Secrets of the Great Oak

Chapter 28

Noah was shaking in the passenger seat as Jake drove on.

They sat in silence until they pulled up to the camping grounds and parked the car.

"So, this dude just threatened every single person at that party into saying it wasn't in the clearing?" Jake asked.

"No, dude, it's like he wiped everyone's memories. How else could he keep that many people quite so long?"

"Noah, that's crazy! How could he even do that? No, there's got to be something else. Something about this clearing."

Noah put a hand on Jake's shoulder as he reached for the door handle.

"I've got a bad feeling about this clearing, Jake."

Jake turned to look his friend fully in the face. "So do I."

The silence stretched on as they found the hiking trail and made their way along its winding path. Their footfalls over branches and grasses were the only sound. Even the insects were not to be heard from tonight.

After about a mile, Jake spied the oak tree with the balloon carving nailed to its trunk.

"That's it," Noah said needlessly. "Just about another three-quarters of a mile in"

"I know," Jake seethed, still raging.

Noah backed off and followed Jake along the path once again.

Then, they broke through the tree line, out into that strange clearing at last. Something about this place didn't sit right with Jake, and he resolved not to leave until he figured it out.

"This place gives me the creeps, man," Noah whispered from behind him. "What are you even hoping to find?"

"I don't know." Jake's gaze was locked on that gnarled, massive oak tree in the clearing's center. "But, I'm betting there's more than meets the eye to this tree."

The bark was rough under Jake's hand. This thing must have been ancient. It was as if the very essence of the tree permeated the air around them, as if the tree had a soul. Jake continued his inspection. Running his hands along the carving of Maggie and Elas' initials, he moved to the back of the tree, to that opening he found so intriguing when he was here with Anna.

"There's a weird opening back here I want to look at," Jake called to Noah who was standing a healthy distance away from the trunk of the tree.

The night made it difficult to see much, the moonlight still broke through the tree canopy in places. One of those patches of light fell directly on the hole Jake was looking for. With Noah on his heels, he began to poke around the opening.

His arm fit into the hole, all the way up to the shoulder, beyond what he would've thought would fit in the trunk. He reached in, trying to feel for the back of the tree, but it just kept going.

Before he knew what was happening, Jake felt a tug on his hand and his whole world turned upside down.

Feet hit the ground and the rest of his body crumpled into a heap on the dewy grass. Noah's scream still rang in his ears.

Jake stood on shaky legs and took in the wood that now surrounded him. He was no longer in the clearing, even though that ancient oak stood at his back. He was in a wood that was singing, teeming with... something. The air here was both thick and impossibly light. He could feel it swirling around him, igniting his senses. It brought the scent of wildflowers and fresh rain. Even the light from the moon here was different, brighter, more thorough, more... colorful. He could see the whole spectrum of color in a single beam of light.