The Seventh Direction

PART THREE: Stalking Violet. Episode 88

                        ["D/A" narrates —A.A.] 

                                                                  12

                                               "fu-u-u . . . functionally."

"Sometimes I like going there at night, Dorothy. Just like I just imagined going there at night, about fourteen seconds ago.

"Really, dear? All by yourself? Aren't you afraid?"

"I'm not afraid. Don't you know, Dorothy? No, I guess you don't. So, as far as I know, the entrance to The Wood is only accessible by cutting through Old Tom's farm field. Old Tom calls it The Wood. I've known him since I was a kid. He lets me cut through. But I check in with him every time, and every time he tells me I shouldn't go into The Wood. Especially at night. I tell him I never DO go in. At any time. And I never have. I just sit on the big grey boulder and think about going in. Besides, something else tells me not to go in. Besides, besides, there's tons of stories about weird stuff happening in—in Valley Forest, you call it? But that doesn't scare me. You know yourself how stories can easily get twisted—however. It's beautiful in there, Dorothy, from my point of view. Of course, I just sit and look down the overgrown paths—one up, one down, actually—and think of all the magical stuff that's happened in there. I call it magic. A lot of people don't . . . maybe because they're afraid of what they don't understand. So it's easy to see how easy it is for tons of horror stories to develop and grow way bigger. The Unknown and all? And after tonight's experience? Which just happened In my head? Wow! Magic! I've never seen the place like that before! Ever! But I'm not afraid to go in there, I just don't. Also, I wonder if those humungous gatekeepers would even let me pass through the gates, anyway."

"So you think those invisible but not-invisible, dark but not-dark gates, are barriers?"

"I don't know, but they sure looked magical."

"Do you think they're good magic?"

"Might depend on who you are."

"Yes, yes, it might. And how do you know Valley Forest is only accessible through old Tim's farm field?"

"Old Tom, Dorothy. Old Tom!" She cracked a wide smile. She knew I was screwin' with her. But I wasn't—not wholly. Aces had information, and I wanted it. And even if it wasn't useful information, or only a little bit useful, I still wanted to know more about the place in which I was/am living a good deal of my life! "They say Valley Forest is surrounded by swamps and bottomless muskeg on three sides, Dorothy. They also say that the swamps go all the way to the black mountains—which, of course, I've never seen, have you? Apparently, the only other way into Valley Forest is by helicopter. But nobody flies-in or even over because of the 'creepy' stories."

"Oh, I've seen them, all right, Aces. Black monsters, those mountains—their snow-capped peaks glittering in the moonlight, when there's moonlight. And when there's moonlight, from a ways off the glitterings look like stars reaching up to their brothers and sisters. And the coolest thing is: you don't even have to squint to make it happen! From Wood's End, if you look at the black mountains through your periphery, the glitterings look like they're bouncing up and down, up and down. One day, if I have my way, you will come and see." (Man, I'm beginning to sound like Aces, I think so. You'd almost think we were—)

"Do you really think so, Dorothy? Me and you together? All the way to the mountains?" Aces eyes were shining. Lady El had appeared within her again. But Lady El didn't stay. Aces went and blinked, and her eyes returned to normal.