Secrets of the Willow

Chapter 2 - The dark forest.

Ten years later:

“Sorry I’m late Mr Holmes, believe it or not it took me over twenty minutes just to get out of my dorm room”. I said to him as I rushed in and quickly went to my usual chair.

“Forgot how to use the door?” He rebuffed with a grin.

“Actually, it was more entertaining than that! Two girls got into a huge fight over who used the last of the shampoo!” I replied with an amused smile.

“Hmm, this early in the morning? Who has the energy for that?” He jested as he shook his head. “Did you use the wisdom I’ve taught you here to calm them down?” He asked with intrigue

“Sorry Mr Holmes, but no, I didn’t. I kinda wanted to save my own nose from being broken”. I responded jokingly.

“I guess I can accept that reason”. He smiled in reply. “Anyway class, let’s get back to the topic at hand. How to help someone overcome grief in a healthy and natural way”. He continued with the class as he looked around at the rest of the pupils.

I loved everything about college. I loved my classes, my friends and the space I had away from my parents. They didn’t tend to fight or bicker a lot, but there was a distance between them that just always set off an awkward and uncomfortable atmosphere in the house.

What my parents didn’t know, was that when I was sixteen, I had finally learned the reasons behind my mother’s hysteria and fear whenever she warned me to stay away from Willow forest, and I had lost count of how many times she would beg me to promise to stay far away from it.

When I was in high school just causally sitting in the library working on an essay, it was then that I heard a group of boys sitting on another table whispering about the forest taking another teenage boy and how he was now missing since his parents had spent the last three days looking for him. The boys at the table were so certain it was the forest striking again, and pondering on who would be taken next. For years I always tried to just dismiss my mother’s paranoia when it came to those dark trees, but hearing those boys talk about it in ways I’d never heard before, my curiosity peaked, so I took myself to one of the library’s computers and brought up all of the local newspaper articles of Mullberry Creek.

My jaw dropped at how many throughout the years kept popping up on the screen, it was just one after another. Some were young adults and teenagers, but the year I had turned six, it was mostly young children of the same age that had gone missing or been found dead on the grass right in front of the forest. Every person that had been found dead had all been found right in front of those trees, and anyone that was declared missing, had items of clothing or dropped belongings… shocker… right in front of the forest! It all lead to the same place… the forest that everyone including my mother feared more than anything. It was then that I fully understood why she was so eager to leave this town and take me as far as she possibly could, but what I couldn’t understand is why my father always fought her on it.

I couldn’t deny that after what I had found out, that I too became even more fearful of what lurked in that darkness, and according to the articles, many attempts had been made by the police to enter the forest in search of the missing victims, but nothing was ever found, not a drop of blood, a strand of hair, not even a footprint….. not one!

I never once told either of my parents that I knew the truth, because I started to recall that for my entire childhood, every morning when the newspaper was delivered, they’d both glance at it then chuck it straight into the trash, making sure it was buried underneath the rest of the rubbish. I always thought it was odd, but as a kid I never really questioned it until I finally knew the truth. For some reason they were hellbent on me never knowing, but even now at the age of eighteen, I find it ridiculous that they still assume I have no idea of what’s been happening in our mysterious little town.

“Ok, that will be all for today”. Mr Holmes called out to everyone in the class as I wrote down the last of the notes to revise on later.

I stuffed my books back into my bag and headed out to meet Yasmin and Natalie in the main buildings cafeteria to see them before their classes started for the day.

I had known Natalie all through high school. We had a few classes together and as soon as we were paired up for biology on our first week, we became inseparable. Yasmin was vastly different to me and Natalie, she was a lot more forward, outspoken and flirtatious, but during our first dorm party, we drank and laughed together and since then we became a trio, going everywhere together.

“Eugh, finally!” Yasmin chirped as I walked through the doors and headed to their table. “I have to go in like, five minutes!” She stated with her eyebrows raised.

“I do apologise Yas, next time I’ll tell Mr Holmes to end his class earlier just so that I can have a coffee with you two!” I replied sarcastically with a grin.

“Yes, please do! And if he kicks up a fuss, just tell him that I’ll make it worthwhile for him”. She responded with a wink and a sultry smile.

“Eww, Yaz, he’s a college professor! Even you should draw the line at that!” Natalie groaned with a disapproving look.

“What? He’s hot!” Yasmin chimed with an amused smile.

“Don’t even think about it”. I said as I gave her a playful warning look. “I like his classes, so don’t go getting him into trouble and fired!”

“I won’t!” She replied, but the wide smile on her face wasn’t convincing.

“There’s hundreds of age appropriate guys here… you can literally take your pick”. Natalie reminded her with a chuckle.

“Yes, I know, and luckily most of them are pretty cute! But you have to admit, your professor is a hottie!” She added as she looked at me.

“Yes, ok, he is obviously a good looking man, but you’ll just have to keep him as a fantasy and just imagine him when you’re using one of your many… many, many, many toys you have stashed away under your bed!” I said to her as I broke into a laugh when I saw her jaw drop when she realised I knew all about her box of s*x toys.

“Have you been poking around under my bed?” She asked in a high pitched squeak.

“No!” I tried to reply through my laughter.

“Then how did you know?” She questioned as she tried to keep herself from laughing with me.

“Uhh, you kinda showed us!” Natalie chimed in with a giggle.

“What! When?” Yasmin shrieked again as she glanced back and forth at me and Natalie.

“You got so wasted at Josh and Cyan’s party, and when we took you back to your room, you insisted on showing us!” Natalie reminded her as we both kept bursting into fits of laughter.

“Wow”. Yasmin exhaled as she sat back in her chair. “I can’t even keep my own secrets when I’m drunk. I am such a liability!” She said as she shook her head.

“Don’t worry Yaz, you’re secret is safe with us”. I chuckled as I tapped her hand.

“Well girls, if either of you want to borrow something, there’s enough to go round!” She stated which made me and Natalie look at her in amused disgust.

“EWWW!” We both chimed at the same time.

“That’s a hard pass for me!” Natalie added as she took a sip of her coffee.

“Same here, they’re all yours, Yaz, you can keep them to yourself” I told her as she tried to stifle her chuckles.

“Well, if you change your mind, I’m happy to recommend my top three!” She smiled widely as she got up from her seat, pecked a kiss on both of our cheeks and headed out of the cafeteria, leaving me and Natalie still grinning ear to ear from her humour.