Chapter 62 [Kent Farm—Three Hours Later]

Clark occupied himself for the entire morning. He checked the fence posts along the back forty. He refilled the hay bales up in the Loft. He swept the barn's work area. He helped Martha with her chores in the house.

Still Insecurity dogged him.

He paced off the area with the silhouetted intruder had stood hours earlier. He clearly saw the large boot prints in the soft ground. Whoever or whatever that is, it has to be at least nine feet tall! He frowned.

KAL-EL, WHAT IS IT? I FEEL YOUR FEAR, Jor-El interjected.

Clark shook his head. We had another intruder this morning. I can't believe how big he was.

IT IS NOT THE WIZARD'S SIZE THAT SHOULD CONCERN YOU, KAL-EL, IT IS THE MAGIC IT WIELDS. KRYPTON ENCOUNTERED THAT ONE'S RACE CENTURIES AGO. FORTUNATELY THEY LARGELY DIED OUT. LACHLAN'S GRANDSON AND DUBOIS KNOW ABOUT IT.

Then I should talk to them? Clark saw Jonathan come out of the house. We'll talk more later. He walked over to his father. "What's going on?"

Jonathan rubbed his chin. "You did the right thing this morning, Son. Thanks for making sure Lana and your mother were safe."

Clark raised an eyebrow. "Of course! I was going to go after whoever that was. He just vanished."

"Clark, that's one thing you don't want to mess with." Jonathan sucked in a deep breath. "Follow me."

"Huh?" Clark stared at him.

"I'm going to show you something. Dr. LaFontaine may tell you about it. Did she mention that intruder has been here before?" Jonathan motioned toward the former Lang farm. "Let's take a walk, Son."

"Okay." Curiosity furrowed Clark's brow. He didn't exactly understand why his father wanted to take a walk at that point.

Jonathan led them across the grass. He purposefully drifted by the storm cellar. Then he pressed on for the property line. "It's right over here."

Clark noticed the patch of bare dirt in the grasses' midst. His questions had remained unanswered in the past. "So now you're going to tell me about it?"

Jonathan exhaled a deep breath. He bit back Frustration's burning in his mind. "That was for a reason. Your mother and I felt that Lana and you didn't need to know about this. Now it's time." His boot kicked up some dirt. "The shadow man from this morning was right where I'm standing. Mr. Dubois was where you are now. That's where he changed, Clark, for the first time. That thing…the Child…as he calls himself…drove the other man from here. I've never dealt with anything that stank like that. Lana's mother brought him back into the house. By then, Mr. Dubois was back to himself. He was shaking and out of sorts." He paced around. "That man from this morning had been playing games with him all that week! Dr. Dubois and several other girls disappeared. Those creatures trapped him here. They attacked him at the Talon. He almost died the next day." He shook his head. "I remember he came down the stairs the next morning. He could barely stand up. He was in his school's baseball uniform and ready for the final contest. All he wanted was your Mom's breakfast."

"And he disappeared back there?" Clark supposed.

"You might ask Lex, Dr. Dubois or Dr. LaFontaine. They saw more than we did." Jonathan ran his hands through his air. "My point is those ghosts and that thing are going to stalk us and play games. I don't know about Lex and the others in New York. I do know why the Duboises went back to Albany. Mr. Dubois will be armed and ready for a battle. He's got his wife and niece to look out for. From what I understand, Peter and Gwen ran into another one of those people yesterday at LexCorp. So they're here. They're watching."

"So what do you want me to do, Dad? How do we fight them?" Clark demanded.

"Unless there is no other way, you don't. We need to be super careful. That's why we're clearing out the second guest room. Lana and Miranda are coming back here tonight. Dr. LaFontaine will stay at least tonight and tomorrow to watch until the others get back. Dr. Tuishiama will be at the mansion if needed," Jonathan explained. "You know how I am about having people around the farm, Clark. I'm relying on you to keep yourself under wraps. We don't need anyone else finding out your Secret."

"Right, Dad. I'll drive in tonight and get them at the Talon. I can take the couch if Dr. Tuishiama wants to stay here," Clark offered.

"I appreciate that, Son. That would be a great idea. Come on. Let's get back toward the house. I don't want your mother alone any longer than she has to be." Jonathan led Clark back toward the farmhouse.

Clark glanced at the bare ground. His mind struggled to deal with the real life ghost story he'd just heard. Granted he knew about meteor metahumans but magic, ghosts and witches?

Incredulity seemed to be all the rage at the moment….