Seekers

Breaking and entering

The trees rustled against the veins of the sky as I got off the bus. I was just so excited to be able to be out of school today that the blood was literally rushing into my heart.

"Got to get back home and prepare for my set up," I said to myself. Typing in the garage door number I took out my skateboard and the cardboard box side and went all the way to the very entrance of the forest. I knew that Mom probably was off running some errands and Dad was also at work. I lay my cardboard box out front and sat on my skateboard.

"A boat-load of treasure for anyone that can understand what is going on in the forest," I read on the cardboard box side. I'm not sure how I am going to cough up a boatload of treasure, but it's worth a shot.

Day started to turn into night. I figured my parents probably both came home and were wondering where I was in the middle of the night. My eyes became very heavy. Sleep started to fall on top of them. Nobody came; what a surprise. Like any of my experiments really worked.

"Hey," a whisper darted into my ear like a bullet not sure how to pierce. I simply stirred in my sleep. "Hey," the voice said again and this time a slap fell on top of my head.

"Ow!" I cried, but the man put a finger onto my mouth. He wore a jacket that when I felt it, it seemed to be made out of some kind of bear-skin. Even though he wore a hood over his eyes, I could still see the face and eyes in the darkness of the sky.

"You know I can see you underneath that hood," I said. The man seemed to let out a "Doe!" as if he was in utter frustration.

"Fine, you want to see the very secrets and fragrances that exist within the depths of that forest? Very well then," he said. "I will now take you--"

"Wait, you're just going to take me now just like that?! I have just met you, and--" At the front of my lips was the statement that I had no idea how I was going to cough up a treasure-load of money. 

"Name's Matt. Matt Trevithick," the man said. That was a bit of a weird name; it did not sound fantasy-like at all. At first, I was a little bit withdrawn, but then I looked at the side of the cardboard box. I guess I did write those words didn't I? And I was pretty much talking about anyone...

Soooo....

"Hi, I'm Rebecca," I said, shaking his hand.

"Alright, well, we'd better hurry it up and I would like this bucket-load of treasure you were talking about when we get back," he said. He sped off. Hopping onto my skateboard, I tried to follow him, amazed by his speed and agility that I had trouble keeping up with.

Everything felt a whole lot more freeing as I raced across on my skateboard. The wind in my hair. The trees didn't feel like they were such a scary place after all since they were nothing but a speeding blur.

"Keep it up," Matt shouted from behind me. Finally we came to a stopping ground. "Look out in the distance," he said. I stopped my skateboard to see a small shack sitting in the middle of a bunch of dead trees.

"It's a shack," I said. "A shack made out of nothing but stones and mortar--wait a minute." I looked up to see purple smoke ascending into the sky. It created a sort of mirage in the air. 

"I'll wait out here," he said. It seemed as if he was pushing me to go forward. I asked for it--this is what I was waiting for. This was no time to ponder whether this stranger was trustworthy. I grabbed my board and made my way forward. 

I creaked the door open.

"Hello?" I called. Nothing but darkness answered in response. I swung the door open harder. I expected maybe a skeleton would drop out of nowhere and the eye sockets would still be in place, but instead purple smoke emitted into the thin air. My shoulders sagged.

"Is that the best you've got," I sighed.

"Ooooohhhhhh," I heard a voice howl. Great, was there a ghost trying to frighten me? First, a man who was trying to be mysterious that turned out not to be, and now a ghost in the essence of thin purple smoke.

But as I stepped closer, I saw a woman in her 50's or maybe her  late 40's, sitting in the center of the floor. The thing was her eyes were open as she was making these sounds of meditation.

"Farquaaaaa...." she spoke. "Farquaaa..." I could see what appeared to be a crystal sitting in the middle of her lap. She rubbed it, and I think even kissed it. I scrunched up my face; I mean, I can understand for a person that is really religious they would kiss their idol, but still, I would not get my germs on a piece of plastic.

"Uhhh...hi," I started. Suddenly the woman's eyes became blood-shot, making me jump backwards. "Intruder! INTRUDER! INTRUUUUUDER!!!" she started shouting. She began lifting herself up, and it was there that I started to see a blanket wrapped around her. Spiders started crawling out of the crevices of the house. 

I stood my ground. "Wait, I am just here to visit!" I shouted. The spiders kept crawling up my legs. I breathed easy and deeply. Spiders never bite you unless you outwardly attack them, I thought. The arachnids remained on my legs. I could feel some of them vibrating their legs on top of mine.

"So I see that there is another that is just as in love with the outskirts of nature as I am,"  the woman said. This time her voice had become softer. 

"Well, I am simply not scared as easily as other people," I said.

   *****************************************************************************************

A cup of tea was poured into my cup. I studied the engravings on it. Numerous scars and fractures rubbed into my fingers as I felt it.

"Its a sabra cup; legend has it there were many that used such item as a means of combat against the greats," the woman said.

"O-k," I replied, a little hesitant in my response, thinking as if this was something that I should have perhaps learned in my middle school history class. It still felt a little bit weird being here; all around there were egg splatters covering the entire dining room area. I took the tea poured into my cup and drank.

"So, where do you come from, mysterious stranger?" the woman said. I took a closer look at her. She had a robe wrapped around her body. Her hair was a blond-brunette color tied up in a bun, and mascara and eye-liner dressed her face. Honestly as far as I was concerned, she looked like any other girl that I had met my age. In the darkness during that scene, I thought maybe she looked a little bit older. 

"My name is Rebecca, and I come from the Southern Wales," I said. "However, I've actually been all over the globe since my father is in the military."

"Ahhh, so I see," the woman said. Her tone of voice gave signals of unfriendliness. "Well, I must admire you that you have passed the test I have designed for visitors. You have overcome your fear of the demonic forces I have sent you."

Demonic forces? "Are you like an exorcist?" I asked. 

"If I told you what I really was, you would probably freak out," she said, but after a moment's pause, she said, "Yes, I am an exorcist" very matter-of-factly.

"Oh, so you drive out demons?"

"Yes, indeed, and you have proven yourself to be one that is worthy training. Will you comply with the requirements to be such person that I need?" I withheld my hand at first; it felt so all of a sudden. 

"Look, I've gotta really get home," I said.

"Wait," said the exorcist, but I fled out into the darkness of the woods.