The Protection of a Ghost

Chapter 2

Hunter

   I spent twenty minutes talking at her grave, a short time for me. However, I had plans with an investigative journalist who may be able to give me new information on my sister's death. My sister died ten years ago protecting me from the witch. No one believed me when I told them about all I saw. The ritualistic sacrifices of animals, how she would combine them into candies that she would force down our throats.

   One day though, Giselle snapped after she witnessed a particularly brutal beating I received for trying to fight against eating those candies. She took a pole that the witch frequently used and bashed her upside the head with it.

   I looked up from my thoughts as I pulled up to the little ma and pa diner that the Journalist wanted to meet at. All I knew was his last name was Jacobson. He had reached out to me after reading the post I put up on reddit. We began sharing emails after that. I sat in my car for a moment longer contemplating the decision to do this. It was rash but I'm desperate. I don't want my sister to continue to be considered a psychopath for killing the witch. She was only trying to protect me.

   I took one deep breath, got out of the car and walked into the diner. There weren't many people in the diner. A couple who sat at a both sharing a milkshake out of one of those big old fashioned milkshake cups. From the looks of it I would guess chocolate. Next was the old man reading a newspaper at the counter with a waitress in her mid twenties with auburn red hair. As I stood in the doorway a voice spoke out to me, a female voice.

   "Hunter Galiban I assume."

   As I turned around I saw silky shoulder length black hair first, followed by icy blue eyes. Her face was slightly round with a button nose with a piercing on the side. Her mouth was colored a deep red from lipstick and there was a piercing there too. She stood at about 5'6, only a couple inches shorter than my 5'8 stature. As I glanced further down I could not help noticing how her black tank top hugged her waist and flared at the hips.

   I thought I was meeting some middle aged man with greasy balding hair, not some young woman that was currently glaring daggers at me. I sheepishly smiled at her.

   Before I could say anything she snapped, "yes I know I am not what you expected, but I am here and I am willing to help. So, let's begin with you shutting your mouth."

   I stood there further shocked by how bold she was. She turned and walked towards a booth. When I got my bearings I joined her at a booth in the back corner of the diner.

   "My name is Honesty Jacobson. I apologize for not giving you my first name, but my opinion and knowledge is usually rejected the moment they realize I am a girl," Honesty explained.

   "It's ok," I replied. "You're right though, you are not what I expected. However, if you can give me any information that may help then I am willing to listen."

   As I was replying she layed a manilla file on the table that I had missed while I was first looking at her. The file was thin with a purple paperclip that I assume is holding the paper(s) in place. I looked from her to the file before I reached to grab it.

   Crack! I ripped my hand away and towards my chest as I looked at Honesty in shock. She had smacked my hand when I had reached for the file. Well that was just rude, and then she had the audacity to glare at me like I was the one who slapped her hand.

   As she continued to glare at me she said to me, "didn't your momma teach you to not grab others belongings?"

   "No, she died giving birth to me," I replied. After I said that Honesty looked extremely uncomfortable.

   "Well I- I mean..."

   I interrupted her before she could continue. "It's fine, just don't jump to conclusions, it is rude, didn't your momma teach you that?"

   She let out a small uncomfortable laugh before she explained what was in the file. "There are only a small amount of articles and information similar to what you explained to me in our emails. The first couple of pages are articles that mention children being forced food, and the relation to uh.. Animal products mixed in. The last two pages are of a fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel."

   She handed me the folder with the papers inside. First I looked at the page on Hansel and Gretel. I've heard of the fairy tale, most had, the story of two siblings being left in the woods by their father. Only to stumble upon a candy cottage with a witch inside that ate little children. Once the children indulged on the cottage, the witch invited them in and took them hostage. They eventually burned the witch and escaped. Thinking about it further I could see some similarities between the fairy tale and my time with the witch.

   Once I looked over the fairy tale, I switched to the articles. There were only two there, one was a kid who the article explained had schizophrenia and was raving about witches hunting him down and angels saving him. The next article was about a six year old girl who was said to have died during some sacrifice that involved forcing the girl to eat candy til she was on the verge of throwing up and then she was sacrificed on the floor that had chalk that made an upside down pentagram.

   I sighed and set down the papers. I placed my face in my hands and just sat there, I had forgotten that Honesty was there until she cleared her throat.

   I looked up and we shared a look that pretty much agreed that the information she had brought was not gonna do much to help my case.

   "If there is any more information you could give me I could look more into it,'' she said in a tone that I couldn't quite penpoint.

    I sat there for another minute contemplating if I should tell her about how I was sold to the witch and so was my sister, or should I explain some more of the abuse? Finally, I spoke up and said "there is more information but it is not something I want to discuss here."

   As I finished replying the waitress finally walked up and asked for our orders. "Just a coke for me'" I replied as the waitress and I looked over to Honesty.

   "Nothing for me thank you, I have to head out."

   Before I could reply the waitress was walking away and so was Honesty. I sat there for ten more minutes, sipping on the coke I was given before I threw a five dollar bill onto the table and walked out of the diner.