Chapter 2 Decision
Okay, this chapter's a little slow as are the next couple, but it will pick up, believe me. It will be a whole lot darker and freakier as we get into it.
"Will he be alright?"
"Its lucky you got him to us instead of taking him to Hardy. Otherwise I'm afraid he would have died. You got him to us just in time to save his life."
"Thank you. Oh, and when he wakes up, could you tell him that I brought him here?"
"Alright."
The girl turned, blushing, and walked out of the spring. Three small people about three feet tall looked over the crumpled figure of Josh.
"Did you hear about Clyde?" Griffin asked, scratching his mustache.
Marlin looked up from his drink.
"Don't even talk about it," Marlin said, his cold eyes glaring at Griffin.
Marlin was a rather rude man. His face was cold, and his hair was black. His eyes had a probing look to them. Griffin was the bartender. He was a middle aged brown haired man with a small brown mustache.
"But that is pretty amazing," Griffin said. "People don't just fall over and die like that."
"I said leave it alone," Marlin said.
"I'm sorry Marlin," Griffin said. "I forgot that the two of you were good friends."
Marlin stood up abruptly, pushed his drink aside, and walked out the door. Galen stepped up to the bar.
"You'd better not say things like that to him," Galen said. "He gets very moody. Don't ever speak of someone's dead friend as something light."
"Your right," Griffin said. "I'll apologize to him after he's had a chance to get over it."
Galen nodded. Galen was an elderly man, of about sixty seven years of age. His eyes were downcast, and he was always very serious. He was sad actually, most of the time.
"So what do you think about the tourists?" Galen asked.
"Its a hoax," Griffin said. "There's no ghost living in Turtle Swamp."
"So you'd feel comfortable going out there with me?" Galen asked.
"Comfortable?" Griffin stopped, not feeling at all comfortable to go out near the swamp. "Y-yeah, I guess so."
Galen nodded. "Come with me then."
He stood up and turned for the door. Griffin followed behind him hesitantly. Galen looked back.
"Come on, lets get moving," he said.
"What are you going to do over by the swamp?" Griffin asked.
"I'm going to see if there really is a ghost there," Galen said. "I believe in ghosts you know. I believe that they often try to warn the living about things."
"By killing someone?" Griffin asked.
Galen looked over at him.
"The dead work in mysterious ways," he replied.
Then his eyes grew sad.
"When you've lost someone as I have, you begin to look for their signs every day."
"You think your wife's trying to contact you?" Griffin asked.
Galen looked up at him. "Sometimes I hear voices in the night. They must speak for a reason."
Griffin gave him a weird look.
"Lets go," Galen said, with melancholy eyes.
The two of them walked out the door silently. Griffin felt fear rising up inside of him, and tried to suppress it. Galen just walked on silently, for he was on a mission. When they arrived at Turtle Swamp, Galen reached into his pocket and drew out a small camera. He then began to take pictures. Griffin just stood a fair distance away behind him.
"Haven't you gotten enough pictures Galen?" Griffin asked, wishing to leave.
"Can't be too careful," Galen replied. "What we're searching for is a ghost. Its elusive, easily missed. Our best shot is to take enough pictures in order to figure out if there really is a spirit haunting this swamp."
Galen took more pictures, walked around the swamp, and took more. The cold wind blew against Griffin's face. The cold wind brushed him lightly, causing him to shiver.
"Uh, Galen?"
Galen looked up from his pictures. "What is it?"
The wind grew stronger, and dead leaves blew by through the cold air.
'Do you feel it?' the soft voice carried over on the gentle wind.
"Galen?" Griffin said. "Lets go!"
"One more second," Galen said.
'It's the sound of darkness.'
The voice sounded dark and mysterious.
"I'm getting out of here!" Griffin said, before turning and running back for the bar.
"Griffin!" Galen shouted. "Wait!"
Galen put his camera away, and ran after Griffin. In Turtle Swamp the wind stopped, and the dead leaves rustled against the ground for the final time.
Fog. Darkness. Distant voices spoke out, penetrating the shell of clouds. I reached out from the shadows
"You hear me. Come out of the darkness. Rise up from it."
I reached further, seeing a light before me. Suddenly the darkness and fog disappeared, and I found myself looking up into the eyes of a small elf like creature.
"Hey, are you okay?" the little elf asked.
I groaned, and put my hand against my forehead.
"I'm okay," I said. "Who, what are you?"
"I'm Flak," the biggest elf said. "I'm a Harvest Sprites."
"Harvest Sprite?" I said in surprise.
Flak smiled, his yellow outfit shining in the sun.
"We are creatures who share this world with the human race. But we are timid, and few in numbers, so there are few that know of our existence."
"Really?" I looked up as two more Harvest Sprites jumped down from a tree which stood above them. One was red, and the other was blue.
"We are the Harvest Sprites," the blue one said. "I'm Nic."
"I'm Nak," the red one said.
"So what is it that you found again?" Nic asked Flak. "Is this guy some kind of big Harvest Sprite?"
"What's your name?" Nak asked.
"I'm Josh," I said.
"Nice to meet you," Flak said. "Oh, and we're supposed to tell you that Celia brought you here. She says to come by her farm when you're better to see her."
"Whose Celia?" I asked.
"She's a Harvest Sprite," Nak said. "She calls herself 'human' or something. I don't know. She comes up here now and then to visit us, and this spring here."
Nic looked out over the spring.
"She likes to look down into the waters with us," he said. "Celia's a nice girl."
"Guys," Flak said. "Would you mind leaving me alone with Josh for a minute?"
"Okay," Flak said, and he and Nic walked up to the tree, opened a door on the bottom of it, and went inside.
Flak looked up at me. "Forgive them. My brothers are quite naive. They do not know much about the world. That is why they think that you are a Harvest Sprite.
"Celia brought you here and asked us to heal you. And we did. Do you remember what happened?"
I thought hard. Then it hit me. The image of a ghostly face, demonic eyes, and long creepy fingernails. My eyes flashed open in fear.
"I remember something... I remember seeing a ghost. But that seems ridiculous."
Flak looked up at me, interested.
"Keep going," he said.
"It pushed me to the ground, and looked into my eyes. It had... horrible eyes. It told to die."
Flak's face grew worried.
"I knew something was wrong," he said, "but I didn't think it would be this serious."
"What do you mean?" I asked. "What's going on?"
Flak looked up at me.
"I don't know," he said. "We are dealing with some dark power. I don't know of its identity, but you had a close call with it. I fear for the safety of the valley. I fear for the safety of the Island."
"Dark power?" I said.
"Yes," Flak said. "Something from the supernatural."
I stopped. I was not a believer in the supernatural.
"Are you sure," I asked. "I'm not sure I believe in all that."
"Did you ever believe you would see such a sight as that?" Flak asked. "Did you ever think you would come face to face with such a creature?"
"No," I confessed. "I have never really believed in ghosts."
"And yet you saw one," Flak said. "You saw it. It must be something supernatural."
I just stared back at him.
"Are you going to take over your father's farm?" Flak asked me.
"I haven't decided yet," I replied. "And after that, I'm not sure that I want to."
Flak nodded.
"But I fear that the darkness wants you to leave," Flak said. "You are the only one who it has touched and survived. I believe it wants you as far away from this island as possible."
"How is it that I survived, but the others didn't?" I asked, getting freaked out.
"The damage done by whatever this creature is was done to the soul, not to the body. No doctor can treat such wounds. I never knew about the others until it was too late to save them."
I stopped. All of this was a bit much to take in.
"But I'm just a boy," I said. "I'm only twenty years old. I don't even believe in the supernatural."
"Believe boy," Flak said. "Believe."
I turned, and started walking out from the spring.
Vesta looked out at her crops quietly. She sighed in happiness. They were having a good production so far. But recently the farmer on the neighboring farm had died, so competition was down. Vesta hated to admit that their success recently had been because of the death of a man.
"Hello Vesta."
Vesta looked up, and saw Celia peeking around the barn, as if hiding from someone. Vesta chuckled to herself. Celia was sometimes just like a child.
"Hello Celia," Vesta said, knowing from the look in Celia's eyes that she wanted to ask Vesta something.
"So Vesta..." Celia said, stepping out from behind the barn and tapping her heals together nervously. "Did anyone come by today? Anyone looking for me?"
Vesta's chuckle rose to a hearty laugh. Celia blushed, and looked at the ground.
"Expecting a special someone?"
"No!" Celia said quickly. "I was just... wondering."
Vesta nodded, smiling.
"Sure Celia. I believe you. To answer your question, no. No cute guys have been up here lately trying to ask you out. Strange, isn't it. Usually there are like at least five a day."
"Vesta!" Celia said, blushing fiercely.
"I couldn't resist Celia," Vesta said. "But don't worry. Your time will come."
"All I did was ask if anyone had come by wishing to speak with me and you start talking about guys pursuing me?" Celia said, her face very very red.
Vesta just laughed. Celia turned around, and walked back into the house, blushing like a tomato.
I walked out onto my dad's old farm. I silently surveyed the fields, and the empty pasture. A man had lived and died here, and so had his creation. For the fields were bare and empty, and the barn no longer held the abundant amount of livestock that it once had. This farm had one chance to be saved. Me. I was its one chance. I saw a small dog running around in front of the house, and Takakura milking a cow in the field. It had a chance though, a chance to be reborn. Only one cow and a dog held it together, but that might just be enough.
"Takakura," I said.
Takakura looked up from the cow.
"I've made my decision," I said.
So what do you think of it so far? Good? Bad? Leave a nice review and I'll see you gentlemen and ladies later.
