Chapter 17 - Chapter Seventeen: First Deathly Sighting

Gerald sat at the dining table intending to eat, the maidservant was busy arranging the dishes on the table while the guards stood at the guard door.

Gerald had been eating by himself for a while now as he had always been busy, he had just returned from a journey not quite long and had requested a meal.


Gerald sniffed the air slowly relishing the aroma as the pleasant smell filled the air.


Immediately after the maidservants were done dishing out his food, he pounced on it hungrily like a lion that had just caught his prey after weeks with no food.


He ate on hungrily, ignoring the staring eyes of the maidservants and guards.


It wasn't quite long when an uproar was heard at the other end of the door, the guards who stood at the door held on firmly to the hilt of their sword as the noise became louder.


The door flung open as a young woman in her late twenties rushed in towards where the startled Gerald sat.

The guards at the door had rushed towards her but stopped on seeing Gerald's signal for them to leave her.


' When I had thought I could have a rest of mind ' Gerald thought grumbling inwardly.


" Young Lady, What is the problem? " Gerald asked, wiping his mouth with a napkin as he faced the young woman who just knelt on the floor placing her head on the floor sobbing.


" It's.....it's..."


"...it's...it's...my Son"

" He had left for the market a few days ago and hasn't returned since then" the woman replied, raising her head.


Gerald was filled with sympathy for her as she explained the ordeals to him.

He noticed her eyes were bloody red and swollen due to her crying for a long time, her hair was unkempt and she looked exhausted.



" Some of the neighboring men had helped me to look for him but all in vain "


"I and my son have no one except each other, please....please do something "


" Help me..... "

" Help me.....help me find him" she stuttered.


" We will find him" Gerald tried to reassure us he watched closely.


" I will send my men in search of....." Gerald had stopped midway.


" Guards!! " he called out as the guards came rushing towards him.

The woman had slumped on the floor and had fallen unconscious.


" Take her to the healer, make sure he does everything he can to relieve her," he said as the guards carried the unconscious woman.





A few days later a futile search for the woman's son. A group of young men who had trailed off into the woods following a horrible smell found something shocking to the eye.


There laying on the floor where the remains of the woman's son who was missing.


The discovery was sent to Gerald and he had decided not to tell the woman till she was In good health.


That was the first deathly sighting and afterward, other sightings ensued.


Since then Gerald had done all he can to stop it but nothing could be done as he had no idea what was happening.

That was when he knew he couldn't do all of it alone as this was a bigger problem for him.


*******
Gerald Stood as he watched the servants working tirelessly on the field.

His eyes fixated on the field, as he seemed to be searching for someone. He could see the guards standing put to their post fully aware of the activities around them

' They won't be able to protect these people long enough ' directing his thought to the guards, who stood fully alerted.


After his daughter the last visit, he had barely seen her since he had been busy with the ongoing issue.


He ran his fingers through his black curly hair as his eyes dart about searching for his daughter.

He knew she was okay as he had sent his intel to keep watch on her, but still, he wanted to see her so much.


He missed her so much and longed so much to have a father and daughter chat but the current situation wouldn't allow it.


For a while now there have been reports of deathly sights at the border of tinkerville and each day the number of reports had kept increasing, different rumors have been spreading around the town.

The people of tinkerville had been living in fright with the fear of being killed in their own home.
They go to bed at night with the uncertainty of seeing a new day.


This ongoing situation wouldn't allow him to see his daughter as he had wanted.

Being an important figure in tinkerville, the townspeople all look up to him and so as new cases come up every day, he does nothing but think about what to do.


Another reason why he couldn't have alone time with his daughter is that he wants to keep her safe and evade her from evil.





Gerald moved away from the window after watching everything that had been going on the field for a while.

He walked towards his study table and sat on the chair afront the table, on it were three papers each neatly folded and kept side by side on the table.


' This should work ' he thought as he held one of the papers in his hands.


Gerald had always had the people in his mind and in so doing he had thought hard for a way to stop the strange happenings in the town.


He had thought of an idea although it wasn't enough to stop the happenings in tinkerville. Still, it could suppress it a little.


Gerald sighed.

" Guard " he called out


Immediately the door swung open and a burly man walked in.


" Give these letters to the messenger, he will know what to do from there," he said handing the letters over to the guard.


The guard nodded, collected the letter, and left immediately.

" Now all I have to do is wait"


Gerald was a well-respected man in Tinkerville and he was also a selfless person who thought about other people than himself.






Gerald rubbed his temple gently, immediately the guard had left the room he could feel the burden being lifted off him a bit



As his lips curved and a satisfactory smile appeared on his face.