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What Lies beneath

a secret that is never to get out.

By Chatty ForsterPublished 3 years ago Updated 3 years ago 6 min read
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What Lies beneath
Photo by thomas shellberg on Unsplash

My Mother always told me to stay away from the barn,

It there, empty, dark and alone at the end of the field, and around it nothing grew. no birds nested inside, no moss grow up the sides, It just stood there forbidden and foreboding against the empty sky.

I grew up watching that barn in the corner of my eye, just like my mother did, and my grandmother did before she was blind, now she sits on the porch swing and humms to her self in the silence, wrapping dream catchers to hang on the porch,

each autumn at the ground sofens and the days become darker, my mother and grandmother step from the porth bags of salt on thier back and in the light of the moon they call to the night, salting a circle in the earth around the barn,

No visitors come to the farm anymore, not since before my father disapeared. they beleive us to be witches and the villages hiss at us when we walk through the town.

On my 11th birthday, my mum sits me down at the kitchen table, her eyes sorrowful and tell me the secret, a secret that to this day i do not speak of.

And from then, I, like my mother and grandma before me, take the bags of salt from the porch each autumn and move across the ground clockwise over the dirt, creating the circle of salt.

I studied at home, to stay with my mother, and the barn.

I knew no kids my own age, just the two ladies at the shop, where i collected the supplies every month on my bike to take back to the farm, and the kind Libraian that put aside books she thought i would like.

Books were my only escape from this life i was trapped in.

One day, just before my 17th Birthday, i was waiting in the shop for my mothers parcels, when the tinkel of the bell behind me made me turn around. the light from the door blinded me for a moment as a tall figure stepped through. as i Blinked the light from my eyes, i focused on this stranger, A Boy, around my age, Tall, and dark, with eyes the colour of smoke. I felt a strange flutter in my stomach and ducked my head down.

'hey' said the boy to me, I looked up quickly and nodded then looked back down.

'Here are your things May' Mrs evans said from behind the counter. I whirled around and grabbed the parcels and rushed passed the boy and out the door, I strapped the parcels to the back of my bike, hiked up my skirt and peddled off back to the realative safety of the farm.

My Grandmother was out on the deck when I got back, her blank gaze, staring out towards the barn, She signed, 'May, the Barn is feeling restless, I have never felt it so loud before child, company must be coming. Tell your mother we must salt the earth tonight.'

Just then they heard a truck coming up the track. the scrunch of gravel, My mother came out wiping her hands on her apron.

'May!, get in the house'

I picked up the packages and took them into the kitchen then peeked out the window at the truck, to my horror I saw the boy getting out, his dark hair falling in his face. He looked towards the Barn and shivered, then leaning into the car, He pulled out a bag.

He pushed his hair back from his face and smiled up at my family, 'I'm sorry to disturb you mam, but your daughter forgot this in the shop' my Mother looked back at me sharply, and then smiled sadly back at the boy.

'Why, thank you Jacob, that was very kind of you'

Jacob, his name was Jacob, I thought.

'May!' my mum called, and i stepped out of the door, 'Say thank you to Jacob'

'thank you Jacob' I murmered,

'thats no problem at all, my pleasure' He grinned, dimples apearing in his cheeks and i blushed.

He winked at me, getting into his truck and drove off.

I took the bag from my mother and headed into the kitchen, when i emptied the grouceries, I saw the note.

"meet me in the barn, at midnight tonight, Jx"

I crept out of the house and down to the barn Salt in my pockets, I had never crossed the salt line before, not in all my life. I reached the barn and felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. my stomach started to cramp and i could feel the barns menace. I took a breath and stepped through the door, 'Jacob' I wispered,

from the darkness he emerged, smilling, hands in his pockets,'So why dont you come to school?'

I looked at him, my fear ebbing away, 'I cant, I have to look after my family, I have stuff to do'

'Stuff todo? Mysterious' he laughed, 'in the town they say that you are witches up here, making potions and spells to bewitch the townsfolk.'

'and what do you think?' I moved closer towards him, 'what do you think we are?' my body felt warm, tingling in my fingers and toes, and a glow in my stomach was building.

He Gulped, 'well, I think that you are beautiful' he stepped closer to me.

Then i heard it, the humming, I shock my head, ' you should leave Jacob' I said and i moved slowly towards him, my mind strangly blank, The humming getting louder.

'What? why' he wispered in my ear.

the humming was getting louder and i winced, I cant do this, i tried to pull him to the door, We need to....' I looked back and my voice stuttered to a stop. His eyes had turned black and he stood there ridgded veins popping out from his skin. His Grip on my arm tightened and I tried to pull free, I reached into my pocket at through a handful of salt into Jacobs face, his grip loosened and i pulled out of his grasp and ran for the door.

I could see the moon above and leapt across the line, I could hear screaming ripping from the barn and then my mother and grandmother were beside me, bags of salt in hand, 'quckly' said my gran, and we closed the circle. the dark barn went silent and the whole valley ached with quiet.

My mother wiped down her dress and turned back to the house, 'She will be pleased, he was a handsome one' I looked at the barn sadly, thinking of Jacobs Dimples one more time before straightening up, turning and heading back to the house. I switched on the porch light, and sat on the swing one leg dangling over the edge and opened my new book, I Glanced back at the barn and smiled The warm feeling filling my body, I then licked my finger and turned the page and started to read.

My Mother always told me to stay away from the barn,

It sits there, empty, dark and alone at the end of the field, and around it nothing grows. no birds nested inside, no moss, It just stands there forbidden and foreboding against the empty sky. the souls of men who loved us and those who could of loved us trapped within, with her.

Horror
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About the Creator

Chatty Forster

While working as a personal trainer, i am sharing my tips and tricks i have found while in this lockdown for maintaining a happy worklife balance, as well as short stories that give me happiness.

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