The Letter

Editor's note: this story contains scenes of incest or incest content.

*

October was always so stark and bleak in the area where Chase lived. The small lake in Wyoming drew people from all around, but he had to laugh at their misery. The lake was in a high wind area. It blew every day. On a good day the water was only choppy enough to make water skiing a challenge. On the bad days semi trucks had their loads in their trailers lost as they were blown over.

Chase always had to laugh at the white man. He had no choice but to live here. The white man wiped the dirt from his teeth and took pictures near the water, showing them back home and claiming he had a good time. Chase made a living showing the fools where wildlife might be on the local trails. His sister rented out her boat and drove it for the water skiers. What she really was renting was her ass. Always in cutoffs, she drew away from the other boat drivers with ease. They were used to it and they got along well.

They were all from the nearby reservation. There they could escape the wind and the white man. There they could dance to the old magic. There they could give tribute to the Iroquois heritage they shared. They were not native to the area. The Cheyenne and Arapahoe had been herded into this hellish area. Chase's ancestors had come from far to the east. They infiltrated the local tribes and set up a secret cult within. No one paid them any mind. They were welcome so long as they brought in the white man's coin.

An annoying child was tugging at his arm. "Chase, why are you called Chase?" The girl had curly hair and spoke with a Russian accent. He ignored her.

She persisted. He had walked this trail so many times, he could do it in his sleep. Why was this creature waking him up? He had warned them to stay quiet, or they might arouse the interest of bears. Was this Kake et Yakokwe not going to be silenced?

The bear made her scream. The bear screamed back. The girl's mother grabbed her and screamed. His entire group froze. They didn't run in all directions. They had listened. He had a chance.

"No one move!" he commanded. He stood between the group and the bear. It postured. Good, it wasn't hungry. He stared it down. The beast was smaller. A young adult. It was simply curious.

A loud pop filled the air. Some fool had brought a gun! The bullet hit the bear in the gut with a thud.

Now his group ran in all directions, screaming. The bear chased after the gunman, who kept firing. One, two, three shots more. The bear was upon him. Chase was frozen in awe. There was nothing he could do to save the man. The bear ripped into him with his claws and nearly pulled the arm that had been firing the gun from his body. It hung by a few stringy bits of flesh.

The bear bit deep into the man's neck and ended his screams. Ripping with his teeth, it bit clean through. The man's head and body were limp on the ground. The bear stomped on the body, barking and yowling. Then the bear urinated on it.

Chase could only admire how easily the beast had destroyed the human. He noticed from the corner of his eye that the little girl was doing the same. She stood slightly hidden behind a tree. She wasn't frozen in fear, but in awe.

The bear paid her no mind and approached Chase. He stood his ground. They reached an understanding as they stared at each other. "Run," he told the bear, "They will hunt you and destroy you for this." The bear left.

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The little girl's name was Bridgitte. She was in shock. She had seen a bear maul her father to death. Her mother, Sienna, had seen it as well. There was nothing they could do, but they didn't scream and run. Their Slavic background and being in a foreign country made them probably a bit more stoic than most. More so than the rest of the crowd, who had survived with a few scrapes and bruises.

That didn't stop the crowd from demanding Chase be fired, arrested, even burned at the stake for taking them on a trail "infested" with bears. That part didn't bother him. What concerned him more was what would happen when dozens of park rangers started hunting the bear. It wouldn't be hard to find. The land had a sparse forest and the bear was bleeding. Why had the father shot him? Did they not have bears where he was from? Did he not know it would just anger it?

His sister arrived. Kelly looked concerned. He knew why. Surprisingly, the little girl looked up at her and said, "I'm sorry, your brother told us to be quiet." Her mother still stared straight ahead.

Kelly kneeled down. "I'm sorry about what happened to your father. How did you know Chase is my brother?"

"You look like him."

Chase looked away from Kelly. If he saw her face, he would laugh. She was perhaps a bit vain. To suggest she looked like her scraggly brother had to be an insult. She was beautiful.

Kelly motioned him away. He went with her around the corner. The police station was starting to thin out. Once it was obvious the Native American guide wasn't going to be punished for their own ignorance, they lost interest in sticking around.

"I'm concerned about the mother," stated Kelly. "You know it will land on her."

"Too bad it couldn't have been the father. What kind of fool starts shooting at a bear with a pistol?" He looked at the girl, and noticed her mother was missing.

"The kind of fool who is concerned about his wife and daughter." She was behind them. Soft feet, thought Chase.

"I'm sorry," he said. " I didn't realize you were there."

"You had that bear in some sort of trance. Were you saving us? Willing it away? If so, my husband was a fool," she said. "Answer me honestly. What did you mean by 'it will fall on me'?"

Kelly gave him an unnecessary look. He noticed the girl had approached. He knelt down. "I'm sorry about your father too," he said. "It is not your fault, your father's, or the bears. All three of you did what is in your nature."

He stood up and turned to the mother. "What happens with her is what falls on you. You are all she has left."

"That isn't true. He was her stepfather. Her real father still lives. She also has two older siblings."

Chase tried to remember her name, and where she said she was from. He thought she had looked older. Her daughter was maybe ten at the most, and was safe. Her siblings may not be. Certainly her real father wasn't.

Kelly beat him to the punch. "That is good to hear, Ms..?"

"Smith."

"My name is Kelly. Your daughter is correct. I am Chase's sister. Are her siblings going to be OK?"

"They will laugh. They couldn't stand the man. Please forgive me. If you will not answer my question honestly, then we must go. Come, Bridgitte." She took the girl by the hand and headed over to the police desk.

Chase turned and headed out of the station. Kelly followed. They knew better to say anything to each other until they were in the confines of their own home.

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"They will hunt down the bear to make an example of it."

"Yes. I am sorry, Elder, I had no idea the white man would be so foolish."

"You did the right thing, boy. You may go."

"But-"

"You may go."

Chase left the town hall. He was only 18. He was not old enough to participate yet. Kelly had just turned 25. This was her first ritual.

He returned home. The sky was gloomy tonight. He knew it meant the rangers had found the bear. It wouldn't suffer.

The mother would. He knew her name wasn't "Mrs. Smith". The Russians all said that. It had to do with their mistrust of Americans. He was the same way towards the white man. Chase was not his real name. Nor was Kelly his sister's.

His family was all at the ritual. He decided to wait on the porch. The wind was too strong. He knew it would get stronger.

From his bedroom window he could see the sky change. At first it started to brighten, as if the sun was about to rise. Then it blackened and purple gusts tore through the air. Lightning crashed and crackled.

He saw it. Or was it a trick of the eye? It always came and went that fast. He had seen it many times before, however. It was massive, standing well above the treetops. Most of his people were terrified of it. Legends still brought chills to their spine.

That was why the ritual was developed. The Wendigo had to be appeased.

He was not sure why he wasn't as frightened. As long as he could remember he had been fascinated by it. He opened the top drawer of his desk and pulled out his drawings. Nothing he saw tonight would add to them, so he didn't start a new one. He pulled out his favorite.

The Wendigo was a giant skeletal demon. Some thought it was a tree. Some thought it a beast. It was neither. It was vengeance. Until humans had arrived on this earth, nature was in balance. His people learned to fear the Wendigo, and respect nature.

The white man had lost so many to the Wendigo's vengeance they didn't even know what was causing it. They didn't see themselves as part of nature. They saw nature as something to be controlled.

"Nothing new to add?"

He turned with a start. Kelly was good. Soft feet as well. "Nothing," he said.

"It is the mother," she said.

"That isn't surprising."

"Don't you care?"

He looked at her. "Why would I? Her husband began the whole thing."

"Her daughter actually did. Now she will be alone with an abusive father."

"That is what the Wendigo does, isn't it?"

She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. "All of 18 and just as cold as the other men, huh? Don't try to tell me you didn't wonder how her mother knew you were talking to the bear. She couldn't take her eyes off of you. She has nice breasts, you know."

"Ewww, she is old! She says she has three children."

"She lied. There is more to her than meets the eye. This isn't just simple distrust of Americans."

"She is still old."

"Well, I see you have gotten choosy. I guess I don't have to worry about you staring at this anymore!" She wiggled her ass as she headed out of the room.

"I didn't mean you! She just, I don't know, has to be at least 40."

Kelly peeked her head around the doorway. "Try 28. I guess that means I'm too old for you as well. Too bad. I'll miss listening to you masturbate while you peek in on me in the bath."

"I never!" He tried not to yell too loud. His parents had to be asleep. He was also lying. He had the hottest sister on the reservation. It was tough to resist.

She came in the doorway, giggling. "Prove it," she said. "Come scrub my back. Don't get excited. I am your sister, after all."

"Oh come on, you know you won't let me in."

"We used to take baths together all the time. Even when they started coming in." She stuck out her tits. "But no, you had to scream the first time I bled a little."

"So did you!"

"Come on," she said seriously. "I want to talk. I'm exhausted and a bath will feel good."

"If Mom and Dad catch us together in there, we are dead."

"They won't." She looked concerned. "They were chosen to deliver the letter."

He looked at her. They both were concerned now.

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The letter had to be accepted willingly. It couldn't be reverse pickpocketed or simply mailed. It could be partially concealed, but not completely. A bookmark in a book was a common disguise.

The Iroquois only risked the Wendigo if they couldn't pass the letter. The white man was too trusting. Just say the envelope had money in it, and they took it greedily. Chase and Kelly weren't so sure about the Russian Lady, however.

Whoever had possession of the letter in three nights at midnight would be destroyed by the Wendigo. Eaten, literally. To be eaten by a bear would be a blessing in comparison.

"We have to make sure she accepts it," said Chase.

"Then she passes it on," replied Kelly.

"Who cares after they get rid of it?"

"You do," she turned and looked at him, covering her breasts. He had seen her back, and her ass briefly as she climbed in. That was enough to get him aroused. She wasn't doing a very good job of covering her breasts. He became hard.

"Oh stop," he said. "We discussed this. I admitted she wasn't that bad looking. I don't care about a person's well being based on their looks, however."

"I would hug you, but you already have a boner." She snickered. "It's getting late. We better get out of here. If they deliver the letter, they will be home soon."

He opened his mouth to protest, but they heard their parents pull up in the drive. "Oh shit!" She shrieked and hopped out, gathering her clothes quickly. He was treated to great views of her body, especially her tits bouncing everywhere. She just got to her room before they opened the door. He lay back and admired his erection, now fully hard.

"Chase? Kelly? Can you come down here? We need to talk to you."

They were in big trouble. There was no way his parents wouldn't notice they both smelled like her silly lavender soap. They knew someone was in the bathroom. The light could be seen from the drive. He had to get to something smelly in his room and hope they didn't notice. He also covered the tub in bleach after draining it. His Mom would say something about him actually cleaning, but better than explaining taking a bath in his sister's bath soap. He found fish oil, and overdid it. Everyone pinched their nose when he came downstairs.

The girl and her mother were there. "You smell," said the troublesome little brat.

"Chase, what have you gotten into?" asked his mother. Kelly was burying her smile in her hands. "Sorry, I spilled a bottle. I had just taken a bath, too."

"And you will take another," she said. "Sit over there. Our guests don't need to smell you."

"Ms. Fitzpatrick didn't accept anything from us. Apparently, they have similar rituals in Latvia, and many other countries. She also could understand what you said to the bear." His Dad looked at him. A knowing look.

"Fitzpatrick?" They may never know this woman's real name.

She smiled at him. That changed everything. She was very pretty when she smiled. "I really am Irish," she said. "Your father was just as evasive as you were, but I was honest with him once he fessed up. My name is Sienna. This is Bridgitte."

"How do you know what I said to the bear?" He tried not to sound threatening, but failed.

"My English is pretty good, even with your accent," she said. "Oh wait, was that Iroquois? I guess it sounded all the same to the bear."

He had offended her. "My apologies. I didn't mean to be rude. Not many understand my abilities. Not even I. They just happen."

"Then you should learn more about them. I may even be able to help you." She smiled again. "I've been a speaker for some time. There are many of us throughout the world. It was through us that the monster knew of injustice."

"Monster?"

"We do not call it a Wendigo. They have many names throughout the world, but they are demons. Do not think of them as some spiritual warriors of justice. They are evil. To be marked by one is to suffer a terrible fate."

"A well deserved one," he snapped.

She looked affronted again. She looked out the window at his truck. "Do you drive that?" she asked.

He knew where this was going. "Yes."

She got up and sat next to him. "Chase," she said, then gagged. "My God, I'm sorry. You really do smell bad."

He thought she would get up and move back to the other side of the room. She just put her hand on his arm. He thought he would recoil, but she had a surprising feel to her. A pleasantness that came from deep within. "You have so much passion, but you are not the Monster. Let it do its job. Then let it go."

"If I do that, my parents are dead."

His Mom laughed. "No, Chase. We will be fine. We found the loudest of your critics and passed the letter to him."

"The fat one who smoked the smelly cigars?" They laughed. Sienna did not. She got up and returned to her previous seat.

"I have seen the Monster now. When I first moved to Latvia after getting married, I heard of it. My first husband didn't understand. He thought the stories were only legends. My second husband had never heard of them. Don't smirk, his death was only yesterday. If you are smirking because I am only 28 and looking for my third husband, you should know I find your fish oil cologne quite appealing."

Kelly roared, laughing. No one else did. She quieted quickly.

Sienna continued. "I believe I've ended up here for a reason. There are no places I know of that practice the ritual anymore. Except here. None of the Iroquois back East even practice it. Why here?"

No one said anything. She looked at each of them individually. The last one she looked at was his father.

"Then I must warn you. You will be exposed."

"Do not threaten me, woman!" His father rose.

Chase rose as well. Oddly, he faced his father.

Sienna raised her hands as in surrender, "Please, you misunderstand me. It is not from me that this threat comes. It comes from within. It is the very nature of the magic itself. It is ancient, and evil. More importantly, it has failed. The very nature from whence it comes is being destroyed." She reached up a hand to silence Chase. "It is being destroyed at a rate that can no longer be stopped. An alternative must be found. The Wendigo, the Monster, was never a successful deterrent. You don't terrify people into good behavior, you cultivate it."

She looked around. She had convinced no one.

"Then I better take my leave." She got up. His mother held out her purse and coat.

"Nice try."

The letter was sticking out slightly from one of the coat pockets. Sienna let everything fall to the floor, grabbed Bridgitte, and left.

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"You said you gave it to the fat man!" He was pulling his hair. Kelly was doing the same.

"She didn't know we hadn't. How did she know?" His Mom was pulling her hair.

"Didn't she follow you home?"

"No. She wasn't at the hotel. She left us this note explaining who she was and why she couldn't accept the letter." His Dad wasn't pulling his hair. He should have been.

Chase noticed the strange markings on the back of the note. He started trembling. "Dad?"

His Dad was now trembling too. He looked at the markings and turned ghostly white. "She has cursed us all." He pulled out his golden flip lighter and tried to burn the letter as a demonstration. It wouldn't burn.

"What is going on?" asked Kelly.

"You've been given a choice," came the voice of the young girl, Bridgitte. They hadn't left. "Your cult will stop, or it will be destroyed by the ancient evil it continues to summon."

"Begone witch!" his Father threatened. He advanced towards her. Chase intervened and stepped between them. He didn't know it at the time, but it was the most important step in his life, and the most frightening.

His father was a cold man. He never showed emotion. It was how the men from his tribe all acted. Chase was learning to do the same. It was difficult. "I'm sorry father. I can't let you hurt her."

His father did not speak, but his eyes were cold as the night. Chase knew he had hurt him. He was now a failure as a son. His father turned and walked away, refusing to even look at him.

Sienna touched his arm. "You are brave," she said. "Please be calm. We must speak."

His father and mother got up and left. Just like that. No one said a thing. He heard their car drive away. "How did you get here?" he asked Sienna. When he turned to look at her, he was captured by her eyes. They were silver. Not the greyish blue some women have, and not some shiny chrome like a synthetic in a video game, but silver. To look in her eyes was like looking at something pure, something free of the earth's taint.

"Our car is outside. Please everyone, sit, we don't have much time."

Kelly was thinking. She looked at each of them, then turned and headed up the stairs to her room. As she did, she muttered, "Kanontsistóntie's."