“That must be the cave,” said Tom. “But who the heck was that?”
“I have no idea, but something must be wrong. We need to get there fast.”
“Maybe you should try callin' the sheriff again. We might need some heavy artillery for this raid.”
Anne reached for her cell phone and dialed her husband’s number one final time. The previous two attempts went to his voicemail. Larry almost always answered his phone when she called. Hearing his outgoing message a third time made her worry.
“Still nothing,” she said.
“Well, maybe he got your first message and is on his way,” reassured Tom.
Anne wasn’t convinced. “Yeah, maybe.”
“For now, we should keep goin' and try again once we’re closer. It should take us a few minutes to get to the entrance, so let’s not waste any time.”
Anne agreed. She was ready to confront whatever was happening in that cave, but a part of her was elsewhere, wondering if her husband was safe.
* * * * * * * * * *
“You can’t fight your destiny, sweetheart.”
Max Tucker had dragged Jed into the sanctuary, strapped him to the stone slab in the center of the room, and repeated the terrifying words to his daughter. “You can’t fight your destiny.”
“My destiny is to murder the boy I…” her voice trailed off.
“It’s ok, Caroline. You can say it. Love. The boy you love,” said Max.
“Mr. Tucker…Max…dad…uhhh…I don’t even know what to call you.”
“Dad has a nice ring to it,” he grinned.
“I just don’t understand. Why did you leave my mom? Why didn’t you just tell me you were my father? Why all the secrets?”
Max touched his daughter’s shoulder. “Because I was tryin' to protect you. There are some smart people in this town, and one of them was bound to figure everything out. If they did, I didn’t want them to find you.”
“Mr. Tuck…dad…I can’t kill anyone, especially not Jed. I’m sorry.”
“Boreas was a good man, sweetheart. He and his people – our people – lived on this land for hundreds of years before the murderers came along. Hyperboreans were loving and peaceful. And they cared about Bayberry Cove’s mysticism.”
“What mysticism?” she asked.
“Can’t you feel it? There is somethin' magical about this town. People grow up here and they never want to leave. Some of the ancients used to say God himself lived in the valley. We were given paradise and,” Max pointed to Jed, “his ancestors took it away from us.” Max’s voice rose. “They murdered members of our family, and this may be the only opportunity to get our revenge!”
Caroline’s demeanor changed. Jed turned his head and realized she looked like…Max. Angry, hurt, confused, and hell-bent on getting her vengeance.
She took ten steps toward the dagger, picked it up, walked to Jed’s side, clutched the marble handle with both hands, and said, “You murdered my family.” Tears filled her eyes. A single drop ran down her cheek and fell onto Jed’s damaged arm.
“Caroline, what are you doing?” he pleaded. “It’s me, Jed. Please, Caroline, don’t do this. Please…I love you!”
She closed her eyes, squeezing out more streams of salty water.
“Caroline, you must do it!” shouted Max. “This is your fate. This is how it has always been and how it must always be.”
“Caroline, you can choose a different path.” The voice came from behind Max. It was strong. And it was feminine. Tom and Anne had arrived.
Max turned and looked frustrated. “What are you two doin' here? This doesn’t concern you!”
“Yes it does, Max,” said Anne. “We know everything, so it’s already too late.”
“You don’t know anything!” he barked.
“We spoke to your father.” She spoke louder. “Caroline, your grandfather. He’s Max’s father. Max is your dad and he is confused right now. And I think you are too.”
“Mrs. Wamsley,” Caroline cried, “I don’t know what to do.”
“I know, dear, but I know you don’t want to hurt Jed. This isn’t your fault, sweetie. Just put the knife down and everything will be ok.”
Max was furious. “Caroline, don’t listen to her. They are all against us. They are all murderers. Sacrifice Jed and you will see everything so clearly.”
Jed breathed heavily just inches away from the ten-inch blade. He stared into Caroline’s eyes, but she wouldn’t return the look.
Another new voice. “What the hell is goin’ on here?” Sam, Bobby, Dr. Mallory, and Nurse Newhart had arrived.
“You have to be kiddin’ me,” said Max. “Is the whole damn town waitin’ outside?”
“Caroline!” Bobby screamed. “What are ya doin’?”
“Do it!” shouted Max. “Kill him!”
“Sweetie, just put down the knife,” pleaded Anne.
More voices – Tom Timmerman, the mayor, Dr. Mallory, Nurse Newhart. Everyone had an opinion. Jed kept staring. Caroline shook from the tension.
“Did you guys ever read Greek Mythology?” she finally asked. The question stunned everyone into silence.
“There is this story about two monsters – Scylla and Charybdis.”
No one spoke.
“Well, these two monsters protected this narrow strait. If you tried escaping in one direction, Scylla got you. And if you went the other way, Charybdis was waiting. Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?”
More silence.
“Well, I was just thinking how this situation is just like that story.”
“How do you mean, Caroline?” asked Anne.
A steady flow of tears streamed from her eyes. “There is no right answer, is there? I mean, if I put down the dagger and forgive everyone, then it’s like I’m condoning what happened four hundred years ago. And it wasn’t right what people did to Boreas and his family.”
“Exactly, Caroline, so kill him!” demanded Max.
She looked at her biological father with brown, puffy eyes. “But, if I kill him, then I am just continuing four hundred years of hate and murder. Revenge isn’t the answer, dad. I mean, look at you. You are so angry right now. I don’t want to be like that for the rest of my life.”
“Then put down the knife!” Sam shouted.
“There’s no right answer,” she mumbled, “except this one.”
Caroline gripped the handle tightly, lifted the dagger in front of her chest, and plunged the blade toward her heart.
Instinctively, everyone moved forward to prevent the suicide – Max, Anne, Tom, Sam, Bobby, Dr. Mallory, and Nurse Newhart – but none of them were close enough to prevent Caroline’s death.
Only one person had the power to save the girl he loved.
Jed Rogers.
The ropes Max used to restrain the star quarterback were old and rotted. Eagle Scouts have a few tricks up their sleeve. Jed had freed his left hand just seconds before Caroline lifted the dagger, and lunged just in time to catch her arm before steel touched skin.
The dagger fell from her hand; the crowd rushed forward; everyone was safe.
Max fell to his knees and wept. In one act of selfless heroism, the Spirit of Boreas had been destroyed.
The town was finally free.
* * * * * * * * * *
Tom Timmerman held Anne as she sobbed. News of her husband’s death seemed to release a flood of emotions that had been collecting all day. Larry Wamsley was a hero, dedicated to protecting those he loved, and he would be dearly missed by everyone.
For the first time in a long time, Bayberry Cove had a prisoner. Max Tucker was horrified at the man he had become, and demanded to be executed for his crimes. The judge refused, mostly because Anne Wamsley spoke at the trial, insisting Max be spared the death penalty so he could watch his daughter grow into a woman. Caroline’s forgiving heart seemed to infect others with a love that could not be explained.
Sam continued his job as mayor. Tom had one hell of a story that he buried in order to protect his friends. And the rest of the town remained blissfully ignorant to what happened in that cave carved into the side of Mt. Misery. After all, Thanksgiving was around the corner, and they had a festival to prepare.
Bobby felt a little queasy as he watched Jed and Caroline hold hands the entire walk home. And he nearly gagged when he saw his two best friends wander off beneath a maple tree and share their first kiss. The embrace was awkward and uncomfortable, but it was real. Something Bayberry Cove had been missing for a long time.
* * * * * * * * * *
The year is 2008. The beast has been destroyed. So has the sea creature. Very few were killed in the final battle. Boreas has fled Bayberry Cove and we don’t expect to see him back again. There is so much blame to go around, but thankfully, a young girl taught us all a lesson about forgiveness. We are free because she was willing to sacrifice her own life to save Bayberry Cove.
That’s my girl.
Joe Tabor closed the journal, lit his pipe, and sent a smoke ring toward the Heavens.
THE END
