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“Oh, that… that’s just a legend. We don’t even know if it’s true.”
“Tell me,” Rene pleaded.
Hyde sighed, before starting.
“A long, long time ago, there were two people, a man and a woman, and they loved each other more than life itself. Legend has it that the woman got sick, and after a short while, died. The man was inconsolable. Upon burial, he placed two coins on her eye sockets, even though those were the last two coins in his pocket, and he had no means of obtaining any more in the near future. He had grown weary of life, tired, and he begged Death to take him, but it wouldn’t. The man didn’t want to bury her at first, but eventually, he had to. He dug her grave in the middle of a forest clearing, surrounded by all kinds of wild flowers, and buried her there. He nailed a small cross, made of weeping willow branches, and placed it on the pile. As night drew near, he remained there, and eventually fell asleep. When morning caught him, he was still there, lying on the grave. His fist was clenched, and when he tried to open it, he realized that the night frost made it hard for him to open it immediately. He waited a little, then finally, managed to get his fingers to spread out. In his palm, he was holding a strand of her honey colored hair, with a red ribbon tied to the end of it. He had no idea what happened. The grave was intact. Did he, in all this madness caused by the loss, dig her up, cut a strand of her hair, and then bury her back again?”
Rene was listening to him intently. Jesse seemed to share her interest, even though he himself knew the story by heart.
“As he was wondering what happened, they say that the earth cracked open, and Charon himself walked out of the dark depths, holding a lantern. He looked like Death himself, wearing a long black robe, with a big hood over his head, hiding his entire face. The only thing the poor man was able to see was a set of gleaming eyes, staring right into his very soul. The man stumbled backwards, and Charon, silently, extended his bony hand towards him. His fingers spread open, and the man saw two shiny coins resting there. He couldn’t believe it. Those were the same two coins he had placed on the eyes of his beloved before he buried her. The man fell to his knees and started crying. Why was Charon giving him back her fare? Would he not take her across? Was she doomed to wander forever in t
he world between this one and the next? Charon urged him to take the coins, then pointed downward. Even though he didn’t say anything, the man understood exactly what Charon was trying to do. He was returning her fare, because he agreed to take them both across. They say the man was found dead the following morning, lying next to her grave. The coins were gone, too. Then, years later, one of our ancestors claimed to have found those infamous coins, and we had been guarding them ever since. During the Great Wars, they got lost, and now, no one knows where they are.”
“That’s a heart-breaking story, and I do like the drama, but, how would they help you?” Rene wondered, still thinking about the story she just heard, fantasizing that one day, someone would love her that much.
“They are worth more than any of us could ever imagine,” Hyde explained. “I could exchange them for my freedom, for my son’s freedom. Culore is greedy and if there’s anything he likes as much as power, it’s money.”
“Are you sure those people would accept that? What about the hierarchy, the right of the next one in line?” she continued asking.
“I could renounce my position, but to men such as Culore, that isn’t enough. He doesn’t believe his own shadow, let alone the man whose father he killed. And, he is right in feeling that way, because I am not sure I would ever be able to forgive him for what he has done to me and my clan, to my father. But, I didn’t have Parker back then. I was a young man, a foolish man, who acted based on his emotions and impulses. I am different now, and maybe, things could have a different ending this time.”
“Do you even know where to start looking for those coins?” Rene asked, in disbelief. “I mean, if you’re right, they could be anywhere. They could even be lost forever.”
“Legend also says that the coins will eventually find their way back to their original hiding place,” Jesse added.
Rene noticed that he sounded better, as if he wasn’t in so much pain any longer. The thought made her glad. As for what he said, that was just another version of her words: they could be anywhere.
“And what is the original hiding place?” she asked him, wondering what the coins looked like.
“If we knew that, we’d already have them,” Hyde said. “However, we do have a clue. Legend also says that the full Moon reveals a trail in the woods that leads to a tree with crossed roots that look like a heart. There, underneath those very same roots, the coins would be hidden.”
“But, that could really be anywhere,” Rene’s eyes widened in disbelief.
It all sounded like a fairy tale, only whoever came and attacked them tonight was very real. They wouldn’t be able to wish him away.
“Jesse and I brought some of our old books with us, and we’re sure that the location is hidden somewhere in there, but no matter how many times we tried reading them, we couldn’t find anything.”
He sounded defeated. However, Rene’s curiosity peaked at the possibility to take a look at some old books, and maybe solve a mystery. When she was a little girl, she loved reading Nancy Drew and always tried to solve the mystery before Nancy announced the solution. Now, she could do it in real life.
“Maybe I could be of some help there?” she suggested. “I could take a look at those books, maybe see if you guys missed anything. After all, three heads are better than one.”
“You know, that’s actually not a bad idea at all,” Jesse interjected.
“Then, it’s settled,” Rene smiled.
She could already imagine herself leafing through the old books, with that faint musty smell, that awoke every single sensation in one’s being, evoking images of endless fantasy worlds, of brave princesses and damsels in distress, of fire breathing dragons and old treasure, of romance and love that never dies.
“Now, I think we all had enough excitement for one evening,” Hyde rounded up their conversation. “And besides, I think I need to drive Jesse to Keith’s place to have him checked out, see if anything’s broken.”
“Are you OK to drive home on your own?” Jesse asked her, and she just nodded.
“I think so.”
Rene just wanted this crazy day to end finally, and maybe, just maybe, when she woke up the following day, she’d realize this was all just a screwy dream, caused by too much sugar before bedtime.
Chapter 8
Unfortunately, the new morning didn’t bring any new revelations. On the contrary, the events from the previous night burned freshly and brightly inside Rene’s mind, and she couldn’t think of anything else, even though it was Saturday and she could do whatever she wanted, even if that was to stay in bed and lounge all day.
