Buried Roots (Joshler)

Chapter 5

Josh was hesitant to return the kiss because he didn't feel anything from it. Debby was a beautiful girl, but he just didn't see her the way she must have seen him. At the same time, he felt bad about not at least humoring her. He pressed his lips to hers, but quickly moved back. 

"What was that for?" He asked with a stunned laugh.

Her deep brown eyes sparkled as she murmured, "I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist it anymore."

"It's fine, I just wasn't expecting that."

She let out an airy laugh before questioning, "Does that mean I can do it again?"

Josh fumbled for a polite way to tell her no. He really liked being friends with Debby, but that was it. 

An expression of shock and confusion suddenly took over Debby's face. Josh worried that he might have upset her somehow without saying a word, then he noticed that her gaze was directed at something behind him. The look in her eyes was enough to make him not want to peek behind him. He slowly turned around and what he saw made his jaw drop.  

Down by the waterfall, Jenna could be seen standing under the spray, completely nude. She was apparently totally unaware of the audience she now had. This girl was almost stranger than she had been in Josh's nightmare.

"I think we should leave." Debby murmured, but not in the jealous way Josh expected.

Instead she sounded afraid. It was a mind-bottling thing to see, but he didn't understand what about it would make her fearful. At the same time, everything about their visit to the lake had been making Josh uncomfortable, so he didn't argue against her wish. They hastily got themselves together and made a beeline back to town. Thankfully their clothes dried quickly from the heat on their walk back, so no one asked any questions.

Josh told Debby a quick and awkward goodbye before heading back to Hugh's house. He couldn't stop wondering what would possess Jenna to do what she did. 

  He had nearly made it back to the house when he heard a horrified cry.

"It's a beast! It's an abomination!" A woman shrieked as she dashed out of the barn to the right.

He stopped dead in his tracks when he caught a glimpse of what she was carrying. There was a freshly born lamb in her arms, but it was unlike any Josh had ever seen before. The woman flung the tiny animal to the dirt and sobbed into her hands, despite the filth that covered them. Josh was stunned at the sight before him, he wondered if he might have somehow be dreaming.

The newborn lamb had two heads.

The woman's husband came running out after her and swiftly guided her from sight. The baby animal laid there, blinking and gasping for air. All the other on lookers slowly filed away, whispering about it being the work of Satan. Josh remained rooted to the spot, gazing down at the fantastical sight. He mentally struggled over whether or not he should leave the lamb there to die. He came to a conclusion and glanced around him to make sure he was alone, before scooping up the small animal.

Josh recalled a modest pond several houses back, so he shielded the creature with his arms and carried it off. Making sure that he wasn't seen first, Josh snuck over to the pool of water. He bathed the lamb as best as he could, but he did manage to get it fairly clean. After that Josh was lost on what to do next, he didn't think he could just take it back to Hugh's house without any issues.

While frantically trying to come up with a solution, the lamb struggled to its feet. Josh could only blink at the sight, it was behaving like a normal lamb and it was a bit baffling to see. It bleated at him and he pet both heads, thinking to himself that it was actually sort cute.