I recognize these faces! They´re...they are...!
"Fa-ther! Grandpa!" I tried to say but my throat was sore and it was hard to speak. It feels like my heart is coming out!
I can feel tears coming out from my eyes, I…I! I cannot believe what is right in front of me! They should be dead! I saw my father burying my grandpa and I buried father myself! They both died years ago!
I kneeled on the ground, this must be a dream…yet…I can´t say if it is good…or bad…The-they died a few years ago…my grandpa first, dad roughly a year later…I was so sad at that time, the time I spent with them was like moss on the desert: short and harsh yet precious and unique. I never noticed until I lost them. How much I liked them, how much I enjoyed running from my grandpa or in the rare occasions where my father taught me something about science. The moments became memories and they were tightly locked away in my subconscious.
Tears ran across my face as my father with his metal leg crouched to face me. He was bald, wore a strap-jacket and there were dark marks around his eyes but he really was my father. I tried to speak but my tongue got in the way and only mumblings came out.
"You need to let us go my son. We died and have to move on but you are stopping us…" my father said with a crocked voice, the same voice that was haunting me those last days.
"But-but! I love you! You are my father and you my grandpa! You are my family! The ones who took care of me when I was just a toddler! I can´t forget you!" I exclaimed with tears on my eyes.
My grandfather placed his thin and big hand over my head, "It is not about forgetting us, you have to move on with your life. You are losing time, very precious time while your mind mourn our deaths. The pages of your diary are being filled with nothing but sad annotations, you must write something else before it is too late." he said with a raspy voice.
"But…! There is nothing happy in living alone on the middle of nowhere!" I exclaimed tearful.
I covered my face with my hands as I cried. I am alone in this broken house, they ´re dead, gone forever. My father, my grandfather, they are dead, buried under that unfertile soil which refuses to grow any new flower or tree. Why I still INSIST in restoring the forest?! What will I accomplish by doing that?!
A thunder echoed outside the house.
I stopped crying and opened my eyes, my father and grandpa had disappeared. "My legacy…this should be my legacy. A restored forest full of life and animals so people of the next generation may come and enjoy the same way I enjoyed it with my family. " I said as I stood up.
…*sniffles*… "I will miss you both, I will never forget you." I said to myself.
I feel better now…like a huge weight was taken out of my shoulders. *yawns*…I feel so tired, I think I could sleep at any moment. But I need to discover who are the guests and what they want from me*yawns*. I must find the truth, I must find the truth…. I must…find…the…
…
…
…
I see a dark sky in front of my eyes, this weird yet familiar sky. There are many stars shinning but there is no signal of the Moon.
"Beautiful, don´t you think?" a man asked from behind me.
I stood up and looked back at my father with a smile, he is a lot taller than me so I have to look upwards to see his face. He is wearing a brown jacket and smoking a long pipe.
"Yes! There must be dozens of stars up there!" I said excitedly as I used the telescope again. Rare are the occasions which dad has time to teach me something so I enjoy it the most I can.
My father laughed. "Dozens? There are millions of stars up in the sky, my son! We only know the existence of so many and there are many others waiting to be discovered. That´s why I love the stars, they may look the same but if you watch closely they´re completely different." he said eagerly but then smoked his pipe and that "grumpy" face returned.
"Unfortunately we can see so many with the equipment we have, most stars aren´t visible even with the latest technology and some are visible only in very specific occasions when the sky is clear and without any clouds which is rare even here in the forest." he said sighing.
I noticed a peculiar star with the telescope, it was brighter and slightly bigger than the others. I looked back at my father, "Dad, what is the name of that star?" I asked.
"Let me see it." he said gesturing for me to stand aside and I obliged. He adjusted the telescope height to match his size and looked through the lens. "What star are you talking about?" he asked.
"The middle one! It is a lot brighter than the others." I answered pointing to the sky.
My father munched his pipe and then stood up. He turned and went to a shelf close by. He grabbed a book and started to turn the pages, his frown deepened with each page.
"Is something wrong?" I asked worried I did something wrong with the telescope.
"Give me a moment…" he said severe.
I cowered in fear, what he was searching on that book? He never allowed me to touch it in the past because he feared I could damage the pages. He closed the book with the same frown on his face.
"Son…" he looked at me. "You…" he continued, I shrunk fearing some kind of punishment. "…discovered a new star." he said solemn.
I think my jaw broke, did he really say that? I discovered a new star in my first look?! I have to be certain! "Really?" I asked.
"Yes, there shouldn´t be any star at that position in this time of the night." he answered.
I looked at the window in disbelief, my first star! I discovered a star! I raised my hands upwards to celebrate as I shouted the highest I could: "I´m a star finder!"
…
…
…
I rubbed my head, I feel dizzy…did I just have a dream? No…a memory? Where…where am I? I CAN hear springs creaking every time I move so I should be on my bed. I am stretching my hand to the right, where is the lamp or the candle? I can´t find them! I looked to the left, the window is closed and I can see the gnarled tree at the other side, it seems it is still night.
I touched my face with both hands. This dream…or rather, these dreams are confusing…My father and grandpa are dead, I have to accept this. I should continue their work and do something about this forest, it is the least I can do for them. I think I am forgetting something…
…
…
…
I have to check the windows! The monster is outside! I jumped out of the bed and ran the fastest I could to the last floor. I climbed the stairs and went to the observatory´s window. It…it is CLOSER! Soon it will reach my house and catch me! I have to do something about it! Ouch! I fell down on something. It´s the wooden planks! I know what I have to do, I have to seal the entire house!
...
…
…
I sealed the windows, the doors, the holes, everything! Now nothing will come inside my house! Nothing! No monster, no ghosts, no beasts, no spirits, no intruders, hahaha! Hahahaha! HAHAHAHA! I´m finally safe! Invincible against this evil forest! Nothing can harm me now! Hahahaha! I´m in my room, with my candle, my bed, my sheet, my tools! My essential tools! I don´t care about the diary anymore! I´m not going to write in that thing again. I don´t care!
*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*
Wh-what?! They´re in the front door! I can hear them knocking again and again! But they can´t enter, they can´t penetrate through my fortress! I took more precautions with the front door than any other part of the house. There are planks and lots of nails on it! They can´t possibly…
*Knock Knock Knock*
"Please go away! You´re not welcome!" I said.
*Knock Knock Knock Knock Knock KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!*
"STOP! I SAID STOP! STOP KNOCKIN ON MY DOOR! LEAVE ME ALONE!" I shouted with all my strength.
*CREEEEEEEEAAAAAKK*
"No…no no no no!" I jumped from my bed, grabbed my candle and ran the fastest I could through the corridors.
I have to close the door! How did they open it? Ouch! I hit a wall! Arf Arf! The door…! I´m almost there! Just a few more rooms…! Ouch! I fell down on the floor! I stood up and continued to run.
I reached the last room but…! The door…it is closed. But I heard the door opening! Uh? Am I getting mad? Is my mind playing tricks on me? I held my head with my left hand.
"Are you a mad scientist?" the girl had said a long time ago.
I´m not a mad scientist! I´m not crazy! These things are really happening! It is not my mind! It isn´t my imagination! If they are real then I´m not crazy!
*Knock Knock Knock*
I looked at the door but fortunately it was closed. And…and…there is a page fixed on the door. A paper…a page, a diary page…Is this real? Is my mind making things up? I stretched my hand but stopped. I feel…cold, breathless…empty. I touched the tip of the paper. I feel warmer now...a good feeling is spreading across my hand and into my body. I closed my eyes, it feels like someone is embracing me…
*Knock…knock…knock*
I opened my eyes. I…I will read one last page. Just this one before the monster comes…I…! I still have time…just enough time. Yes, I still have a bit of time, a minute at least. I can spare a minute to read this page and then go to my bed. I still have time, yes…
I took the page from the door.