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Luna and her mother lived alone. They had no neighbors. Their house was old and had two floors. It was surrounded by forest. A dirt road ended in front of it.
Luna was a little girl. Her bedroom was on the second floor. She was sitting at her desk drawing a picture… when she noticed a face staring up at her from the woods. It smiled… then disappeared.
The little girl went outside. She went to the edge of the woods where she saw the face. “Hello?” she called out.
“Luna,” a voice whispered her name.
“Who are you?” the child asked. The whisper did not respond.
“Luna!” a woman’s voice shouted from behind. It was the little girl’s mother. “Get back here!” Luna pointed into the woods. “Come inside!” the woman insisted. “Now!”
The little girl went back into the house. Her mother sat her on the couch and asked, “Sweetie, you are to stay out of the woods.”
“I didn’t go in.”
“Stay away from the woods.”
“She smiled at me,” Luna mentioned. The face seemed to be that of a girl.
“Who?”
“I don’t know.”
The mother sighed. “Things lurk in the woods,” the adult reminded the child. “They protect us, but not because they care about us.”
“Stay in the yard or on the road,” Luna remembered. “They can’t come out of the woods.”
“That’s right.”
“The spooks keep the bad people out… but the spooks are bad too.”
“Yes. Luna, I want you to stay in the house. Never go out unless I bring you out with me.”
“Why?”
“Because I said so.”
“Okay.”
“Go to your room.” Luna nodded. Her mother kissed her. “I love you.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You’re not in trouble. I just need you safe, so stay in your room. I have things to do.”
“Okay.”
Luna went upstairs. She went to her room… but kept the door open. “Raymond,” she heard her mother utter the name of Uncle Ray. “Something smiled at Luna from the woods. She went out to greet it.” There was a short pause before mother said, “No. I caught her before she went into the woods.” Another pause. “I don’t know… but I don’t think so. I heard the door open and close so I think I caught her before she did anything like that.” Yet another pause. “Raymond, I think they’re trying to lure her out to them.” A long moment of silence followed. “Okay,” mother agreed to whatever Uncle Ray told her. “Okay. I will.”
Raymond Claythorne drove his car through a haunted forest. The road was dirt and narrow. He could feel himself being stared at. He could hear whispers.
The road ended as the driveway of a lonely house. Raymond parked next to the car of his sister. His vehicle was fancy. That of his sister was not. He wore a suit and tie, having left work early to come to the rescue.
The sister came out to greet her brother. “It knew her name,” she told him. “She said she thinks it’s a girl.”
The man snickered. “It’s not a girl even if it was. They are not human.”
“I know.”
“They hear her thoughts. Luna is special. They feel it. They see it. What scares humans about her makes her attractive to the fairies.”
“Raymond…”
“Go back inside. Sit with Luna. Hold her close and let her know we love her.” Raymond drew a dagger. “I’ll check the grounds and make sure the warding spells aren’t broken.”
“Are you going into the woods?”
“Yes.”
“Raymond…”
“Stay in the house and you’ll be all right. If you hear me call to you, it isn’t me. If you hear screaming or laughter, ignore it. Lock the door behind yourself.”
“Lock the door?”
“Just in case.” The sister stared at her brother. “Protect Luna. That’s what I’ll be doing out here.”
Beth, Luna’s mother and Raymond’s little sister, nodded. She went back into the house.
Raymond Claythorne searched the edge of the yard for signs of trouble. He found all twelve of the iron spikes still planted around the property. His dried blood was still upon them. When he touched the spikes with the tip of his dagger, he heard the faint echo his own voice utter the spell that enchanted them, telling him the enchantments were not broken. “Raymond,” a voice whispered. “Raymond,” another called out to him. Though whispers, the voices were distinct. “Raymond,” uttered a third entity. His name was then whispered from countless voices. The man ignored them all.
Luna stepped up to a window and watched her uncle search along the edge of the yard. “What is Uncle Ray looking for?” the little girl asked.
“Luna, get away from the window,” her mother implored.
“Why?”
“Because I said so.” The woman pulled the girl away from the window and sat her on the couch. The mother snuggled her child. “The woods are dangerous. Things out there want to hurt you.”
“Why?”
“Why do cats eat mice?”
Luna giggled. “I’m a mouse?” she asked.
“People are afraid of you because they are the mice. We brought you here so you can hide from them, so they won’t hurt you. The monsters keep them away… but you must stay away from the monsters.”
“Monsters? The face was smiling. She wasn’t a monster.”
“Yes, she is.” The little girl shook her head. “Luna, they are clever. They trick you. They want you to come to them because they cannot come into the yard or the house to get you. They will hurt you. They want to.”
“Why?”
“For the same reason cats eat mice.”
There were three knocks on the door. “Beth, I’m coming in,” Uncle Ray said before unlocking and opening the door. He came in. “The barrier is still up,” he reported.
“Are you sure?”
Raymond nodded. He came over to his sister and niece. He told the little girl, “Luna, don’t talk to them. Never invite them in.”
“I know,” the child responded.
Raymond and Beth stared at each other. The sister told her brother, “She’s lonely. She doesn’t have any friends.”
“I know.”
Raymond stepped outside. He pulled out his cellular telephone and called his fiancé. “Are you going to be late?” her womanly voice answered the call.
“I’m cancelling,” he responded. “My niece is having a problem and I’m at her house to solve the problem.”
“Of course she’s having a problem.”
“Angie, that’s a nasty thing to say.”
“Raymond, your niece is crazy. She scares me. There is something wrong with her.”
“What?”
“My girls don’t like her.”
“Luna is weird,” Raymond admitted, “but that’s because she’s special.”
“My girls aren’t special?”
“They’re smart but not… strangely smart. I told you about Luna’s dreams. She sees things she’s never seen, even secrets.”
“Raymond, girls were burned at the stake when they were that kind of special.”
“I know.” The man tittered, “That’s why we took her out of school… and away from people.” Raymond hesitated to ask, “Would you visit me and my sister? Bring the girls. Luna isn’t mean. They could become friends if we give them the chance.”
“My girls have friends.”
“Luna doesn’t.”
“Why is that my problem?”
“Angie…”
“Raymond, your sister was institutionalized… and so was your mother. You have crazy in your genes. You’re okay because you’re a boy in the family.”
Raymond laughed. “I thought you were a lawyer, not a psychologist.”
“I’m just telling you the truth.”
Raymond sighed. “We’re not married,” he reminded his fiancé. “We’re not family. My family comes first.” He disconnected the call. Angie made no effort to call him back. She sent a text that read, “Do what you want,” and left it at that. Raymond wondered if they were still together.
Raymond’s mother was a witch, as was his grandmother and great grandmother. The women of his family were witches since Europe and they brought their craft with them.
Raymond’s father disbelieved in the supernatural, even when he witnessed it. He was a man of the material world. He amassed wealth and gained influence ignorant of his insignificance. Raymond learned from his father’s bosses that his mother was one of… “them” and his father was not. She was assigned to marry his father and bear him children. Raymond was taught the sorcery he was told was nonsense by his uninitiated sire.
Men were the rulers of the world. Raymond was being groomed for greatness his mother and sister would never know. They were his personal responsibility. He cared for them. He would anyway, since he loved them.
Raymond stayed at the house of his sister. They ate supper with Luna. “Uncle Ray, are you spending the night?” the child asked her uncle.
His mouth still full, the man nodded. The mother told the daughter, “He’s here to help us.”
“I know.”
“Your house is protected by danger,” the man told the child. “I’m here to make sure the danger stays put.”
“You want the spooks to stay in the woods.”
“Yeah. They will do horrible things to you and your mother if I don’t.” Beth glared at her brother. He told her, “If we don’t scare her with the truth, she’ll be tricked to let them in.”
Beth suggested, “Ask your friends to help us.”
Raymond snickered. “They’re not my friends,” he told her. “If they help, I owe them.”
“So?”
“I’ll become their indentured servant.” He warned, “They may ask for favors. If they know too much about Luna, they may want her for themselves.”
“What do you mean?”
“If they help you helping me, you owe them. They won’t be nice about it.”
Luna remarked, “You’re friends don’t sound very friendly, Uncle Ray.”
“They’re not.” The man ate. The woman and little girl stared at him. “I’m here,” he told them. “Just do what I say and we’ll be all right.”
Raymond, Beth and Luna went for a walk around the yard after supper. “I see them,” the little girl claimed.
“What do they look like?” her mother asked.
“Shadows.”
Raymond could already feel the entities staring at them. He could hear them whispering, though barely.
The three went back inside and played a board game. They watched a movie. The motion picture was a comedy. Raymond hoped it would put his sister and niece at ease. As the credits rolled, he whispered to Beth, “Sleep in the same bed. If she talks in her sleep, don’t wake her. Just listen.”
“Okay.”
“Good night.”
“Raymond, thanks.”
The man smiled. “We’re going to be all right,” he assured. “We’ll get through this.”
Beth brought Luna upstairs. Raymond would stay downstairs. He checked the doors and windows before turning off the lights. He sat in a recliner and leaned back. He sighed, tired but afraid to fall asleep. His cell phone played music. “Beth?” he answered the call.
“Luna says they’re calling out to her.”
“Do you hear it?”
“No.”
Raymond told his sister, “I’m going outside. I’ll shew them away.”
“How?”
“I can adjust the warding field to resonate what will drive them crazy.”
“Don’t make them angry!”
“Beth, let me do my job, please.”
“Okay.”
Raymond went outside. It was loud with the chirping of bugs. The man heard rustling in the woods. He glimpsed movement in the shadowy depths. He noticed what seemed to be glowing eyes… but they went out when he stared.
Raymond looked up into the sky. The moon was a glowing crescent with an ovular dark side. The warding field was weakest during a full moon but that was not for nearly a month yet. The season was spring, not autumn. It was strange the fairies lurked so close to the house this day.
“Raymond,” a feminine voice whispered. A white arm reached out to him from the shadows. It looked as if that of a young woman. The hand beckoned him. The man turned his back to the spook.
Raymond raised his dagger, the blade shining from moonlight. “As above,” he uttered. He then stabbed it into the ground, “So below.” He uttered, “Earth of home and blood of mine, air of breath and fire divine: Rise as light and swirling gust, wash around this abode of dust.” The iron stakes surrounding the house suddenly flashed with red light. The surrounding foliage rustled as a cold breeze swirled around the property. There was a long moment of deathly silence… then the bugs started chirping again.
Raymond went back into the house. He closed and locked the door. He pressed his left hand against the door and uttered, “Wall of way.” He then went into the living room and reclined in the comfy chair. He sighed, hoping his efforts were not in vain. Alas, the terrible things were tricky and relentless and always found a way.
The room was dimly lit by moonlight. Jack could hear many whispers, though barely. The ambience was spooky… but eerily relaxing. The man fell asleep.
Raymond was awaken by the loud chirping of bugs. The man opened his eyes, finding himself still in the chair… but outside. He was in the woods. He could see the house. “As above, so below,” a masculine voice whispered.
“As within, so without,” a feminine voice whispered.
Many voices gasped, “As before, so is now… and forever!”
Raymond did not have his dagger. He did not have his cell phone. He sighed, his breath showing mist though the air was warm.
A childlike voice uttered, “Luna, Luna, small and sweet. Growing up fast, as fresh meat. Blood is hot and flows within. She is spawned of her mother’s sin.” Countless voices laughed.
A womanly voice uttered, “Beth, Beth, small though grown. Blood is cool in a heart of stone. Called her brother to save the day. Night has fallen in the way.”
A manly voice uttered, “Raymond, Raymond, Uncle Ray. Came when called and now astray. Stepped within the light day but lost in shadow that came his way.”
“I’m still in the chair,” Raymond noted. “It is in the house. I am still in the house.” He closed his eyes and declared, “I am still in the house.” Raymond opened his eyes… finding himself back in the living room. He heard a chorus of laughter, though barely. He sighed.
Luna was in the room, standing in the darkness and staring at her uncle. “Luna,” the man addressed the little girl. “What are you doing out of bed?”
“You’re not supposed to go into the woods,” she told him. “The spooks are in the woods.”
“I didn’t go in.”
“Yes you did.” The girl accused, “I saw you. I heard them talk and I heard you too. I looked out the window. You went into the woods.”
“If you looked out the window then you were out of bed. Go back to bed.” The girl remained where she stood. She continue to stare. “Luna?”
“Uncle Raymond, Uncle Raymond, brother of my mom,” she uttered. “Went outside and now he’s gone.”
Raymond noticed that the front door was open. “Luna,” he addressed his niece. “Did you unlock and open the door?” The girl shook her head. “Why is the door open?” The child shrugged.
A shadowy form came through the door and disappeared into the shadowy depths of the house.
Raymond snatched up his dagger. He hurried to the front door and locked it. He turned on lights. “Luna, turn on the lights,” he told the girl.
“Which one?”
“All of them.”
The child went about the house turning on lights. Raymond searched the house for the intruder. “Raymond,” Beth came downstairs. “What’s wrong?”
“We have an intruder,” the man told his sister. “Come here. Luna, come here,” he led his relatives to the couch in the living room. “Sit. Stay here. Shout if you see anything.”
“Okay,” Beth snuggled her daughter.
Raymond explored the house. When he heard creaking, he went upstairs. He searched the rooms, turning on lights as he did so.
The man felt a chill behind himself. It washed over him. He spun around, finding himself face-to-face with a faceless darkness. He stabbed it and uttered, “Cold steel in hand of hot blood burn with life!” The blade then burst into a white flames. The specter wailed, writhed and dissipated.
Beth and Luna were still on the couch when Raymond came back downstairs. “Sorry.” He explained, “I think I know what happened. I should’ve known better. For every action there is an opposite and equal reaction. When I expanded the warding field to shew the spooks away, it collapsed in an instant, giving them a moment to get to the house.”
“Collapsed?”
“Before resuming its proper boundaries. The magic is a matter of physics. I cleansed the house. I’ll secure the yard.” Uncle Raymond went outside.
“Don’t worry,” the mother told her child. “Everything is going to be okay.”
“Why did Uncle Ray go outside again?”
“He’s finishing what he started.”
Raymond peered into the darkness of the surrounding woods. He could see faces, though barely. He could hear voices, though barely. He could feel the cold of their malevolent intent. The entities hated him. They wanted his niece. He was in their way. They would tear him to pieces the first chance they got. They would laugh as they did so.
Raymond went from iron spike to iron spike. He pricked the palm of his hand and wetted each with his blood. He renewed the warding spell. “Thirteen?” he happened upon the thirteenth spike… though he only planted twelve. This one was… silver. Arms reached out and pulled him into the woods.
Raymond was lost in darkness and silence. He could hear his breathing but nothing else. “What just happened?” he heard his thought as if he uttered it aloud. “My blood was not on that spike.”
The silence was broken by the chirping of bugs. The darkness brightened into the dark of night. Raymond found himself in the woods. He could see the house. The lights were still on. He tried to return to the house… but could not step into the yard. It was like he was made of metal and a magnet pulled him back when he tried. “The warding spell is keeping me out,” he realized. “Why is my own spell keeping me out?”
Luna looked out a window. She waved at her Uncle Ray. “Luna,” he called to her, his voice a whisper. “Luna, come to me. Pull me into the yard.”
The child shook her head. “You’re a spook,” she told him. “You told me to ignore the spooks.” She then stepped back and covered the window with a curtain.