The Legend Of Cavanaugh Well

Chapter 2

Walking up her driveway Thea checked her phone for the time. It read 17:34. Being near the end of September Thea knew that she had until about 9pm max until it would get dark. Shoving her phone into her back jean pocket she headed towards her fathers shed.

Her dad didn’t necessarily like people going in the shed but he was still at work and her mum had gone to pick up her little brother Leo from nursery so she knew that there was no one around to stop her.

Pulling out her old blue and black bike Thea checked that the chain was still on. Happy enough that she wasn’t going to look like a fool trying to cycle a bike without the chain being on Thea hopped onto the bike.

Setting off down her driveway was an odd experience for Thea. After not being on a bike for years she struggled to keep her balance for the first five seconds but quickly regained it. Soon enough she was speeding down the road, her dark brown hair flying back behind her.

She knew where she was going. After all she, like everyone else in the village, had once tried to find the well but had come back unsuccessful. Not that it mattered now; she wasn’t going for the well but for the strange man who refused to leave her mind. Thea shook her head vigorously.

Ever since their first encounter he had left an indescribable impact on her. The way he wouldn’t take his eyes off her made her think that he wasn’t actually interested in the story but more in her. Not that she would have admitted that to Robin. The taunting would never end.

Scanning her surroundings, Thea spotted the Cavanaugh House gates. Well what was left of them that is. She continued cycling up to them and stopped on the opposite side of the road. Getting off her bike, she laid it on the grass and gazed upon the overgrown structure in front of her.

She had seen an old photograph of it before, in the hotel just down the road from her where she worked every Thursday night. It hung proudly above the bar for tourists to admire every time they came in. I guess it was special because no other photo of the Cavanaugh House has ever been found. No one really knew why, there were stories sure and some of the old people claimed to know but everyone knew that it was just another mystery that clung to the old village.

It looked like it once was a masterpiece, a glorious piece of architecture that at one point showed off the importance of the Cavanaugh’s but now unless you knew about the house, wouldn’t even be looked twice at. Thea frowned at the thought. It was times like these that she wished she could have seen places like this in all their glory.  

Shrugging off the impossible thought Thea turned to face the forest. Looking around she sighed when she couldn’t make out a human figure. Refusing to give up Thea started to walk in, moving branches out of her way and peering through the leaves trying to make out even the faintest sign that civilisation was near.

Twigs snapped below her feet but Thea barely noticed. She was too busy fighting off all the twigs and such things that seemed to like getting caught in her hair while trying to find the stranger. Moving further into the forest the trees seemed to move closer in together and Thea was starting to curse at her stubbornness but refused to give up. She had come all this way; she wasn’t leaving until she was sure he wasn’t there.

Turning around she noticed just how far from the road she had walked. Checking her time again it read 18:09. Dinner would be ready soon but Thea just wasn’t ready to give up yet. She turned slightly to the left and continued walking between the trees, watching where she was going. Suddenly she heard a twig snap.

Her head whipped up in the direction of the sound but was met with the still forest scene that surrounded her. Brushing it off as probably a rabbit or fox or some other sort of forest creature, Thea turned her attention back to the forest floor.

The suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, Thea saw a movement between the trees. Looking up again, expecting to see nothing, Thea was taken aback when she saw a black silhouette dart between the nearby trees.

Before Thea could process what she was doing she found herself sprinting towards the figure. Now not caring how many twigs and leaves got caught in her hair Thea made sure not to lose sight of the figure. Jumping over rotting tree trunks and ducking under massive tree branches Thea finally made it to a clearing where she had seen the mysterious figure go to.

Collapsing on the mossy floor Thea took a few moments to catch her breath before scanning her surroundings. She was sure she had seen it stop here. Her confusion soon turned into anger when she realised she had lost the figure.

Standing up, Thea brushed off the mossy remains that clung to her jeans while scolding herself under her breath. Moving onto her hair she pulled out a few sticks but suddenly froze. She was sure she had seen a slight movement between the trees just to the right at her.

Taking a few cautious steps, Thea moved towards the trees and held her arm out to move away the overhanging branches. Stepping out of the clearing Thea looked around and was disappointed to discover nothing new. Her guard now down she continued to walk a bit further but decided to turn around when she realised that her mum would soon start worrying about her.

Sighing with disappointment Thea started to turn around but stopped when she noticed a lump of leaves and vines about three meters away from her. Curiosity taking the better of her Thea found herself heading towards it. Upon reaching it Thea gasped when she realised what it was.

It was the Cavanaugh Well.