by Jon Herrera
“You know, Jake here has been telling me some crazy stories. I know they can’t be true but he thinks you know something about all the missing people.”
“Mom, come on,” Jake protested.
“No, it’s alright, Jake,” said Mr Wilkins. “Well, what are these stories? Maybe we can clear things up for you, Victoria.”
“Oh,” she said. “Crazy things Jake talks about. Monsters and magic things. He’s said that there is a minotaur in the forest and he’s the one capturing people and that Emma knows where all the missing persons are. Of course, that can’t possibly be true, can it?”
“Well, no, of course not,” he said.
“But you know how kids are, Professor Williams—”
“Just William.”
“William,” she repeated. “They believe things and Jake has his hopes up that his father can be found, by Emma no less, while the truth is far from that, and you can imagine how disappointed he will be.”
“I see what you’re saying,” Mr Wilkins said.
Emma also saw what she was saying and she was a little taken aback by it. She wanted to speak up and let Victoria Milligan know that it was all true and that they weren’t just crazy stories. The last thing she would ever want to do was to hurt Jake.
Lucy was staring at her cheesecake, trying to pretend that she wasn’t there. Will seemed on the verge of saying something. Jake had turned red.
“Let me assure you,” Mr Wilkins went on, “Emma has no intention of making up lies and, while she may be telling stories, they are just that. Stories. You know how kids are and their imagination. Emma loves books, especially fantasies, elves and hobbits and all that. But, of course, she knows them for what they are: stories. They aren’t real. They aren’t true.”
As if summoned by his words, outside on the road, clearly visible through the window, a magnificent white unicorn trotted past, its long horn shining brightly in the dying sun.
“Oh, my lord,” Victoria Milligan said and her mouth remained opened.
There were wide eyes all around. Lucy gasped.
“I told you it was true!” Jake said.
“Emma,” Mr Wilkins said and he nodded his head toward the front door. She stood up quickly and ran outside and down the street, giving the creature chase. Jake followed her.
The unicorn wasn’t moving very quickly. It seemed like it was only out and about, enjoying an evening walk down the street, glancing at houses here and there. Nevertheless, it led them all the way to the intersection of Belle Street and Glendale Avenue where it paused to observe the traffic.
Emma and Jake caught up to the unicorn and saw that it was receiving many disbelieving stares from the people in the vehicles that passed by. Emma didn’t know what would happen if someone stopped and approached the animal. She stood in front of the unicorn and tried to speak to it but it didn’t understand her.
“It’s my fault,” Emma said to Jake. “I’ve been learning to speak to them but it takes me a few moments to be able to say anything.”
“We better do something soon,” Jake said.
The unicorn studied her for a moment and then it leaned its head down in what appeared to be a bow.
“Princess,” said the unicorn. “Greetings.”
Emma frowned and shook her head. “I think he has me confused,” she said to Jake. “This could work. He might let me ride him if he thinks I’m a princess. Help me up!”
Jake said, “How do you know what he thinks?”
“He told me.”
“Oh. Of course.”
Jake intertwined his fingers and motioned to Emma to put her foot on them but when the unicorn saw what they were trying to do he lowered himself to the ground. Emma climbed on top and told Jake to do so as well but the unicorn stood back up before he got the chance.
“Well!” was all Jake said.
The unicorn turned his head toward Emma and looked at her with one huge eye. “I am named Titanius, Princess,” he said. “I am honoured to be your steed. Where would you like me to take you?”
Emma pointed back the way they had come and, without hesitation, Titanius rushed down Belle Street toward the forest. Emma took a look back and saw that Jake was running after them, but he was quickly left far behind.
The rest of the dinner party was standing outside in front of the Wilkins residence. They were all looking down toward where Emma and Jake had run off chasing after the unicorn. Some of the neighbours had also come out and they were looking in the same direction. Arnold Thornton, the biology professor next door, was standing at his veranda.
“Was that a horse that just went by?” he said to William Wilkins. “I heard hooves.”
William shrugged. “I don’t think it was a horse,” he said. “But I don’t know.”
They saw what appeared to be a flash of light before they heard the sound of hooves on concrete. It all happened in a moment but there was no doubt about what they saw. The flash took shape and they could see the unicorn clearly as it galloped down the middle of the road. On the unicorn’s back there was a girl who looked just like Emma but she was surrounded by light and her long, white dress glittered in the twilight.
The unicorn and the rider were gone as quickly as they had come. Those who witnessed them were left speechless and some were afraid. On the Wilkinses’ lawn, no one stirred until William Wilkins turned to Victoria Milligan.
“I suppose we have some explaining to do,” he said.
He took them all inside and tried to explain everything.
Emma arrived at Glenridge Forest. The run through the street had been a blur. The unicorn slowed his pace when he entered the cover of the trees.
There was a sudden movement to their left and Emma turned to look just as Domino dropped to the ground from a branch.
“There is something wrong,” he said.
Emma climbed off the unicorn and nodded and waved in an attempt to thank Titanius for letting her ride on his back.
“It is my honour,” Titanius said. “Farewell, Princess. Till we meet again.” With that, he was gone, and he was like lightning.
“Something is wrong,” Domino said again. “The forest is leaking. This is not supposed to happen so soon. I believe we may have been duped. It’s possible that Minotaur has been feigning weakness in order to take us by surprise.”
“What does that mean?” Emma said.
“It means you could be in danger. The world could be in danger and we’re not ready. Not even close.”
“What can I do to help?”
“Absolutely nothing,” Domino said. “You can barely speak, much less fight. It’s likely that it is too late now. We haven’t so much as dreamed up a way to stop him. You must leave now. Go home and stay there and wait for me. I will investigate. Go now. Run!”
Domino leaped back into the trees and he disappeared into the forest. Emma turned on the spot and ran home.
12 Invasion
Saturday. 9:00 AM.
Phillip Matthews, Mayor of Saint Martin, was sitting on one of the outdoor tables outside Marcy’s Cafe. The coffee shop was located on Main Street. At that time of morning, there was little traffic on the street.
The mayor was reading the newspaper and sipping on a cup of black coffee. The weather had turned and the morning was cool. He wore a long scarf over his business suit.
A black car pulled up in front of the cafe and from it emerged the man that Phillip had been waiting for.
“Morning,” he said as he approached the mayor’s table. Doug Peterson, Saint Martin’s Chief of Police, was in his uniform. He was a severe, gray-haired man whose nose looked like it had been broken many times in the past.
“Good morning, Doug,” Phillip said. “Have a seat and please tell me why we’re here.”
“I think we have a crisis in our hands,” Chief Peterson said. “I have a plan and I have people ready to do something about it. All I need is the go-ahead from you.”
“You’re talking about the missing people,” said the mayor.
Doug Peterson nodded. A young waitress came by the table and refilled the mayor’s coffee. Doug asked for a tea.
“There are more reports every day,” he said. “We’ve been doing our best to keep it quiet but you know how things get out. People are especially suspicious now that the construction site is closed.”
Phillip took a long pull from his coffee and looked out onto the street. Saint Martin had always been a quiet town for the most part, except maybe near the university. But even there it was always harmless. Mostly just kids being kids.
“You’ve heard these rumours about monsters, of course?”
“Of course,” Doug said. “That’s just people giving a face to their fear.”
“What do we think is actually happening, Doug?”
“Gangs, maybe. Or some psychos holed up in the forest. Cannibals. Maybe they come out to hunt for food.”
Phillip chuckled. “You know Ottawa is going to want in on this as soon as they get word of it?”
Doug Peterson nodded. “With this plan, it’ll be over and done with before they can muck everything up.”
“We don’t want them interfering with our town.”
“Of course not.”
Phillip motioned for the waitress to come over. “I’m going to get something to eat, Doug. You want anything?”
The Chief of Police shook his head. Phillip ordered Marcy’s specialty: a cinnamon waffle with whipped cream and a cherry on top.
“Thanks, Marianne,” he said to the serving girl.
When she had gone, he turned back to Doug Peterson. “So, Doug,” he said. “Indulge me for a moment. What if there really are monsters in that forest?”
“Cannibals, monsters, whatever they are,” Doug said. “They’re no match for a hundred men with guns.”
10:30 AM.
Lucy Leroux was wandering around the Penhurst Mall. She planned to visit the Wilkins residence in the afternoon but she didn’t feel like sitting at home all day until then. When she was alone, she couldn’t help but miss her parents.
She walked past an ice cream shop near the food court and saw that a woman behind the counter was watching her. It was the third time that she had walked through that area already.
She headed toward the little shop in order to buy something, just a small thing because she wasn’t ever hungry anymore, but then she heard some sort of commotion from around a corner.
Lucy followed the sound and saw a good number of shoppers who were standing around and looking toward a jewelry store. People were coming out from inside it and then running away. They looked terrified.
Lucy moved closer to the store and she saw what she could only describe as goblins. There were six of them and they were breaking the glass displays and taking the jewelry that was inside and putting it into sacks. There was a befuddled security guard standing there while the store manager yelled at him and pointed at the goblins.
It didn’t take long for the creatures to clear the place out. When they were finished, they ran out of the shop and left the mall.
1:00 PM.
The widowed Mrs Welcher was on her lawn watering her begonias when she saw a tiny man come walking up the sidewalk. He was no more than three feet tall. He wore a red hat and sported a long beard.
Mrs Welcher stared as the little man walked to her and tipped his hat. He said something in a language that she couldn’t understand. She could only frown and wave. The little man seemed satisfied and he walked on until he reached one of her garden gnomes.
The little man poked the ceramic ornament and then tilted his head back in laughter. He then turned back toward Mrs Welcher, said something that sounded apologetic, tipped his hat once more, and continued on his way down the street.
5:00 PM.
Out of Glenridge Forest there came a fox. He emerged onto the grounds of the University of Saint Martin and ran across the soccer field until he was near one of the student residences. A group of students came out of the building and walked away toward a parking lot.
The fox was not seen as he walked to the entrance. He looked into the building, through the glass door, and became curious about what was inside.
The kitsune assumed human form, pulled the door open, and walked through.
8:00 PM.
Madelyn Edinburgh was working at the University of Saint Martin. She was frustrated as she marked first year English papers. There were too many students in the course and not enough teaching assistants to go around.
She put down her red pen and sat back a moment to take a sip of her tea. After a shake of her head, Madelyn decided that she would have to return the following day to finish her marking.
The professor packed up her things and left her office, locking it behind her.
Madelyn was outside, on her way to the parking lot, when she saw a group of people who were standing around on the soccer field. They were looking toward the forest. There were dozens of students there and even a few faculty members. Madelyn couldn’t see what was so interesting.
She walked toward the group and soon realized what it was that they were doing. They were listening to music. Madelyn joined the throng and stood with them. They all stared into the darkness of the forest.
Madelyn noticed that some of the people in the front of the group were walking into the woods, though most of them seemed content to simply stand and listen.
8:10 PM.
Arnold Thornton was driving home from the University of Saint Martin. He’d had to come in on this Saturday evening to prepare some laboratory samples for experiments that would be conducted by first year students on Monday.
There were too many students, he thought, and not enough faculty. Everyone seemed overworked lately.
Arnold didn’t notice it at first, as he drove down The Hill, but when he neared Lockhart Road it became obvious. There were an unusual number of people walking the streets for this area of the city at this time of night. Stranger still, they all seemed to be heading in the same direction: toward Glenridge Forest.
He turned onto Lockhart Road and saw a long line of people that were standing at the edge of the tree line. Arnold squinted into the trees but he could see nothing but darkness. There were people along the entire length of the road and most of them were simply standing there, staring, although some of them were venturing into the woods.
He shook his head at the many strange things that had been happening lately.
8:20 PM.
Emma was sitting on the floor of her living room with Lucy Leroux, who was telling her all about the goblins that she had seen earlier that morning. Jingles was lying on her lap, snoring away. Will was sitting with Mr Wilkins at the kitchen table reading a comic book, but he was also listening to their conversation.
Mr Wilkins was reading a thick hardcover and listening to the radio. There was a performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 on the public radio station.
Lucy was describing the appearance of the goblins. They were maybe four to five feet tall, brownish green, and they had long fingers.
Emma sat straight up and interrupted her.
“He’s here!” she said.
“Who’s here?” Mr Wilkins said.
“Domino. He’s calling me.”
Emma stood up and ran out to the backyard. She saw the faun waiting there. He was standing just beyond the light that escaped from the house.
“It has begun,” Domino said. “It’s too late. Minotaur is too strong. He is strong enough now to remain awake and to go anywhere he pleases. The forest no longer confines him.”
Mr Wilkins came up behind Emma. Lucy and Will followed.
“What did you say?” he asked of the faun.
Domino shook his head slowly. “We’ve lost,” he said. “It’s over.”
8:30 PM.
Madelyn Edinburgh was transfixed. The music of the forest was the most lovely thing she had ever heard and she never wanted it to stop.
None of those remaining alongside the edge of the
woods made any move. All the ones who had wanted to seek the source of the music had already gone.
It seemed like the music would go on forever but Madelyn was startled by another sound. It was like the heavens had fallen. The ground shook and there was a noise like the end of the world. It sounded like a stampede of titans. Madelyn’s heart raced and she thought of running away but the music was still there, beneath the rumbling, and it was as sweet as ever.
She listened carefully and felt the delicious music mix with her sudden fear and she found that the result was pleasing. It was fun and frightening like a roller coaster and beautiful like a painting. She saw doubt in the faces of others followed by resolution and she knew that they had gone through the same battle that she had. No one fled.
Madelyn smiled and closed her eyes and let the music fill her. She swayed left and right slowly and tears began to pour. She had never been so happy.
There was a scream.
She opened her eyes and saw that from the forest there had emerged hulking creatures of many sorts and that they were grabbing anyone they could and taking them back into the darkness.
There were great trolls and orc-like beings. There were centaurs and chimeras and ogres. Some of the bigger creatures carried off more than one person.
There were some who tried to fight, but they ended up screaming in pain as the creatures snapped their bones or tore their flesh.
It was a scene of violence and horror. Madelyn turned to run but she found her way barred by the most terrifying creature of all. It was a minotaur. He was the largest of all the monsters and he moved as though he had lightning in his veins. His eyes were red like fury.
The minotaur picked up Madelyn Edinburgh with one hand and threw her toward a passing centaur.
Sheer terror made her lose consciousness.
Sunday. 6:00 AM.
Phillip Matthews woke up to the ringing of his cell phone. He picked it up from the bedside table and squinted to look at the number that was calling.
“Hello,” he said, picking up.
The voice on the other side was alarmed. Phillip thought that it must be a prank or that maybe he was dreaming. He turned on the lamp beside the bed and sat up.
“Is this a joke?” he said.
He was assured that it certainly wasn’t a joke.
“Fine,” he said. “Set up an emergency meeting as soon as possible. I will be in right away.”
He hung up and dialed Doug Peterson’s number. Laura Matthews stirred in the bed beside him.
“What’s happening?” she asked.
“Trouble,” he said. Then into the phone: “Yeah, Doug, looks like you were right.”
“I hope it’s nothing too bad,” Laura said sleepily.
Phillip only nodded as he listened to what the Chief of Police was saying.
“Yeah,” Phillip said into the phone. “I guess you’d know about all the reports. Anyway, we’re meeting now. It looks like your plan is our only option.”
11:00 AM.
Emma was sitting on the grass in her backyard with Mr Jingles, trying to talk to him. She was still too slow but over the past week she had managed to get her time down to a couple of minutes.
“It’s no good anyway,” she said to the jackalope, and that was as much as she could say in one go. It was much better than in the
