Hearthway Hollow

Roman & Harris

It wasn't a shock that the ritual had begun, no, that was a pleasant surprise. The shock came from the fact there were not one, but two offerings when you walked outside that morning. There was a deer on one side and an elk on the other. It wasn't unheard of, but it was rather rare. You really weren't sure how to wrap your head around it.

You went to school, meandering into the classroom in something of a daze. You sit down at your desk and fumble through your backpack, trying to find your textbook. As you water bottle plops out and rolls away from you, someone catches it.

"Here," your professor sets it on your desk and you smile up shyly at him. He tilts his head, soft blue eyes peering into yours. "Everything ok?"

Professor Harris has always been your favorite teacher, in fact, you've tried to take his class for ages after a lecture he gave ages ago. You take your water bottle and nod. "Oh yeah. Just another day in Hearthway Hollow," he titters nervously.

"Huh," he sits down in the chair before you, turning to face you. "You're usually all bright eyed and bushy tailed when you come to class. What's up?"

You shrug, this is what you like about him. He cares about his students. "I woke up to a surprise is all."

His eyes shift for a moment then he glances back at you and smiles. "Well, whatever the surprise is I'm sure it was done with the best of intentions." He reaches into his pocket and places a chocolate on your desk. "Damn things give me heartburn but I love them." He smiles at you before going to greet the rest of the class.

After school, the idea of two rituals happening simultaneously to you demands some attention, so you go to a bar. It's your favorite one, has been since you started going to school. The Silver Bullet, funny name for a bar considering your town's history, but everyone was always tongue in cheek about it. You plop down at the bar and immediately your favorite drink is set before you.

"Thanks, Roman," you say, taking the chilled glass in your hand.

The bartender smiles and leans on the bar. "Saw you from out the window," he nods his head towards the giant pane of glass. "Saw you walk by twice actually. Did you forget where the door was?"

You smile up at him as you take the toothpick of cherries from the glass. "Got something on my mind. Might have forgotten for a moment."

He tilts his head. "Oh? Well, you're at the right place to unload." Those golden brown eyes of his always give him this puppy face that was hard to say no to.

You huff and slouch your shoulders. "Got kind of a shock this morning." You take a sip of your drink. "I've always been told I'm lucky. Well, this kind of lucky seems like a double-edged sword."

He stands up and places his hands on the bar. "Is that how you feel?"

"It just happened so...this is just initial. Maybe it'll change once I get used to it."

He smiles softly. "Well, you just let me take care of you until that happens."

The next morning, there are two offerings again. This time two bears. You huff, looking at the corpses as you try to enjoy your coffee. "Why do wild animals keep coming here?" You murmur to yourself. You look up as Adam's truck pulls up to pick up the meat.

"Boy," Adam laughs. "I can't remember the last double ritual we had."

"You're telling me," you grouse.

Adam looks you over. "Does it bother you?"

You look at him and shrug. "I'm not sure how to feel," you reply. "I'm kind of at a loss. I mean, one ritual is one thing. But two?"