Chapter Two

Oliver

"Have a good night, Oliver,"  Richard called over his shoulder as he opened the front door.  He had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth as he tipped his hat to me.  Richard smoked like a fiend at work; his wife didn't like him to smoke at their home.  She said that the cigarettes stunk up their house.

"Night, boss,"  I called after him as the door swung shut, wafting one last puff of smoke into the workshop.  I made my way through the machinery and tables, enjoying the quiet.  I plopped down on my bed, letting my eyes lids close.  It wasn't busy or even a demanding day, but I was exhausted. I was perpetually shot.  Finally, I heard the rumble of Richard's truck leaving the shop.

I pried my body up to rummage through my small chest.  This wooden box housed my only belongings at the foot of the cot.  I pulled out the last sliver of a bar of soap, a towel, and a change of clothes.  I shoved my goods in an old paper bag before walking to the front of the store.  I grabbed the metal keyring from the wall and walked out the door, only pausing to lock up behind me.  I pocketed the keyring before stepping out into the world.

The night still had the excitement of the circus coming into town lingering in the air.  A faint glow of warm lights came from the fields where the circus was being set up.  I felt drawn to go and see what was going on like other town folks.  I knew that it was where Chester was, but I needed to take a dip in the river and wash off the grim before Richard called me out.

I waited until a few cars passed before crossing the street.  I padded along the sidewalk until the well-worn path cutting into the woods came into view.  I glanced over my shoulder before trotting down into the woods, following the sound of the river.

Twilight was probably one of my favorite times of the day.  Something about it was magical.  I also particularly liked twilight because I could wash in the river where I wasn't as noticeable, but I wasn't wholly blind either.

I stripped off my sweat-filled clothes and left them in a heap.  I pulled out my clean clothes and towel, carefully laying them on a large rock.  Lastly, I grabbed my last sliver of soap and before wading into the water.

The water had a slight chill to it with made it utterly refreshing.  

All of a sudden, I heard some faint splashing coming from down the river.  I sunk down in the water with only my hair and eyes exposed.  I watched as shadows played in the shallow waters; their cheerful voices and giggles carried.

There must have been a dozen or two adults over there.  They weren't people from the town, that was for sure.  They must have been with the circus.  They were too lively to be from this place.

I was about to try and sneak behind a large rock, but something underneath the water's surface bit my toe.  "Shit!"  I reacted a little bit too loudly as I splashed away from that area.

Whoever else was out there scrambled and ran away from the water.  I sighed out loud.  I didn't mean to scare them off.  I waded back to the edge of the river where my belongings were and climbed back onto dry land.  I grabbed my towel and began to pat down my skin.

The sounds of the forest disappeared.  No birds.  No insects.  No squirrels.  Nothing at all until a cracking sound echoed through the woods.  It was such as eerie noise; I had never heard anything like it before.  Whatever it was, it made my skin crawl and the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.

I hastily threw my feet through the legs of my trouser and threw on my undershirt.  I didn't know what was out there in the woods, but I sure didn't want to stay and figure out.

As I shoved my dirty clothes, soap, and towel into my bag, I glanced one last time towards the shore where the people had been.  What I saw made my stomach drop.  Through the curtain of darkness that had fallen, I saw at least a dozen of glowing eyes staring at me.  A chorus of growls and snarls echoed through the forest.

My feet had a mind of their own as I bolted away from the river.  I refused to look back as I scrambled up the shore, clutching my stuff in my hands.  I ran as fast as I could.  I heard something splashing through the water behind me, but I was too scared to look.

I tore up the path and almost ran over a man with slicked-back blonde hair and a tan suit once I made it back up to the street.  He jumped back away from me and brushed off the arms of his suit.  "Watch where you are going!  What's with you?"  A foreign accent caught my attention.  What was that?  French?

"Sorry, sir."  I apologized as I cautiously stepped around.  I glanced over at the man; I definitely didn't know him.  No one in town was French.  Something about him seemed odd; I didn't know if it was just a cultural difference, but my nerves were shot, and I just wanted to get back behind a locked door.

"What's gotten into you?  You are shaking like a jitterbug."  The man groaned out.

"I'm sorry, sir, I was down at the river, and I got spooked."

"Ah, the woods?"

"Yes, sir."

"In my country, it was said you should never wander in the woods at night.  You never know what is out there."

"Well, I'm done with the forest for the night.  Whatever is down there, I don't want anything to do with it."

"Go on home now, boy.  Have a good night and stay out of the woods for now."

"You have a good evening, too."  I politely nodded to the strange Frenchman and made tracks back towards Richard's shop.  I didn't stop moving until I was back in front of the door.  I exhaled as I rummaged through my dirty clothes, trying to find the key to the shop.  The cold metal hoop wasn’t there.  The key was gone; it must have fallen out of my pocket at the river.

"Dammnit."