Barren
McNeil had always been good with a gun. Ever since he was eight years old and
his father took him to shoot beer cans with a BB’s, Barren realized he was a
natural. He instinctively knew how to aim; immobile targets never stood a
chance. The first time he fired his dad’s rifle, the kick and BOOM of the gun
sent a previously dormant rush of adrenaline through his body that he relished.
Pretty soon he and his old man were targeting clay pigeons careening through
the sky. Barren savored the rare grins of approval from his father as the
targets exploded to smithereens, raining debris across the open field. He
didn’t know which he enjoyed more: firing weapons or pleasing his dad.
After his tenth birthday, he and his
father always went out together for hunting season. With each progressive
season, Barren’s skills sharpened. Throughout his early teenage years, Barren
dominated the youth competitive shooting scene. Never once did he feel fear or
intimidation stepping up to the range with his weapon. As soon as he stared
down the sight of his rifle everything but the target dissolved away. The noise
of the crowd, the wind, and the birds all just evaporated from existence. The
only thing he was aware of at that finite moment in time was the rhythmic THUMP
of his heart as he focused on the solitary target.
After proving himself time and time
again with kids his own age, he began entering into adult competitions. No one
could best him, regardless of age. His parents helped him secure a marksman
scholarship, and that’s how he made it through college. All through this time,
as soon as hunting season rolled around, Barren and his dad would hit the
woods. When his father passed a little after Barren’s 25th birthday,
he continued the tradition, until recently. He could swear that he felt the old
man’s spirit out there in the woods with him, and he liked that.
For roughly the next twenty years, Barren’s
life course was similar to many other Americans. He finished school and then
toyed around at various entry-level business positions until he discovered that
he was a natural at selling real estate. He obtained his license, made some
profit, and began a successful real estate agency. At his ten-year high school
reunion, he ran into a former girlfriend named Sally, and the sparks reignited.
Barren and Sally dated, fell in love, and got married. They quickly bought a
beautiful house on a large farm. The many acres of private property was a
necessity for Barren and his favorite pastime of target shooting.
After a few years of mostly blissful marriage,
they decided to have children. Sadly, it was discovered that Barren was
infertile. They were both devastated and considered adoption, but even that
never came to fruition. Sally went back to school for her master’s degree in
social work, and Barren leaned all the more into his thriving business.
However, whenever he needed to clear his head and let the worries of the world slip
away, all he had to do was step out back with his rifle and some targets.
***
The chilly Autumn wind blew against
Barren’s taut face, pulling him away from his memories. He stood alone in the
silent woods. He was miles away from his empty home. It had been a little under
three years since he had last spoken to his now ex-wife, and his real estate
business was in a downward spiral. He knew he had no one to blame but himself –
he had neglected them both since the accident.
The frigid dawn temperature was
perfect for hunting. He could sense the animals moving about to stay warm. The
sun was just beginning to peek above the Appalachian mountain range that
surrounded the sprawling West Virginia valley. Forty-four years old now, Barren
leaned back against a tall Sycamore tree and took a warm swig of amber whiskey.
Drinking during hunting season was a time-honored tradition, but this year it
was a necessity. He assessed the half-empty pint in his hand and then slid it
back into a pouch in his tan vest; his mesh-camo ballcap kept the bright rays out
of his eyes. A disturbed flock of birds flew over his head.
God, he missed this.
It had been three long years since
he had been in the woods. Three years with no hunting and lots of drinking. A few
shots of liquor helped to dull the pain at first, but then he noticed that he needed
more to get the desired effect. After what he’d been through, though, anyone
would drink; at least, that’s how he justified it. He pulled the bottle right
back out and took another generous gulp. The sourness of the bourbon coated his
throat as he exhaled a deep, boozy breath. Numbness began to take hold, and he
welcomed it. He took a slow look around the woods desperately trying to stay
focused on the majesty of the forest. The last time he was out during hunting
season was three years ago in this exact location, and he had returned to it intentionally.
***
The Morris family had recently
adopted a new tradition of renting out the Rusty Mountain Lodge for their Thanksgiving
festivities. Originally, the family had celebrated the holiday at a different
Morris’s house each year. As time went on, there became many factions of the
original Morris clan that had grown exponentially; larger accommodations were
naturally in order. All of the elder siblings agreed that the best course of
action was to rent a large enough venue for everyone to get together without
tripping over one another. Located just an hour away from most of the family,
the historic and luxurious Rusty Mountain Lodge was an ideal place for a
gathering.
Arnold and Debra Morris drove
carefully up the winding gravel road. Their two children, Nathan and Sam, sat
in the backseat glued to their phones with headphones on their ears. On either
side of them were miles of trees atop rolling hills. Arnold loved this part of
living in West Virginia. He had seen the beauty the world had to offer during
his time in the military, but nothing came close to fall in the Mountain State.
Debra loved it, too. She stared with awe at the bright orange and yellow leaves
barley hanging on by a thread to their branches. A swift wind would easily create
a shower of fall foliage. As she looked deeper into the forest she could make
out shades of light brown and pink as the sun’s rays made everything glow.
Arnold accidentally hit a deep
pothole in the road, and everyone was popped out of their respective trances.
Debra gasped and the two teenage boys looked up from their electronics
obviously annoyed.
“Oops,” Arnold said as he slowed down
a bit. The crunching of the gravel was audible as the heavy SUV crept along the
road. Debra looked back at the boys.
“Put down your phones and appreciate
the scenery,” she instructed her sons. Neither one heard her through their
headphones. She reached back and snapped her fingers in their line of sight.
They both looked up, and she motioned for them to take off their headphones.
They did. “Put down your phones and appreciate the scenery,” she repeated. Sam,
the oldest by two years, placed his phone on his lap and looked out the window.
Nathan, fourteen, just waited for his mom to turn back around so that he could
resume his game.
“It is pretty out here,” Sam said
earnestly.
“Mhmm,” Nathan mumbled without
looking up from his screen.
After a few more ascending miles,
the family arrived at a clearing in the woods. The two-story cabin stood tall
in the open area. The building was from the Civil War era, but the inside had
been modernized. It was ideal for a remote getaway without sacrificing all of the
present-day amenities. Smoke bellowed from the stone chimney as many members of
the Morris extended family were already inside cooking and drinking. Almost
twenty cars were haphazardly parked around the building. Arnold didn’t like
being the last to arrive, but Debra had a cooking mishap earlier in the day
that had set them back an hour.
“Here we are,” Arnold announced as
they pulled into an open spot beside a white minivan. “Everyone grab something
to carry.”
The family entered into a bustling
cabin. The senior aunts and uncles were hidden away in the kitchen preparing
the turkey and side dishes. A multitude of cousins in their twenties and
thirties carried drinks, desserts, and hors d’oeuvres. There were quick,
frenzied greetings as everyone rushed by attempting to prepare the massive
Thanksgiving feast. Depending on where one stood in the cabin, smells of pies,
wine, or turkey permeated the warm atmosphere. The teenagers mostly congregated
on the porch out back, while the little children ran through the field playing
tag. The grandparents lounged around the blazing fireplace.
About twenty minutes after Arnold
and Debra’s arrival, one of the Great Aunts shouted from the kitchen, “Dinner
time!” Everyone, no matter the location, dropped what they were doing and
assimilated in the massive dining hall. A senior member of the Morris family
led everyone in prayer, and then they all dug in.
Arnold and Debra sat together with
Arnold’s brother, John. Soon after finishing his first helping, Arnold did a
quick glance around the room trying to find where his kids were sitting. He
looked at the two kids’ tables, but his two boys weren’t there. He scanned the
remaining tables where the adults were, but could not find them.
“Did Nathan and Sam already eat?”
he asked Debra.
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen
them,” Debra said as she surveyed the room. “Did they not hear us call for
dinner?”
“I’ll go find them,” Arnold began.
“They’re probably still out back with their damn headphones on.”
Arnold got up and walked over to
the kids’ tables.
“Hey, do you guys know where Nathan
and Sam are?” Arnold asked the group of kids.
Jill, Arnold’s teenage niece, said,
“They went on a walk through the woods, but they said they were coming right
back.”
About a mile away from the cabin
where the Morris family was enjoying their Thanksgiving dinner, Barren McNeil was
walking through the forest, back to where he parked his vehicle. After sitting
out in the cold all morning, he had not even spotted a deer. This was his first
time at this hunting location, and he was not glad that he came. If it wasn’t
Thanksgiving and Sally wasn’t waiting on him for their small family dinner, he
would stay out all day. It was a last ditch effort, but Barren was walking as
stealthily as possible hoping a buck might stumble upon his path. He was just
thinking about how ridiculous that was when he heard the snap of a branch.
Barren’s ears perked up out of
sheer reflex. He immediately halted and crouched down to one knee, carefully
lifting the sights on his rifle up to his eyes. Leaves rustled from the same
direction as the previous sound. Barren looked, but didn’t see the deer. There
was another small sound of a stick breaking. Something with brown fur poked out
from behind a tree about thirty yards away from Barren. He aimed the gun, but
the animal retreated back behind the tree. Barren sat, waiting for it to get
curious again. He was breathing, but it was so shallow and controlled that it
was barely audible. Time seemed frozen.
Finally, the animal emerged and
Barren fired at the movement. The animal fell to the ground with a thud,
disappearing from Barren’s line of sight. He quickly stood up with his gun,
listening for the wounded animal. The sound of the teenage boy screaming
haunted Barren for the next three years of his life. He froze as a hollow
feeling sank to his stomach.
The boy screamed again.
This was not a scream from pain,
but one of confusion – one seeking help. Barren snapped out of his paralysis
and ran toward the wailing. He leapt over logs and dodged tree branches as he
recklessly ran through the woods.
“I’m coming!” he shouted as he
heard the boy begin to cry. As he approached the scene, he saw a pair of red
sneakers poking out from behind a tree. “Oh, no, no, no,” he said as she ran up
to the boy on the ground. Another boy stood screaming in shock. Barren knelt
down to look at the unresponsive child and nearly vomited when he saw the dark
crater in the side of the boy’s head. Music was still playing from the
headphones lying on the ground beside him.
Barren finally looked up at the screaming
boy and saw that a red mist had been sprayed across half his face. Barren
wanted to say something to calm him down. He wanted to say that it was an
accident. He wanted to say he was sorry. Instead, he just shook his head, mouth
agape, with a frozen look of bewilderment. Barren thought he heard someone else
scream from afar. He stood up and looked in the direction.
“Nathan!” Arnold Morris screamed in
the distance as he desperately searched for his boys. “Sam! Where are you?”
Barren stood up from beside
Nathan’s body. Sam walked backward into a tree and let himself slide to the
ground, weeping into his knees.
“Over here!” Barren yelled to their
father. “There’s been an accident!”
***
The following months were an
emotional whirlwind for all involved. Barren was arrested, while the Morris
family grieved the loss of their child. Although Nathan’s death was clearly an
accident, Barren had broken the cardinal rule of hunting: always identify your
target before firing. The lawyer Barren had on retainer was the best criminal
defense attorney in the state. He struck a deal with the prosecution; Barren
plead guilty to manslaughter and received ten years’ probation and no jailtime.
The Morris family was satisfied with the guilty plea and never saw Barren
again.
After the trial, Barren attempted to
return to his life. He quickly realized that he was a pariah in his own town.
He couldn’t deal with the looks he’d get from people when they realized who he
was and what he did. Conducting business became impossible, and he started
delegating tasks to the point where he didn’t even come in the office anymore.
His empire crumbled.
His home life was no better. Sally
tried to be there for her husband, at first. She knew what he had done was
accidental, and she wanted him to move on with his life. Although it was
intolerable at times to deal with the infamy, she was willing to weather the
storm if he was. However, Barren sank deeper and deeper into self-pity and
resentment. He began drinking more and she bore witness to it all. Once his
business disintegrated, she gave him an ultimatum: get it together or she was
leaving. He was alone in the house the very next day.
It wasn’t until the third
anniversary of the hunting accident that he realized something had to give. He
knew that how he was living was no way to live. Sitting alone in a house all
day desperately trying to numb the pain with alcohol was not living – it was barely existing. He thought back to
what brought him joy. He thought back to his childhood and shooting cans out in
the backyard with his dad. He thought about his dad’s grin when he’d nail a
target. He thought about what his dad would think of him now. Without wasting
anymore time, he pulled his rifle out of the closet and headed back to the
woods.
***
Barren stared at the rising sun, now
fully emerged from the mountains in front of him. He took off his camo hat,
shut his eyes, and let his face bask in the warm rays. Tears started to well in
his eyes, and he swayed a bit from intoxication. He opened his eyes and took a
sniff of the cool Autumn morning, savoring the smell of dry leaves and dirt. He
picked up his rifle and continued his trek through the forest.
The tree looked different than he
had remembered it three years ago. Of course, the last time he looked at it he
was approaching it from a different direction. This time, he was walking from
the Rusty Mountain Lodge where he left his vehicle. He had intentionally walked
the same path the Nathan and Sam had walked that fateful Thanksgiving
afternoon. Now, having reached his destination, he surveyed the massive tree.
The tall Sycamore was older than
he’d ever get and had no doubt witnessed many gunshots in its time. He doubted
it had ever seen someone get killed until three years ago, though. Looking at
it, it was no different than any of the hundreds of trees surrounding it. Only
one with a knowledge of its past would find anything significant in it. He
looked up at its branches high in the sky and let his vision move down the
thick trunk until he was staring at a spot a little over six feet off the
ground.
The bloodstains in the bark had
browned and darkened, but they were still there. Even in the chaos of the
shooting, Barren remembered the stain; it was forever etched in his memory.
Barren took a moment to appreciate
the beauty in his surroundings. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining,
and the leaves were doing their annual Autumn dance just before being released
by in inevitable wind. He slid his hand into his vest, withdrew the flask,
unscrewed the top, finished off the bottle, and put it in his pocket – careful
not to litter. The cool wind blew against his cheeks as he leaned back against
the marked tree. His hands were moving as if on autopilot, but he only listened
to the birds. He listened to anything that distracted him from that song
playing in Nathan’s headphones that hadn’t left his memory in three years. His
hands cocked the gun, and he felt the rifle’s cold barrel press against the bottom
of his chin.
Barren McNeil had always been good with a gun.
Nick Roberts, Author.
I am a graduate of Marshall University and live in St. Albans, WV. My short works have been published in The Fiction Pool, The Blue Mountain Review, Teen Ink, and The Herald Dispatch. My debut horror novel is being published by J. Ellington Ashton Press.
An Elven portal in the woods, emerging from stone and forest floor.
I had heard tale that The Elves dwell in these woods. Many underestimate The Elves; they have a fondness of heart for Tolkienesque Middle Earth fantasy stories and tales where Elves are the most highly civilized, virtuous and intelligent. They forget that those are just myths, save for The Elves being cunning. Remember that the Pied Piper was an Elf, and the children he took were not destined for such a glorious fate.
My sister lost her firstborn to The Elves. She hadn’t noticed the Changeling until it was too late. Her baby had already long since been stolen away. She was so distraught she refused to eat or speak. She locked herself in her room. Or my family locked her into it as she succumbed to the madness. Such are the ways of the family, for all of our protection. We never question but follow as expected, as a means of self-preservation. It has kept us all alive.
But I couldn’t get the sinking feeling out of my stomach; the grief became too overwhelming. That is why I came here. I know I will not be able to rescue the child, nor my sister. But I seek to avenge their meaningless deaths. To ensure that it doesn’t happen again. My family will never act. I am tired of the Village Elders just shrugging these things off in hushed whispers and badly shrouded secrets. It happens time and again. We are all expendable. They never do anything.
So here I am, in the Elven wood. Alone. As soon as my family figures out that I’m here, they will disown me. They probably already have. Again, it is for our own protection. I’ll be just another casualty of The Elves. Everything is so structured, so regimented. Anyone who dares act in opposition to the rules vanishes. We are all so afraid.
I lay in wait. It’s just a matter of time before the portal appears. The Elves use the portals to travel across time and space. They appear where and when they wish. But this time, I will go through first. I know not what is on the other side, just that the portals allow only one to traverse in each direction. We will trade places, if only for a moment until another portal forms. Hopefully that will be enough time.
The trees shift and morph. Falling leaves drift slower and slower towards the ground. There is a stillness that I cannot fully express. My breath hangs heavy in the silent air. There is no sound, no smell, no taste. It is time. The hairs on the back of my neck and arms rise. I can sense the opening forming. There is an uncanny familiarity in this moment, as if I have been here before.
As soon as the portal opens, I dash through. But something isn’t right. No one came through from the other side. Or did they? I cannot tell. I am alone, in limbo between states of existence. The world spins around me. I can feel the drift. Is this what death feels like? Cold unbroken silence? I feel distant eyes upon me everywhere, all around me, in the trees, the clouds, pinpoints of light that shimmer through.
I can feel The Elves eyes upon me everywhere. In the leaves, in the trees themselves.
I wasn’t sure what to expect. Maybe this is all according to plan. But who was orchestrating the exchange? My idea was only half formed in those passing pensive moments I am able to think for myself, few and far between. My family, the Village Elders… no one allows time for freeform thought. I hadn’t considered what would happen after the portal exchange. I never really got past step one.
A voice greets me from the trees. It is hauntingly familiar but seems only a distant memory.
“I’ve been expecting you.”
The world slowly comes into focus. Clarity restored, the leaves circle me in an embrace. My sister emerges, her dark eyes smiling. She cradles the baby in her arms.
“You made it. You escaped,” she sings.
“I didn’t see anyone,” I retort, skeptical. I hadn’t recalled having seen any Elves, dark nightmarish fiends that they are, wild, unkempt, uncouth. Savage beasts like Pan or Krampus. Is this an illusion? My sister seems so lifelike, so much herself. She is the joyful young mother I had known her to be. Filled with love and laughter. Light dances about her, and she shimmers.
“Not in passing,” my sister clarifies. “You have been living among them your whole life. I had done so as well until the baby was stolen. My heart broke; I had to follow after. That was when I learned the Truth.”
“Why do you think we are so sheltered? Why are we forbidden to do anything? They do so to protect us from the Truth about who and what we are,” she continued. “We’ve spent our lives evading that which we truly know ourselves to be. We were the stolen ones, not the other way around…”
I notice that the portal I came through is still open, reinforcing my idea that no one had passed through the other way. It is as if the portal was opened specifically to call me through. My sister extends her hand, beckoning me to join her. There is a gleam in her eye I cannot pinpoint. She seems happy, but something still isn’t quite right. I’m still uncertain why I am here, in this time and place, as if destined to be present in this moment, in this decision.
The Village has fallen away to the woods. There are no breadcrumb trails to follow home. The idea of home itself seems distant like yet another illusion. Nothing makes sense anymore. I am unsure whether I am coming or going. Two paths lay open before me. Which shall I take?
I have been getting ready for a jewelry show in February and thought I’d share some of the fun eye candy necklaces I’ve been working on. Do they thwart or attract the Evil Eye? I think that depends largely on the wearer’s intentions… Each is hand-beaded and features a spooky printed eyeball pendant as its focus.
And the piece de resistance… A RAINBOW Evil Eye necklace with magnesite stone skulls! I love these happy little deadheads – they are just too spoopy… I have seen these beads ranging in size from very small to huge and I love all of them.
Eye Candy Necklace by Jennifer Weigel with rainbow Evil Eye and magnesite stone skulls
I love using eyes in art in weird and unusual contexts in my art. They have so much presence and symbolism. They also bring a sort of surreal atmosphere to any artwork, which bears just a hint of spookiness regardless of context.
Revisiting my costume modeling work, like my previous witch and skeleton sitting, I participated in a Living Wax Museum as part of No Craft Left Behind at Monika House over Halloween this past year. The premise is that participating performers each choose a historical figure, living or dead, and portray them. Anyone attending the event then asks questions to deduce who the living wax figures are. It’s a lot of fun, and also educational.
My identity for the Living Wax Museum
Here are some images of my outfit and props. Since I was a silent film actress, I decided to create intertitle signs to flash at audience members rather than talking, kind of like reading the snippets of conversation between scenes in actual silent films. See if you can guess who I am.
Intertitles for my costumed identity as part of the Living Wax Museum
The intertitle signs from the Living Wax Museum read:
I was a silent film & stage actress.
I was 30 years old when I became famous.
I appeared in more than 40 films between 1917 & 1926.
I was known as the 1st “Vamp” for my femme fatale roles & am cited as the 1st sex symbol of the film era.
Magazines called me “The Arch-Torpedo of Domesticity”, “The Queen of Vampires”, “The Wickedest Woman in the World” & more.
My best known roles included Salome, The Vampire in A Fool There Was & Cleopatra.
I was born in Cincinnati, Ohio to Jewish parents Bernard Goodman, a Polish tailor, and his wife, Pauline Louise Francoise of Switzerland.
I moved to New York City in 1908 & debuted in The Devil on Broadway.
I was falsely hyped as born in the Sahara in Egypt “under the shadow of the Sphinx & the Pyramids” & I dabbled in the occult.
I was known for my kohl-outlined eyes & revealing costumes before the 1930s Hays Code for decency.
I was rumored to have trained with Sarah Bernhardt, received over 1,000 marriage proposals & had a sandwich in my honor.
Most of the films in which I appear were destroyed in the 1937 Fox vault fire.
I married director Charles Brabin in 1921 & retired from acting in 1926.
I died in April 1955 and am buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, Ca.
I was named for the daughter of US Vice-President Aaron Burr, Theodosia.
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