The old man answered Alex's question, "No son, Elysira no longer hunts men."
"Why, Grandpa? Has Elysira left this place that she doesn't hunt men anymore?"
The old man moved closer to Alex and said, "She hasn't left, she's just become quiet."
"Quiet? What does quiet mean?"
"It means that thirteen years ago, there was a writer living in that Graveyard Manor. It was that writer that Elysira made her last victim. You know, nobody ever found the writer's body, but his room was soaked in blood—blood everywhere: on the walls, on the books, on the table, not a single spot was left untouched."
Hearing this didn't frighten Alex—rather, he became sad, and suddenly tears welled up in his eyes. The old man noticed and, putting a hand on Alex's shoulder, asked, "What's wrong, son? Why did your face drop after hearing about the writer?"
Steeling himself, Alex replied, "Because the writer you're talking about was no one else but my father."
"What! That means you are the son of that writer?"
"Yes, I am Alex, his son."
Continuing, the old man said, "Villagers believed it was Elysira who killed the writer. Since that day, the Graveyard Manor was sealed, and along with it, the deaths of men on full moons and new moons stopped as well. Some say perhaps after her encounter with the writer, Elysira's desire was finally quenched and that's why she became quiet."
Alex, thinking for a moment, said, "But if her desire was over, why did she kill my father? And you said Elysira would always suck the blood from her victim's body after being with them, so why was my father's blood splattered everywhere, as if she hadn't drunk it?"
"I don't know why she didn't drink his blood. That secret was buried in the Graveyard Manor along with his death. Elysira always killed after her desire was sated, so maybe she just killed the writer, too. But some villagers say the writer had been investigating Elysira for years and was writing a book about her. Maybe she found out about this, and that's why, on the new moon, she killed the writer."
"Could I find that book?"
"No, that book is nowhere. Rumor has it, it was never published. Maybe it's still somewhere in the Graveyard Manor."
"You said... the Graveyard Manor!"
"Yes, in the Manor. Let me give you a piece of advice: Elysira has become quiet, so just let her be. Don't awaken that hunger within her, or who knows how many more men she might take."
"Are you trying to frighten me?"
"I'm not frightening you, just warning you, son. Sometimes death sends warnings before coming."
"What do you mean?"
"You city people are so self-centered, always searching for meaning in everything. No reason, that's all."
"How do you know so much about the Graveyard Manor anyway?"
"How wouldn't I? I have an old relationship with it."
Staring at the old man, Alex asked, "What do you mean, an old relationship? What relationship do you have with the Graveyard Manor?"
The old man opened his wide eyes and said, "Maple Junction."
Alex's jaw dropped. "Maple Junction, meaning?"
"It means, son, that Maple Junction station has arrived. Hurry and get off."
The train pulled into Maple Junction. Alex and the old man collected their bags and got off. The station wasn't big and was deserted. It was an old station; only a couple of lights were working, flickering on and off.
As the train pulled out of the station, Alex's eyes fell on the tote bag the old man was carrying—inside were many lotus flowers. Alex wondered what the old man needed so many flowers for.
The moment the old man got off the train, he started hurrying away, as if he was running late for something. Alex couldn't let it go; at last, he asked,
"Grandpa, what are you going to do with all those lotus flowers?"
Smiling, the old man said, "So your eyes finally caught them. You're sharp, aren't you?"
"That's not an answer, Grandpa. Tell me, what are you going to do with so many flowers?"
"Oh, there's a ritual coming up, that's what they're for."
"What kind of ritual?"
"The full moon ritual."
"Full moon ritual? What do you mean?"
"You won't understand; you're new to this village. You'll get it in time."
Alex kept staring at him, completely puzzled by his words.
Suddenly, Alex grabbed his jeans, "Oh shit, and now of all times."
"What's wrong, son? You seem troubled."
"Yeah, Grandpa, is there a restroom nearby?"
The old man scratched his head. "Restroom? What's that?"
"I mean, toilet, Grandpa."
"Oh, just say you need to empty your tank."
Alex, annoyed, said, "Yeah, that."
"There isn't one at the station. The whole country's developed, but Maple Junction is just the same as always."
"So where do I, uh, empty my tank?"
"There's so much open space, just go anywhere—it's dark, no one's watching."
Alex walked a little toward the tracks and started relieving himself.
While doing so, Alex called over, "So Grandpa, where are you headed from here?"
"Redridge."
"Meaning you'll have to cross the Wishborne River."
"Yes."
"Aren't you afraid Elysira might catch you?"
"I told you, son, her desire is long gone. She doesn't hunt anymore, and besides, tonight isn't a full moon or new moon when she would hunt."
"Where do you live in Redridge?"
"By the landing at the Wishborne River."
Thinking, Alex said, "That's the very landing where Elysira used to wander. Dad always used to say she haunted both landings on the river."
There was no response.
Alex asked again, "Tell me, Grandpa, why have you gone silent?"
Still no answer.
Alex wondered why Grandpa wasn't responding.
He zipped up and turned around—and was shocked. The old man had suddenly vanished. Alex had no idea where he could have gone so quickly. He grabbed his bag and started searching the station, but the old man was nowhere to be found.
Puzzled over the man's sudden disappearance, Alex soon convinced himself the old man must've just left quietly. Good, he thought—it's better he left; otherwise, with all this talk of Elysira, he'd scare himself and me both.
Exiting the station, he saw there wasn't a single cab outside.
"This is the problem with villages—no taxis at all. Cities are developing, but the villages are stuck just as they were."
He hoisted his bag and started the walk to Willowbrook Village. In half an hour, he reached Willowbrook. After crossing it, he came upon Blackbriar Forest, through which ran the path to the Wishborne River—and then, just a bit further, the Graveyard Manor where Alex needed to go. He had made it through Willowbrook, but ended up lost inside the Blackbriar woods. He had forgotten the way to Wishborne River. The darkness was so thick inside Blackbriar that Alex couldn't tell which path led where.
Staring at the bamboo clumps deep in the forest, Alex mumbled, "What do I do now? I've been round and round but keep ending up right back here. This Blackbriar Forest is like a riddle—I can't figure my way out."
He pulled out his phone, "No network here either, can't even call anyone for help."
The grove was thick with oaks and bamboo. Whenever the wind rustled the bamboo, it sounded like whispers all around. Alex's phone torch hardly lit anything. As he considered his next move, he heard footsteps.
Hearing footsteps, Alex's nerves tensed—who could be in this forest at this hour? He tried to reassure himself: maybe there's nothing to this Elysira stuff, just stories Dad made up.
The footsteps grew louder, closer. Alex picked up a bamboo stick from the ground, ready to defend himself. Suddenly, the bamboo clusters beside him began to shake and the sound was coming from that direction. Alex steeled himself. As the footsteps stopped, Alex's eyes widened in shock. The stick dropped from his hand and he fell to the ground in fear.
A dark shadow stood before him.
Fumbling, Alex grabbed his phone and shone its torch toward the shadow. "W-who are you?"
A boy's voice replied, "I'm Arthur."
When the torchlight hit the shape, Alex saw it was just a boy his own age, with long, curly hair to his neck and big glasses. The boy was holding some device—something that looked like a reading meter.
Arthur extended his hand toward Alex, "Get up—why are you lying down?"
Taking his hand, Alex muttered, "I'm not lying here—I got spooked because of you."
"You got spooked because of me! Why? Are you a scaredy-cat?"
"What did you say…"
Alex shone the torch right into Arthur's face. Examining him closely, Alex said in amazement, "Wait—are you Arthur?"
Before Alex could finish, Arthur pointed at him, "And you—are you Alex?"
The two friends hugged each other. Arthur was Alex's childhood friend.
Alex ran his hand through Arthur's hair, "You've changed, man—big hair, huge glasses."
Arthur replied, "So have you. So, when did you get here, and where are you going this late?"
"I just got here, maybe an hour or two ago. I'm heading to my house, the Graveyard Manor. But you—what are you doing here in these woods at this hour? And what's with your hair—made me think for a second you were… her."
Arthur asked in surprise, "Her? Who?"
Alex changed the subject, "Forget that—just answer my question. What are you really doing here? This feels fishy."
"It's not fishy, man. If I tell you what I'm actually doing, you'll laugh, so best leave it."
"No, tell me, brother—I promise I won't laugh. Why are you really here?"
Arthur whispered, "I'm hunting ghosts."
Alex didn't hear. "What?"
Arthur shouted into his ear, "I'm hunting ghosts!"
Hearing this, Alex burst out laughing, "You're crazy, man, what are you talking about? I thought you'd have outgrown this childhood obsession with ghosts by now. But nope—you're exactly the same, box of a box."
Irritated, Arthur said, "I told you, you'd laugh—that's why I wasn't telling you."
Feeling guilty, Alex muttered, "Sorry, man. Forget it. What do you do these days anyway?"
"I work in Boston, just here for vacation now."
"In Boston? Doing what?"
"Told you already."
"What did you tell me?"
"Ghost hunting! I'm a certified paranormal activity expert, we hunt for ghosts."
Alex couldn't stop laughing, "Dude, you're too much. Go on, laugh—people who know little always think those with more knowledge are crazy. Maybe you don't know, but there are ten certified paranormal societies in America that search for ghosts, and I'm certified with one."
Alex, still giggling, asked, "So, have you ever actually found a ghost?"
"Not yet, but I will soon."
"And how will you do that?"
Arthur showed his device, "With this."
Alex asked, amazed, "What is that?"
"It's called an electromagnetic field meter."
"Meaning?"
"It's used to detect changes in electromagnetic fields over time. They say that when ghosts appear somewhere, the EM field changes—a special sensor in this goes off and tells us invisible forces are near."
Before Alex could say anything, the electromagnetic field meter began to buzz.
Buzz.. Buzz....
Alex, shocked, asked, "What's happening—why is your device making that noise?"
Looking around, Arthur said, "It means something is here with us."
Alex whispered, "You mean… ghost?"
"Yeah!"