Mirror in the Forest: Book One (40 page)

He would sometimes read new books to her, but still nothing ever happened.

He did have his doubts sometimes, and wondered if he really should go on with his life. He had dated a few women after Jessica, but nothing panned out. He always came back here, and always back to Jessica. He would find her soul, he promised her that, and he intended to keep it.

“I talked to your mom just before I came in. Now, I know everything you told me was true. I’m sorry Jessica. I will never give up on you,” he said.

Mark stood, and knew it was time to go. He leaned down to kiss Jessica’s forehead.

“Never,” he whispered.

He then walked away to go home. He would be coming back next week to try again.

A finger moved, then brown eyes blinked. It happened so fast, that no one in the living world had seen it.

Jessica was trapped, but she was not gone forever. She would always fight the spirit as long as Mark was there.

I’m still here!
She shouted from somewhere she couldn’t explain, hoping he would hear her.
 Please don’t give up on me, Mark. Never give up on me…..

June 1995

Mark was back in Leon’s Crossing to visit Hal. Hal had a small stroke, but was expected to make a full recovery. However, he finally decided it was time to retire as a deputy.

Mark was glad to see his uncle was going to be all right. Though he absolutely despised this town now. Jessica’s parents were still living here, but he didn’t even bother with them anymore. When he tried to make contact, he was ignored.

“You look tired,” Hal commented, sitting in his recliner as Mark’s Aunt Ginny fussed over Mark.

“Long hours on the road,” Mark answered, thanking his aunt for the beer.

“You work too many hours Mark, you need to start thinking about a family,” Ginny scolded settling into her recliner.

Mark took a sip of the beer, and chuckled. She always said that when he came to visit.

“Oh good God, Ginny. Leave the kid alone, he has plenty of time,” Hal lightly scolded his wife.

Ginny rolled her eyes, and said, “Whatever.”

She then rose from her chair and left the room to start supper.

Hal made sure she was out of the room so they could talk. Hal never told her what was going on.

“So, how is the girl?” Hal asked, when he heard noises coming from the kitchen.

Mark took another sip of his beer, and answered, “She’s had a few things happen. One night, she began to move around, and screamed for help the nurses told me. I thought….”

“No?” Hal eyed him sympathetically.

“Nothing,” Mark said, sadly. “I think that means she is still fighting to claim her body back.”

Hal shook his head in remorse. “There have been no instances of strange accidents around either to help us, as I’m sure you know. Bill is still looking around on his free time from the grandkids.”

“I’m thinking about going to demonologist,” Mark finally said.

“A what? There are people like that?” Hal asked, surprised. “Hmmm, never knew that.”

“Yep,” Mark answered.

“Hopefully, they can help.”

“I hope so.”

Hal gazed over at Mark. “You know, I know you weren’t with the girl for long, but damn, I never saw you so happy as you were with her.”

Mark sighed, and gave his uncle a haunted look. “That’s why I still look for the mirror, and her.”

“I could lecture you, and tell that you may never know, and it’s been ten years and all,” Hal commented. “But, I won’t, because that look you just gave me tells me everything.”

Mark didn’t say anything more. He didn’t need to. He appreciated that his uncle understood everything that Mark was going through, and supported him nonetheless.

Mark and Hal watched the baseball game, and Mark stayed long enough to eat dinner with his aunt and uncle, and spent the night in their spare bedroom. Their kids were now living in California and Portland. Hal never mentioned anything else about Jessica the rest of the night. Mark was grateful for that.

The next morning Mark woke early to go back to Tacoma. He had a shipment the next morning, so he needed to go home pretty quickly.

After a quick breakfast with goodbyes, Mark left his uncle’s house.  He usually stopped at the clearing where the mirror had been located when Jessica was talking to it, but decided not to this time. Mark knew it wouldn’t be there.

Mark drove down a long winding road to get to the highway, when something caught his eye. There was no traffic on the road, but something was moving ahead of him.

Mark sped up, and then relaxed when he noticed it was just a boy on a bike.

In fact, he was about to pass the boy, when the kid suddenly looked back at Mark, and turned off the road into a meadow.

Even though the town had grown over the years, Mark knew there was nothing back there, and his former police instincts took over wondering what the kid was doing.

Mark thought about just letting it go, but something in his gut told him to stop.

He pulled over to the side of the road, could see the back of the boy going further into the meadow then disappearing into the woods.

Mark sat there for a minute, wondering what he should do. He caught the kid’s nervous look when he turned around.

His gut was telling him that something was not right.

He knew he was taking a chance, and turned off the car. He got out and walked across the tall grass.

He looked down, and could see tire tracks in the mud. He walked up to the edge of the woods, and spied a path. The tire tracks continued along the path.

He would walk a little further. The sun was now bright in the sky, and was shining through the trees giving him enough light to see into the woods.

“Hey kid!” He called through the trees.

No answer.

“Hey! Where did you go? I just want to talk to you for a moment.”

Still no answer from the boy on the bike after Mark called to him a few more times. Mark didn’t want to scare the kid, nor did he want the kid to think he was some kind of creep, but his senses were on high alert, and that meant something was wrong.

After walking around for what seemed like forever, Mark came to a creek. The water rushed by soothing his troubled soul, but still no sign of the kid on the bike.

Letting out a frustrated breath, Mark finally gave up. He left the wooded area, and the meadow.

He sat there in his car for a while, with a strange feeling running through him that he would come back here soon.

…

“Do you think he saw me?” The kid asked, hiding behind a tree from the weird guy following him.

“No, he is gone now, child. He will no longer bother you.”

The boy came out from behind the tree, and smiled at The Spirit. “Good. So, you were saying something about a gift?”