*****
Checking the remaining three seismic sensor stations Uncle Jeff had on his maintenance list took until early afternoon and by the time they were pulling back onto Crystal Road it was just after 2pm. The only conversation after finding the smooth green stones at the bottom of the midden had been about the Old One’s. Uncle Jeff regaled the boys with the local legends passed down by tribal elders and an eyewitness account of a mother at Ruby Creek who escaped the family farm with her children when an Old One approached and ransacked her home and storage shed. Legend said that if you saw an Old One it would be best to simply run the other way but if it caught you not to struggle, lest the Old One crush you by accident. It was said that an Old One had reddish blond hair about three to four inches long and stood a foot taller than Uncle Jeff’s six foot eight inches. It could move through the bush much stealthier and faster than any man and that some sensed an Old One’s presence by detecting a slight odor of skunk or wet dog.
“Do you think the Old One’s are gathering these stones into piles, Uncle Jeff?” Ricky asked as they climbed out of the truck as it came to a stop in their driveway.
“Yeah, how did you know there would be stones at the bottom of that midden?” added Lex.
“Good questions,” conceded Uncle Jeff, “it was just a guess digging to the bottom of that midden. The explanation for that pile of mussel shells has gnawed at the back of my mind ever since I found it. When Ricky told us of his encounter and showed us that pile of smooth red stones up on the ridge it occurred to me that it could be a marker of some kind."
“ So what’s the deal with the different stones then?” Lex wondered.
“Well they are more the same than different,” replied Uncle Jeff taking the two stones from his pockets and placing them on the kitchen table. “
“Ricky, go get your red stone and let’s look at them, all together,” Uncle Jeff said taking off his jacket.
By the time Uncle Jeff had sat down at the table with Lex, Ricky was bounding down the stairs to set four stones on the table, “here ya go, Uncle Jeff.”
“What? How come there are four,” Uncle Jeff looked at Ricky, surprised and concerned. “You haven’t been back there?”
“Oh no, this is the original one and I picked up these two red ones when we were back there the other day with you. And this purple one I found in the doghouse, yesterday,” Ricky quickly pointed out his collection.
“In the doghouse?” Uncle Jeff looked puzzled.
“Yeah, the one at the back of the yard,” Ricky continued, “I was out back and looked in the doghouse and found that purple stone, but it was warm”
“Still warm and in the doghouse,” Uncle Jeff repeated. “I am not sure I like the implications of that revelation, Ricky. You need to tell me right away if you find any more stones or see anything unusual. Do you understand?”
“Sure, no problem, Uncle Jeff,” Ricky didn’t really see the big deal.
“OK, so we have smooth red brick stones roughly the same size as your fist,” Uncle Jeff began working on the evidence pushing the thought of a stone so close to the boys’ house to the back of his mind for the time being. “And we have smooth purple and smooth pale green stones about the same size as the red stones. Other than being worn smooth and about the same size, the other thing they have in common is that they are all made of lava.”
“So what do you think it means?” Lex asked.
“Well, I have never heard of any animal that makes piles of stones in the bush. These piles could mark trails and the different colors could have different meanings. Maybe different colors are used by different family groups or indicate different types of food are available in that area. I don’t know what it means, it’s a mystery.”
Chapter 5: And So It Begins
A Guest for Halloween: A Lex & Ricky Mystery Page 7
