The Forgotten Eden (33 page)

“
The smell almost unbearable, Jeremy and I pinched our noses as tight as we could. Grandpa, on the other hand, seemed unaffected by the odor, and was ready to continue as our tour guide.

“‘
Boys, you’ll need to be extremely careful,’ he advised. ‘If you look down from here, you’ll see a sight you’re not likely to ever forget.’

“
He leaned just barely over the slab’s edge, and we did likewise. Peering through the steam, we saw the boiling pool of water in its brilliant turquoise basin, bubbling twelve to fifteen feet below us. The water pushed and surged its way over the far corner of the hot tub-sized pool, forming a stream that carved a path another forty feet down until it emptied into another much larger pool. Steam rose from that pool, too, though the water didn’t appear to boil.

“‘
The Indians, both ancient and more recent up until a hundred and eighty years ago, spent a great deal of time here,’ said Grandpa. ‘We know this on account of the burial mounds and stone graves on the north, west, and south sides of the clearing. The water directly below us is scalding hot, as you can tell, but the water in the larger pool is much more pleasant. On average, it stays between ninety-eight and a hundred and seven degrees Fahrenheit all year ‘round. The Indians must’ve bathed in it because I know we did growing up. I suppose the first white settlers to this area decided to build the fort here for the same reason, to have access to the hot water. If they needed fresh cold water, the river sits less than a mile away, as you know.’

“
I stared into the bubbling pool below, somehow charmed by the brilliant blue-green color of the water. I knew it was an illusion caused by mineral deposits encrusted on the rock sides of the pool. Yet, the color and the big bursting bubbles reminded me of something.... All of a sudden it hit me, and I backed up quickly from the slab’s edge.

“‘
What’s wrong, son?’ Grandpa asked, a tad worried. ‘Is the steam too warm for you?’

“‘
Yeah, a little, Grandpa,’ I told him.

“
Another lie and I hated it. True, the steam was hot. But the bubbling water reminded me of the throbbing blue mass I’d seen in Genovene’s village. Seeing it freaked me out, and now I only wanted to get as far away as possible.

“‘
Can we go now, Grandpa?’ I pleaded, looking up at him with imploring eyes. ‘I’m feeling kind of sick to my stomach from that awful smell.’

“‘
Are you sure, Jack?’ Grandpa studied my face, seemingly torn between genuine concern and disappointment.

“‘
If you can hold off puking your guts, Jackie, I’d like to take a quick look at the other pool,’ said Jeremy. ‘I’ll be back in just a minute, ya’ll!’

“
Before either of us could stop him, he moved quickly down the side of the rock formation and ran over to it. Large algae patches covered the boulders and smaller rocks that enclosed the pool. Jeremy leaned over the edge and looked down into the water.

“‘
Hey! This is pretty cool down here!’ he shouted up to us. He stuck his hand in, pushing the steaming water back and forth near the surface. “The water’s pretty clear down here, too! Nice and warm, though I’d have to say it’s a little on the hot side!’

“
My brother continued to admire the pool from where he stood, smiling with the smug look that’d become his trademark over the years. Suddenly, his eyes grew wide with terror and he yanked his hand out of the water, staggering back from the pool’s edge.

“‘
Holy mother of Jesus!
’
he cried out.
‘
Something’s moving around in there!!!
…Could be a goddamn poisonous water snake or some other shithead, but whatever it is, it looks like one
big
motherfucker!!! Did you know this thing has fish or snakes in it, Grandpa?’

“‘
No, son, I didn’t!’ he replied, the worried look deepening in his ruddy face. ‘You need to get the hell away from there
now
, Jeremy! We’re on our way down!
Come on, Jack!!
’

“
Just as Jeremy moved back over to us, the pool began to show ripples and waves as if some large creature moved just below the water’s surface. A heavy splash flew into the air and the shimmering body of the mysterious critter was briefly visible to us all. To me it looked more lizard-like than a snake or a fish. Perhaps a miniature version of Vydora had managed to hide here. If so, miniature or not, we were in serious trouble!

“
Jeremy took off running and shouted over his shoulder for us to follow his lead. At Grandpa’s insistence, I scurried down the rock formation’s side first, with him following close behind. As soon as we reached the ground, a menacing murmur came from the pool. The critter slithered out of it and dropped down into the tall grass and weeds that filled the clearing.

“‘
Run, goddamn it!!!
Run!!!
’
Jeremy screamed.
‘
It’s headed straight for you!!!
’

“
Grandpa and I immediately sprinted toward Jeremy, already on the path leading out of the clearing. A heavy rustling sound followed us as we ran, but I never saw the bastard itself despite several glances over my shoulder. Only the quivering weeds and grass that announced its pursuit. Closing fast, just before we reached the edge of the clearing, Grandpa stopped.

“
He removed his rifle from his backpack and aimed it toward the unseen menace pursuing us. As he tried to squeeze off a shot, the Winchester jammed. He tried to get it unstuck, but no use. Meanwhile the critter slithered through the overgrowth, bearing down on him. He threw the rifle in the grass and ripped open his backpack. From underneath our lunch he grabbed his semi-automatic pistol, quickly pulling it out from its holster while he motioned for me to keep moving.

“‘
Go on, son!’ he urged me. ‘I’ll be along in just
a minute!’

“
The critter now less than a dozen feet away, Grandpa fired several shots into the dense grass and weeds. At least one of the bullets struck the thing. It let out a blood-curdling howl followed by an angry roar. But despite its obvious rage, it refused to reveal itself, whimpering in pain and for the moment no longer interested in being the aggressor. Grandpa made the most of this reprieve, running as fast as he could to catch up with us while we anxiously waited near the woods’ entrance.

“‘
Did you kill it?’ Jeremy asked.

“‘
I don’t think so,’ he replied, panting hard as he tried to catch his breath. He bent over to replenish his body’s oxygen supply, all the while keeping a watchful eye on the area he’d vacated just a moment ago. ‘I think I hurt it some...and it’s not coming after us.... At least not yet.’

“
He stood up and allowed himself one last look at the boyhood haunt he hadn’t seen in years, and to talk himself out of his immediate desire to go back and retrieve the Winchester. Even though an heirloom from his father’s side, it presented too great a risk to try and recover right then. He told us later that he intended to come back for it with Joe McCracken or at least one of his deputies in the next day or so.

“
When he turned back to us, I watched him intently, studying in particular his eyes. They were darker than usual and revealed his fear—same as they had just two nights before. The thing lurking in the clearing had truly frightened us all, but none as badly as Grandpa. I confirmed this after shifting my gaze to my brother’s face. Even though Jeremy’s sure-fire cockiness was nowhere to be found, I couldn’t honestly tell if he was still scared. Surprised perhaps, but after the initial shock wore off, he seemed like his old self. Even as I thought this, I watched him reach for the cigarette pack and lighter in his breast pocket, further confirming my assessment.

“
As for me, I felt more confused than frightened. I thought for sure everything magical, or supernatural for that matter, had disappeared with Genovene the day before. Now, I realized that assumption was quite foolish.

“‘
Don’t plan on smoking just yet, Jeremy, because we need to get the hell out of here first!’ Grandpa warned. Without waiting for a response from my brother, he firmly grasped us both by our shoulders, turning our attention to the woods. ‘I don’t want to wait around here in case that thing’s got friends, or decides it’s well enough to come after us on its own!’

“
At his urging, we ran into the woods and didn’t stop running until we reached the bridge. I remember the air was thick and humid, and gray clouds obscured the sun. The birds and insects seemed oblivious to both our presence and the impending weather, never ceasing their songs to one another. As I listened to them, I thought I heard something else. Something sinister? I wasn’t sure. But I sensed a presence quietly stalking us. Not the thing from the hot spring, as this felt different somehow. I could tell that Jeremy and Grandpa felt it, too.

“‘
Man, this place is creepy,’ mumbled Jeremy, loud enough to draw a nervous look from Grandpa and me. ‘I can’t imagine why you and Uncle Monty would want to spend as much time as you say you did here, Grandpa. It seems pretty fu—’

“‘
Sh-sh-h
!’
Grandpa interrupted. ‘I just heard something! Over there...just to the left of the bridge.’

“
He pointed to a place where the woods came to an abrupt halt just a few feet from the bridge. No one there at the moment, the ground almost bare. Only a few clumps of crabgrass and a short spiny weed populated the spot.

“
A sudden audible ‘snap’ resounded there, as if an invisible person shifted their weight from one unseen foot to another, inadvertently stepping on a brittle twig or something similar. Immediately, the entire wooded area grew quiet around us, like every living thing picked up a predatory scent unavailable to our startled senses.

“
The hairs on the back of my neck sprang to life, and the feeling of being watched hit me and then intensified. A smooth cool breeze moved through the area, blowing toward us from the clearing. The breeze picked up. As it did, I heard a sultry whisper pass just above my head.

“‘
Jack….’

“‘
Did ya’ll hear that?’ I asked.

“‘
Hear
what
?’
said Jeremy, a look of profound concentration on his face. ‘You don’t mean the sound by the bridge, do you? We all heard that.’

“‘
No
!’
I said. ‘Somebody’s calling my name!!’

“‘
What do you mean ‘somebody’s calling your name’?’ he retorted.

“‘
I mean...like
that
!”
I exclaimed, hearing it again while I spoke. ‘Can’t you hear
it
? Can’t
you
, Grandpa??’

“
Near panic after the misadventure I’d braved the day before, it wouldn’t take much to throw me into complete hysteria. All the while, the voice grew stronger and clearer, with longer drawn out vowels to taunt me.

“‘
Lovely Ja-a-ack-k-k!. You’re
mi-i-i-ne!
Lovely, beautiful
Ja-a-ack-k-k-
is...
mi-i-i-i-n-n-ne!!
’

“
Genovene, her voice so sultry and seductive. It must’ve been her favorite disguise. Perhaps only the unluckiest of her victims ever saw the real monster.

“‘
Don’t ya’ll hear that?
’
I implored them, near tears.

“
Grandpa looked over at Jeremy and then back at me.

“‘
Son,’ he said. ‘I don’t think either of us can hear it. I mean, what exactly are you hearing and where’s it coming from?’

“
I wanted to say the voice came from directly above me. That’s where it’d been when I first heard it. But it now moved freely with the breeze that gently blew through the area. She was everywhere and nowhere.

“‘
Sw-e-e-e-t Jackie boy! I love the way you
ta-a-a-ste!
’

“
The voice swooped in beside my left ear and then quickly drew away again, echoing eerily.

“‘
I love you Ja-a-a-ck! I love your luscious
cock-k-k!!
I want to
su-u-u-ck-k-k
it again and
again
and
ag-a-a-a-in!!!
’

“‘
Ya’ll!
Help!!
Help me NOW!!!
’
I cried out, though thankful now they couldn’t hear what I heard.

“
Grandpa and Jeremy looked on helplessly, since there wasn’t anything either of them could do for me. I couldn’t believe Genovene’s relentless pursuit, given all that happened to her the day before. Cunning and powerful as ever, she now held a huge advantage. After all, we couldn’t shoot what we couldn’t see and what only I could hear.

“
Tears began to flow as I considered this. All the while, the verbal assault grew steadily worse. The wind grew even more intense, forcefully pushing the trees and plants near the path back and forth. At least my grandfather and brother could see that, anxiously looking around themselves.