The Mystery of Maple Creek

Chapter 15. The First Counseling

Chapter 15

The First Counseling

(Perspective: Hellen Mayweather)

I had done helping my dad in the market all day long. So, this evening I went to the Holy House.

Of course, the place was pretty far from our house. I would be crazy if I had to walk there when the sky was already dark. Therefore, I asked my dad for permission to drive our sedan car.

It took some minutes to convince him that I would be okay. I could drive. I did have a license, but he just never trusted me to drive by myself. Especially after the incident that had happened to me.

But I said to him, “This is a small town, Dad. Nothing is going to really happen here.”

I knew how dumb I sounded. I already knew something bad had happened here once, but I didn’t have other ideas to persuade him.

The last thing I said to him was, “I’ll be quick, I promise. I already make an appointment with Ms. Natasha Bennet. And you can’t miss your favorite fishing channel anyway.”

He had waited every evening to watch that one channel about fishing and hiking. I took advantage of this moment to persuade him.

Yeah, and finally, he let me won this debate. And for the first time, I could drive our black sedan by myself. And it felt like total freedom.

As I parked the sedan car in the parking lot, I quickly walked toward the terrace. This place felt kind of haunting when it was dark. And so, I made my pace faster each time.

Carefully, I opened the black double door of the Holy House. As my eyes saw the foyer, I felt the warm environment from the inside. The cream wall and yellow lamps made a perfect ambient. The first room I entered looked like a prayer room.

Then a familiar voice greeted me in there, “Welcome, Hellen! We’ve been waiting for you.”

She was Ms. Natasha Bennet. And her daughter just came from the door in the west wing.

I had not yet seen the Father, who led this place. However, I quickly met the women. I gave my brightest smile as I greeted them in return.

“Are you ready for your first spiritual counseling, child?” Although her voice sounded warm, her stare looked solemn at me.

I nodded and said, “Yes, I am.”

“Alright—” then she glanced to nod her chin at her daughter, “Carla, prepare the room.”

Carla nodded in return. And she led us walking toward the door in the south wing.

When I entered, the smell of warm charcoal was in the air. I saw a fireplace in the middle of the room. A few tables with chairs were surrounded by bookshelves.

Natasha pointed out her hand at one of the chairs as she said, “Please, have a seat.”

I quickly sat with her, while Carla was preparing two cups of hot tea for us.

“How would you like to start the session?” Natasha asked me. Her fingers interlaced, trying to look wise in front of me. “Do you want to consult about something significant to me?”

I opened my mouth, but my thought was still processing. So, I quickly closed my mouth again. I just suddenly felt nervous about this. I didn’t come here seeking comfort. I just wanted to know the truth about this town’s old legend.

Carla who stood over there near the bookshelves, probably knew why I came here.

Then Natasha spoke again, still trying to figure me out, “Maybe about the incident? Do you want to be free from your trauma? We can help—”

“No, actually—” I suddenly cut her off. Of course, both of them stared surprisingly at me.

Before I let them making an assumption, I should explain myself. But it felt harder each time.

Carla already stole a glance anxiously at me. And her mother waited for me to say something.

And I finally spoke, “Yesterday, Carla warned me to be careful.”

Natasha instantly glanced at her daughter. Her firm stare looked cautious.

“She mentioned about the creature. That his spirit is set free,” I told her solemnly, “I just want to know the truth about it.”

Without taking away her stare at me, Natasha asked, “Have you seen him for yourself?”

I paused for a second. The image of Noah suddenly crossed my mind. I just could not figure it out yet, whether he was the same person as the dead man or not.

But I did see him.

“Yes, I did,” I told her.

Natasha and Carla paused to stare at me concurrently.

“On the night I went into the woods, I got lost and found myself in the hills. I saw the abandoned house that people said it was forbidden to enter. But I did because Marion forced me to hide in there with her. We were all girls playing hide and seek at the time,” I finally had to tell the story from the start. I just didn’t want Natasha to think that I was just being noisy to ask about this.

Natasha looked terrified when I told her. “Oh, God—”

As I gulped down my saliva, I continued talking, “I found a coffin in that house. And I threw a jar of ashes into his corpse. I don’t know what kind of ashes was that, but it was unintentional. I was just being careless.”

Natasha began to shake her head. She already knew what was happening at that moment.

I just had to confirm her curiosity, “Yes, he suddenly awoke. Then he tried to kill both of us. But he got Marion first. And then me—”

“I wished you two never set foot in that house at all, but the event had occurred after all. Nothing you could do to rewind the time that had passed, dear,” Natasha said calmly, following the warm ambient from the crackling sound of the fireplace.

“I was told about the old legend, about the evil creature that everyone used to fear in town,” I kept my tone solemn when I spoke. “I just want to know; if the dead man who raised from the coffin is the same creature as the one from the legend.”

But Natasha was so quiet. She just looked at me terrifyingly, and so did Carla over there.

“Sheriff Clarke didn’t know about this. I have not told him,” I informed her. “People thought I was attacked by a deer. But after the sheriff got the news from the forensic team, the mystery slowly reveals among the folks here.”

Natasha let out a heavy sigh. She shook her head reluctantly.

“Sooner or later, people will know. Sheriff Clarke is trying to reach out for the FBI to investigate this case,” I said.

“He must be calling out for that same FBI,” she murmured while rubbing her chin. The frustration started to appear on her face.

I reminded her again, “If you know something, please, tell me.”

Natasha looked at me without blinking this time. She took a deep breath before telling me, “About twenty years ago, the FBI came to this town. Somehow the government was looking for a special case to solve. They found out; there was a creature who once lived immortal and hid in this friendly small town country.”

“What happened?” I asked curiously.

“They thought the old colonial was playing with science to make a living corpse as an army. They marked him as Project Frankenstein,” Natasha informed me.

I half gawked when listening to her. I couldn’t believe there was such a story.

“But truthfully, it was not what happened,” her voice sounded inscrutable each time. I felt like I was attending campfire storytelling. “According to the old legend that we heard from our ancestors; the creature was born from a deathly curse.”

I blinked my eyes a couple of times. And I asked, “What do you mean?”

Natasha continued telling me, “It was an old legend from two hundred years ago. It’s been a long time. The commanders fought for justice. Witches were burnt. Chaos happened.”

“Wait, about the history, I heard that your family was the lineage from the Salem witches,” I spontaneously said to her. I didn’t even think much when I said that.

Natasha and Carla exchanged a glance astonishingly. I didn’t mean to offend anyone, but I just wanted to seek for truth.

But the words were already out, so I had to finish talking, “I once heard from Melissa Wilder, that your family had annihilated him—the creature. But why his body was still intact inside a coffin. Your family didn’t actually get rid of him, right? What’s going on—”

Natasha’s lips trembled. She was about to say something, but then someone entered the room.

As we glanced at the door, we saw a fatherly figure. He looked pretty old. Maybe he was in his eighties. He wore a preacher uniform.

“I didn’t know we have a visitor here,” he said wearily.

Natasha immediately raised from her chair and greeted him, “Hello, Father.”

“You assigned her a session by yourself, Natasha?” He asked in disbelief.

She stole a glance at me. Her face looked pretty anxious. “Ugh, yes, Father. She is—”

It was a very awkward moment. Maybe it was the right time to say a farewell. It was already eight p.m. when I slightly looked at my wristwatch.

As I raised from my chair, I quickly said, “I think I have to go home now.”

He narrowed his eyebrows bewilderingly. “Oh, very soon?”

“I’m sorry, but my father is waiting for me,” I made a good excuse. “I will come back here by tomorrow morning, if you are okay—”

“Sure, Hellen. The Holy House always welcomes you,” Natasha said to me. And then she glanced at her daughter, “Carla, please safely escort Hellen.”

Carla nodded obediently.

And once we reached the double door, Carla whispered cautiously to me, “You should never have brought it up.”

I gawked as I felt embarrassed about it.

“And please, if you only come back to ask about such a terrible history, you don’t need to bother yourself to be here,” she warned me firmly.

“Carla, I’m sorry—”

“I hope you will return home safely,” and then she looked at me solemnly. “He could be everywhere now. Take care of yourself.”

I flinched when she mentioned about the creature. And when she closed the door, my heart immediately pounded fast.