Blackwood Forest (English translation)

Chapter 4

It took us about 10 minutes to get to the library. On the way, we didn't say anything at all, but I bet he thought a lot like me.

We entered the library and went to Mrs Carson. She would know how to tell us something if there is anything to tell us.

-Good morning, fellows. Do they need help? - Asks Mrs Carson with a smile.

-Yes. We would like to know if there is any document about the Dolan family. - Ethan replies, anxious.

-I'll check.

As we waited, nerves came over me, and I started to shake. This all reminded me of my father, and I don't know how to deal with his death.

-Mia, are you okay? -Questions Ethan as he approaches me.

Asking me if I'm okay when I'm in this state is horrible because I can't control the crying.

-Yes, it's just my father's subject...

I couldn't speak anymore. My throat became lumpy, and my eyes filled with tears. Ethan hugged me, and the tears just fell like they weighed a lot.

-It's going to be okay, I'm here. I won't leave you.

-I know...thank you, Ethan..for everything

-Mia, I love you. You are one of the most important people I have on my side. I will not abandon you at all!

When he said that, I leaned against his chest, but I wanted to kiss him. Damn, I like that boy so much that he even annoys me.

-I don't have much to show you dear ones. I found only a few ancient police files.

-We can see? That would be great already.

-Yes, of course.

Mrs Carson gives Ethan the documents, and he went to a table a little isolated from the others. I still stood at the counter and asked if Mrs Carson had any books on the Blackwood forest. She indicated a book to me, in the third corridor, which was on the fourth shelf. I went to get it and sat down with Ethan.

-What book did you get?

-I want to know why the myths and rumours started.

-Okay, well thought.

I started to read the book and Ethan the police documents. He had about 3 folders, each with about 6 sheets in it.

He didn't seem to have found anything, which was bothering me.

-Mia, can I interrupt you?

-Yes, I haven't found anything so far.

-Okay, I found something a little sinister. You told me that Caroline was missing in the forest, right?

-Yes, why?

-That's not what the police report says. It says here that she was found.

-Where?

-Hanged in one of the trees...

-It can not be!

-It's written here. These documents are from 1989, three years after her disappearance.

-But my father told me that she had never been found...

-When did he tell you that?

-I was 15 and wanted to go camping in the forest in the summer. He told me no, got up from the couch and left. He had gone into the garden with a glass of whiskey, and when I found him, he was sitting on an old swing that I had. I sat next to him and asked him why he told me no sooner, and that was when he told me.

-Mia...It had been 29 years since it happened and your father was already ill...Maybe he was wrong.

-Perhaps...

-Or so he never knew she had been found.

-In the middle of this story, I don't know anything. Is there a photograph of her?

-Yes, it is here.

He gave me a photograph, and I looked closely.

You only saw her face, but you noticed that she was tall. She had blonde hair, her eyes were clear, the colour was not noticeable. Her face was round, and her lips were perfect as if they had been drawn.

As soon as I looked at her photograph, I realized that she was not Caroline.

-Ethan, she is not Caroline.

-What the fuck?

-Ethan, my father showed me a picture of her with him. Caroline had an oval face, black hair, wore glasses and had thick lips. The girl in the photo of the police documents is not Caroline!

-But this is impossible! Are you sure your dad showed you the right, Caroline?

-Yes, I'm sure!

-Wait a minute. She's Chris's family.

-Yeah, so?

-Mia, think. Chris is blond, blue eyes, perfect lips, thin, tall ... the kid's late looks like a fucking Ken doll.

-Okay, you're right. But that means my dad lied to me ... for the second time. For what reason?

-I don't know..why don't you ask your mother?

-Yes, I'll ask when I get home. Look, can you do me a favour?

-Yes, of course!

-Can you get me a glass of sugar water? I do not feel well...

-Of course, I take advantage of and deliver the documents to Mrs Carson.

Ethan gets up from his chair and left. I continued to look for information about the forest, but nothing appeared to me other than past wars, besides fires and animal slaughter. I had already gone through more than half of the book when I finally found an interesting paragraph:

"It is believed that the forest is haunted these days, due to the souls that were taken from it. Once, witches living in the middle of the forest and everyone who entered there suffered a spell that was about being trapped in the forest. Forest forever. There are immense disappearances in the last 32 years that still have no explanation today. "

I marked a paragraph and continued to read. About 5 pages later, I found another one:

"In addition to the witch myths, it is also believed that there is a murderer on the loose in the forest and that he lives there. Despite numerous local police attempts to try to capture someone or even have a suspect, he did not succeed. It is believed that the murderer kills people who try to visit the forest because he feels threatened in his 'own home'. "

I also mark this paragraph, and in the meantime, Ethan arrives with my water.

-I see you got your reading up to date.

-Jokes later. Read the two paragraphs I have marked.

He takes a while but finally says something.

-If I was afraid before, I have more now...

-What do you believe in?

-I don't know Mia but we have to show this to someone else, Dylan for example.

-Good idea. We all had dinner at my house, and you can sleep there, after all, tomorrow is Saturday.

We took pictures of the paragraphs, packed the book and chairs and left. The night was going to be very long ...