"Aunt Claire— A letter came for you and uncle Steve."
Henry— He was a kid of the neighbours. He also did small chores around the town.
"Whose letter is it?— Henry."
"You should check yourself aunt. I can assure you will be happy to know whose it came from."
"What are you talking about?"
I took the letter and saw the name was written on it... It was Jonathan.
My happiness knew no bounds. I shouted.
"Honey, come here!. See what arrived."
Steve came with a exhausted look on his face.
"See honey, what arrived."
"What arrived?"
"Look. Our son sent us a letter. He sent us his adress and want to see us."
"What!?"
Steve face brightened as soon as he heard Jonathan's name. His smile touched his ears.
But then his smile faded. And said.
"Can you give me the letter."
I passed the letter to steve.
"Is something wrong, honey? Are you suspecting the letter doesn't come from our son."
"No... No. I was just seeing the letter."
His face was saying something was wrong. But in my happiness I didn't pay attention to it.
"Let's go, honey."
"Wait. Wait. Wait. We need to first pack things. The location that is written on the letter will take around 1 month to get there."
"What!? That's so long to meet our son, dear."
"Let's pack things for our journey, dear."
We sat out on our journey to find our son. For weeks, we traveled through villages and market towns. Every sunrise brought us closer to Jonathan, and every passing day made my excitement harder to contain.
Then. we entered an inn of the last town before reaching our son. My husband went to meet the town folks for the direction of adress.
"Sir— Is this town next or any other town will come in root?"
"Na. It's the next town but the distance is huge between this town and that town."
The man continued.
"You should be packing stuff for atleast 4 days. Because there is nothing but mountain and fields."
"Why? Isn't any carriage go there?"
"There is a superstition among locals that whoever goes that journey never comes back. So nobody goes there in this town."
"Well... I don't particularly believe that... But better be safe than taking risk."
"Okay. Thanks for the information."
"No problem."
Steve returned to the inn and came in my arms like something he was hiding suddenly start to burst out of him.
"Honey, I had a suspicion that something was wrong in that letter but I didn't want to admit cause looked so happy after news from our son..."
"What are you saying, Steve?"
I was thinking what he was trying to say. But couldn't grasp it.
Steve continued.
"The letter was emitting a faint ominous energy in it and now when I went to meet town folks they say something is wrong there. People who goes there never returns. They just disappear in thin air."
I was so shocked from hearing it from Steve that words are coming from him. He was such a powerful shaman yet. He looked more frightened than I had ever seen him.
"Can you stay here— claire? If I don't return in—"
"Shhhh"
I put my finger in his lips.
I figured out why he was so terrified. Not because something was wrong in the town. But he will go with me. And he didn't want to risk my life.
"Don't talk like that. We vowed to live and die together. So why should I stay behind."
I had a bright smile to cheer Steve.
Steve looked relieved after seeing the smile on my face.
"Ok. But don't go anywhere in the route alone. Promise me."
He moved his palm forward.
"Yeah. Promise"
I put my hand in his.
"We will depart tomorrow. At the first light of the sun. Rest well today. I am going to pack some stuff."
"Okay. Get to the bed immediately after done packing."
IN THE NIGHT
I saw Steve standing by the window, staring at the star-filled sky. From the look on his face, it seemed something was troubling him.
He sat at the table and took some things out of the bag. He was preparing talisman and other items that he used in exorcisms. In the light of a flickering candle he started making them.
IN THE MORNING
Yawwnn
When I woke up, Steve was nowhere to be seen. Then the door opened.
He was Steve who entered the room.
"Where did you go?"
"Just taking walk around the town."
He looked somewhat tired. It felt like he didn't sleep well last night.
I asked him.
"Which time did you come to bed last night?"
"Ahh ah 11."
I gave him a suspicious look.
"Really?"
"Ah 12."
I just stared at him.
"Oh gosh! Really you didn't sleep last night? What were you doing all night?"
"I was making talisman and things in case something happened. The talk about the town was also unnatural so... Better be prepared than go empty handed."
"You should've slept some time."
"I couldn't sleep. Whenever I closed my eyes, bad thoughts kept coming to mind."
I wrapped my arms around Steve.
Steve didn't say anything just quietly stayed there for some time. I didn't say anything either. I knew what was weighing on Steve's mind after speaking to the town folks
We couldn't find any carriage to go there. But a carriage owner said he will take us to the half route. With the double prize.
We agreed.
In the carriage
The carriage owner asked.
"Why are you going there?"
"Our son lives there."
"Really?"
I said with a smile.
"Yeah— he went missing five years ago but a month ago. His letter arrived. Saying that he had became a successful merchant and wanted to see us. The adress was written here."
"You would be very happy after seeing. The long lost son sent a letter."
"Yeahh, it was a very good day after a long time."
"What are you thinking, sir?"
He asked to Steve.
"Na, nothing."
"Well... I guess we part ways here."
Carriage owner stopped the carriage.
"Good to see you, say hi to your son in my stead."
"Of course."
The carriage owner sat back.
We moved some distance and started to unpack cause the night was around the corner.
Then a sound came.
Aaaggghhhh
It was the sound of man coming from the woods.
I was just leaving the tent to see. But Steve grabbed my hand.
"Don't leave. It's not human."***