Chapter Three

Oliver

The icy realization of leaving the key to the shop down at the river was devastating. It slowly trickled down my spine before manifesting into a nauseating pit in my stomach. I couldn’t bring myself to go back and retrieve the key. The light of day had dwindled away hours ago, and with whatever was down there, it wasn’t a risk I was willing to take.

I loitered outside the workshop until the streets became bare; no noise but the faint hoot of a barn owl somewhere out in the distance. The rest of the town had drifted off into a peaceful slumber. Thank goodness our town was relatively quiet, and no one stayed up late.

As I had waited, I had figured out what my plan was going to be. I wasn’t going back to the river, that was for sure, but I couldn’t sleep outside on the street. I knew that the Millers had gotten a new shipment of hay for their horses last weekend.

Without another thought, I made my way to their property and waited until the last light coming from the house flickered out. Before I could talk myself out of it, I climbed up the rickety ladder that led to the loft in their barn. Each creak and squeak caused my heart to hammer in my ears. I silently pleaded with the ladder to stop making so much noise. I didn’t want to accidentally wake the Millers or one of their neighbors.

I blindly felt around the loft, trying to make myself a make-shift nest like a bird. It didn’t have to be extraordinarily plush or even comfortable. I just needed to keep my body from the splintering plywood below.

I don’t really know if I slept. No matter how much I begged the darkness to consume me, I just couldn’t give in to it entirely. I kept jumping out of my skin at every noise that floated in on the night breeze.

Once the sun began to creep over the Millers’ roof, I shimmied down the ladder and hopped the fence as fast as possible. I would fancy that they missed my presence on their property without their consent.

If I had asked if I could sleep in their barn’s loft, I am sure that they would have said yes, but I had no desire to tell them. I didn’t want to admit to anyone that I was scared of the woods. People in town talked enough about me as it was. Some thought of me as a leech. Some pitied me as soon as they learned about my story. Either way, I refused to fuel them and give them one thing to gossip about me.

I hesitantly headed towards the river. I had no desire to go back in there immediately, but I had to get the key back. I couldn’t just throw away Richard’s property just because I was a gutless goof.

Bursts of sunshine peeked through the trees, encouraging me that I would be fine. Not even the sun was enough to comfort me to stop me jumping around anytime there was even a faint noise.

I was so relieved when I came upon the rocks where I had my belongings last night come into view, but it was short-lived. I scoured the shoreline, but it was a fruitless search. I hesitantly glanced across to the other shore where the glowing eyes had been. I silently gulped before I dejectedly turned away from the slowing moving water to start heading up the path to the main road.

I muttered to myself, “Richard might just dust me off.”

Suddenly a familiar french accent spoke from behind me, “Are you looking for something?”

I turned on my heel to find the man from last night leaning up against a large rock where I was just searching around. When did he get here? Where did he even come from?

The man’s slicked-back hair gleamed in the early light. He held out his wrist and examined his cufflinks before pulling out a handkerchief to buff them with.

“Oh, it’s you. I dropped something last night.” I sighed in relief as I took a few steps closer to him. He looked like he had been awake for hours. His suit was perfect, not a wrinkle in sight. I glanced down at my clothes and tried to brush off the dirt and hay that clung to me.

“What did you lose?” He raised his perfectly quaffed eyebrow at me. How was he so put together this early in the morning?

“A key. I have to find it. It’s the key to my work, and my boss will be real sore with me if I don’t find it.” I reached my hand back behind my head and ruffled my own hair.

“Ah, a key?” The man folded his handkerchief and reached inside of his jacket. “Is it this key?” The man pulled out the old keyring I had been searching for. He casually spun the ring around his finger.

“That’s it! Thank you!” I almost jumped for joy as I held my hand out expectantly for the key. “I thought for sure I had lost it for good!”

“You can have it back if you answer a question for me.” He shook his finger at me like he was scolding a child.

“What kind of question?” I recoiled momentarily as my hand dropped from the air and swung lifelessly by my side. What did he want from me? I have next to nothing. Nothing to barter with. Nothing to give him. Nothing.

“In exchange for the key, why don’t you tell me your name.” He tossed the key up in the air and caught it. Was he toying with me? What kind of question was that?

“My name? It’s Oliver, Oliver Graham.” As soon as my name left my lips, his eyes seemed to come alive. I couldn’t quite read the emotion, but as quick as it came, it disappeared. He tossed the key to me, and that dingy metal never felt more precious to me.

“And what do you do, Oliver Graham?”

“Um, right now, I’m a carpenter’s assistant, but I’ve done a little bit of everything you could say.” I clutched the key like it was a life preserver. As long as I had it, nothing could hurt me.

“Interesting.” He drummed his index on his chin like he was pondering something.

“Sir, can I ask you your name?”

“But of course. Where are my manners? The name in Jules Loup.”

“You aren’t from around here, are you?” There was no Loup in town; I didn’t even need to think about that.

“Ah, no. No, I am not.” A smile that could melt a block of ice snuck across his face. He must do well with the dames, but I was no dame.

“Well, it was nice to see you again, Mr. Loup.” I took a step back, ready to run up the path and make it to work before anyone noticed I wasn’t there.

“Jules, just call me Jules.” Mr. Loup’s voice stopped me in my tracks, and I nodded.

“Ah well, it was nice to see you again, Jules.” I turned my back on him, ready to get out of the woods.

“We’ll see each other again soon, Oliver. Until then. Au revoir.”

“What?” I went to look at him one last time to try and figure out what he meant, but he was gone. There was no trace of him like he disappeared into thin air. How did he do that? Something was definitely off about him, and it wasn’t just the accent.

I didn’t have time to search for Jules, though. I raced up the path, pushing my body to its limits to try and beat Chester and Richard to work. My attempt was in vain, though. I almost knocked Chester to the ground as I rounded the corner of the building.

“Whoa! Watch it, Oliver!” Chester jumped back away from me.

“Sorry, Chester,” I exhaled as I unlocked the door.

“You look like shit,” Chester followed me into the workshop and pulled a piece of straw out of my hair. “I thought you were washing last night.”

“I did,” I mumbled as I made my way back to the office and dropped my crumpled bag of stuff on the floor by the chest.

“Then why do you smell faintly of manure?” Chester scrunched his nose up at me and waved his hand in the air like he was trying to clear the air.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”