The high-backed chair looked like it was carved from a single piece of wood. All four legs, both arms, and the sides of the high back were covered in intricate carvings. Holly walked toward it with her hand outstretched. When she reached it, her fingertips rested on the head of a smooth, wooden bear. It rested peacefully within a bushel of leaves and berries. There were other animals on the chair. Squirrels, birds, deer, and other creatures of the woodland, but the bears stuck out the most. She walked around the back of the chair and let out a soft gasp. The scene on the back was completely different. It was all bears swiping, biting and mauling each other. It was all bared teeth and sharp claws.
“This is one hell of a chair,” Holly said, her voice barely louder than a whisper.
“I made it.” The usual cockiness was gone from Johnny’s voice. He watched her with serious eyes.
“You made this?” Her eyes roamed over the intricate woodwork. “This is amazing.”
“I told you I was a man of many talents.”
“It’s breathtaking. If you opened a shop, I bet you’d sell millions!” Holly gushed. Her eyes wandered to the stone fireplace. Every stone held some kind of carving, no bigger than a quarter. No two carvings were the same.
“Did you do these, too?” she asked Johnny.
“I did my stone,” he said. “Everyone has to do their own.”
Holly took a step back to take in the fireplace in its full glory. There had to be over a hundred stones.
“Does everyone in town get a stone?” she asked. “Or is that something you’re not allowed to tell me?” Those words came out more bitterly than she wanted them to.
“Not everyone,” Keller answered. “But close.”
“Do I have one?” she asked.
“No,” Garret answered. For some reason, that made Holly feel left out. It shouldn’t have. She was the one who had excluded herself from this close-knit community. They weren’t kidding when they told her Pearl was a cornerstone of the community.
“But,” Garret started again, sensing her sadness, “there are blank stones. One might be meant for you.”
“Meant for?” She turned the words over in her mind. “What do you mean by that?”
“That’s something we can’t tell you.” Keller grinned. “But I found this on the entryway table.” In his large hands, he held a pure white envelope with Holly written in gold ink. It looked much more official than the first letter she had gotten in her mailbox. That one was completely innocuous from the outside.
As soon as she took the new letter in her hands, she felt a weight settle on her. “I guess there’s no point in waiting.” Holly shrugged and tore open the letter.
My dearest granddaughter,
If you’re reading this, then you followed the first letter to Silver Spruce. Good girl! I knew you’d know to do the right thing. You always had such a knack for that. I hope it didn’t take you too long to make the trip.
Hopefully, you’ve met some of the town residents. Aren’t they a lovely group? You couldn’t ask for nicer, more resilient folks to share a community with. They’ll go above and beyond for you. That’s one of the perks of sharing my blood.
This must all be so strange to you, but don’t run away now. There is much for you to learn. I figured this would be the best way to stop you from getting too overwhelmed. A lot of information is going to be flung at you. Many things you believed to be impossible will prove to be true. It’ll be challenging to accept everything, but I know you’re capable of it.
Tell Johnny, Keller, and Garret they can tell you what they’re doing at the house now. I’m sure this is driving them crazy. That’s what will keep me entertained while I’m floating in the Beyond.
Remember to keep moving forward. No turning back.
All my love,
Pearl
“What the fuck?” Holly whispered as she folded the letter. “I thought you said the letter was supposed to clear things up?”
“Pearl said they would, and she doesn’t lie,” Keller said. “If you’re still confused, I’m sure there are more letters to be found.”
“That’s not comforting,” Holly groaned.
“What did it say?” Garret asked.
“It said that the three of you can tell me what you’re doing in this house,” she said. “Did my grandmother leave a book of instructions for you or something?”
“She made her wishes clear,” Keller said.
“Then tell me why you knew to come to the house on this day,” Holly pleaded. “You have permission. I can show you the letter.”
“We’re here because we live here.”
CHAPTER FOUR - Holly
“You what?” Holly shrieked. “You live here? In this house? The one we’re currently standing in. You live here?”
“You seem to be struggling with the core concept of this,” Johnny said.
“No shit,” she snapped. “What do you mean you live here?”
“If you go up the stairs, the first door on the right is my room,” Garret offered. “Keller lives on the third floor. Johnny lives in the basement for some godforsaken reason.”
“It’s my studio,” Johnny protests. “Where do you think I carved the chair?”
“How can you sleep down there? It reeks of all kinds of chemicals. I get headaches if I go down there for longer than twenty minutes,”
