Page 50 of Hallow Hill at Halloween: Part One

“Yes. She understands that and has committed to finishing if it takes her forever.”

“I have to admire that. Please tell her I said so.”

“She’ll be thrilled to be thus acknowledged. Regardless of the incident when you threw her out, you’re still her hero.”

As you can imagine, that made me feel like a louse. “I’m sure I was just in a cranky mood that day, and I have nothing but the best wishes for her.”

“I’ll tell her that as well.” She stood to go. “I don’t know if this interests you, but the Pais Alexilia sponsored Gizella and is acting as her mentor.”

I couldn’t help a big grin. Life certainly is both strange and a web of interconnections. Just like that, I’d changed out of my grouchy pants and was looking forward to the rest of the day.

“That’s wonderful. She’s very lucky to have Alexilia as a mentor. The Pais must’ve seen something very worthwhile in her.”

Blaes nodded. “Till next time.”

I closed the door manually. Sometimes it was just good to do things myself.

With Olivia out and Keir gone hunting, the house felt particularly quiet after Evie’s departure. Normally, I would relish the alone time, but I hadn’t slept well the night before. I thought some fresh air and a drive might be just the thing.

The Hallows had recently received an old lithograph map of England that mentioned the Major Oak of Sherwood Forest prominently. As a die-hard romantic, I was a sucker for images the name Sherwood Forest conjured. In the past year, I’d learned that fantastic creatures and worlds are thriving all around us, unseen. Now I learned that Sherwood Forest is real as well.

My existence was a monument to curiosities come to life.

The Google machine indicated that I was two and a half hours away.

It’d been a long time since I’d set off on a road trip by myself, and the idea became more appealing by the minute. I might go so far as to say I was excited. Not to mention that Romeo wouldloveit. After packing a little backpack with toothbrush and nightshirt, I pinned a couple of inns in the vicinity should I decide to spend a night. I knew it wouldn’t be necessary. If I fell asleep at the wheel, my Romeo would get us home safely. Such things had to be considered because my restless nights had me frequently nodding off at inopportune times.

Maybe it was silly that I decided to tell no one I was going but, honestly, the secrecy was half the fun.

The drive fulfilled its purpose, which was to distract me from things I didn’t want to think about. As I watched new-to-me vistas rush past, I vowed to do this more often. There was something exhilarating about new scenery. The slowdowns due to closures and roadwork delays were a nuisance as they caused me to arrive much later than planned. By the time Romeo picked a spot in the car park where he felt secure, it was after four.

While Romeo had control, I’d read the forest guide on the way and determined that, if I didn’t see anything else, I had to take the Major Oak trail to see the magnificent giant and return via Robin Hood’s hiding place.

According to the guide, the trail could be done in forty-five minutes. According to Google, it would be dark a little before six. I had almost two hours to complete forty-five minutes of sightseeing.

I told Romeo to lock up and watch my stuff and set out with the guide.

I passed a few fellow seekers on the trail who said hello cordially acknowledging the shared experience. I noticed that no one else seemed to be going in my direction, but thought perhaps it was because of my preference for later dinner.

An hour later, I was admiring the curves, twists, and beauty of the ancient tree. It could’ve been an abstract painting. But it wasn’t. It was a living, growing thing almost a thousand years old. I chuckled to myself that I found that awesome and then remembered that my husband was around before the tree was an acorn.

I reached into the pocket of my cargo pants for my phone to take a picture. Maybe a selfie. The light was fading, but I might not be back. So, it was then or never.

Just one problem. The pocket search came up empty. No phone. I must’ve left the phone in the car. Oh well, who needs a phone in Sherwood Forest. Right?

I decided I needed to walk a bit faster on the way back. It was a natural law that nighttime was coming whether I was back at the car or not.

The signs seemed to have suddenly disappeared into the dusk. Other sightseers were nowhere to be found, and the perfectly good flashlight on my phone was useless since I’d left it in the car.

I began backtracking, reminding myself that the full moon was just a couple of days away and there was a well-marked trail. That meant that there’d be extra light to see by at night. It was a good theory and would be true, if not for the trees blocking the light. The landscape was becoming a range of grayshade with a slight green tint.

At some point I took a wrong turn and was walking through brush when I heard something that sounded like a low growl. I willed my heart rate not to skyrocket, telling myself that it was a movie-moment bit of imagination. I didn’t have time to find out if mind over terror would work before a large shadow blocked my forward progress.

I’d like to say I didn’t shriek, but that would be a lie.

Another low growl came from the figure in front of me. It was low and evenly modulated. Not a threatening growl, but not friendly either as by its very nature a growl can’t be friendly.

“Okay,” I said, trying not to stammer. “I’m going to just back up and get out of your forest. Sorry to disturb.”

---