Rogue's Hollow (14 page)

The young man saw it first. “Shit, guys. Look.”

“Oh my gosh. Is it moving? Is it really moving, Bobby?”

“Uh-huh.” He sounded dumbfounded.

Travis inched it slowly across the room as the bystanders held their breath, watching, waiting to see what would happen next. When it was about four feet from the wall, Travis stopped pulling. He sat still for a moment and heard the teenagers begin whispering again.

Just as they seemed to calm down from the movement, he gave it a good strong tug and it flew the rest of the way across the room and into the kitchen, behind the protective wall where he was hiding. Screams echoed from the frightened girls out front. Even Bobby let out a loud scream that time.

Travis took a mask out of his pocket and placed it on his face and then pulled his black hoodie up around it. It was a white ski mask that completely covered his face. Slowly, he inched his way around the corner so that he could see part of the front window. He figured that if he could see them, they could see him.

It didn’t take long for the bloodcurdling screams to begin. Only half of his masked-face was exposed, the other half remained in the shadows. That was all it took for the frightened teenagers to panic.

Quickly stepping back, he made his way through the access door into the closet. As he stood in the darkness, he could see them frantically looking for the face to reappear around the kitchen corner. Instead, he stepped out of the shadows of the dark closet and held a faint flickering light under his chin, just enough to give the evil mask an eerie glow. It took the kids a moment to see him in the darkness, but when they did, they completely lost it.

“There’s another one. They’re all over!”

Travis stepped back into the shadows and took another remote control from his pocket. This was a key moment. Pushing the button firmly, he activated a recording in the woods behind the house. It was the faint sound of a witch cackling in the darkness. As the sound grew stronger and increasingly wicked, neighborhood dogs began to howl. The cackling turned into sinister whispers and sounds of branches breaking that echoed off the ravine and bounced straight back to the teenagers. They were all looking off into the woods as Travis stepped closer to the window.

One of the young girls turned around and caught a glimpse of him in the moonlight. She dropped her flashlight and threw her hands over her face in terror as a scream emerged that was unlike any that Travis had ever heard before.

The guy grabbed her arm and drug her through the brush. Their poor feet couldn’t move fast enough and they tripped over each other racing to their car. All three piled in and they peeled out, fishtailing down the gravel road.

Travis leaned back against the wall and removed his mask. Sweat had beaded up on his brow and upper lip. Not only was it warm inside the mask and hoodie, but his nerves didn’t help either.

He had no idea how much fun it would be to pull off a prank like this. He didn’t want to take any chances so he stayed in the shadows, even though the teenagers were long gone by now. Sitting in the dark corner, he had to laugh. This had been a great night and he felt quite accomplished.

It was time to gather his toys and head on home. He picked up the candles from the corner table and placed them gently into a paper sack. As he turned to pick up the book of spells off the floor, he couldn’t find it. He took out his small pocket flashlight and scoured the floor, following the path into the kitchen where he’d yanked it to. It was nowhere to be found.

He leaned against the wall where he’d hid when he pulled the book across the floor and scratched his chin as his eyes searched the area. Retracing his actions, he eventually looked over at the bookshelf. His eyes grew wide and he held his breath when he realized that the book was neatly back up on the bookshelf where it had started from.

Travis squinted and shook his head, saying, “That can’t be! What the hell?” Goose bumps rose on his arms and his neck hairs bristled. Grabbing his supply sack, he quickly made a mad dash for the secret doorway which led to the old fruit cellar out back.

Hunched over, making his way through the eerie dark tunnel, he found himself constantly looking back over his shoulder wishing that he’d brought a more powerful flashlight. Travis didn’t scare too easily, but he was completely freaked out by the book. There was no way that it could have gotten back on the shelf by itself. Something else was in that house with him. The mere thought sent chills down his spine.

Once safely inside the cellar, he was afraid to move. He stood there for several minutes with his back against the cold brick wall, trying to muster up the courage to step outside for the lonely walk home. His own breathing began to scare him even more. Taking a couple of deep breaths, he got up the nerve to open the creaky old door and head out alone into the darkness.

As much as he tried to focus on the walk, he couldn’t help but hear every little noise around him. Every branch that he stepped on and broke sounded like it came from behind him. He could have sworn that he heard whispering in the woods.

The front door of the old mill was such a welcoming sight. He sprinted to it and fumbled with his keys. Once inside, he quickly turned and locked the door behind him. He stood safely behind the strong oak door and held it closed as he cautiously stared out the windows into the darkness. Trying to catch his breath, he rubbed his face and grinned. “Wow, that was fun. I haven’t been that scared in a long time. Hope I can sleep tonight.”

The next morning, Travis couldn’t stop smiling. All their plans had gone off without a hitch. The teenagers had high-tailed it out of the hollow as quick as their car would take them.

Travis couldn’t help but laugh. They had all stopped into the shop and picked up their trinkets and beverages for the long night ahead. They were so brave, until stuff started to happen. Then they ran like little girls afraid of their own shadows. It was hilarious. That ranked up there as one of the best nights of Travis’s life.

As they sat at the kitchen table, Travis shared all the details of the previous night with Malachi. With a big smile, he said, “I see why you like it so much. I have to admit, it was a lot of fun.”

Malachi couldn’t have been more pleased with his young friend. He’d pulled it off with flying colors. Confidence steadily rose in him, as he realized Travis really was ready to handle things on his own.

Sunday brought the last of the holiday visitors into the store. Halloween weekend had been a huge success and the store raised enough money to see them through the dark days of winter. Malachi relied on this weekend, knowing that it would yield over twenty-five percent of his entire year’s profit, in just a few days. They were busy from dawn to dusk and even stayed open into the night to catch the last few stragglers.

Later that evening as the two relaxed in their easy chairs, exhausted from the hectic weekend, there was a frantic knock on the door. Malachi and Travis hesitantly walked to the front and peered out through the sparkling clean panes of glass. Malachi recognized them. It was a couple who had been in the store earlier that day. They looked terrified and begged them to open the door.

No sooner had Travis flipped the lock, the pair bolted inside. “Something’s after us. Help us please!”

Travis poked his head out the door and looked around. He closed and locked it, shaking his head at Malachi. “I don’t see anything.”

“It’s out there. I swear. We’re not crazy.”

Malachi tried to calm and comfort them. “Start at the beginning folks and tell me what happened.”

The man excitedly jumped in. “We were at Cry Baby Bridge. We turned off our car and yelled for the baby to make itself known, just like your book says to do.” His eyes grew wide. “It started to come after us. We could hear it, clear as day.”

Travis tried not to laugh as Malachi reassured them. “It was probably just the wind.”

The woman shook her head, vehemently and replied, “No. It most definitely was not the wind. We both heard it. I pulled out your amulet and rubbed it for protection. The sounds got louder. Then, I thought I saw something in the water. I got really scared and we ran back to the car. We tried to get away, but as hard as we tried, we couldn’t get our car to start.”

The fella chimed in, “We ran the whole way here. Please help us.”

Malachi put his hand on the man’s shoulder. Through the thick wool jacket, he could feel him trembling. “Of course we’ll help you. Let’s get you something to drink and then we’ll go have a look at your car.” He winked at Travis and said, “How about you grab some jumper cables and pull the truck up front, while I get these fine folks a glass of lemonade.”

Travis nodded, holding back a grin. “Yes, sir.”

They began to catch their breath as they sipped the sweet lemonade. The woman was very gracious. “Thank you so much. We really do appreciate your help.”

“Not a problem at all. Maybe it’s something simple with your car. If not, we’ll call for a tow truck and get you squared away.”

Travis hopped in the back of Rosie. Malachi and the couple squeezed into the cab. Luckily it was a short drive to the bridge. The woman sat in the middle, wild eyed and scared out of her mind, rubbing that amulet like it was a precious treasure. “These woods are so dark at night.”

“That they are. I don’t go out much at night. Strange things happen in these woods, especially at night.” He patted her hand and she jumped a bit. “Don’t worry, Miss. We’ll take good care of you.” She felt comforted by the older man. She looked into his eyes and intuitively felt like she could trust him.

The couple were afraid to get out of the truck when they reached the bridge. Malachi smiled and reassured them. “You folks wait here and we’ll take a look at your car.” Travis jumped into the driver’s seat and gave it a try. He gave it some gas and after a moment, it started right up. The man shook his head and opened the passenger door of the truck. “That’s so strange. It wasn’t going anywhere earlier.” The young woman gave Malachi a hug and jumped into their car, quickly locking the door behind her. The fella came around and shook both of their hands. “Thank you so much for your help. I feel kinda silly.”

Malachi nodded. “It’s no problem at all. You folks stay safe and you know where we are if you have any more trouble.”

She leaned over and yelled out the window. “There will be no more trouble, because we are leaving just as fast as we can.”

Malachi smiled at her. “Probably a good idea. These woods play tricks on you at night. You folks be careful now, okay?”

They nodded. “We will. Thanks again.” And off they went into the darkness.

Travis looked at Malachi and began to laugh. “What the heck was that?”

“Folks get spooked easily out here. They try to make a quick get-away and usually flood their engines. It just needs a little time to rest and it’ll start right up. Fear does funny things to people. Thank goodness, because it sure makes our job a lot easier!”

“She was freaked out. Almost seemed loopy. And she was sure lovin’ on that amulet. I recognized it. That was one that I made.”

“Whatever it takes to make them feel safe. We’re here to serve.”

“You mean we’re here to scare.”

Malachi elbowed Travis. “Yeah, that too. Hallucinations play strange tricks on one’s mind. Folks make this so dang easy. And, I told you that the tourists love your amulets. They pick yours over mine nine times outta ten.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Travis replied shyly.

“Believe it or not, it’s the truth.” Malachi pulled the collar of his flannel shirt up around his neck and said, “Come on, there’s a chill in the air. Let’s get on home.”

That next morning was tough on Malachi. Watching Travis drive away in Rosie alone was one of the hardest things he’d done in a long time. Rosie was his baby. He took great pride in her. Shaking his head and taking a deep breath, he said to himself, “Snap out of it old man. It’s time to pass over the reins to the next generation. Travis is a good kid. He can be trusted and will do a fine job. Now, let it go and have a little faith!”

He refocused and went to work tending to his angel bush. It was the first of the month and time for a monthly sprinkle of ash to keep it healthy. The plant was flourishing in the warm sunshine. Cooler November nights were starting to set in and soon he would need to have Travis help him drag it back inside, to protect it from the frigid Ohio winter.

Business would slow down drastically after Halloween. The winter months were tough on Malachi. He would go for weeks alone, isolated, out in the hollow. Weather permitting, he would trek into town for groceries. Roberta would call and sometimes she and Baxter would stop by to check on him. As irritating as she could be, she was a welcomed visitor in the winter bleakness.

But now he had Travis. Malachi was actually looking forward to this winter. The company would help keep the darkness and depression at bay. Travis was living there full time, so Malachi was no longer paying him a full paycheck. Travis wouldn’t hear of it, not if he was to live there. He said that his services were repayment for rent and board. Malachi still gave him some spending money every week. He remembered what it was like to be a teenager. It felt good to have a few bucks in your wallet and Travis had earned it. He worked hard at the mill, every day. Weekends, he did nothing but chores and deal with maintenance issues. The exterior of the mill was scraped and repainted. With a fresh coat of golden brown paint, the old place looked like a million bucks.