~1~
“RJ! Get your butt back here!” I shouted as I watched his perky little ears turn towards me and he stopped in the edge of the woods before turning around to face me.
“You heard me, march over here mister!” I said in a serious voice as he waddled over, his little nub of a tail waggling as he began to run back over, his gray fur shimmering in the sunlight.
“You know better than to leave the yard. You better be lucky it was me letting you out and not Gram or you would have given her a heart attack.” I chastised as the little French bulldog grumbled at me in protest.
“Don’t you get that attitude with me, you are in big trouble mister. Now march!” I said, pointing in through the open door as he continued to grumble as he walked past me and into the open doorway. He was still grumbling as he walked further into the house and into the living room where my grandmother was sitting, looking up from her knitting.
“Who pissed in his kibble?” she asked, making me smirk. She was definitely full of fire, not your typical grandmother in the story books and it made for an interesting childhood.
“He is pissed at me because he went out of the yard and into the edge of the woods.” I said as I plopped down into the recliner as RJ went into his dog bed and gruffed at me before plopping down and curling up.
“Little thing is getting too big for his own britches. Might have to go back to leashing him if he doesn’t stop. The last thing we need is for him to see a squirrel that catches his fancy and for him to take off running. He goes into those woods...” she trailed off as I crossed my legs and stared down at him.
“He hasn’t run off so far, I think he was just testing his boundaries this morning, being an obnoxious little shit. You hear that RJ? Stop being an obnoxious little shit.” I said as he huffed out a breath through his pugged snout before licking his lips and closing his eyes.
“He has a mind of his own, that’s for sure.” she replied as I laughed, shaking my head at our sassy dog.
“So, Gram, have you thought about maybe clearing out those few bushes and fencing in that area so RJ can run around without a problem?” I asked as she looked at me, all humor gone from her face, her eyes serious.
“No. Things stay the way they are, nothing changes. I don’t want to go one inch further into the woods than we have to.” she said as I scoffed and rolled my eyes.
“Gram, it’s not like I am suggesting we go miles into the woods, I am suggesting a few feet.” I said as she narrowed her eyes at me.
“A few feet, a few yards, a few miles, it makes no difference. You know the rules, stay out of those wretched woods!” she almost shouted before coughing and putting her knitting down beside her with a sigh.
“Gram, don’t you think I’m a little too old to buy into the ghost stories?” I asked as she crossed her arms and stared hard at me.
“You know goddamn well those aren’t ghost stories. You think I told you those stories just to keep you entertained or under thumb when you were little and running wild?” she asked as I wrinkled my forehead.
“Wait, let me get this straight, you actually believe all of those stories you told me?” I asked, staring at her with widened eyes. She sighed as she looked at me sadly, her eyes full of only what I could describe as regret.
“Of course, they are real. You think out of all stories I would choose ones that kept you from going off an exploring the woods? No, I would choose a fat man who lives at the north pole and watches over you 24/7 to make you behave yourself.” she said as I raised an eyebrow.
“Why do you think they are real, Gram?” I asked, beginning to worry a more about her sanity than anything at this point.
“Many of these stories have been shared among families that used to live at the edge of the forest. But one...one is ours. One of your ancestors was lost in the woods to them.” she said as I stared at them in surprise.
“What?” I asked as she sighed and stared at RJ as she began to share the story.
“Her name was Joy, and she was quite literally what her name embodied, joy. She was happy, lively, full of glee and spread it to those around her. She was warned, just like everyone, not to venture into the woods, that danger lurked there. She, however, was curious...far too curious and full of an adventurous fire. One day she went missing and one of her brothers went venturing out to find her and what he found...” she trailed off.
“What did he find?” I asked, feeling stupid for finding myself getting suckered into the story.
“There were bare footprints of men, black feathers, her dress in tatters and blood soaking the dress and the ground around the dress. They couldn’t find any other signs of her, and her brother followed the footsteps until they quite literally disappeared, leaving behind only a few black feathers. He too had to leave the forest before dark, for he had already been in them for far too long. As you well know, they are not nearly as dangerous for men as it is for women, but still, the danger is still present. So, you see, that is why I always told you to stay out of those damn woods.” She replied, sighing as I nodded. I still didn’t necessarily believe her, but I could see that she believed and decided to agree with her so as not to further upset her.
“Wait, this story sounds familiar, but you failed to mention some details, like her name and the fact that she was an ancestor of ours. How come you ever told me that part?” I said as RJ let out a little grunt as if almost agreeing with me.
“I told you enough. Besides, all of those stories I told you have personal connection to the families that live at the edge of the forest, one just happened to be ours. It doesn’t make any of them less tragic.” she said as I nodded. They were tragic stories even if they were full of a fantastical element to keep us out of the woods, truth is many people did to missing and lose their lives in the woods.
“Gram, did they ever find any bodies?” I asked as she hummed before picking her knitting back up.
“Some, yes. A few men, every one of them horribly mutilated and barely recognizable, but as you know most were never found, most likely devoured by the devils that haunt these woods.” she replied over the clicking of her knitting needles.
“Alright, message received loud and clear, I will still stay out of the woods, I promise.” I said as she smiled up at me slightly.
“Look, I know that you aren’t a child anymore by any means. Hell, catching you sneaking Justin out of here last summer kind of cemented that in my mind. I have raised you since you were a little girl and with your parents gone, you are all that I have left. I just don’t want anything to happen to you.” she said as I smiled softly and patted her hand.
“I know Gram, I’m sorry.” I replied as her smile grew.
“You can make it up to me by cooking.” she grinned, making me laugh.
“You got it. What would you like me to make?” I asked as she hummed.
“Dealer’s choice, you know you are a great cook.” she said as I smiled.
“I think I have the makings for some japchae, sound good?” I asked as she nodded with a large smile.
“Sounds delicious.” she said as she began knitting away happily. I got up and walked into the kitchen as I began to start prepping the sauce and ingredients for the japchae, RJ making his way into the kitchen to catch anything that may happen to make its way onto the floor. I stared out of the window in the kitchen as I rinsed off the vegetables and caught myself glancing into the thickness of the woods as I began chopping them up. I watched the wind making the colorful autumn leaves fall from the trees, the sun making the wood of the trees look so warm and almost inviting. I know there was a creek nearby, on still days you could hear its water babbling in the distance. I could imagine taking a picnic lunch in there and sitting by the water, letting RJ run around in the leaves, as he often liked to do when I would rake a pile up. I sighed and shook my head, looking back down to the food in front of me, getting those thoughts out of my head. As nice as the idea was, I would never ever do that to Gram. While I didn’t necessarily buy into these ghost stories, something was definitely off about the woods that surrounded our home. I allowed my mind to wander while I finished preparing our dinner, right up until Gram snuck up behind me and stole a mushroom from the bowl, eating it with a hum.
“Delicious! Oh, I am still planning on going to the market tomorrow and to the craft store to pick up some more yarn. Did you need me to get you anything else not on the list?” she asked as I mixed up the noodles.
“No, I think that is everything.” I said as she plopped a piece of meat onto the floor for RJ, who gobbled it up quickly. I turned my head to her and looked at her with a raised eyebrow and shook my head as she looked at me with a fake innocence.
“What is that look for?” she asked as I laughed.
“You know dang well what for. No wonder porker here listens to you so well, you’re spoiling his little chunky butt rotten.” I said as he looked up at us and licked his lips.
“He just knows who is boss, right?” Gram asked as RJ let out a little snarfle in response, making me shake my head.
“Well, your little chunky butt better know who is boss tomorrow when Gram is gone and I give you a BATH!” I said loudly as he scuttled out of the kitchen quickly, making me laugh.
“No wonder he gives you trouble.” she said as I laughed again and served us our food.
Throughout the rest of the evening, there was no more talk of devils or cursed woods, just the normal slow Saturday that we would enjoy together. As I took a shower that evening and sat in my room, putting on my face cream and setting into my nightly routine, I couldn’t help but get the eerie feeling out of my mind like someone was watching me. It made the hair on the back of my neck stand up and chills raise all over my body.
“Yeesh, no chills, I just shaved!” I grumbled, rubbing my arms and legs, trying to get the goosebumps to go away. I finally turned off the lights and climbed in bed, only to have the feeling intensify and make me shiver before pulling the blanket almost all the way over my head.
“Jeez, maybe I will have Gram get me some booze.” I sighed to myself, realizing I probably let those stories get the best of me today. It took a while, but finally I was able to shrug the feeling off and let myself fall into a fretful sleep.
