From his perch on the plateau he could see clearly valley folk running into the Inner inn. They are all in it together. Of course, it wasn't by chance they all happened to find their way to his farm, but this just made it crystal.
Who were these people? He hadn't even met most of them and there they were creeping along his property in the night. He watched the inn for a while, in dismay. He knew it. The people really were suspicious of him.
He was startled by the buzzing of the long grass in the fields vibrating along each other. The cicadas, having seen the entire event, snickered at him. As someone was coming out from the inn, Mark backed into the home, not wanting to be seen.
He didn't see who it was.
In the home, he had somehow completely forgotten about the entity that had over shadowed him. He didn't understand it or even know what had happened to send that man flying. The home was still carved in the darkness and he searched the wall for the switch. As he lined the wall for it, he was quite surprised by all the items on the floor that his foot kept sweeping into.
The mystery didn't last too long before he discovered the reason.
As the lights came on he was horror-struck to find his home in shambles. Floorboards ripped out, drawers yanked out, wooden wall panels jerked out. It was a mess. Then he noticed it. The floorboards removed centered around where the book was discovered. He rushed to it, skipping over the abandoned boards.
Even deeper into the soil was dug through. What were they doing? He went dashing for the kitchen to see what else had been done. It was in the same state as the main room. Cabinets stripped, more floorboards removed, empty cardboard boxes left throughout the room. However, some of the boxes where full. Full of what though? Mark wasn't too sure.
As he looked through them, all he could identify was the molten wax of red and white candles clumped around something thick. It was a mess, a lopsided oval with black clumps of something unidentifiable. He kicked the box to the wall with the others- filled with more candles and dried grass.
Of his thoughts, only one thing seemed the most rational. Whatever their motivations were, they were in his home searching for something. Searching through the walls and floors.
He ruffed his hands through his hair and exhaled. He didn't know what he was going to do if they came back. What was it? The entire valley against him? Just then he heard a noise from outside. Fearing their return, he quickly went for the door.
Outside was difficult to see through the darkness but new light was coming from behind the clouds. With it, a ripple of wind. Mark stood out of his door way. The forgotten furniture from hours ago, now seen in the yard.
Maybe someone was out in the fields was what Mark was mainly thinking. Was Takakura still around? He saw all those people going into the inn, but he didn't see him. But he wasn't paying attention to whether he was there.
He went out the door and circled the fields. The long grass appeared gray in the nighttime. Around the bend, he saw something through the trees near the pond. Definitely a person. A small chill smoothed down the ridges of his back.
We think it would be best if you went back inside.
Did one of them hang back? Are they waiting at the pond? A chill smoothed his spine. The pond was a little way back. He saw it once when Takakura showed him around one time. If a person were to look in the right direction under the right tree, they could get a glimpse of his farm. He just happened to catch it by chance.
The person was shadowy under the branches of the trees that rimmed pond. The person's stillness worried him. He could not tell if the person was facing towards or away from him. Their body was completely obscured by darkness.
He clenched his fist. He could take them. Whoever it was. The figure stood on the water's edge and in a gust, the clouds blew by and the entire pond was swept in pale light. The water of the pond rippled toward her feet. Just a woman.
Any tension inside him released momentarily but retightened when he realized he never truly became acquainted with this person. Still, he was no longer concerned with being in danger.
She looked over to him with eyes more dead than alive.
"What are you doing out here?" he called, "Are you a part of them?"
She didn't respond, rather, turned her gaze back to the water.
"Hey, I'm talking to you!" What was her name?
That girl, the one he saw at the inn, the one that held him back when he tried to strike Rock- what was her name?
She avoided his gaze and that enraged him. Then it clicked in his mind. The inn. That's where she lives and that's where all the rats went. He wouldn't be surprised if she had a tail. Coming back up to the pond for some surveillance while the others lick their wounds at the inn? She didn't make any moves and he didn't attempt to corner her. Watching her slowly, Mark waited for her to reply to his questions, to confess to his claims. She was less than enthusiastic and in the low swaying of the branches, the clouds sunk beneath the crest of the moon.
"Did you know that moonlight is only the reflection of light from the sun?" she said, "It produces no light of its own"
Mark was made wary by her abrupt statement. He had heard that during his schooling but that was neither here nor there. What was here was a woman who was acting dodgy. He came closer to the flowerbeds surrounding the pond. The flowers were as feral as the wild dogs he's seen at night and they tangled and brushed their height to well above the knees.
"The moon is just a dead rock and yet I come out here at night to see it" she said.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Mark replied, "Are you a part of their group?" The woman swept her gaze along the bend of the water until it rested upon him but yet again, she did not respond to his questions. It was really beginning to piss him off. The night was turning old.
"Mark, you shouldn't come out into the woods at night. There are things out here you don't want to meet" Like a slow-moving tide, the moon swept over her, bathing her in its light. He remained in the darkness of the shadows. Even in light, she seemed cold and dangerous. Her skin was even more pale than her eyes and it was almost disgusting to him. He wanted to vomit in repulsion. He was reawakened by that fear he had entered the clearing with.
"They're in the inn" she finally answered him, "If you want to meet them, that's where they are but I have to warn you, there are many of them but one of you".
The cold sweat lingered petrified on his neck.
The clouds overhead passed over again and the light swept away. As it did, she spoke again, "I don't suggest you go. Nothing will come of it. It's best if you remember what I told you"
Buried.
"Do you remember?"
"...Yes" he replied. He hadn't forgotten what she had said. Not for a moment. The meaning of her statement was obvious, but the context based on information unknown is what makes him uncomfortable. But at that moment he had another question, one he hadn't even thought of before.
"Where is my father buried?"
He couldn't see her through the immediately and she didn't make her presence obvious with her silence. It was only in the rustle of the underbrush did he realize that she must be leaving.
"Wait-" He shouted and sunk as he stepped into the water. The sound was loud and he panicked himself hearing the scrunching of the dry grass. "Wait!" he called. Only through the knee sunk and he was able to crawl out quickly and he caught her figure walking back out the path. He reached out to her as he stumbled out of the brush. Her arm was icy and he reflexively let go.
"What is it?" She asked, turning back to him.
"You haven't told me what's going on yet, why everyone was on my farm? What's going on?" His shout was nothing more than a dog's fearful growl.
"Leave it alone. Just act as if nothing happened and soon nothing will happen anymore" She replied.
"But what does that-"
"Nami" they were interrupted. In the clearing leading back down to the Valley, stood a man. The woman turned over her shoulder to him. Mark was relieved to have her stare broken. The man stood firm in his step, not approaching and Mark stood motionless too as he recognized that voice.
"Nami, come back to the inn" He said.
Mark couldn't stand it. The man was looking straight over to him. He was hard to see through the blanket of night but with the remnants of light off the ocean he could see was the silhouette of a lanky man and most notable, a pointed hat.
"Gustafa, I can come and go as I please"
"No, we think it would be better if you stayed inside"
The voice almost triggered Mark just hearing it. This is the man. Mark was set back by her sigh. She relented and took her first step back.
"Wait-" Mark regained himself, "We aren't done yet" he reached out to her again, his fingers tracing her shoulders as she pushed her shoulder back. He went to follow but the man stepped forward.
"Mark, don't touch her"
"What are you all hiding?" he yelled back in reply.
He didn't answer and as she came to his side he ushered her ahead, taking a last long look at Mark as she went. Mark waited for his response. He didn't follow, he didn't want to leave the shade of the branches. Finally when she was a safe distance in front of him, he turned back and returned to the path to the inn only saying, "Sorry".