Sun Kissed Innsmouth
Part Seventy Three
The old woman squinted and looked down at the lantern next to her, “That sounds like my sister alright. Shelly, I remember her name was Shelly. Nelly and Sam had Abraham and Shelly and then they had…”
Felecia spoke over the old woman as she pondered the temporarily imponderable. “Our family study was always my father’s territory. I never had the time I wanted to spend in there. I asked after our family bible to see our history but Nana waved away at me until I dismissed the interest. I never got to know who anyone in the family was besides them and my brothers. My father and brothers are gone. Maybe you’re right in your judgement of me. I was the only offspring that survived, the only get of the only gotten, so to speak.”
“…Shelly and Jackie.”
Felecia froze then, the sudden surety of the old woman’s voice locked her in place while the old woman tried the name on for size and tinkered with it. “I was Jacqueline, I liked that name, but they all pulled at it, torn it up, shrunk it down to fit and make fun of. I became Jackie because Shelly hated how my name was longer than hers. Really though, my name was prettier.”
After an uncomfortable length of silence with only the bugs of the swamp making their hideous music, Felecia spoke up, “Well, hello Jacqueline, it’s nice to meet you.”
Jacqueline shrugged but was quick to follow that with an acknowledging smile. “My mum was always about the niceties, looks like somethings in Rotary house never did change.”
“No, manners were often the only weapon I had there.”
Jacqueline nodded and pointed one gnarled finger out at the swamp still lit by the lantern. “Manners won’t do out here, not one bit.”
Felecia patted the bow slung over her shoulder. “As I’ve mentioned, I already learned that lesson.”
Jacqueline grinned, creating a hideous visage of broken and jagged teeth surrounded by wispy pale lips. “You had a run in with the locals and they are a nasty bunch, I don’t envy that fight, but you haven’t seen what I have out here.”
Felecia didn’t need to linger long on a reply, “I’m not sure I ever want to, but I don’t feel as though I have a choice anymore.”
Something out in the woods squealed then and Felecia shied away from the sound. The lantern light shifted and Felecia turned to find Jacqueline walking over to the old armoire doors. “We all have choices. There is nothing pulling the strings after all, that’s the hideous bit. You go back to the meadow if you want, back to the ghosts and the high and dry. Otherwise, you come with me, but don’t you dare judge what you don’t know.”
Felecia looked up at the thankfully still shrouded carvings above the cave and gave what she thought at the time was heavy consideration to what Jacqueline had to say before she followed through the old wooden doors and down the gentle slope into the mouth of madness.