“We went looking for him. We all went looking for him.” She looked up at him with tear filled eyes. It was the first time he could believe that she felt any real emotion over the loss of her son. “A whole group of us went out looking for him. We went into the woods. Luke always liked to play in the woods. He liked the animals that lived there. He’s always loved animals.”
“So you sent out a search party?” Aaron pressed gently. She was getting lost in the emotion of it. He could tell that he was going to lose her if he didn’t guide her back to the main point. “Did you find anything? Was there any trace of him?”
Grace blinked back the tears that were welling up in her eyes, but it only caused them to stream down her face. “It was terrible. It was horrible what we found.”
He wanted to demand to know what they’d found. He wanted to yell at her and press her for details, but he waited patiently. He waited for her to compose herself enough to continue on her own.
“We found his clothes all around the lake. They were torn and they were bloody. His favourite sweater and his favourite baseball cap were there. He wouldn’t have gone anywhere without them. He wouldn’t have run away without them.” She swallowed the tears that were rising back up and glanced around the room as if realizing for the first time that it was full of people now.
“I shouldn’t be telling you this. I shouldn’t be talking about this.” Her hands flew to her mouth as though she could pull the words she had spoken out of the air and place them back into her mouth.
“Why was none of that in the police report? Why was none of that reported?” He inquired. His voice was impassioned now and he knew that he needed to get himself under control before he made a scene.
“I’m not supposed to talk to you about this. Luke just wandered off. He’ll be back soon.” She nodded her head as she glanced around the room, hastily wiping at the tears that had run down her cheeks. “He’ll come home like every good boy does. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“But what about what you just told me?” He pushed one last time, his voice in a hushed tone so as not to draw the attention of the people in the restaurant.
She shook her head. “I didn’t tell you anything. You didn’t hear anything from me.”
She picked up her knitting and retreated through the doorway to her apartment. He watched the door close and heard the lock click into place.
“What the hell?” He muttered as he turned his attention from the door to the people in the room. The restaurant was completely full now and the teenager was bustling around the room like a pro, taking orders. Aaron had to wonder who was cooking the food if Grace was now in her apartment, but perhaps she had someone else for that as well.
No one gathered seemed to have noticed what had happened at the counter. If they had noticed, they didn’t seem to be making a big deal of it. They all held the same vague expressions that Grace had worn the first time he’d encountered her.
It was unnerving, but he had yet to find anything about Crystal Hill that wasn’t unnerving.
Aaron scanned the crowd. Nothing outstanding presented about any of them. They looked like average people. Their attire ranged from causal work clothes to blue-collar work clothes to business suits. He wasn’t certain what jobs there were in Crystal Hill, but judging by the clientele at the restaurant, those present seemed to range from farmers to lawyers.
Aaron leaned against the counter for a moment longer, taking in the scene before him. He knew that he needed to leave the building and explore the town unescorted, but he wanted to watch the crowd a while longer. He found them oddly fascinating, somehow.
With a heavy sigh, he pushed himself up and headed towards the door. His hand was on the knob when he felt the hand grasp his elbow. He turned and looked into a face filled with freckles, and eyes that lacked all of the vagueness of everyone else in the room.
“There’s a storm coming, sir.” Her voice shook with the words and her grip was firm on his arm. “You should make sure you’re clear of here before it hits.”
His brow creased at her words. “What do you mean?”
But even as he said the words, he watched her face assume the mask of vagueness that everyone sported, and that empty smile pulled at her lips.
“I hope you have a pleasant day, sir. Thank you for visiting.”
He pulled his arm free from her grip, which was now lax. He shook his head as he exited the building and found himself out on the now almost-deserted Main Street. What the hell was going on here?
Chapter 6
A Warning
* * *
His investigation of the town proved to be as fruitful as his first discussion with Grace had been. Everyone seemed to be drinking the water. No one was willing to shed any light on the situation. They were all telling the same story.
Luke Allen had simply wandered away. This was apparently perfectly acceptable behaviour for a 10-year-old boy. And he would come back eventually.
Elder Walford watched him closely as he made his way around the town. He had a feeling that her ever-watchful eyes were part of the reason why everyone was sticking to the narrative.
If he could just get someone alone, as he had with Grace earlier, perhaps he could break through whatever spell they were under. Not that he believed in witchcraft or any such nonsense, but there was definitely something going on here. It was clear that Elder Walford had some kind of control over the people. It was clear that it was not a healthy situation.
He eventually had to throw in the towel when it came to the people of the village. No one was going to speak to him freely. No one was about to give him an honest answer. So, he was going to have to investigate on his own. He would have to find this lake that Grace had referred to, and see if he could do any real investigating work.
It had only taken a few attempts to get someone to point him in the direction of the lake in the woods. The locals seemed to be very reluctant to disclose its location but they also seemed to have no valid reason for not telling him.
It took a little pressing to get the information he’d wanted. It was reassuring that he could do that at least, after coming up with very little information about Luke from the people of the village. At least he could figure out where a lake was.
It was a small victory, but he would take it at this point. He would take any victory at this point.
The woods around the village were denser than he had anticipated, but the few well-travelled paths were clear. It became evident that the locals wandered the woods often enough, though for what purpose he couldn’t be certain.
Perhaps they were hunters. Perhaps there were faming grounds in the woods. Or maybe the people just really enjoyed walking in the forest. Anything was possible, he supposed. He didn’t pretend to understand the people of Crystal Hill.
The more time he spent among them, the more he felt that they were a cult. They most definitely had a cult mentality. It was almost as though they were of one hive mind. It was like something out of a science fiction novel or a horror movie. He was just waiting for the masks to come off. He was kind of hoping he was gone before that happened.
What had that girl meant by ‘a storm is coming’, anyway? He wondered as he continued to walk through the woods. Was she talking about the village or an actual storm? He wasn’t certain if anyone meant what he or she said in Crystal Hill. It was all rather cryptic.
It took him twenty minutes to make it to the lake. Walking in the woods was quite enjoyable, especially after the weirdness of the town. He wished that he could escape the town completely, but he needed to push that out of his mind. He had a mission. He had a job. And he was going to see it through.
The lake wasn’t very big. He didn’t know if it was river fed, or how the water came and went, but he assumed it was used for fishing, assuming there were fish in the body of water. Were it not maintained or stocked, it would quickly run out of its supply.
Perhaps it just existed. Perhaps it didn’t serve a purpose. Mayb
e he was just trying to find a meaning for the body of water in the woods, and maybe it was just that, a body of water.
He shook his head. Crystal Hill was messing with him. It was making him draw lines where there were none. It was making him ponder things he would usually dismiss. Some things just were. Some things didn’t need a larger explanation.
He had just begun his exploration around the shore of the lake when he felt the eyes on him. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck raise, and he turned to see the mop of carrot hair and the freckle-filled face staring at him.
He paused in his investigation and stood up. He’d been crouched down, looking at the shore for any trace of footprints or clothing left from the scene Grace had described.
“What’s your name, girl?” He called over to her and watched her jump like a rabbit at the sound of his voice. He thought for a moment that she might run away, but after a moment of consideration, she took a few measured steps towards him.
“Sally, sir.” Her voice shook as she spoke. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“You keep telling me that, Sally.” He crossed his arms and regarded her closely. “Why shouldn’t I be here?”
“You shouldn’t know about this place. Grace shouldn’t have told you about this place.” She looked at the lake with a hint of fear in her eyes. “You should leave Crystal Hill.”
“And why is that? Do you not want me to find Luke Allen, Sally?” He raised a brow.
“I didn’t do anything to Luke,” she insisted, and there was a hint of panic in her voice. “He’ll come back. He always comes back. He’s not in any danger.”
He considered her words for a moment before replying. “What do you mean ‘he always comes back’, Sally?”
Her mouth clamped shut as she realized her mistake, and her hands flew to her mouth much in the same way that Grace’s had, as though she could pull the words back into her mouth and undo saying them.
“He wanders a lot, is all I meant,” she backtracked, her eyes shifting from side to side. “He’s a curious child. But he always comes back.”
“I don’t think that’s what you meant, Sally,” he insisted, taking a step towards her and watching her take one in retreat. Her eyes were wide with panic now, and she was glancing around herself nervously.
“You need to leave, sir. Before it’s too late for you to leave. That’s all I’m going to say.” She turned on her heel and bolted into the forest.
Aaron thought about chasing after her but he had no hopes of keeping up with someone her age, someone who knew the forest. He was in good shape but he wasn’t that naïve. Plus, it wasn’t as if he didn’t know where to find her. No one left the town, after all.
He ran a hand through his hair and looked back at the lake. He very much doubted that he was going to find anything here. Whatever Grace had seen had been thoroughly disposed of. Whoever was responsible for her son’s disappearance had covered their tracks well.
So he did the only thing he could do. He turned around and headed back towards the village. He needed to write down what he knew. He needed to try to make sense of it, if that was even possible. He needed to see what lead he could pursue next. There had to be something left to dig up. He couldn’t have hit a dead end already. It hadn’t even been a day yet.
He had just made it to the steps of the inn when the first raindrops began to fall, and he heard the rumble of thunder in the distance. Sally had been right, it seemed, a storm was coming. The real question was whether that was really the storm she’d been referring to?
He had a strong feeling it wasn’t.
Chapter 7
A Gathering
* * *
Aaron had never had a problem sleeping through storms, but there was something about that night that had him tossing and turning in the small bed. He lay on his back and stared up at the ceiling. He needed to sleep. If he was going to be remotely useful tomorrow he needed some semblance of sleep.
He grumbled as he rolled onto his side. He wished he were in his other room, not in the inn owned by the creepy mother of the child he was searching for.
The movement across the room caught his attention and had him quickly sitting up in bed. His arms were braced on the edge of the bed as he glared at the apparition across the room.
At first it was simply a wispy figure, no more than light and smoke on the opposite side of the small room. The longer he looked at it, the more it began to take shape into that of a woman, not much younger than he was.
She stood with her hair down wearing a summer dress, her arms hanging loosely at her sides. Her face was drawn into a sombre expression, and she looked at him intently from across the room.
Aaron blinked and pinched his arm. He had to wonder if he was dreaming. Surely he wasn’t in fact seeing a ghost. That wasn’t possible. Ghosts didn’t exist.
He watched as she came towards him, not so much walking as floating in his direction. She made it to the foot of the bed before he reached for the lamp. He watched the figure pause in her approach and, when he flicked on the light, she disappeared completely.
He stared at where she had been frozen at the foot of his bed and let out a shaky breath. Had she really been there? Had he really seen her?
He had to wonder if it was all just part of a dream. Was the storm and lack of sleep finally getting to him? Was the case and the strange village playing with his mind?
He wasn’t sure. He drew a deep breath and tried to calm his racing heart. He needed to sleep. He couldn’t stay up all night staring at the wall across the room, waiting for some figure he may or may not have seen to reappear. It was impractical. It was ridiculous.
He reached for the light and flicked it off again. He curled up on his side and tugged the blanket close around him. The storm was easing off now. It was just rain pattering against the windowpane. The thunder had stopped several minutes before, around the same time he’d noticed the woman.
He squeezed his eyes shut and searched for sleep. His mind refused to calm down as it circled around what had happened during the day and what had happened moments ago.
No matter what, he was going to keep his eyes closed. He needed to sleep. He needed to rest.
He almost jumped out of his skin when he felt the hand touch his hair, and his eyes flew open. Next to the bed stood the woman, her face a great deal clearer now that she was so close.
His breath froze in his chest and he stared wide-eyed at the woman across from him. He could see through her as she drifted from side to side. She was a woman, or had been. That much was clear enough. But now he wasn’t certain what she was.
He supposed ‘ghost’ was the most appropriate term for her. He didn’t want to acknowledge that she was a ghost, or that ghosts were even real. But it was a little hard to deny it given his current circumstances.
Be careful, Aaron.
Her voice floated to him through the night; not really coming from her as much as simply echoing throughout the room.
You are not safe here.
That seemed to be a common theme, he thought as he watched her fade away. People kept telling him that he wasn’t safe in Crystal Hill. People kept telling him to leave.
What exactly did he have to be afraid of? It was just a village. It was a weird village, sure. But they were just people. He was there to find one of their own. What risk could he pose to them? What did they have to fear from him?
He glanced around the room, but he was alone again. Whatever the woman had set out to say, she was done saying it now.
He settled back in the bed and once again forced his eyes to close. He doubted that he would sleep now, after being face to face with a ghost, but he could already feel the fatigue pulling at him.
He was asleep within moments, after the fitful beginning to the evening. All he could hope was that the rest of the night would be calm.
When Aaron woke in the morning, he found a note slipped under his door. He had slept longer than he had intended to, but considering the night
he’d endured, he wasn’t entirely surprised.
He still wasn’t certain that last night had happened. He wasn’t certain that he had seen a ghost or that it had spoken to him. He wanted to believe it was just a dream. That made him feel a little bit better.
But his memory held such a vividness. He could remember every detail of the woman’s face. He could remember the words that she had spoken to him. And yet, he wasn’t positive that she had been real at all.
He crawled out of bed and walked over to pick up the piece of paper that had been slipped under his door. The writing on it was fluid and cursive. It took him a moment to decipher it. It had been a long time since he’d read cursive writing.
* * *
We’d like to invite you to our annual summer solstice bonfire this evening. We hope that you will honour us with your presence. – Elder Walford
* * *
He read it over a second time and pondered over it for a moment. The invitation was nice, but it seemed a little odd considering what was going on in the village. A young boy was missing and they were throwing a bonfire?
Did no one care about Luke Allen? Did no one wonder where the boy was? Or had they all just accepted that he would come back eventually? It seemed like a very passive approach. He expected that such a close-knit community would show more concern.
He folded the note in half and set it on the desk in the room. He needed to get dressed and continue with his investigation. He knew that he was missing something. He just needed to find it.
He glanced at the notes he had made the night before. He had written very little. All that had really come of his day of investigating yesterday was that everyone wanted him gone.
Well that wasn’t entirely true. He glanced at the note. It seemed that Elder Walford seemed very eager for him to stay. But the woman who had approached him in the night, and Sally wanted to see him go. They both seemed to be worried about his safety.
Haunted Happenings Page 35
