Page 39 of Jacob Michaels is Dead

“Big word for you,” I mumbled.

Oma shot me a look.

“—BUT, he simply…came into being. Oh, at first, it was pretty harmless stuff. Grabbin’ at the legs of people swimmin’ in the lake. Mostly children. People started tellin’ the story about ‘Bloody Bones who lives in the lake and comes for bad children,’ thus, givin’ this creature a name. Namin’ somethin’, givin’ it recognition, gives it more power. Usin’ his existence, givin’ him a name, givin’ him power over the minds of children, instillin’ fear in someone with the knowledge of him—well, it just helped him become more powerful. He used the magic of this land to his advantage, makin’ himself stronger. And, one day, he broke free from the power that held him to the land. A crack appeared one day. And it grew. And grew. From that crack, straight down to the pits of Hell, Bloody Bones rose.”

“Again,” I shrugged, “Ohio—portal to Hell—seems right.”

Lucas hushed me, and Oma rolled her eyes.

“He began with simple mischief at first. Stealin’ crops, saltin’ fields so nothin’ grew, fellin’ trees, settin’ fire to huts. Then he grew greedy. As time went on and the people who lived here got more and more advanced, he began feastin’ on chickens and stealin’ food, snatchin’ the occasional child. And like idiots, those people told greater stories about Bloody Bones and disobedient children, addin’ to his legend, makin’ him more powerful.”

Lucas was suddenly holding my hand tightly.

“Things probably would have went on like that for a much longer time…but suddenly, The Oracle and The Guardian appeared. The Guardian was born from this land, like Bloody Bones, with one mission, to seek out The Witch. The Oracle was the same—though her mission was to watch over this town, these lands, to sense whenever Bloody Bones was coming. So…The Oracle and The Guardian worked together…and they found The Witch. The first of her kind. Not much more than a child, The Guardian and The Oracle found that she possessed control over the magic of her people, a magic that was separate from Bloody Bones. A power he had not been able to pervert to his whims and wishes. For many months, they worked with The Witch, hidin’ her away, instructing her on what needed doin’…and then, The Oracle and The Guardian watched as The Witch met Bloody Bones in battle.

“In the end…The Witch cast Bloody Bones down, trapping him in the lands once more. She was worse for the wear, but The Guardian and The Oracle knew they could nurse her back to health. But The Witch knew somethin’ that they didn’t. She knew that if she let them heal her, she would only be livin’ to face Bloody Bones in battle again one day. So, she used the rest of the power that resided in herself to strengthen the seal that held Bloody Bones in the ground, protectin’ her people for as long as possible.”

“What happened to her?” I asked.

“Well, she died, ‘course.” Oma shrugged, though her eyes looked dewy. “She sacrificed herself to give her people even longer to be free of ole Red Eyes. But, as they watched The Witch die and sink into the ground, The Oracle and The Guardian knew they hadn’t seen the last of Bloody Bones. Maybe it would take a hundred or more years for him to find his way out to fight again, but he wasn’t gone for good. Just as that thought occurred to them, where The Witch had once laid, something peculiar sprouted from the ground.”

“What was it?” Lucas whispered in rapt attention.

“A well.” Oma turned her eyes to me.

“Well, well, well,” I stated blandly.

“It would contain all of the magic of her family. There in case it was ever needed to defeat Bloody Bones again. Just in case the next witch needed some help. She not only sacrificed herself for her family—and the people of this land—The Witch cast them a lifeline should they ever need it.”

“I see,” I replied evenly, and I could feel Lucas’ eyes on the side of my head.

“But your damn family,” Oma pointed a finger in my face, “down through the centuries have been reckless and ignorant with that power. They’ve used it on whims and wishes. And here we are with Bloody Bones back—at his strongest—and you done fucked everything up.”

“Yeah.” I shrugged. “It’s easy to blame the last person who made the same mistake dozens of people made before, Oma.”

“Well,” Oma waved me off, “they’re all dead, so you have to take the cussin’ for all of ‘em, ya’ damn idiot.”

“Fair enough.” I relented. “But how the fuck was I supposed to know?”

“Because I’ve told you this damn story at least a hundred goddamn times, that’s how!”

“Well, in my defense, I don’t remember.”

Lucas was shifting from one foot to the other.

“And I told you!” She jabbed a finger at him next, making him jump. “But you two thought you was smarter than me—than The Witch who knew what she was doing when she left that well of magic for this family. She knew that one day Bloody Bones would come back so powerful that y’all would need that little extra somethin’. And everyone just squanders it. Fuckin’ humans. You’re all worthless half the damn time—and the other half of the time you’re diggin’ in your own asses about one thing or another that don’t matter.”

“That’s all well and good, Oma.” I snapped. “But where does that leave us? That didn’t make me remember anything—well, maybe I have a few flashes of the past working around in my head right now, but nothing concrete. What good does any of this do us?”

“Now,” Oma glared at me, “we’re goin’ down to the cellar.”

“I’m not going into any goddamn cellar with you.”

“Rob.” Lucas squeezed my hand.

“Damn-fuckin-right you are,” Oma growled. “We need somewhere safe so I can lift the damn veil from you two. So you can remember everything.”

“The…the veil?” Lucas peeped.