Spear Forest

Chapter Thirteen

Five recent legal adults and one who was just six years in,A total of six sat around a dwindling fire ,fighting a slow losing battle with the wind. After the brawl between Michael and mudon .
Mitch took the first stand to explain what he knew from the news paper he found ,few publications from the library and his findings after breaking into the filming news group HQ. He still remember the codes from when he and Emily were dating . He explained that spear forest gets its name from people witnessing someone with a spear lodge through their body and how that someone could more than likely be a lingering spirit. Making the name of the forest interchangeable, spirit forest. He also confessed his first encounter with Lilian during the senior graduate project, purposely leaving out the part on how he wet his pants.
Then Michael took the stage starting with how he and Mitch first encountered the spirit at the hideout. He also explained how he and Mitch confronted their grandfather about hiding their correlation to the incident the folktale spawned from and how he was heavily against the idea of spreading the truth about it. Michael expressed the heaviness of his consciousness he had been trying to hide since finding out the truth and with Mitch's input, explained their connection to sams family and what actually happened. To her they vowed to make up for the damage their family had done to hers.
Finally it was Lilian's turn to spill. She revealed herself as sam's long lost sisters . She explained how they were separated when she was just a baby and how the incident wasn't as long ago as people made it seem. In fact it was a little over two decades ago. The only lie in that folktale was the time frame. This town isn't as half old as people say it is. She also revealed some of her background, she remembered the day their family was chased into the forest their was a crowd of people on their front lawn with torches and pitchforks. She, their parents and their grandparents fled from the backdoor and into the forest. They had no choice. As they did so their mother remembered that Sam was being babysat by a friend. She was ready to charge back head first but their grandfather stopped her. He volunteered to go and get Sam but he never returned.
From there Lilian , her mother and father and grandmother found refuge in another town. The Chuwleedee family was actually a religious lineage and so till their last breath their parents and grandmother conditioned Lilian into a promising monk.

" a monk?" Agatha looked Lilian up and down a few times. " but you're a woman ."

"Yes men were the ones who carried out most rituals but our older brother disappeared with our uncle couple years before either of us was born and our family wasn't to picky with gender roles, not like they had a choice in the matter."

Sam scratched her head and racked her fingers through her hair anxiously. " You're my sss..ssister ... a brother? Pp-Parents?"
In an instant mudon's arms engulfed her body into his he leaned in close to her and began cooing soft comforting words into her ear.
After a moment Sam regained herself she looked up at Lilian. " so I was right...our parents didn't die in a house fire but ... old age?"
Lilian nodded.

" but there was proof that they were locked inside their house while someone set it to flames."

Lilian shook her head.

Mitch got up and gathered wood from around them to keep fire from going out.  "Emily..."

Mudon nodded. " if it wasn't for Emily we would not have known about you guys disappearance so I don't doubt she knew everything about everything of this town including about the Chuwleedee."

Agatha rubbed her hands together and faced her palms towards the flames. " so Lilian..you say the only thing false about the folktale is the time frame but what about a sighting of a child? And it's true that your grandfather was behind the hunting of cattle?"

Lilian raised a brow and became very still for a moment before she spoke. " The hunting... that wasn't my grandfather's doing but infact it was our mother's and her secret lover's doing."

"Secret lover? Mom had an affair?" Same chimed in. "With who ?"

Lilian looked up at the twins . " Their great uncle."
A moment silence washed over the group . Lilian stood and walked over to the ditch she dug to use as a pond for the fish caught earlier. After skinning and deboning she returned to the huddle and put fish on sticks. With each one She dug the other end of sticks into the ground and formed and open teepee around the fire.

Michael looked confused. " why so many .. did you know they were coming ?"

Lilian nodded. "I've been watching all of you for about two weeks."

Mudon counted the fish.  " You made seven but their is only six of us .."

Lilian shrugged. " I figured if I actually make him a plate he'd finally come join us."

The gang looked up at her startled. "Huh?"

Lilian leaned back a bit and peered over her shoulder.  " What do say , you haven't eaten in days. Mr.Dean."

The sound of crunching footsteps occupied A dark figure that slowly inched out from behind the trees.

Michael stood up. " Grandpa no matter what you say we aren't turning back!"

Mr Dean slowly lifted both hands in surrender. " Boys I'm not here to fight or stop you. I too am in need of redemption."
Mr. Dean fell to his knees and landed on all fours. Mitch stood up and started to go help him but Michael held him back. Mr. Dean began crawling till he reached Lilian'side. " Please, do to me as you please."

Lilian looked down at him for a moment before waving him off. " Old man I'm not here for vengeance. I only came to release my grandfather's spirit." She looked at Sam in the eyes. " and to give my sister a choice."

Sam looked away in silence , Mr. Dean lifted his head. " you know that he is dead ?"
Lilian looked back down on him . " As long as breath remained in his lungs grandfather would always return to his wife.So when he didn't we knew he had passed."

Mr. Dean looked down at his hands gripped the ground. Crunching dirt ,leaves and tiny twigs into his palm;his fingernails filling with soil.

Lilian watched him and turned her body towards him so that now it seems as though he was grappling at her feet. She leaned in close to him. " But as far as his death , remains a mystery. Care to share? Mr. Dean."

Though she said it to him the gang heard her loud and clear . Chills ran down their spine.

At her words mr. Dean shot up and looked up at her in fear. He gulped. " Ah yes, o-of course."