Alfred waited a couple of days to carry out his plan so the town's people wouldn't be suspicious of him. When he knew Sarah and Adam were fast asleep and not going to wake up, he made sure of it by poking them to no response, he made a little basket of bread and jerky. "Where are you going? It's the middle of the night. You're supposed to be sleeping!" said Georgie. Alfred raised a finger to his mouth, shushing him, before gesturing that Georgie should follow him. Georgie hesitated before remembering he didn't exactly have a lot to lose since he was kinda dead.
"Don't you need a candle or something so you can see? Or at least shoes?" asked Georgie, floating at Alfred's shoulder. Alfred waited until he was out of anyone's earshot to speak. "I don't need it because this is my land and I know it like the back of my hand. Plus, I'm trying to draw some energy from the ground in case Mrs. McGregor is really sick and need some help," he explained. Georgie frowned. "Mrs. McGregor? What do you want with Mrs. McGregor? Besides, how is you being barefoot going to do anything except get you to catch your death?" he asked.
Alfred huffed. "I'm not like you Georgie. I'm not a normal kid. I'm the personification of the land. Immortal. Nothing can hurt me unless it's another personification or if the settlement ends up going bad, but I'm going to make sure that the settlement and everyone in it survives and is happy. They're my new family and I don't leave my family behind," he said. Georgie stared at him. "You're crazy. Did the natives put something in your food?" he asked.
"I'm not crazy and Chowanoke would never do that! Besides, it's true. How do you think I know Chowanoke? I've been alive at least a hundred years...I kinda lost track. I'm not so good at counting yet," he admitted. Georgie looked at him. "Are you some kind of witch?" he breathed, looking astonished. Alfred frowned. "No. What's that?" he asked. "An evil person who uses magic. They used to burn them at the stake back in England. But...you don't look like a witch," said Georgie hesitantly.
"Shh. This is the McGregor's house. Now how do we get in without them noticing?" he mumbled. "Do some of your magic. You said you had some. Prove it!" said Georgie. "...You do realize you're a ghost no one else can see right? How else could I see you?" asked Alfred. "Ha ha ha. Maybe it's because you're the only boy about my age. Don't tell me it's magic because I know you're just as normal as I am...or was," said Georgie. Alfred made a face at him. "Just watch," he said.
Alfred snuck over to the door and flicked his fingers, contorting his face slightly as he concentrating on getting the lock to slide over. After a few seconds, they both heard a click and the door slowly opened a crack. Georgie blinked. "T-That's impossible. M-Maybe the lock was loose and the wind blew it open...You can't have any magic," he said. Alfred smirked. "I have magic and you know it. Now hush up and lets get the bread to Mrs. McGregor," he said, sneaking in.
Georgie frowned. "It smells like death in here...and cabbage," he said. "You're a ghost. Doesn't everything smell like death to you?" asked Alfred. Georgie made a face. "That's not funny...okay it was a little funny but not the right time," he said. "...What's that scarecrow doing on the bed next to Mr. McGregor?" asked Georgie. Alfred shook his head and slowly crawled over to look at it, covering his mouth when he realized the scarecrow was actually a living skeleton of a woman.
"T-That's Mrs. McGregor?! She looks like she already died...Is he keeping the skeleton of his wife in bed with him?!" yelped Georgie, cowering behind Alfred. Alfred whimpered and hesitantly searched for the woman's wrist and looked for a pulse, eyes wide when he felt a heart beat, weak but still there. "What is it? Is she dead? She doesn't feel dead," asked Georgie. Alfred shook his head. "She's still alive...I think she's just really sick. I don't think my magic could fix this…" he said.
A hand came down hard on his shoulder. "What's this about magic boy and why are you in my house?" growled an old man. Alfred jumped and looked up to find the old man who was causing such a fuss at the meeting glaring at him. The man had dark circles under his eyes and looked years older than the last time Alfred had saw him. "I-I came because I wanted to help you and your wife...We got food and Adam said it might help her feel better but the rest of the town didn't want to bring you any…" Alfred whimpered.
Mr. McGregor narrowed his eyes. "Where's the food then boy? And why did you feel the need to bring it to me at night?" he growled. Alfred shrank back, the grip on his shoulder actually starting to hurt. "B-Because that way no one would notice that I brought it to you...I was only trying to help. P-Please don't hurt me," he whimpered. "So you stole this food did you? Let me guess, that's how the other food went missing. You and the natives stole it before feeling guilty and pretending to want to help us! Let me guess, you're hoping you'll get gold out of us, aren't you?" snarled Mr. McGregor, holding Alfred painfully by his arm.
"No no! I would never do that. You're my people. P-Put me down it hurts! I just wanted to help. P-Please stop!" said Alfred, chin starting to wobble in fear. Georgie was panicking, not sure what to do to help. His hand kept going through Mr. McGregor's body. "Honey?" croaked the skeleton on the bed. "Everything is fine Trisha. Go back to sleep. I have a joker I need to handle," he said. The woman seemed to hesitate before falling asleep. Mr. McGregor continued to hold up Alfred.
"Now why are you really in my house? Is it because I know the truth and you came here to be rid of me? Tempt me with the forbiden fruit?" he demanded, glaring at the dried berries now littering the floor. "I-I don't know what that means! Put me down! They were meant to help you and your wife! I can see why no one wanted to give you any. You're just a big, fat, meanie. You do nothing but hurt people and yell at people and look for fights. Put me down!" he shouted.
"You were saying something about magic and now you know none of my references. Admit you have it! Admit you have magic!" shouted Mr. McGregor, grabbing a knife from the kitchen table. Alfred started tearing up and shaking, terrified. "Put me down! Put me down! I'm not doing anything wrong! I just wanted to help!" he sobbed. McGregor growled. "You are a suspicious child. You should be dead. Besides, I knew Martha and James, they were my grand nephews. You look like neither of them. Who are you really?" he asked.
"I-I'm Alfred. My name's Alfred. I'm one of you. I look like you. I talk like you. I'm one of you. P-Please stop hurting me…" he whimpered. Alfred jolted when McGregor shook him. "Liar! The Jones's kid wasn't called Alfred. Neither of them were!" he shouted. "I don't remember my real name! I don't remember put me down!" begged Alfred. Georgie had disappeared, leaving Alfred on his own to figure out an escape. "Put him down you fiend!" shouted someone familiar.
McGregor spun around, revealing Adam with a musket in the doorway. A couple of townsmen were with him. "What are you doing with my son?" snarled Adam, a murderous look in his eyes when he realized how terrified Alfred was. "He broke into my house. He is the one who needs to be lectured," growled Mr. McGregor. "Delivering the food we told him not to give you," said Jefferson with a frown. "The child was just trying to do what he thought was best. He must have thought us so cruel for denying them food," whispered the Pastor.
"I just wanted to help," whimpered Alfred, his shoulder starting to ache from being held up by his wrist. "Let go of my boy. He hasn't done anything to harm you. The door wasn't even forced open. You must have left the door open," growled Adam. "He isn't your boy. He doesn't belong to the settlement! He isn't the Jones's boy. They were related to me remember? He's working with the Indians to starve us into doing whatever they say. He isn't part of this settlement! Never has been!" shouted Mr. McGregor, shaking Alfred roughly.
Alfred let out a cry, partially from fear but also partially because he knew if he was convincing enough that the McGregor was really hurting him, the other men would be more likely to help him out instead of listening to McGregor. Adam raised the gun. "Put him down. He just finished saving all of us. You don't get to treat him like that. We need him if we want to continue getting help," he said. The Pastor frowned. "Perhaps we are all letting the tension of the situation get to our heads," he said.
"There! There you just said it! Without him the natives wouldnt' bat an eye to help you. Why is that?" asked McGregor. "I doubt they would help someone who they consider one of their own. You're delusional from grief. Just put the boy and the knife down," said Jefferson. McGregor waved the knife around, making Alfred flinch as he watched the knife in terror. He had never been attacked by normal humans but some of Aiyanna's children had attacked him before. Besides, it didn't mean it wouldn't hurt until the wound healed.
"There! You just said it! You need him to get help. That's just want they want out of us! Why have to learn how to barter and trade with us when they know that if we're starving, we'll give them whatever they want as long as they can keep us alive. They can only benefit from this situation!" said McGregor. "Perhaps they're actually doing it out of the goodness of their hearts. Things are simpler on this side of the world. They don't feel compelled by society to turn everything into a game of tit for tat," said the Pastor.
"If you don't put my boy down, I will shoot. Drop the knife at the very least and then we can talk like real men," said Adam. "Don't shoot him!" yelped Alfred, not wanting to be the reason why one of his own people gets killed. That surprised the men. "Why not?" asked Adam. "S-Someone needs to take care of Mrs. McGregor...and she can see and hear all of this. She's probably scared like I am. I-I just want to go home. I'm sorry. I promise I'll go back and stay in my bed. I just wanted to help!" said Alfred, starting to bawl.
"He does have a point. Trisha is right over there," warned the Pastor in a low voice. Mr. McGregor hesitated before sighing and putting the boy down. "Is that Paul?" croaked a voice from the corner. The men frowned. Alfred rushed over to Adam and hid behind his legs. Pain swept across Mr. McGregor's face. "No...I wish it was dear..but no. Paul….has gone out with his friends. He said he was going to be back later tonight. Remember?" he said hoarsely.
Trisha shook her head and pointed at Alfred. "Paul's right there. Paul, come kiss Mummy goodbye," she said weakly. "Alfred you don't have to," muttered Adam. McGregor had tears of frustration in his eyes. Alfred swallowed. "H-Hi Mummy...I need to go soon. My friends are waiting for me but Father is going to sit here with you okay?" he said, focusing his energy on her. She was barely there. He knew the woman was about to fall asleep from how hard of a time she seemed to be having keeping her eyes open.
Alfred walked over to the woman and let her pat his head and put a very awkward kiss on his cheek. He wrinkled his nose. He had thought he had gotten away with not having a grandmother yet here he was still getting grandma kisses and cheek pinches. Mr. McGregor stood by his wife's bed. Trisha turned toward her husband. "Isn't he such a good boy?" she asked before closing her eyes. Mr. McGregor frowned. "Trisha?" he asked softly. The Pastor gently pulled Alfred away from the bed.
"Trisha! Trisha wake up! T-They brought food. We're getting help. It's getting better! It's going to get better! Wake up! Please...wake up for me," sobbed Mr. McGregor. The men exhanged a look. The Pastor stepped forward. "Perhaps we should say a prayer-" "YOU! THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" shouted McGregor. The Pastor jumped, looking confused. "I simply offered to pray for your wife," he said. "Not you. HIM! This would have never have happened if he hadn't come here!" shouted McGregor, pointing a finger wildly at Alfred.
A crowd was slowly starting to grow behind them. "You want to blame this on him? He's been nothing but caring and compassionate toward you and your wife. He brought you food when no one else would lift a hand to save you. He wouldn't let us shoot or hurt you. He even pretended to be your son so your wife could have peace in her last moments! What the hell is wrong with you? Are you that narrowminded and hateful that you won't see that you're doing nothing but scaring a poor child?!" asked Adam, pushing Alfred into the crowd where he knew the women would comfort him.
"He did this. He probably brought whatever disease that killed her-" Jefferson jumped in. "You mean starvation? We're all starving. She isn't the only one that's been lost! I've lost my wife. We've lost half the town, half the boat in the past few months long before the child reappeared in our settlement. We were starving before he disappeared! This has nothing to do with him. You cannot blame him for what happened. If you want to blame someone, blame the king!" growled Jefferson.
"Jefferson, that's enough. We're all panicky but let's not say anything we may regret," said the Pastor, shocked. "It's no one's fault but the boy's and those savages. They killed her. They killed Trisha. They could have helped us long before it got this bad. Instead they chose to hide from us and let us starve! And then the other tribe attacked us and killed my son!" shouted McGregor. "They didn't kill Paul and you know that. That native looked pretty shock to see us there. He didn't do it," huffed Adam.
Alfred frowned. His son had been killed? Chowanoke would have mentioned that unless….His eyes widened. No. No it couldn't be.. "He was standing over my boy! Paul would know better than to fall into a ditch. He wouldn't have been caught in a land slide. There weren't any rocks or anything to prove he died that way. He was killed! He was killed and not only did they take my son but they took my wife and turned you all against me!" shouted McGregor, starting to break down into tears.
A woman spotted Alfred and immediately scooped him up, rubbing his back. "Poor babe, you just wanted to help didn't you?" she asked. Alfred nodded and buried his face in her shoulder, starting to become a teary, snotty mess. She pat his back. "Don't worry dear...Everything will be fine. Let's get you back to Sarah. I know she's worried about you and is waiting at home for yout to come back. You're probably sleepy aren't you little one?" she asked, gently rubbing his back. Alfred felt himself slowly fall asleep.
"He's gone. He just left. No one can find him in town. The Pastor stayed with him overnight and didn't even hear him go. He left early in the morning...his wife's body is missing as well. Jefferson found a grave dug behind their house," Alfred heard someone whisper early in the morning. "Does this have anything to do with Alfred? He does seem obsessed with the idea that Alfred is a traitor...one of the savages. Do you think he's planning on hurting the boy?" asked Sarah.
Alfred woke up at that, pretending to be asleep. "I don't know. We're trying to find him. Too bad he was one of our better hunters. He knows how to cover his tracks. We're sending a search party out but it doesn't look like it's going to be too promising," said Adam. Sarah sighed. "Well...there's not much use looking. He's going to starve or get sick and die in this weather with no food. If he hasn't died already," she said. "Hush woman. If the boy hears you say that he's going to want to go look," hissed Adam.
"...You're right. We'll look for him..only to make sure that he does nothing to hurt our boy. I already lost one son. I'm not going to lose another. Not so soon after he finally started opening up to us. I'm concerned about McGregor...You know how much he loved his family. I think Trisha finally broke his spirit. Or his mind. He's losing it," said Sarah. Adam sighed. "There's one more thing...When we searched his house, his gun and hunting knives were missing.." said Adam.
Sarah gasped. "He's going to hurt Alfred. He's going to do something drastic. We need to tell Jefferson," she said, panicking. "Sarah-" "Wake up Alfred and...wait no. He'll want to help and might get in the way. I'll pack up our food and supplies. You look for weapons. We're going to stay at my sister's house. We need to hide until we find him," she said. "Sarah, he isn't in town. We looked. All the houses, including the abandoned ones, have been looked through. We're sure he left town," he said.
"Where is he going then?" asked Sarah. Adam sighed. "...We think he went to go hunt down the indians that killed his son. We already sent people to go warn the Chowanokes. We're hoping that there's a way for us to let them know that he's dangerous and out for blood. Maybe even ask them for directions to the tribe that killed Paul. We didn't bring Alfie because we were afraid it would freak him out or make him want to intervene like he did last time," sighed Adam.
"You're probably right. We're lucky that the wind blew the door open the way it did...and that he forgot to lock it properly. If that didn't happened we would have never been able to realize what he was doing. I'm certain McGregor meant to do him harm," said Sarah. Adam sighed. "He had a knife to the boy's throat when I got there...Mcgregor meant to do more than harm. He meant to kill the boy. We're lucky we got there when we did. He'd be dead a minute later," he said.
Alfred frowned. He locked the door...or at least he made sure to close it tight enough that it wouldn't fly open. What was she talking about? He may look like her was four or five but he knew enough to keep from making stupid mistakes like that. He listened carefully before cracking an eye open when he was sure that they wouldn't notice. He nearly startled when he saw Georgie standing next to his bed. Alfred was about to glare at the ghost-boy for ditching him when Georgie smirked at him.
"I knew you were awake so don't worry about responding to me. You're welcome though," he said. Alfred blinked at the boy, making sure to keep huddled under the blanket enough to hide his face from his adopted parent/guardian/citizen things. "You left the door nice and closed right? Well I finally figured out how to move things! Not very well though….It looks like I can only do it in a panic, but if I work really hard, I might be able to learn how to do it a lot better!" said Georgie.
"Wait...You were the one who slammed the door open….You left to save me?" whispered Alfred quietly. Georgie nodded excitedly. "I couldn't move the knife and was starting to panic when a really nice, pretty lady appeared next to me and told me to run and get my parent's attention as best as I can. She was really pretty," said Georgie, blushing a little. Alfred blinked. "A pretty lady...What did she look like? Did she say what her name was? Oooh did she talk funny?" he asked.
Georgie blinked. "She did actually. I can't pronounce her name...it was something like Dagger or Debbie," he said. "..Dagny?" whispered Alfred. Georgie perked up. "That was it! Yeah. She was really nice. Said that she could take me to the afterlife when I was ready if she gets permission first. I hope she does. I'm going to try to be extra good before she comes back. But yeah. I came home and wasn't sure how to wake my parents up. They couldn't hear me and I couldn't figure out a way to pick up a rock long enough to break a window or make any noise so I opened the door," he said.
"...Thank you. That would have been really scary if he did try to kill me...That would have been really hard to explain when I woke up," said Alfred. Georgie blinked. "Right...I forgot that you still believed that. The lady said she was a country too though...and your mom. Was she telling the truth?" he asked. Alfred nodded. "She died before I was born. She used to represent the Nordic coloney further up north, Vinland. When she died she was pregant with my brother and I, so she had to do a spell to make sure we were born," said Alfred.
"...That doesn't make any sense. Just when I was starting to believe all of this. "It's true! She made it so we grew in a different mommy's belly. That mommy was our surrogate mother, Native America. That's why I know the tribes so well. They're my kinda brothers and sisters. Some of them don't really like me or are neutral but they can be really nice," said Alfred. Georgie blinked. "Wait...So you are one of them? McGregor was right?" he asked, sounding a bit hesitant.
Alfred shook his head. "No. I represent the people remember? You guys settled here so you're my people. I will choose you guys over them any day. Your people feed me and clothe me and are really nice. Like I said...some of my brothers and my mother could be a bit mean sometimes. I rather help the people that are nice all the time! Like your parents!" said Alfred. Georgie smiled. "That makes sense...though there are some people that aren't nice like Mr. McGregor," he said.
Alfred nodded. "Yeah...I guess you're right about that. Thanks for helping me...and believing me," he said quietly. Georgie nodded before looking up. "Quick, act like you're just waking up. My parents are coming over to check up on you. I don't think they heard any of what we said though," he said. Alfred nodded. "Meet me behind the house during chore time," he whispered back before immediately relaxing a bit and letting out a yawn, something he didn't exactly have to fake.
He felt someone ruffle his hair gently. "Alfie, how are you feeling? Did you get hurt at all?" Sarah asked quietly. "I'm fine. Adam and them came right in time," he said quietly, lying slightly. He did get hurt but it was healed now. "Hmm, I thought his fingers were going to be bruised into your neck. I'm glad to see that I was wrong. We have something to tell you, but only if you feel like you're up for more bad news," she said. Alfred frowned. "What happened?" he asked innocently.
"Mr McGegor...left. No one's seen him since last night. We think he went to go search the forest for something...We don't think he's planning on coming back. Not unless he decides he wantst to hurt you again. Until we find him and help him make peace with himself, we want you to stay near one of us or Adam's friends, okay?" said Sarah. "Make peace with himself? What happened? What happened after I left? What is he looking for?" he asked, a bit confused. Sarah sighed, looking a bit uncomfortable with the questions.
"Well dear...It's a long story. A very long and sad story that happened a bit before I think you would remember. Are you sure you want to hear it?" she asked. Alfred nodded, excited since he didn't have a bedtime story the night before anyways. She sighed but gave him a small smile. "Alright...Well, Mr. McGregor came with a family. His wife and his son, Paul. Paul was about twenty years old and a very strong, very kind man. But he was very young and wanted to prove himself to the settlement. He went exploring one day by himself and ended up going missing…" she said, trailing off a little.
Alfred frowned. "But something happened to make this story sadder. What happened?" he asked. Sarah ran a hand through his hair. "Well love, the search party eventually did find him...but he wasn't alive when they found him. He had been badly injured by what was ruled as a rockslide. But Mr. McGregor never believed that. He thought that someone had gone out and hurt his son. When we found out that there were other people already living on this land, he became more certain that someone had hurt his son. He was sure it was the natives because the first tribe we met were not very friendly," she said.
Alfred frowned. "He thought that the natives did it just because they were different?" he asked. Sarah sighed. "I'm not sure. That could be one thing. People are a lot more complex than you no my dear. Anyways, we think that Mr. McGregor might be going through the forest trying to find the man who he thinks killed his son. But don't worry dear, we're looking for him. We won't let him try to hurt anyone else and we're going to do our best to keep him out of any danger," she said.
"But I can help! I'm a good tracker! I know how to talk to that tribe too. I even know the chief's soon too. Most of the children of the tribes around here around my age and even though that one isn't very nice to me, I'm sure I can get him to help us somehow like I did with Chowanoke. We don't have to worry about Mr. McGregor hurting anyone because they will know to expect it and they might help us find him!" he said.
Adam sighed. "We don't know how dangerous he may be. He already attacked you once. We can't risk him hurting you or anyone else. You udnerstand, don't you Alfred?" he asked. Alfred nodded, about to retort when he heard screaming from the edge to town. Sarah shattered a dish and ran over to Adam. "What was that?! Are you two okay? Anyone hurt?" she asked frantically. "We're fine...it came from the edge of town," said Adam, frowning. There was a silence and then more screaming, louder than before.
Sorry for the delay in getting this out, but finals struck harder than expected. I won't be able to update for the next month due to going on a study abroad trip for a few weeks. Hopefully you guys enjoy this! Reviews appreciated!