying donut box. "Have Wally pick up some donuts, will ya? The kid loves them." "Don't we all." Reis laughed, and then the click of the com told me that he had disconnected. I sat on the hood of my car, watching the telepathic fish creature take his eight-legged cat out of my car to show the eight-foot toddler who was still munching on some donuts. I had to laugh; I guess that was really the thing about this city. It could still surprise me even after all of these years.