The Mythical Creature Of The Woods

“Eamon, help! Please Eamon, we really need your help.”

This message, or yell for help was broadcast straight into my mind. There’s only one person who has the magical ability to talk to another’s mind, but only if that person is also magical, in some form or another.

“Candace, I’m coming,” I attempt to send back but I know she’ll not hear it. I don’t have the magical ability to do that. My magic is a healing magic and luckily I am also able to pinpoint someone’s destination, if they are in need of healing.

I scrambled for my black doctor’s bag — no I’m not a doctor but I thought it an appropriate vessel to cart my magical herbs and other tools, needed when healing someone — throwing in a few additional things I may need, and rushed out to my car.

As I back out of the driveway, I don’t bother looking for traffic. Why, you may ask? Well sadly, most of our small town’s population has died, but that’s a story for another time. It just means that there’s very little traffic on our roads.

I speed around a couple of corners and pull into Tory’s driveway. Tory is pacing the porch, obviously waiting impatiently for me. I jump out of the car and Tory stops pacing.

“Eamon, oh thank you. I’m so scared. Sally’s been bitten and she’s horribly unwell. Please help my daughter,” Tory calls in anguish.

I rush inside to see Candace kneeling by the sofa. She looks back at me, tears streaming down her face and moves away from the sofa so I can see Sally’s small body laying ever so still. I rush to her side and can see she is drenched in sweat and unconscious.

“How long ago was she bitten,” I ask Tory?

“Three hours now I think. She went missing this morning and I searched everywhere. I finally found her at the edge of the woods and she was already unconscious. Please help her. Please don’t let her die Eamon,” Tory pleaded.

I didn’t need to tell him that the odds aren’t looking good. I begin unpacking what I’ll need from my bag, while issuing instructions to Candace and Tory. I ask for hot water, clean towels and some soft, quiet, calming music to be played. I don’t really need these things but I’m attempting to keep everyone busy, so as to calm them down.

I listen to Sally’s chest and surprisingly, I can hear a strong heartbeat. This may not be as dire as it looks. It gives me hope.

As I’m mixing a concoction of my magic herbs, I ask what Sally’s favourite drink would be.

Tory immediately responds without thinking, “Milk with milo.”

I ask Tory to make one for Sally as I need some way of getting the herbs into her.

Sally begins to moan and while I’m waiting for Tory, I wipe her down, removing a lot of the sickly smelling sweat she is clad in. She slowly opens her eyes but it’s obvious she is confused. I hush her, before she begins to ask, just as Tory arrives with Sally’s drink.

Sally watches me closely as I whip the herbs through her drink. Once I’ve finished, I hold her head up, until she has drained every drop dry.

Tory is hovering nearby, relieved at seeing his daughter awake but still nervous, as anything could happen yet. There’s no guarantee.

Once Sally has finished her liquid concoction, she closes her eyes and peacefully drifts off to sleep. I’m confident she’s going to survive.

I beckon to Tory and Candace as I leave the room, both following along behind, until we are back on the front porch.

I turn to face them both. “Okay, you better tell me the entire story,” I demand. “Sally is going to be okay, she just needs to sleep this off,” I explain.

Tory begins, “last night a friend of mine, Alex, arrived in town and asked if he could stay a few days. I welcomed him with open arms, although if I’d known why he was here, maybe I would have reacted differently. Sally loves Uncle Alex, as she calls him.”

Tory begins to shake as tears run down his face. He continues between sobs, “when I woke this morning, both Alex and Sally were not home. I didn’t know where they were but didn’t think much of it. Maybe they’d gone for a walk. When they hadn’t arrived back in an hour, I contacted Candace and we set out to find them.”

Tory struggled to get this out in between his sobs and his anguish.

Candace took a turn filling me in. “We looked everywhere, until about two hours into the search, we thought we saw movement at the edge of the woods and we rushed closer to see. There we found Alex and Sally. It was obvious they’d both been bitten,” Sally let’s out one of her own sobs.

She wipes her eyes and continues. “Unfortunately Alex was dead but Sally was obviously still alive. We carried her back here and then I called out to you. I didn’t know if you’d heard me,” she uttered.

“Oh, I heard you loud and clear Candace and I did try to answer but you know I don’t have that magic ability. I got here as quickly as I could,” I advised, as I gave her a smile, hoping to absolve her of any guilt she felt.

“Do you really think Sally is going to survive,” Tory asked?

I could see the pain on his face as he waited for my answer. “Yes, I’ve no doubt now that Sally will be fine, but, I cannot tell you what her magic ability will turn out to be,” I insisted. I didn’t want them to think I had all the answers.

“Where’s Alex now,” I asked?

Candace explained that they hadn’t had time to move him, so he was still laying out by the edge of the woods. “Do you think it’s safe to go and get him?”

I didn’t have that answer but he couldn’t be left out there. The Maluga would ravish him for dinner if we left him there. I told Tory to stay with Sally, while Candace and I set out to collect Alex’s body. Tory didn’t like it but he knew someone needed to stay with Sally, so he reluctantly agreed.

Candace and I climbed into my car and we backed out of the driveway to head to the woods. Candace directing me as we went.

We turned the corner, about a mile from Tory’s house, when we were flagged down by a stranger. A man, standing by his car, hood up, obviously broken down. I pulled over to help.

“Greetings my friend, my name is Simon and unfortunately my car has overheated. Would you have any water to spare,” he asked?

“Hello Simon, I’ve got some in the boot, hang on I’ll grab it,” I replied as I opened the boot. After grabbing the water, I moved to the front of Simon’s car and began filling his radiator. Candace had stayed in my car.

I looked over at Simon and asked, “what brings you to our humble little town Simon, just passing through?”

Simon looked pained but answered honestly. “No, I’m here to find the Maluga I’ve heard rumours about. Are you a local here?”

I was horrified. How had the world outside of our town found out about the Maluga? I needed to be careful in what I say, in case Simon didn’t really know that much. “Yes I am local. Born and bred actually,” I replied.

“Oh, then can you confirm the stories I’ve heard about this strange mythical creature? Are the rumours true, or have I wasted a trip,” he questioned?

As much as I didn’t want to, I answered Simon’s questions without giving too much away. “No, sadly the rumours are true. What is it exactly that you’ve heard?”

Simon excitedly began to explained the rumour circulating. “I’ve heard that there is a strange, mythical creature living in these woods and that if one was bitten by this creature, they would gain some magical power. Is it really true?”

I was aghast at Simon’s words. “Simon, that is all partially true, but have you heard the other side of the possibilities that await a person that has been bitten?”

I could see by the look on his face that he hadn’t heard any more than what he’d told me. Oh dear, this is not going to go down well. “Simon, this creature has a nasty, nasty bite, and once bitten, a person will either die a horridly painful death, or, wake to find they now possess some magical ability. There’s no guarantee you would survive a bite. In fact, more often than not, anyone bitten suffers a sure fire death sentence,” I explained, hoping I was getting my message across.

Simon’s face however, never changed. He doesn’t believe me, I can see that written as plain as day on his face. Simon is standing in front of me, with a smile a mile wide, still plastered across his face.

I try again. “Simon, did you hear what I just said? This is a dangerous adventure you’ve set upon. I would encourage you to head back home, without further ado.”

“You’re right, old boy,” Simon agreed. “I’ll do that, shall I? I’ll just turn around and head back home.”

My heart sank. It was obvious Simon had no intentions of leaving this alone but what more could I do. I said my goodbye and headed back to my car. I must reach Alex quickly.

As I took off down the road, I repeated to Candace my conversation with Simon and the fact the story had now escaped the boundaries of our small town. It was with a heavy heart that I began to gain the gist of what our small town was in for. Strangers coming to try their luck, only to be killed, nine times out of ten.

Candace directed me to Alex’s body and I was relieved to see he lay there untouched. We had arrived in time. As Candace and I wrapped him gently in a sheet, my phone rang. I grabbed it from my pocket, to see it was Tory ringing. I hoped nothing had worsened with Sally and I answered the call anxiously.

“Tory, is everything okay with Sally,” I asked?

“Everything is just dandy Eamon. Sally is up and walking around, as happy as can be. In fact, she’s outside gardening. You’re not going to believe this but it’s obvious her magic power is a green thumb. Everything she touches is just blooming,” Tory excitedly gushes.

Just at that moment we heard a roar coming from the woods. So loud that Tory heard it through the phone. Immediately following that roar was the eerily scream of a human being. A scream that caused the hair on the back of Eamon’s neck to stand on end. There would be no surviving that scream and Eamon knew that Simon had just met the Maluga — and would soon be meeting his maker.

As Eamon had been afraid, Simon had not listened to his advice and as a result had forfeited his life. No wonder Alex’s body was untouched. The Maluga had just found another source for dinner tonight.

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Originally posted on Medium