Chapter 2- The Reunion
As Jacque and the guide brave though the harrowing woods, the earth groans beneath them, a low rumble of the earth jolts the guide awake, it collapses on the ground feeling the tremors passing though with its human hands…after a while the guide jumps up and groans
“Hmm…trouble…bait needed…live” …It stops, Jaq can see its beady little eyes scanning the surroundings carefully before finally landing on Jaq. Wide eyed, as if realising something, the ugly bird lets out a shriek, with uncanny speed the bird turns around and darts into the forest…
“what in the world” Jaq blurts out. Something is wrong, this has never happened before, a sound that can frighten the guide which thrives in the forest is not good, I better hide for a while and observe the situation.
The young boy’s eyes scans the surroundings and very quickly in an experienced manner, he rolled his sleeves up and scampered up the widest wisperwhod tree he could find.
“I wonder what caused such a strange noise” he thought
As the rays of the setting sun touched the black trucks of wisperwhod, like a longing lover, a heavy sigh can be heard…echoing throughout the forest. High up upon the branches of a stout yet wide tree sat a small skinny boy. Traces of doubt and worry can be seen on this face.
Was I too worried? maybe it wasn’t anything. Maybe the guide was just over sensitive, after all it’s a monster…who can predict what a monster will do right? Jaq comforted himself, the sun has begun to set yet he still haven’t gathered a single piece of wisperwhod.
At this rate I’m not even going to make it back in time for dinner, Ma is going to be real angry with me this time, unfortunately my ass is really going to bloom tonight... Still…why did the guide run? Surely it cannot be for no reason.
Jaq has always been a curious boy, he knew the area well and was adamant that the guides would never abandon their duty for no reason.
“there must be a reason…
As Jaq pondered, a sudden thought passed his mind. The guides of the forests were known to be prideful…could it be that it thought my cheese wasn’t good enough for him and wanted to teach me a lesson and scare me…yes…that must be it, god dammit I knew monsters can never be trusted just wait till I catch that chicken…but what was that noise? Hmm no matter, it was probably caused by a fallen tree!” Jaq could not help but curse out.
Sigh, what a naïve young boy…wisperwhod is known to be as hard as iron, would a tree who survived the curse of the death god, and blessed by the god of nature be so easy to fell? Naïve, simple minded, stupid…
“it seems I over estimated this chicken, his plot has been foiled, I should get busy with gathering”
As Jaq was about to climb down, in the corner of his eye something seems to have moved, he felt a chill up his spine as cold sweats started rolling down his forehead. would seems as if time had stopped, as he stood there like a frozen statue, his mind froze as if wanting to play dead, hoping that whatever’s behind him would leave him alone.
“Do you really think that the chicken ran away for no reason?” a sweet voice rang out, it carried a playful tone, as if teasing Jaq to turn around, it was a voice of a young girl, its tone filled with a sense of longing and reminiscences, yet like a recording crystal the faint scent of unlife (basically undead tone/flat tone/ unnatural) cannot be masked.
Jaq knew this voice, a distant memory in his mind, the voice of his missing sister, an uncanny voice that seems to be exactly as he remembered 2 years ago.
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“why not turn around? You know its so boring here we haven’t had a proper chat in so loooong, don’t you want to see me?”
Realising that he was not in immediate danger the surge of adrenaline flooding his system dies down, giving Jaq control over his body again.
“you…who are you, your voice sounds familiar, yet I can tell something is lacking” Jaq could not help but enquire about the strange voice, he has heard of monsters that prey on children by tempting them so he dared not turn around for it is said that as long as one does not stare into the eyes of these creatures known as Dryads, they hold no power over you.
“I’m not a Dryad you fool…get that though your numskull”
Jaq was shocked. This creature can read minds?? If not a Dryad, is this another monster? What sentient creature would be so bored for them to wander into the outer layers of the forest? Jaq curiosity peaked, and he could not help but steal a quick glance at the creature. But before he could turn his head the playful voice laughed.
“ha…you scoundrel…when I tell you to look you don’t look…not I tell you not to look, you actually dare to peek at this maiden, what a coward, you don’t even have to balls to take a look? well this miss wont entertain you anymore…humph”
…The young boy turns his head only to see that nothing, but air stared back at him…his mind blanks out, the creature is nowhere to be seen.
This…right now Jaq was seething…
“Waaaah…do you mean I don’t want to look, if it wasn’t that this grandpas body was frozen into a popsicle I would have instantly looked…if it wasn’t to all the dangers and negative rumours which caused this grandpa to mistaken you for a Dryad you think I would be scared huh, what do you mean I’m a coward. Do you have the guts to appear in front of this grandpa right now?” Jaq bloodshot eyes glinted with a fierce light, trying to stabilise his raging emotions he took a few deep breaths and muttered
“If the tiger doesn’t show his prowess, people will think I’m a sick cat. Let today be a lesson for you, don’t mess with I Your Fa..”
“hmm…you called?” the playful voice said
A young girl appeared from thin air right in front of Jaq, she wore a tattered blood stained white dress with a ripped hole down her chest. Looking at her chest Jaq face instantly bleached, he could not help but tremble, his knees felt weak as he collapsed on the wide branch. Shuffling back as far as he could, he curled into a ball holding his head and started praying. The girls rib cage has be spread like a pair of wings, spreading as wide as possible (Viking torture method called the blood eagle), inside her chest cavity was nothing, not even a heart can be seen.
The girl, who was floating beside Jaq seems to have noticed his pale face, nodded with a sense of understanding.
“Ah you must be thinking, where my heart. The answer is quite simple…”
The girl lifts her delicate hand and grasps her hair, she then opens her skull, reaches in…and removes a still beating heart...
“I normally keep it in here, damn heart keeps falling out” the girl said a matter of factly
“who are you…” Jaq finally speaks, it was a quite whisper, no longer containing the sass he displayed earlier. Just these words seem to have drained the remaining energy he had, the words trembled and shook in the air, only a whisper could be hear.
“Me? I’m your sister…has your brain gone to mush? Look at me I haven’t changed a day”
“what. Are you?” Jaq having recovered from the initial shock how looked at the girl carefully. He couldn’t help but suck his breath in. indeed she was exactly like she was that day. When the village priests preformed the ritual, and took her heart and brain.
“you should go back to the village, ma will scowl you, it’s getting late…won’t be safe here in the forests with the full moon out” the girl changes the subject.
“what about you sis? Come back with me least ma will know you still as carefree as before” Jaq wanted to say but looking at his grotesque sister the words lay stuck inside his throat.
The girl smiles at Jaq, puts her heart back into her skull and fades into the shadows…
Jaq head was throbbing as a myriad of emotions erupted within him, he hated himself for his cowardly behaviour…this was his sister, she sacrificed herself for the village, let the priests pull her apart…a young girl who just turned 5 suffered so much, was she lonely in the dark forests? All by herself for 2 years? How could he have the guts to shun her…if it wasn’t for her their family would have starved to death… Jaq thought back to the worried expression on his sister’s face as she told him to go back quickly. His heart tightened, Ma was always strict on his studies and his sis was still worried about him even after she died…
Jaq wiped his tears turned towards the village and ran…
“I need to tell ma, sis is still with us…it doesn’t matter if she’s disfigured…we can get used to it…
The silver rays of the moon illuminated the forests, giving it a eerie atmosphere. The hooting sounds of owls, the melody of the wind as they danced around the ancient trunks. Pita pata. A set of light footsteps echo though the dense dark forest.
“Almost there, Ma wait for me…” the boy thought…
End of chapter 2