There were no awful rumors about the family who lived in the lone,
gray Victorian manor next to Dravolos Woods, but there were many about the
eerie, dense woods itself. The young couple and child living there looked
as normal as any other while they stood by the front door and said their
weekday morning goodbyes.
The man had dark hair and blue eyes. He wore gold wired
glasses which suited his image perfectly. He was a professor of
mathematics at the local university. The young man's wife was equally
beautiful. She stood about five inches shorter than her husband. Her
strawberry blond hair was smooth and straight except for the ends which
curved inward just under her shoulder blades. Her green eyes glowed
with happiness as she smiled at the cooing toddler nestled in her arms.
The man did a quick check of the contents of his briefcase,
glanced at his watch, and kissed his young wife and daughter. He climbed
into his tan mercedes, turned his head for a final wave to his loved ones,
and drove off to work.
The young woman gently lowered the child to the ground. She led the child
into the house and towards the sliding doors that served as the back
entrance. With her free hand she grabbed a tackle box and two fishing
poles, one a miniature replica of the other, which she always kept next
to the door. She loved fishing as well as the view of the stream flowing
behind the house. The morning sun was shining on the water, making it
glitter.
Using a barely free pinky finger to open the locked latch of the
sliding doors, the young woman then led her daughter to the edge of the
stream as she talked to her about the beautiful day and how lovely it
would be to fish with Mommy. Always conscious of her small child's safety,
she had prepared rubbery bait and no sharp metal hooks for their morning
activity.
"Here you go, Samantha!" The woman smiled as she baited the tiny fishing
pole then handed it to the cute tot.
"I catch shishies!" The child exclaimed as she held her toy fishing
rod over the water.
Samantha's mother laughed, quickly prepared her own fishing pole and
cast it out. She watched her daughter, pride swelling up in her.
"How can I be this fortunate?" she wondered.
A strong tug on the line prompted her to step forward to gain a more secure
footing before reeling in, but her foot found a small sinkhole. The young
woman was caught off balance and fell. She hit her head on the jagged
edge of a large rock. Samantha's mother lay unconscious with her head down
in the water. A ribbon of blood trailed down the stream from the cut on
her head.
Little Samantha tugged on her mother's blouse. "Mommy, are you
asleep?"
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