Wild Stories 2- Unexplained Happenings

Chapter 5: Mary Hawke

They arrived, the top of the lighthouse barely visible over the towering trees.

Wild led them down a dirt path through the woods. Jack, highly attuned to the forest around them, jumped at every creak and snap while Till hovered near them protectively.

They eventually stopped outside the lighthouse, the figure looming dark against the cloudy night sky, until the light spun towards them like the moon parting the clouds.

"Wow." Jack breathed quietly, and the other two were inclined to agree with him. 

Wild turned the handle of a small metal door, and it creaked open to reveal a dark corridor that spiralled along the inside of the lighthouse like the inside of a shell.

They made their way up the twisting stairs, excitement growing with every echoing step. 

Till pushed open a similar door at the top of the stairs, and led them to the small balcony at the top of the lighthouse. She walked around it, admiring the way the town lay spread on one side of the structure, the ocean lazily curling on the other.

It felt so open and free, a world of possibilities, and here she was on the top of it.

Jack shivered as the wind picked up and swirled around them. Noticing this, Wild twirled off his jacket and wrapped it around Jack's shoulders.

"There ya go. Better?" He asked kindly.

"Thank you." Jack murmured, frowning as he saw Wild valiantly trying not to shiver, and failing. 

Jack lifted the edge of the jacket, in what he hoped was a polite invitation. He tried to hide his smile as Wild ducked under it gratefully, huddling against his side like a robin under a heron's wing.

This was rather nice, Jack thought. Being so close to another person... being so gentle with them. He had never really had that before. 

Wild looked up at the stars curiously. Was there anyone else out there, he wondered. The space of the world was so empty and cold, and he stood beside Jack, the two so small in comparison to it. The biting chill in the air was a pleasant contrast to the warmth under the jacket, and he moved closer to Jack, looking up to ensure he wasn't making him uncomfortable. 

Goodness he was tall. He had a full foot over Wild, and his dark hair and dark eyes made him seem like another part of the sky. Looming ahead, benevolent and shielding. Not so mousy after all then, Wild mused to himself. 

It may be that their eyes flicked down to each other's mouths, and they might have moved infinitesimally closer as they both contemplated the impossible; but nothing would come of it as Till trotted back and brought the chill of reality with her.

"Isn't this great fellas?" She asked, slinging her arms around their shoulders and peeking her head over the jacket. "Just us, the town and the night sky. Just beautiful. Thanks for taking us here Wild."

He cleared his throat and smiled at her. "Of course Till, anything."

He glanced back at Jack, who tried to ignore the way his heartbeat quickened.

Till frowned at something in the distance, and reached between the two bemused men to point at it.

They looked, blinking in confusion at the ethereal green glow shining from deep within the forest.

Wild squinted at it for a while before ducking out from under the coat and running off, and their echoing footsteps sounded like the drumbeats of war as they ran down the metal stairs. They slammed open the door, the loud bang ringing out behind them as they broke through the twigs and crunched over the dirt of the forest. All three paused in horror when they arrived at the scene.