Relics and Runes Anthology

by Heather Marie Adkins

  “You two trying to scare off the neighbors?” Michael O’Kelly is a good-looking man with reddish-brown hair, green eyes and a thick red beard. His strong build suggests that he takes good care of himself and must work out at either a gym or at home.

  Taking his time to join them is Thomas Darsmin. A mix of British and Russian. His blue-green eyes against pale skin with a thick black beard makes him distinguished. “You could have tried to persuade that lovely jogger to stay a bit.”

  “I should slap you.”

  “It’s not in your nature, dear.”

  “A little polite conversation is good. We are going to be living with these people. I don’t want a repeat of our old neighborhood,” Michael says.

  “Are you more concerned with us having friends here or did you want that jogger to stay around longer so you could admire her ass better?” Melanie asks the two men.

  Michael and Thomas walk down to the end of the driveways, admiring the forest. They are mere steps away from it.

  “That is something.” Michael admires the view a little too much.

  “Good spot for fishing, eh?”

  “Among other things, my friend.”

  “They will be gone for hours. That gives us time to re-decorate,” Melanie says.

  “Indeed. I have many plans.”

  “Why don’t we send over for the family jewels to pay for the improvements?” Michael says.

  “Don’t start that again. The same could be said for your friend Thomas here.”

  Michael sighs and looks into the sky. “I wonder sometimes how our ancestors were friends when it’s clear they only produce irritating descendants.”

  “Right. Don’t listen to the wives.”

  “We are going to check out the ocean,” Arianna says.

  Two children run out of the O’Kelly’s house.

  “Wesley, be careful with Andrea,” Arianna says.

  Wesley Darsmin is eight years old and looks every bit like his mother. Except his eyes are blue-green.

  Andrea O’Kelly is four years old and is a good blend of her mother and father. Her eyes are incredibly dark-blue. She runs for her mother. She trips over her own two feet. Wesley quickly picks her up and brushes off dirt from her yellow sundress.

  “I’m always careful with her. It’s her that isn’t careful,” Wesley says, holding onto Andrea’s hand. His tries his best to sound posh British but America has faded his accent a little. “Can I take Andrea to the lake?”

  “What lake?” Arianna asks.

  “There is a lake inside the forest.”

  Arianna looks at Melanie, who nods her approval. “A few minutes. Don’t linger long.”

  “You know how she likes to play with ripples, so don’t let her too close to the water,” Melanie says.

  Wesley leads Andrea towards the bridge.

  “They are just too cute together,” Melanie says.

  “We could arrange a marriage between them.”

  “My son isn’t marrying your daughter, Mel. He is going to be a bachelor for the rest of his life.”

  The wives laugh. “I bet it’s because you are afraid of becoming a grandfather,” Arianna teases.

  Melanie gives Arianna a grim look.

  Wesley and Andrea walk onto the bridge. The fact that not a single resident is outside to even catch a glimpse of the newcomers, worries him. It shouldn’t. It’s a peace of mind moment. Not for him apparently.

  “Wesley, lemme go.”

  “You will do well to listen to me.”

  If he were eighteen and she were fifteen, they’d be having a lengthy conversation about crushes, first kisses, first time everything. Being around each other this long, they have established a strong friendship. Maybe she sees him as more of a brother. Maybe he sees her as more of a pain in the ass than a friend. If he were twenty-five and she twenty-one, they might be doing more than talking. But they are just children and, where he sees himself as her protector, the prospect of them being together one day is on his mind.

  He indulges in her need to be free. She runs a little of the way and then stops. She turns and puts out her hand to him. He runs up to her and takes her hand. She points to the sound of a stream. He lifts her up and sits her on the stone railing. She points down at the fish jumping. She claps merrily. He spots a pink flower with white speckles on it that has grown around the bridge. He picks it. Hands it to her. She sniffs it and then puts it into her mouth. He pulls it away before she can eat it.

  “Andrea, you can’t eat every flower you see.”

  “I don’t like you, Wesley Darsmin.”

  “You will get over it.”

  “Closer.”

  He knows he shouldn’t but he can’t refuse her everything.

  They walk all the way back to the start of the bridge from where they entered. A path leading into the forest is clear enough. He walks her down towards the edge of the stream. She spots turtles and gets very excited. She crawls on her hands and knees to reach them. He grabs her. The turtles turn their heads to her, almost nod, and then flop into the water. He watches her watching the water. Something magical about the way the two look at each other.

  “Andrea, it’s time to go.”

  She smiles at the water.

  “Andrea?”

  She stares deeply into the water.

  He pulls her back into his arms. “Don’t you ever look into the water like that again. I’ve told you this before.”

  “Okay, Wesley.” She hugs him. “But the smiling man is in there.”

  “The smiling man? Who is the smiling man?”

  She shrugs her shoulders.

  “Andrea, you tell me right now who the smiling man is?”

  “I don’t know.”

  As they walk back towards their homes Wesley notices all the neighbors from the left side are gathered on Abigal’s lawn and are staring at him or at Andrea. He quickens their pace. They go into Andrea’s house. Their parents, alarmed by Wesley’s concerned look, turn and see their neighbors at the end of the driveways.

  Gordon is the first to speak. His bandana stays close to his face, leaving only his eyes exposed. “I’m sorry we didn’t get to properly talk when I let you in.”

  “Are you okay?” Michael asks, pointing to his own face.

  “Oh, this.” Gordon lightly touches the bandana. “I am old, we get sick faster than the young. I’m a little sick now.”

  Abigal’s fidgety behavior makes Arianna uncomfortable.

  “We’re happy to meet you all,” Thomas says.

  “This isn’t all of us. There are those on the right side, but they don’t matter,” Darma says.

  “I think we are all wondering the same thing. What made you choose Coral Gardens?” Gordon asks.

  Wesley brings Andrea outside but doesn’t let her get far from him. He remembers the man that greeted them and this Gordon Peters is not the same person. This one is old. “Mother.”

  “Mr. Peters, this is my son Wesley.”

  Andrea scurries along to her mother. “And this is my daughter Andrea.”

  “I heard from a friend of mine that Coral Gardens is the best place to move to out here in the Hamptons. We looked at plenty of other places, but Zack insisted on us coming here. I need the relaxation,” Thomas says.

  “After the pictures that Zack took of this place, I was sold,” Michael says.

  “Pictures? How did your friend get these pictures? This is a gated community. You can’t just waltz in here like the air,” Gordon says. Then he thought he knew how. Jack set this up. Gordon grips the side of his head. It’s more than feeling lightheaded.

  “Are you all right, sir?” Melanie asks.

  “Would you like to come inside and sit for a while?” Arianna asks.

  “No, I am fine. There are some things you weren’t told about this place and I feel you need to know about them sooner rather than later.”

  Everyone scatters into their homes, except Abigal.

  “What things?” Michae
l asks.

  “I’m intrigued,” Thomas says.

  “Each month, each week, we are exposed to four different cycles. Only one is enjoyable as far as I know.”

  “None of it is enjoyable.” Abigal wipes down her hands onto her pants.

  The two families are getting very confused.

  “Maybe it’s better that we talk about this another time. Welcome to Coral Gardens.” Gordon walks home as quickly as his frail body will let him.

  “We should see him home. He doesn’t look good,” Melanie says.

  “I think he’d find that insulting,” Michael says.

  “I will see him home,” Abigal says. As she runs after Gordon, she looks back at the wives. Almost like she is begging them to help her. Not with Gordon, but with what plagues this community.

  “We made a mistake coming here. These people are lunatics,” Arianna says, grabbing Wesley and holding him close to her. “I say we go back home.”

  “To England or upstate?” Thomas asks.

  Michael holds onto his wife and daughter. “We’ll give it a week. Let’s see what happens.”

  Abbey walks up and down the road contemplating her next move against the newcomers. Before she can make a decision, a guy jumps in front of her.

  “Mark, you scared me.”

  Wesley runs down past her and heads towards the bridge. Abbey can’t help looking at Wesley.

  “Yeww, staring at the kid,” Mark Dogton says. He is very tall and very lanky. The wind comes around him and he looks like a string bean just flopping around in the air. “What’s so special about him?”

  “Mark, go away.”

  “Hey, about tonight. I was thinking that maybe we could meet up before the moon comes out. That way we don’t risk others finding us.”

  “Yeah, sure.”

  “Great. I’ll see ya later.” He gives her a sweet little punch on the arm then runs into his house.

  Her curiosity has been piqued. She must know what Wesley is up to. She walks to the bridge. She wavers crossing it. Only Gordon frequents the bridge. It’s rare that any of the others can take part in its beauty.

  Suddenly, Andrea runs towards Abbey and crashes into her.

  “Andrea, apologize.”

  Andrea hides behind Wesley.

  “She’s a darling little girl.”

  “She’s a terror. She is skittish around people she doesn’t know.”

  “Oh. I’m Abbey.”

  “Wesley Darsmin.” He brings Andrea out from behind him. “Say hello to the nice girl.”

  “Hi,” Andrea says in the sweetest little voice ever.

  “I love your name, Andrea.”

  “My father can have your head chopped off if you displease me.”

  “Andrea!” Wesley reprimands her with a smack to her hand. She cries for all of two seconds.

  “You struck her?”

  “It’s nothing. She knows better to act so rude. She’s being very disagreeable today. I think the move has unsettled her.”

  “You are allowed to strike her?”

  “Her parents and mine grew up together. Much like me and Andrea. We are practically siblings. Practically.” He ponders about that for a second then dismisses it.

  “Hey, what are you doing, Abbey?” a muscular surfer dude of a man says.

  “Jacob? Do you realize that Mark has been so worried about you? Where have you been? Where are the other six people that went missing?”

  “I’m excited about tonight. First night for me as well.” He looks over at Andrea. “Who is this little girl? One of the new people?”

  “Jacob, don’t be a pervert.” Abbey smacks his hand.

  “See you tonight, Abbey. I look forward to it.” He walks away.

  “I don’t understand. Where has he been?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Seven people were… Seven people went missing. He was one of them. It’s the largest amount of people to go missing during the full moon.”

  “The full moon makes you run away or something?”

  “I can’t explain it. But he shouldn’t have been one of them to begin with. The cycles don’t affect those that are under sixteen.”

  Jacob comes back. “I forgot to mention that I talked to Mark and we are all hanging out on the beach tonight. We are staying away from the homes. Bring your friends.”

  “They are children. They will be spared.”

  “They’ll be put in the cave then.”

  “The cave?” Wesley asks.

  “Say, kid, is this little girl your girlfriend?”

  “Jacob, they are children. They don’t do relationships.”

  “I bet that you love her, don’t you?”

  Wesley is inclined to respond. Something about Jacob’s voice triggers a memory. “She is like a sister to me.”

  “I bet that your parents have an arranged marriage for you two.”

  “They would never be that cruel.”

  “What do you say, little girl? Will you ever marry this boy?”

  Andrea sticks out her tongue.

  “There’s your answer, Jacob.”

  “How lovely it will be to see how wrong you are, one day,” Jacob says. He walks away for good this time.

  “Jacob is just an idiot.”

  “There is something familiar about him.” Wesley rubs his chin.

  Andrea tugs on his shirt.

  “Yes, we will head home.”

  “I need to tell you about the cave. Before the moon comes out, all the people underage will be collected and taken to this cave inside the forest there. It’s by this giant lake that is actually individual pools of water made to look like one giant body of water.”

  “I’m not going into a cave.”

  “You must. You’ve already upset the cycle by moving here. You are not like us and never will be.”

  Wesley holds on tight to Andrea for she sees a butterfly and wants it.

  Abbey gives a half smile then walks away.

  “Andrea, you better stay by my side until I find out what is going on here.”

  “Okay, Wesley.”

  “Let’s get back home. I can check out what I wanted to another time.”

  The forest delivers strange sounds that Wesley seems to recognize. Click. Clang. Clicking like a clock. Clanging like pots banged against each other. He turns and leaves the bridge with her close to him.

  “Andrea,” a voice whispers.

  Andrea looks and then tries to get away from Wesley. He keeps a firm grip on her.

  Andrea gets free of Wesley and heads over the dunes. Wesley follows. She plops down on the other side and looks out at the ocean. He enjoys the view as well. Maybe more than she does. He sits down next to her.

  “Andrea, we need to be careful here. We don’t fit in with these people.”

  “The smiling man. The smiling man. I want to see the smiling man.”

  “Andrea, enough about the smiling man. * *

  Darkness creeps in. The moon appears.

  The right side of the road is quiet. No lights, no movement.

  On the left side there are lights on in every room. People come out of their homes taking off their clothes and running around with each other naked.

  Abbey is sitting by the window in her bedroom waiting for Mark’s signal. Without knowing what to expect, she doesn’t know if something physical takes over or if it’s all mental. She starts to pace back and forth. Her hands getting sweaty.

  Noise from downstairs peaks her interest.

  She finds her mother and father in each other’s embrace. Their kissing and grabbing each other’s naked bodies makes her sick to her stomach. She runs back upstairs. Into the bathroom. She lurches over the toilet and out comes her dinner. “Oh, God, please don’t let me do this.”

  She puts her mouth under the faucet and turns on the water hard. She rinses a few times, then decides to brush her teeth. If her and Mark kiss, she doesn’t want a vomit taste or smell coming through. She gives her face a qu
ick splash and then goes back to her bedroom window. “Where are you, Mark?”

  A tiny light pops up from the end of the driveway. She walks out of her room and comes downstairs. Her parents must have went into their bedroom. She runs out of the house before she catches sight of her parents naked again.

  The air is different. Night air is always different from day air, but it’s something else. As she breathes in the night air, the change begins.

  Her legs feel weak but strong enough to run for days. Her nipples grow hard. She looks over at Mark who is staring down at his pants. He approaches her and tries to grab her.

  “Abbey?”

  She is desperate to feel his lips on her lips. The hungry look in their eyes takes over. They fall into each other’s arms and experience their first kiss.

  “Let’s go into the ocean,” he says.

  He runs down the road. She follows.

  Mark and Abbey find the other teenagers on the beach taking off their clothes and jumping into the water. Mark looks at Abbey with uncontrollable lust, yet he is maintaining control.

  “I’m not going into the water naked.”

  “It’ll be fun.” He kisses her. He starts taking off his clothes.

  “Wait. Mark, you know this is wrong. We shouldn’t be doing this.”

  It’s hard for her to fight these urges she has for him. There are parts of him that she hoped to never see. He runs right into a wave and begins splashing with the others. She fiddles around with her clothes, almost taking them off. “No. I won’t give in.”

  The pain starts in her head and travels down. She goes down to her knees and begs to be freed. She feels a hand on her shoulder. She looks up and sees Mark. He is still naked.

  “You know what happens now, right?” he says.

  She looks around and notices that everyone is out of the water. But they aren’t far from her. They are doing things that she can’t allow herself to do. “It isn’t right. No, Mark.”

  “Don’t fight it.”

  “I said NO!” She runs.

  She comes over the dune and finds Wesley sitting outside on his front porch.

  “Abbey.”

  “You shouldn’t be out here. Terrible things are happening. Why aren’t you in the cave?”