Chapter 1
OCTOBER
It’s been sixteen days since the first construction worker went missing. At first, everyone speculated it was because of the working conditions on the site; the usual disputes happen between employees and employers. But in the last few days, more workers have gone missing, and the frequency has escalated. People are asking questions.
I observe from my bedroom window the workmen in their hi-viz coats and hard hats, directing large construction vehicles as they clear away the trees for the new housing estate. The constant beep beep as they reverse is wearing thin on my mum’s patience.
“Bloody workmen - there all hours, ” she complains as she tries to relax in front of her favourite television show after a long day at work.
We have been living here since I was born; my dad left when I was little. Mum said he just disappeared one day, “…. like a rat abandoning a sinking ship”.
That was over fourteen years ago. I don’t remember him as I was just a baby. Some people in the town say it is odd that he left the way he did without saying a word to anyone. Mum thinks he left because of me, but she won’t say that to my face. I just know. I hear her crying some nights when she thinks I am asleep. It makes me sad. I sometimes wish I had never been born. Then I wouldn’t be a burden to her.
People who knew him would tell me stories about him.
“He was so excited when he heard your mum was expecting.” Our neighbour tells me. I want to believe her. Maybe my dad just couldn’t come back?
Looking out at the woodland from my window, I see a fox playing with a feather. It makes me smile. I will be sad when the forest is gone. Often I observe wildlife along the edge of the forest grass. Deer grazing, birds and today I am lucky to see the playful fox. Soon it will be a wasteland and then houses will blight the space. The foxes will no longer play, the deer will no longer graze, and humans will take over.
A police car enters the work camp quickly with the emergency lights flashing. Another follows closely behind. Officers pile out of their vehicles. As the light of the day fades, they bring out large flashlights and a couple of K9 units arrive. Two large dogs excited about the job they have, seek instruction from their human partners and quickly search for the scent.
Using group chat on my phone, I message my two best friends.
ME: Hey there are a bunch of cops outside come ova
I wait patiently for their response. The message dots bounce as someone is typing. I wait, slowly becoming impatient. Finally, a response flashes on my phone screen.
MARY: What’s goin’ on?
ME: I dunno...hurry!
MARY: K
JANINE: On way (thumbs up...as always with Janine).
I hope they hurry, or they will miss all the excitement.
This time of year, I can see quite far into the woods. The leaves are almost all gone, but the snow has not yet arrived. Today there’s a brisk wind. Everyone looks cold as they hunch in their coats. It seems dark despite it only being two in the afternoon. At this time of the year, darkness will soon come. Clouds have fully blanketed the sky. I look up and see that it looks like rain. I snigger as I think about all those people getting wet. Serves them right, taking over the woods.
I listen as my mum opens the door and greets my friends. Their footsteps up the stairs are soft. They know not to be too loud. The anticipated gentle knock still startles me.
“Hi,” I say as they walk past me into my room. Janine was the same height as me but she looked bulky in her favourite colourful woollen jacket. It had a fur-lined hood, and she was still wearing it as she looked cold. Mary always wears the same black jacket that you can see is getting too small, as the sleeves do not quite make it to her wrists. She wears black fingerless gloves and resembles a goth in the making. Neither are wearing any footwear. Mum insisted they be removed at the entryway.
“Hi,” they say in sync. I have been their friends since the first day of school. We spent every summer in ‘our’ woods, discovering the beautiful things that live there. Now we have to watch as they are slowly being destroyed. As we peer from my window, we search the dark trees for a glimpse of the creature. He must be there. I haven’t seen him for days, and I am getting concerned.
“Perhaps he has gone underground,” Mary suggests.
“I didn’t think he would be afraid of them,” I answered.
“There’s so many, though,” Janine observes. “what if he gets caught? They might hurt him!”
“I don’t know ... perhaps we should try to help him.” I wonder. Mary and Janine looked at me, considering the options.
After a long pause, Janine finally says, “I think we should just wait and watch.”
“You’re probably right, we can’t get in there without being seen and then they will start asking questions,” I say.
" I wonder what they are looking for?” Janine asks.
“Maybe another worker has disappeared.” I guess.
Staring at the trees, we all tried hard to see any movement - just a glimpse of the creature.
“It is good if we can’t see him,” I decide, “because if we can’t see him, they can’t see him - right?”
Rain falls, making things uncomfortable for the police. Slowly, one by one, the cars leave the scene. As dusk begins, the search is called off and the police teams depart. Only one vehicle remains on watch.
Pulling out the laptop, I search the internet for any news, but there’s nothing. Mum calls from the bottom of the stairs.
It’s suppertime, so Mum invites my friends to stay. After we eat, we return to my room. There’s still no sign of him. What if he was discovered? What if he was scared away and moved to a new forest?
As darkness settles in, I sigh, “We will need to look and see for ourselves.” Janine and Mary agree that now would be a good time to go.
Once dishes were done, the kitchen was tidy, and a sufficient amount of time had elapsed we sneak out of the house, easy as Mum always falls asleep in front of a loud television with a glass of Rose wine. The long day at work was exhausting for her. She does not even notice as we pick up some snacks from the kitchen.
The back door leads straight to the woodland, and it only takes a few moments to reach the edge. The rain had subsided. An officer watching the site is dozing in the front seat of his car, and his partner is reading messages on his phone. They do not see us as we slope into the trees. Even with Janine’s multicoloured coat!
As we enter the tree line, the trees rustle and quiver. As we head deeper in, the trees whisper, making us smile as we listen to them. Reaching the innermost part of the forest, we sit quietly at the base of the most remarkable tree right in the centre of a clearing and wait.
The creature surfaces from between the gnarly roots and smiles at us. It stands only a couple of feet tall and has large ears, bent legs, and a potbelly. It is the colour of the tree bark, and if you didn’t know he was there, you might not see him. I take out a piece of cheese and lay it on the ground. The creature picks it up and chews ravenously on it. It makes a grunting noise. I think it is endearing, but as I look over at Mary, her brow furrows, and she seems grossed out by him. I wonder why she is acting strange, as we had seen him many times before.
“He seems d.d.d..... different,” she spoke.
“What do you mean?” I ask.
“Like he is ...I dunno.... possessed,” she says.
“I don’t think so,” Janine laughs at the idea. “Maybe he is just sad that they are bulldozing his home.”
Mary shrugs. “You’re right. He’s so cute!” She leans over and touches the creature. It giggles, making a sound like it is a little congested, then snorts. We all laugh. The trees sway, even though there is no breeze. I look up. They have surrounded us, creating a canopy as the rain starts.
“Hey, I didn’t know it was raining,” I said. The others look up, amazed by how the trees have created this protection for us.
“Wow,” says Mary. I am so in awe at the sight it takes me a moment to even register she has spoken.
“We have to go now. My Mum will wonder where I am.” Janine says.
“Bye, Tree Goblin,” she says, and we all wave as we leave the Goblin there. He nods knowingly and then disappears beneath the ground.
Janine and Mary head home as I sneak into the back door of the house. I can hear Mum talking to someone. As I creep forward, I see the reflection of the local vicar in the glass door of our china cabinet.
I move to the bottom of the stairwell, sit down on the stair, and listen intently.
He is speaking quietly and gently, “They say that there was a settlement here over 200 years ago, and one day, the people just vanished. No one knows why. They abandoned the houses like they were going about their daily business, and they evaporated. There were tables set for meals and fires left to burn out. It was a mining village. There is a rich untapped seam of tin underneath the town. About 100 years ago, a miner moved here and worked in the area again. He lived as a hermit and wouldn’t allow anyone near this whole area, but when he died of old age, others came and built homes, and eventually, Penburbury was born. When they went to bulldoze the old hermit’s house, they found drawings of these weird tree-like creatures and little men. His imagination was wild! A few pictures that were dark and scary, like real evil demons in a nightmare coming from the forest. He wrote many times on paper pieces - ‘do not enter the forest’ and no one knows why. I think the poor man was suffering from mental illness.”
“I don’t understand why there are so many people disappearing! I’m so scared for Emily and her friends - they go into the woods all the time.” Mum’s voice is shaking.
Father John reaches forward and takes her hand. “I’m sure there is nothing to be concerned with. It’s just an old wives’ tale. There are scary legends everywhere. We just happen to have an enchanted forest!” he assures her.
She laughs as she feels the reassurance wash over her. “You’re right, Father!”
“The police will want to speak to you tomorrow, so they asked me to mention it so you are not worried when they knock. Just some simple questions, like have you seen anything suspicious...you know, stuff like that.”
Mum replies, “Oh, I understand. I saw nothing. Maybe Emily did, she was home all day today. I have been at work. Long shift! I’ll talk to her later.”
“Well, I must be leaving. I will see you soon.” Father John stands. I creep away and climb the stairs to my room.
Peering through the window of my room, I can barely see the woodland. The police car has been replaced with a white van with ‘Guardian Security’ written in bold, black lettering.
“Shit, ” I curse under my breath. Not words my mother would approve of, normally, but it slips out. Circumstances are far from normal today.
I can hear mum’s footsteps coming up the stairs. I quickly dive under the covers of my bed, fully clothed, and pretend to be asleep, just in time for the light from the hallway to illuminate my face. I am adept at pretending to sleep and haven’t been caught yet! The door closes, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Pushing the sheets from me, I undress and change into my pajamas - just in case. The room is dark, making it easy to see the outside, and I watch the van stand motionless. I watch for a little while until a man gets out, looks around, and lights up a cigarette. He leans against the van, takes a deep breath of his smoke, and stares at the woods. The trees sway gently; He does not notice that there was no wind.
Movement catches the corner of my eye. I turn and see the tree creature as he peers out from the tree line. He is looking at the man in disgust. I panic. What if the man sees him? What if he hurts him? What if the tree man hurts the security guy?
The man finishes his smoke and returns to the van. The tree creature slinks back into the forest. I feel an overwhelming urge to sleep. It has been a very long and difficult day, so I retreat to my bed and fall asleep quickly.
