Jacob's Tears 3 Copyright c.e. Jordan, 2000
"Where are our clothes," he whispered urgently, "...we gotta get out of here...now!" They looked all over but couldn't find their clothing anywhere in the nearly alien place the creek had become. The drums were louder now, but the boys couldn't tell what direction it was coming from; the all-pervasive sound seemed to pulsate with the beat of their hearts. The odd thing was that the propulsive rhythms seemed to keep their bodies at a sensual peak whether they wanted it so or not, and they could barely keep their hands off each other. *******************
JACOB'S TEARS 3
They sat together fascinated, fearful and confused. "Whut are we gonna do now Brandon?"
"I...I dunno, but we'll get out of here soon, don't worry Jeb, okay?"
Brandon put a comforting arm around Jeb, but despite the brave words he was worried. They'd have a lot to explain if they were forced to leave the creek totally naked. But the question was, would they even be allowed to leave this place at all. Nothing around "Jacob's Tears" was familiar now, It seemed to have reverted to its ancient swampy state. The ambient odors of the place were much stronger now; it was the smell of animals and exotic flowers, green growing things fallen to the fertile earth; a complex mix of earthy and sweet, evidence of the constant cycle of life, death, and rebirth.
Out on "Jacob's Tears" the dark water was suddenly troubled. The boys rose to their feet and stared in awe as the surface began a violent bubbling like rapidly boiling water. From each broken bubble silvery cloud-streams emerged. These ghostly tendrils rushed from all parts of the creek towards its swirling center, where they merged to form a tall column of phosphorescent vapor about two feet wide and eight feel high.
"Oh....wow, look at that...what IS it?" Whispered Jeb. Brandon didn't answer but held his friend even tighter.
Too astonished to be frightened, they just stood there watching as the glowing column began moving, slowly at first, then it was undulating its way swiftly across the creek, rushing faster and faster from the water onto the land--heading directly toward them.
"RUN!" hollered Brandon, but it was too late, the thing was already upon them. They turned to flee, but Brandon's feet caught in a tangle of roots that wasn't there before. As he fell his hand tore out of Jeb's grasp. Brandon scrambled around on the ground in time to see two figures emerge from amidst the fading column of glittering fog...or...whatever it was...
Terrified and crying, Jeb didn't want to look at the horror behind him; he desperately tried to drag Brandon to his feet. "Get up Bran, get up, it's gonna git us...hurry!!" Brandon's heart thumped harder than the drums which still beat faintly in the background. He struggled upright and looked back over his shoulder to see how close the terror that stalked them had come...and stopped dead in his tracks. Less than six feet away stood two...children. Two naked children. Were these the awful frightening creatures they were trying so hard to get away from?
Abruptly aware that he was running all by himself, Jeb yelled back to Brandon, "Whut's the matter with you? Why you stoppin'?"
"Look over there," urged Brandon. Reluctantly, Jeb looked. He saw the two naked kids, one black and one white, and halted. He looked around "Jacob's Tears", totally confused for a moment. "Huh? Where'd the monster go?"
Brandon spoke softly as he stared at the ghost kids who just stood there gazing curiously back at them. "Um...Jeb, I think they're it. They are our monster..."
"What?.......Ohhh........" Jeb's voice trailed off as comprehension slowly dawned on him. He walked back to stand beside his friend, "You mean they are......."
"Yep, I think it's them," Brandon whispered.
Brandon had heard all the old stories about Jacob and Loreen. He knew they were supposed to be young, but he had assumed they were older teenagers, at least about seventeen or so...but these two were barely older than he was--no more than fourteen at most. How could anyone kill a kid that young? That thought reminded him that these were dead kids...ghosts, but they certainly didn't look dead. Aside from the remaining wisps of glowing stuff that still floated around them they seemed anything but ghostly. What does one say to a ghost? As he tried to think of something Jeb blurted out, "I know who you are...Brandon told me...what d'you want with us?"
The two focused their gaze upon Jeb and wavered slightly toward him. Jeb hurriedly backed up and slipped his hand into Brandon's for comfort. The ghost couple observed this and looked at each other then back toward the boys. When they moved slightly forward again Brandon decided that while they looked `normal' they certainly moved like he assumed ghosts would, kinda weightless, floating. He saw that the girl didn't actually touch the ground, and Jacob had no feet at all, just stumps. He had no hands either--but he did have a dick, so that part of the legend must have been wrong. In dramatic contrast to the sleek body of Jacob who was much darker than Brandon, the girl, Loreen, was blue-eyed, very pale with two small bud breasts on her chest. The deep cleft between her legs was bare, but her long hair, the same reddish-gold like Jeb's, hung down to her hips in wet strands. The couple were so close together that some of her hair fell around Jacob as if it too wanted to hold him close. Loreen's right arm stayed around his slender waist, and in her left hand, Brandon suddenly noticed that she held a short sharp-looking machete.
The pair floated closer to the boys then Loreen suddenly surged forward alone, with her machete at her side. It seemed as if she was going toward Jeb. Brandon quickly pulled Jeb into his arms and turned away shielding the blonde boy from the equally blonde girl-ghost. Brandon found himself talking fast, pleading, almost shouting, "No! Please, please don't hurt him....he's my friend....I know all about you...you're Loreen Gresham...and that's Jacob. My name is Brandon McKinnon...I'm Jacob's cousin...please Jacob, don't let her hurt my friend...."
The girl halted mid-air, apparently baffled at the outburst, then she looked down at the weapon she held in her hand as if she'd forgotten it was there....then she laughed out loud. "Don't be afraid child, I shall not harm you....this is for the others, the cruel ones...this thing is what they hurt my Jacob with. It's only fair that I have the satisfaction of revenge."
To Brandon's ear her accent sounded British. But Jeb, eyes bright and excited, was tugging at his arm, "Whut did you say her name was?"
"Loreen..."
"No...I mean, whut's her last name?"
The girl-ghost and Brandon both answered, "Gresham."
"That can't be.....that's MY last name. I'm Jebediah Gresham!"
(to be continued...)