1
Ma Jessopâs Woods
No one goes into the woods. No one talks about why. Itâs just a matter of fact. Keep out of Ma Jessopâs woods.
Of course, that isnât the proper name of the woods. The proper name has faded over the years.
From the time of the first disappearance.
I have tried to make Josh understand that the woods are off limits. But he just doesnât seem to get it.
âOoh, trees are real scary,â he mocks.
I know what heâs doing. Trying to wind me up so I tell him the whole story.
Well, Iâm not going to fall for his trick. I look at my watch. âTeen Edge youth club opens in ten minutes,â I tell him. âDo you want to hang out there for a while?â
We head along the streets to the youth club.
I push open the faded red door and Josh scoots over to the pool table.
Carrie and Helena ask me to join them.
âWhoâs the newbie?â Helena demands.
âJosh? He moved in next door on Tuesday.â
âCute,â Carrie whistles.
Josh picks up a pool cue. He is playing against Karl, whoâs in my year in school.
âNice,â Karl admires as Josh pots the black.
Josh flashes Karl a grin. âCheers mate.â He gives him a high five.
âSo,â asks Josh, staring at me, âdo you guys want to meet up tomorrow?â
âSure.â Carrie sounds keen. She
so
has a crush on Josh. âWhere should we meet?â
âThe woods,â Josh says.
Karl scowls at me. âElla should have told you. The woods are off limits.â
âWhat are you afraid of? Killer rabbits?â Josh raises his eyebrows.
Helena steps in. âI donât mind going. Itâs not like anything is going to go wrong if weâre all together.â
I wait for the others to disagree but it doesnât happen. Carrie canât see beyond her crush on Josh and Karl doesnât want to look a coward.
âWeâll be okay as long as we donât go too far in,â says Helena. âMy brother sometimes hangs out there with his mates.â
âHe does?â Iâm surprised. Itâs the first Iâve heard of it.
âTheyâve made a den on the edge of the woods,â she tells me.
As they make plans to meet up in the morning Josh gives me a smug look.
I shake my head.
I have such a bad feeling about this.
2
A Warning
I decide to walk home alone.
I donât even reach the end of the street when I hear the sound of footsteps running along the pavement.
âWhy didnât you wait for me?â asks Josh.
I shrug. Iâm still mad at him. We walk along in silence.
âOkay, I get it. Youâre not talking to me,â Josh grumbles as we turn into our street. âYou havenât said a word in the last hour.â
âYou want a word? How about
loser
?â I say.
Joshâs eyebrows shoot up and disappear behind his messy copper fringe.
âThatâs a bit harsh,â he mutters.
âOkay, you want to know why we never go into the woods?â
As much as I donât like him right now he deserves to be warned.
Joshâs eyes light up.
âI want to know why
you
never go,â he corrects me. âHelena said her brother and his mates hang out there
all the time
.â
Honestly! He is so annoying.
I canât be bothered to point out that Helenaâs brother stays on the edge of the woods. Instead I take a deep breath.
âA couple of hundred years ago an old woman was thrown out of her village because people thought she was a witch. In the middle of the woods is an old quarry. The woman moved into the caves and tunnels of the quarry. She slept through the day and roamed the woods at night. People said she cursed anyone who came near the quarry.â
Illustration 1: An haggard, witch-like old woman, peering out of a dark cave/quarry in a densely wooded area. Clothes should be very old-fashioned and tatty (circa 1800).
I stop, unable to say the next