Heart Wood | Forest Creature X Reader (COMPLETED)

Chapter 5: Rain On Wood, Pt. 1

'There was still blood.' The words ring in your head. Your breath hitches in your throat.

That seems to debunk your theory of her moving out of the way in time. "And, if I'm remembering correctly," She continues without wavering. "There were little white flowers around where her body should have been." Your throat runs dry. This story is now getting to be too weird for you. You swallow the lump in your throat, attempting to loosen the knot that's forming in there.

"Did they ever find her?" You ask, voice soft and quivering. "Find her", as if she were still alive and had just wandered too far into the forest. Your mother didn't seem to notice your quivering voice, because she replies without any hesitation. "No. Yeah, they apparently never found her body. I'm sure if you look online you'll find some crazy theories about it." She laughs at the end, remembering some of the theories that others have had.

"I had one lady, some older woman, call me one day to let me know that some demonic entity is what took Ida's body. Man, some people." She shakes her head, laughing to herself. "And then there was this man who said it must have been aliens, because only they have the power to lift a tree that heavy." You crinkle your brows, pondering those possibilities. Something tells you, neither one is fully correct, but they might have been on to something.

Your mother sighs, rubbing her temple with her finger. "Oh, but my favorite was the reincarnation theory." She laughs again, letting out a long sigh. "We had a picture of Ida and her family, and this one man swears that you were Ida reincarnated. Just because you two look similar! That's how genes work, but he didn't seem to get that when I explained it to him."

'Look,' not 'looked.' Meaning you and Ida must still share some type of resemblance. With one last sigh, she glances at the time. "Oh my, I'll be late." She gasps, grabbing her purse before heading out to her car. "Sorry I couldn't help with that name. Hope you remember it soon." She laughs awkwardly, not knowing that she was far more help than you could have imagined.

You snap out of your deep thinking before she can hang up. "Do we still have the photo? Of Ida?" You quickly ask, standing up and making your way to your bedroom door. "Probably in a box somewhere in my closet. Why?" She asks, starting the car and buckling. "Just wondering!" You swiftly reply, as to hopefully not make her more curious. Your mother is known for being nosy, and constantly looking over peoples shoulders to see what they're doing. "Alrighty." She shrugs, wondering what you're up to but deciding not to pry.

"Bye mom! Have fun!" You quickly say before hanging up. You swiftly open your door. Missy stares up at you, her eyes filled with with a mix of emotions. She seems distressed, but you quickly shrug it off before heading into your mother's room. Missy quickly follows from behind. Her tail is drooped low, and her ears are down.

Something is unsettling her, but you have no time to worry about it. Instead, you rummage through the boxes in your mother's closet. Finally, something catches your eye. An old, wooden box lays in the corner of the closet.

Missy whines, pawing at your shoulder as you sit on the floor. "I'll feed you later." You whisper at her, shifting your shoulder away from the antsy dog. You gently grip the box, gritting your teeth while praying for no splinters.

After gingerly pulling it out, your eyes examine the worn down box. 'Why would mom keep this?' You wonder. If the picture is in here, why wouldn't your mother just put the photos in another box? As opposed to keeping this old, weathered box that looks far older than your mother.

Missy whines again, placing her paw on top of the box's lid. You shush her, gently lifting her paw off of the box so she won't get any splinters stuck in her foot. You slide the lid out of the little notches, revealing yellowed black and white photos.