October 1st
Dear god, I can't believe it is him! I would recognize that face anywhere. He is noticeably older than when I last saw him. His sharp jawline has dulled, and his forehead has grown wrinkled. Father’s hair has turned grey, a far cry from how sandy it once used to look. His anger seems to have faded a little bit, and in his eyes there is nothing that has taken its place. There is an emptiness, a faraway stare, and there! That glint of anger! As his eyes swept over me back to the manor and over to the forest behind it, he seemed to be briefly taken over by rage. His jaw tightened and I could once again see that harsh jawline that defined my youth. I saw, only for a moment, a burning fire in his eyes, then his eyes returned to meet my gaze and his face softened.
This certainly is a mix of emotions, I cannot believe he returned yet I do not know if I want him here. He was absolutely ecstatic to travel the world, I cannot understand why he suddenly decided to return. I have been fine without him for the last 8 years.
He shows up out of nowhere, the day of the yearly hunt. Surely he is up to something.
Father wanted to join the hunt and even brought with him a fancy Brunswick rifle to use. We leave in less than an hour. And I swear I can feel a strange aura emanating from him too.
I suppose he is using this as an opportunity to talk, away from other people. He will likely be angry at me for not having done anything with my life up to now. He has no Idea what I am on the verge of discovering.
Furthermore, he has shown up with a maid to help manage the household. He introduced her as Charlotte. Thankfully I have already hidden my stuff. But, now I have another person to keep secrets from. It wouldn’t have been much of an issue, as I was already prepared for a guest, but I must act under the assumption that she will be staying.
October 1st
I was wrong. My father was not disappointed. In fact, he did not even express his annoyance at my reluctance, even refusal, to enlist in the British army. I must admit, I am rather perplexed, when I was a young lad he told me countless times what I should be when I am grown, yet now that I am grown, and now that he has returned, he has not said a word. No, for instead, all he has done is ramble on and on about his adventures. He told me much about his time in China during the war, and I suppose something must have happened while he was there because it changed his perspective. I do not notice a difference however, he is still the same old man, unburdened by the responsibilities he should otherwise be expected to bear. He is still just as impulsive and quick tempered as ever. I even learned that he gave up his favorable position aboard his own ship, in the middle of the war, in order to join the army, and then raised quite a ruckus when he was then enlisted at the lowest rank.
October 1st
I have learned something astounding! As we were field dressing a deer, father was rambling on about the strange and wondrous beasts of Chinese mythology and folklore. I would not say he “regaled me” with tales, but he did convey a large quantity of information about spirits and demons. I was fascinated by what he told me. Wondrous stories of gods and beasts that once roamed the land. I must wonder how many strange beasts have been found already, recorded in legend and myth across the world. How many are real and how many falsified through hyperbole? Perhaps one day I shall travel the world and seek out those monsters myself. I will make use of Father’s connections to learn as much as I can about the myths that contain legendary creatures.
We are almost done with the hunt and will be returning to the manor soon.
October 1st
I suppose I should write something… I do not know what to say. I feel empty, almost. Why did he return? I grew up without him for much of my life, what changed his mind? I suppose I am in disbelief. I cannot fathom what must have gone through his mind. Father has always been boisterous, impulsive, and reckless. Now it seems like his reckless streak has finally dimmed and he has gotten quieter, perhaps more pensive. Several times during dinner, he stopped talking abruptly, and he was sitting in the study staring out the window, deep in thought. He feels a little bit different.
Father and I came back from the hunt, cleaned up the animals, and prepared to make the biggest one into a trophy with a wall mount. We cooked some of the meat and began curing the rest. It is one of the few times every year when we cook. In the past, I have cooked with the chef and maids, but today we only worked with the cook and Maryanne.
October 2nd
I likely will not be able to go out during the day anywhere near as often as before. Father’s return has really upset the normal routine of my day. Today I was dragged with Father and Maryanne to a park not far from our estate. Throughout the duration of the trip, Father and Maryanne talked about stories of past summers. Meaningless nonsense, really. I do not remember what they were talking about nor do I care to try. When we arrived at the park, Maryanne and Father went on a slow stroll and did not notice that I slipped away. I walked through the field, away from them, and began to look around. I must note that it was rather peaceful, until I could have sworn I saw something… it made me uneasy, something felt dreadfully wrong about it as my eyes glanced over it. I did a double take and looked back but it was gone. I am not even sure of what I saw.
October 3rd
Yesterday we returned home and I began to wonder about what I had seen. I cannot be sure of its existence because the second I looked at it again, it was gone. I have decided to ignore it for the time being, if it is a monster that does exist, I can confirm its existence later.
October 4th
Today was a boring day for me, I was unable to do my usual business and had to stay inside for much of the day. However, when it became afternoon, I took my opportunity to exit the manor and go into the forest for a significant amount of time. I did not find anything, but I also did not go deep into the forest. I cut firewood and brought it back to the house.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Father seems…strange. I could not say what about him is quite different, but he feels a little bit quieter…
October 5th
Once again avoiding Father, today I went out into the town. I did not do much today, mostly just wandered around. Somehow though, I feel tired. I will return home and attempt to learn about Charlotte.
Charlotte is of average height, her looks are nothing special, but she does seem to possess a certain stubbornness. She was working in one of Father’s homes in Paris, but he returned there after the war and then they came home. She is tight lipped about her past, but I have been able to learn that she has a love for literature. Even though she cannot read very well, she enjoys listening to stories. Oddly enough, she can read and write fluently in French, even though she has not lived there very long. She is older, reaching the end of her 20s, I would guess.
October 6th
Today I returned to the same place as yesterday and again began to feel tired. I also developed an aggressive headache and quickly left the area.
I went to the library this afternoon once I had returned home. I think I may know what is causing the drowsiness and headaches, but I must look for more information.
It is possible that it could be the effects of carbon monoxide. I found the book I was searching for in the library and after reading through it several times, I am convinced. However, I must admit, I am puzzled. Perhaps I just have a limited knowledge of how it is produced, but I doubt there was a source for it at the spot I began to feel its effects. I will return tomorrow and search for a possible origin. What is this “carbon monoxide”? It is a gas, but what else? I do not quite understand it. How is it different from air? Why is it not visible? And what about it causes such symptoms?
October 7th
I returned today to the spot I had visited the past few days. Unfortunately, or perhaps, fortunately, I did not experience any of the symptoms. It must have dissipated over time while I was gone. I still searched for a potential source, but there was nothing that I could see that could result in excessive amounts of carbon monoxide, or indeed, any at all. This is rather strange. What could cause it if not a normal source? What even constitutes a normal source?
On another note, Father met with an old fellow over tea. He did not introduce himself. Rather odd, but I do not much care, it is only MY BLOODY HOUSE! I have no control over who can come and go now because Father is here now and he is inviting strangers into my home!
October 8th
Father spent much of the afternoon drinking tea with the strange man from yesterday. Growing weary of the conversation, I left rather early to go into the forest. I took both of my journals and a small bag as well as rope and took a horse to a forest away from my house, perhaps 3 to 4 miles away. There, I tied my horse to a tree and set off into the forest. There, I discovered a hedgehog. It was rather large, perhaps the biggest I have seen, and its spikes, which should have been white and black, were instead covered in something red and blue. I chased it down and managed to corner it inside a hollow log. In there, I was able to grab it and tie some rope around one of its feet so it would not escape.
I could then look at the hedgehog and make a clear description of everything I saw. The hedgehog had almost like a slimy substance on it, which got on my hands when I was holding it. There was what seemed like blood, only it was blue, and the aforementioned slime was of a reddish-purple color. The blood…? It smells much like blood, but it is blue. What could have done that? I cannot think of anything it could be from. The blood, forgive me, I do not know what else to call it, was on the tips of the spines, whereas the slime was below that and had a much higher volume present. Thinking that the slime could have been produced by the hedgehog, due to the high quantity of it, I wiped clean an area of its body and waited. However, as the hedgehog struggled, no new slime appeared.
I regrettably must release the animal, as there is no indication of it being anything beside the ordinary, despite the strange fluids I found upon it. Additionally, I cannot take it home to study it as Father is likely still talking with the strange man. The sun is beginning to fall close to the horizon, so I must return on my horse.
The horse seemed slightly spooked when I walked out from the forest. I calmed it and rode home. I cut my hand in several places. I think I will begin considering gloves. The gloves should be fairly strong and thick so as to avoid injury from puncture, cut, or burn, if I ever find something similar to the firefox, this would be a necessity to be able to handle it for further examination.
The forest in which I was today is called the Yellow Forest, for reasons I do not know. It is not yellow at all. I should think of a name for the forest behind the manor to be able to distinguish the two, I have only ever referred to it as “the forest”.
October 9th
Today was a boring day for me, I was unable to do my usual business and had to stay inside for much of the day. However, when it became afternoon, I took my opportunity to exit the manor and go into the forest for a significant amount of time. I did not find anything, but I also did not go deep into the forest. I cut firewood and brought it back to the house. I have a growing feeling of unease as each day passes since the 6th. It is a rather curious feeling that I cannot seem to find a reason for. I will stay home for several days to see if this feeling goes away.
October 10th
I have been doing some thinking while shut inside my room. I should begin considering expanding my equipment. A couple metal arm guards and a rope is likely not going to be good enough. I need a way to restrain or capture animals in a way that does not involve traps nor my bare hands. Perhaps a staff with some kind of grabbing arm or claw could work, although I also wonder if it would be possible to engineer a net launcher of some kind to launch a weighted net onto whatever beast it is that I am hunting.
October 11th
As I wrote about yesterday, I need better equipment to be able to capture monsters, but I also need to be able to defend myself against anything strange I encounter. I am not anticipating encountering anything too dangerous, but if I should come across something like the troll, I need to be prepared. I do not have any idea how I made it through that alive. That reminds me, I need to feed the troll again and check that it is still hypnotized. In the meantime, however, I will start off by getting a sturdy hunting knife.
October 11th
It is now close to sunset. I have gotten my hands on a knife that I am confident will last a while. It seems very sturdy although I should do some tests on it. More importantly, Father is sleeping at the dining table. I can quickly go check on the troll.
God that gin smells awful.
October 11th
The troll was not hypnotized! It was in some kind of stupor, but when I eased open the door it awoke and began snarling and reaching towards me with its long arms. It began to scratch my face and down my chest. I shoved it away but it began to push through the door.
Oh, my arm hurts. I was forced to stab it with my brand new knife, how lucky for me. I believe I killed it, sadly. It was quite useful.
AURRGH!! What will I do?? Once Maryanne lays eyes on me tomorrow, she will freak out. I am hiding in the cellar right now as the house has not yet settled down for the night, the maids are still working on cleaning and we have yet to eat supper.
Perhaps I can get the attention of the butler without attracting the attention of anyone else. I can feel blood dripping down my chest and face. I need to be careful to keep my journal clean of blood.
Blast it! I tried to ask Charlotte, the new maid, to fetch Alistair but instead of simply doing what I had asked, she came towards me. She took one look at me and screamed. If it had been any of the other maids who went to get ingredients from the cellar, this would not have happened! What do I do now? She will be back with the others any second now.