Chapter 7

"I'm coming Shellie, I'm coming!" Joshua said even though he still could not see, and it seemed as if the branches and vines were tangling themselves around him. He felt like he could not move, then he saw the apparition! He suddenly was terrified; it spoke to him:

"I told you she was mine!" it said as he tried to untangle himself from the vines deadly grasp. He shouted:

"No! Frank, She is my daughter, Shelia never loved you, she loved me!" said Joshua as he struggled to get untangled from the vines.

Shellie, found herself in the middle of the forest grove. She tried to go one direction and then another, but each time a tree branch would just get in the way. She was slowly 'herded' toward a tree that stood in the middle of the grove. She looked at it for a moment, she thought she saw a warm inviting woman, with her arms ready to take her in its embrace. She walked towards the tree. As she neared the tree, She heard a voice:

"Shellie, stop, don't go any closer!" It was her uncle's voice. Jeremy saw her and was going to run to her, but he could not get her, it seemed as if a couple of tree roots had suddenly popped up from under the ground and Jeremy tripped hitting his head on a rock. He was knocked out. Shellie, continued to walk towards the tree, She again heard her name and again, someone said "STOP!" She turned to see who it was and the tree that she had been getting closer to, grabbed her arms and held her. She was pressed against the trunk of the tree.
Joshua had gotten untangled and had made his way towards the center of the grove. He saw Shellie and went immediately towards where she was. Someone stepped out from behind that tree and said:

"I have come to take her back with me!" Joshua froze, he did not believe who he saw!

"You are surprised? I thought you would be my love, but I did not die as you thought! No, I survived, Frank kept me alive, when you were at my gravesite, I was there, you heard me. But Frank took advantage of my little girl. He is now just a voice that is left in your head!" Joshua looked in horror as he saw Sheila's face in the tree. He saw her 'hands' holding onto Shellie. Shellie was looking at Joshua and was wiggling as best as she could.

"Daddy, Daddy, help me!" she screamed. He was doing his best to get to her, but it felt like he was walking in mud. Every step was slow and painful. Something was holding onto his boots. He kept moving without moving.

Sheila, the tree, started to laugh, more like cackle was what it sounded like.

"Joshua Bolt, you will never have this child, she is mine and no one will take her from me!" Josh, was fighting with all his might. Suddenly, he just stopped. He could go no further. His feet were cemented to the ground. Roots came up to bind him as they rose up from his feet to his 'trunk,' his arms were tied close to his body. All he could do was mumble!

In Seattle, Clancy was talking about things like banshees and other scary ghost stories.

"Clancy, you are cut off!" Said Lottie as she took the whiskey from him. Pilar and some of the other ladies were still in the saloon cleaning up from the harvest party. The loggers and millers were not too happy since Jason had disappeared into the forest. They wondered what was happening. Aaron Stemple was none too pleased as well.

"Senor Stemple" Pilar said with J.J. holding onto her skirts.

"Yes Pilar?" He answered.

"Do you think you could go looking for mi esposo un mi hermana?" asked Pilar in Spanish. Aaron was not used to Spanish, but he did understand who she was talking about.

"Pilar, it is too dark for us to go searching. I am waiting until daylight to go find them!" He said to her. She looked at him trying to piece together the little English she understood. Then she looked at him and said:

"Senor Stemple, I appreciate your help, but they are all missing. All three brothers! What if they are all dead? I heard that you wanted their mountain, No? Is that why you won't go look for them? She said to him half shouting and half crying. Aaron was beside himself. He did not know what or how to calm her down and tell her that waiting was the best option. He looked for one of the other ladies to help him with the explanations. He saw Biddie and Candy and motioned them to join him. When he explained the situation Candy said,
"Why do we have to wait? Why can't you and the men go out and search for them now?" Biddie nodded her head in agreement:
"What she said!" said Biddie as she stood next to Pilar. Aaron was at a loss for words. Finally, Big Swede came over, he had Miss Essie( now Mrs. Gustafson) with him. She could help them to understand. He looked at Essie and then he said:

"No, Mrs. Bolt, we would be out there searching with Jason and Jeremy and Joshua as well. But he told us to stay here. It is very dangerous for us to be out in the forest at night, especially without some kind of light we could see by" His smile was weak and forced. If he could try to be out there, he did not want anything to happen to Jeremy or Jason or Joshua either.