Chapter Four :The Old book

The days following their night in the woods were filled with a tense quiet. Raymond and Tom continued their investigations, but the creature remained elusive. Claire tried to keep things normal at home, but the worry etched on her face was unmistakable.

One evening, as Raymond was going through old boxes in the attic, he stumbled upon a dusty, leather-bound book. Intrigued, he wiped off the dust and opened it. The pages were yellowed with age, filled with handwritten notes and sketches. It looked like a journal.

Raymond took the book downstairs to the living room, where Claire was reading on the couch. "Look what I found in the attic," he said, holding up the book.

Claire glanced up, her curiosity piqued. "What is it?"

"An old journal," Raymond replied, sitting down beside her. "It looks like it belonged to someone who lived here a long time ago. Maybe it has some information about the strange things we've been seeing."

Claire moved closer to him, peering at the book. "Let's see."

Raymond carefully opened the book and began reading aloud. The journal belonged to a man named William Hartley, who had lived in the house over a century ago. As they read through the entries, they discovered that William had also encountered strange occurrences in the woods.

"May 14, 1892," Raymond read aloud. "I saw them again tonight. Glowing eyes in the darkness, watching me from the trees. I fear they are not of this world. I must find a way to protect my family."

Claire shivered. "It sounds exactly like what we've been experiencing."

Raymond nodded, turning the pages. "There's more. He describes finding strange tracks and hearing eerie noises at night. It seems like he was dealing with the same creature."

They continued reading, finding more details about William's encounters. He had tried to document everything he saw, hoping to find a way to understand and possibly stop the creature. The journal also contained sketches of the glowing eyes and the strange tracks he found.

"This is incredible," Raymond said, his excitement growing. "We need to show this to Tom."

Claire agreed. "Maybe it will give us some clues on how to handle this."

The next day, Raymond and Claire met Tom at the diner. Raymond brought the journal, eager to share their discovery.

"Tom, you need to see this," Raymond said, handing him the book.

Tom flipped through the pages, his eyes widening. "This is amazing. It looks like this creature has been around for a long time."

"Exactly," Raymond replied. "And William Hartley was trying to figure out what it was and how to stop it."

Tom nodded, deep in thought. "We should go through this carefully. There might be something in here that can help us."

That evening, the three of them sat around Raymond and Claire's dining table, poring over the journal. They found more entries describing William's attempts to track the creature and his theories about what it might be.

"June 2, 1892," Claire read aloud. "I believe the creature is a guardian of some kind, protecting something in the woods. I must find out what it is."

Raymond frowned. "A guardian? What could it be protecting?"

"Maybe there's something valuable or sacred in the woods," Tom suggested. "Something it doesn't want anyone to find."

They continued reading, searching for more clues. The journal mentioned an old legend about the woods being a sacred place, guarded by a spirit. William had tried to find more information about the legend, but his entries abruptly stopped.

"The last entry is from June 15, 1892," Raymond said. "It just says, 'I must go into the woods tonight. I hope to return with answers.'"

"But there are no more entries after that," Claire noted. "What happened to him?"

"I don't know," Raymond said quietly. "But it looks like he never came back."

The revelation left them with more questions than answers, but it also gave them a direction. They needed to find out what the creature was protecting and why it was so determined to keep people away.

The next day, Raymond, Claire, and Tom decided to search for any local legends or historical records that might give them more information. They visited the town library and spoke with the librarian, Mrs. Jenkins, who was known for her extensive knowledge of the town's history.

"Mrs. Jenkins, we're looking for any information about old legends or stories related to the woods," Raymond explained.

Mrs. Jenkins raised an eyebrow. "Why the sudden interest?"

Raymond hesitated, then decided to be honest. "We've been seeing strange things in the woods. Glowing eyes, odd tracks. We found an old journal that mentions similar experiences."

Mrs. Jenkins' expression grew serious. "You're not the first to come to me with such stories. There have been tales of those woods for generations. Some say it's haunted, others believe it's a place of ancient power."

"Do you know of any legends about a guardian or a sacred place in the woods?" Tom asked.

Mrs. Jenkins nodded. "There is an old legend about the Forest Guardian, a spirit said to protect a hidden treasure or sacred site in the woods. Many have tried to find it, but none have succeeded."

"Do you know where this sacred site might be?" Claire inquired.

Mrs. Jenkins shook her head. "The legend is very vague. It speaks of a clearing deep in the woods, marked by a circle of ancient stones. But no one knows its exact location."

With this new information, Raymond, Claire, and Tom decided to venture deeper into the woods, looking for the clearing. They prepared for their journey, packing supplies and equipment, and setting out early the next morning.

As they trekked through the dense forest, the sense of being watched returned, but they pressed on, determined to uncover the truth. Hours passed, and just as they were beginning to lose hope, they stumbled upon a clearing.

In the center of the clearing was a circle of large, weathered stones, just as the legend described. The air felt different here, charged with an almost palpable energy.

"This must be it," Raymond said, looking around in awe.

They explored the clearing, searching for any signs of the creature or the treasure it was guarding. Suddenly, Claire noticed something carved into one of the stones. It was an ancient symbol, barely visible under the layers of moss and lichen.

"Look at this," she called out.

Raymond and Tom joined her, examining the symbol. It was unlike anything they had seen before, a complex pattern that seemed to pulse with a faint, inner light.

"I think this is a key," Tom said. "A clue to what the creature is protecting."

They spent the rest of the day studying the stones and the surrounding area, but as night fell, they decided to head back. They had found the clearing and the symbol, but they still didn't have all the answers.

That evening, back at Raymond and Claire's house, they sat down to discuss their findings. The symbol was clearly important, but they needed more information to understand its meaning.

"Maybe the journal has more clues," Claire suggested.

They went back to the journal, re-reading the entries with a new perspective. As they did, they found a passage they had overlooked before. William had mentioned finding a similar symbol carved into a tree near the clearing.

"We need to go back and look for that tree," Raymond said.

Tom agreed. "And we need to be prepared for anything. The creature is probably still out there, watching us."

The next day, they returned to the clearing, this time more prepared and alert. They searched the surrounding area and soon found the tree with the carved symbol. It was similar to the one on the stone, but more intricate.

As they studied the tree, they noticed something odd about the ground beneath it. It seemed disturbed, as if someone had recently dug there. They began to dig, uncovering a small, ancient chest.

Raymond carefully opened the chest, revealing a collection of old scrolls and a small, ornate box. The scrolls were written in a language they couldn't read, but the box contained a beautiful, intricately carved amulet.

"I think this is what the creature is protecting," Raymond said, holding up the amulet. "But we need to find out what it means."

They took the chest and its contents back home, determined to decipher the scrolls and understand the significance of the amulet. The discovery had brought them closer to the truth, but they knew they still had a long way to go.

As they sat together that evening, pouring over the scrolls, the feeling of being watched returned. The creature was still out there, guarding its secret, and they had only just begun to uncover its mystery.