Earth's Grand Healer

Part 8: A Letter from Silus Wayne

Bruce could not believe what he found. The letter was dated September 22, 1723. The name on the letter obviously wasn't familiar to Bruce. And there was no last name. He must have been a good friend.

"To my dear friend, Daniel, it has been thirty years since the disappearance of my father. I know you told me I should move on, but I came to these caves and to Colony Hill specifically to try and understand what happened. Each month, since my father disappeared, during the full moon, this spot calls me, and I am hesitant. My mother told me when I was a babe in arms, I crawled early, trying to follow my father to where he vanished. Whether that is true, I am uncertain, since she returned to Boston with me for several years, until she too, was compelled to returned to Gotham Colony.

The compunction faded for me, but for my mother, it was different. Each full moon, she would take the carriage and travel to Colony Hill. I did not know why, or I have forgotten the reason. It was on my 20th birthday that she left as usual, and never returned. My stepfather, whom my mother wedded last summer, and I followed her trail when she did not return. We found her lifeless body near the very spot where I had stacked some stones in a ring, marking where my father had disappeared. There was blood on the ground, her wrists slit wide open. I noticed the blood had seeped between some stones, and the area had sunken in where I had placed them.

I was later to return to that same spot. I explored the surrounding area and found there were caverns, with an underground river. When I surveyed the caverns, mapping the land, I discovered there was a cave right below the spot where my mother killed herself and my father disappeared, but I could not get past rocks that were blocking the path. The area had a recent cave-in. I suspected beyond that cave-in was the cave that my father mentioned in his journal. Perhaps that is why the area is sunken in where I had placed the stones. I no longer feel compelled to return to the spot, but neither do I feel I must leave it as well.

I have decided to purchase Colony Hill. Gotham Colony has grown, and more homes and people are coming to Gotham to to make there living. Soon Gotham Colony will no longer be a colony, but a bustling city port. I do not wish for this spot, the spot where my father disappeared, and my mother died, to be swallowed up over time. Perhaps I shall build a house and create a garden in my parents' memory, a sunken garden. The house will overlook the garden. I will place this letter in my father's diary to later be found by my descendants, so they will know the history of Colony Hill, and Wayne Manor.

Yours in friendship, Silas Wayne"

"Bruce, did you find anything?" Samantha entered the study.

Samantha watched Bruce fold a sheet of old paper and placed it back in the diary. While reading that letter, he had a chance to rethink what he had thought earlier. "I might have, but I'm going to have to consult someone, maybe even two people. They might be able to tell us what's going on."

"I hope so. There will be another full moon soon, and I do not want this thing compelling me, my husband or anyone else in the family to shed blood for it any time soon."

"I understand," Bruce stated. "I've learned more about my own home than I've known in the past, which wasn't very much, only what my father told me."

"And what is that?" Samantha asked.

"This area was called Colony Hill, and an ancestor of mine purchased it. He built a garden in an area that was sunken and a house that overlooked that garden."

"The carriage house?" Samantha questioned. "I thought the Manor was older or at least as old."

"Apparently, the carriage house was built first. It might have also been used as a base for the architect who built the Manor."

That's all interesting, but what about the demon?" Samantha asked.

"There is one other person who knows about demons," Bruce said. "His name is Constantine. I don't know if he will help. He isn't what you call a people person."

"Sounds like someone I know," Samantha smirked.

Bruce gave Samantha a sideways smile. "When it comes to dealing with demons, he is an expert, and we need an expert."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me, yet. Wait until this demon is taken care of. I'll continue to research my family's past. Maybe there is more to learn."

Samantha left the study and returned to her husband's side. Her own life was a mystery just as much as Bruce's family. It sounded like each ancestor had something that led up to Bruce, that connected them in a way that drove them. Bruce did not mention the man's name who bought Colony Hill where Wayne Manor sat. It seemed the name of the hill and everything associated with it was lost to history.

'Let's hope we can keep it that way. I do not want to be remembered as the person who unleashed a demon on Gotham City.'

Continues with Part 9