― Fritz Leiber
We were out at Abe’s farm investigating the sighting of a mysterious woman that Abe’s wife, Mitzy, was convinced was a ghost.
We thoroughly checked the house and ruled out anything untoward, but I was aching to see what had turned up in the woods behind the house.
Poppy and Greg wanted to show us something they found but needed to come inside first and warm up.
So we all sat down by the fire to wait while Abe provided them coffee and warm croissants. I had to stifle my curiosity while they recouped from the cold.
Mitzi looked anxious and I didn't blame her. She had young children and when Abe was at work, she was alone, with the nearest neighbour a mile up the road. That had to be concerning.
After about twenty minutes, Greg and Poppy were finally warmed up, refreshed and ready to go back out, so we gathered up the kids and all trouped out to the woods behind the house.
"We didn't notice this at first," Greg said, pulling back a Maple branch to expose what appeared to be a talisman hanging from the tree.
"Oh my God!" Mitzi gasped, "what's that? It looks spooky."
Nat tried to calm her fears. "It's a native Indian talisman called a dreamcatcher―I know them from my research into local history. They're protective charms. There must be a reservation nearby."
"There's a Six Nations Reserve nearby on the banks of the Brant River," Abe replied, "it's made up of six different Iriquois tribes."
The mention of native lands suddenly gave me a bad feeling. "This land that we're on wasn't part of any treaty territory, was it Abe?"
He shook his head. "No way I'd buy a property on Indigenous lands. I have no idea what that talisman is doing there."
Greg was studying the artifact closely. "The interesting thing about this object is the fact it isn't very old―it's hardly weathered, so I'd guess it was hung here just before you moved in or just shortly after."
"Has any neighbour disputed your claim to the land?" I asked Abe again.
"No, nothing like that. We had the title searched and this farm has been in the previous owner's family going back to when it was built in the 1800's."
"That's good to know," I replied, relieved it wasn't a case of someone harbouring a grudge.
Gail spotted something glinting in the grass and crouched down to retrieve it. She held up a brown beer bottle and and handed it to Abe. "I take it this isn't yours?"
"Naw, I never drink that brand and never drink outside on the property."
"Well, maybe some local teenagers hang out here and drink," she suggested. "Who knows―maybe they hung up that talisman as a joke."
Abe shrugged. "It's possible, but I've never heard noise of any beer party and we're off the beaten path. I doubt they'd walk out here, and for sure, I'd notice headlights because not many cars come down this road."
We all stood in silence staring at the talisman swaying gently in the breeze, backlit by the setting sun.
"It's a puzzle," Greg sighed. "I wonder what it means."
"I can do some research and maybe shed some light upon it," Nat offered.
"That'd be great, Nat," Abe replied. "Any information would certainly help."
Nat smiled. "I'll also try to find out about the history of the area and some background on the locals."
We stood there in the twilight silence staring at the fetish hanging from the tree.
We were all aware it was approaching the time Mitzi said she often saw the ghostly figure and I noticed the others glancing warily at the woods and fast-running stream.
No dark figure emerged from the undergrowth or the farmland beyond, but I saw Mitzi's anxious face as she scooped up the children in her arms.
Teenage intruders would be a nuisance, but a ghostly woman at twilight? That would be quite another matter.