The Shoemaker’s Daughter

A hundred years ago, there was a shoe maker named Joshua King. He worked hard for his money, and managed to buy a house. It was a cottage in the middle of the forest, but it was home. He lived there with his wife and daughter, his wife named Angela King, and his daughter named Carrie King. He lived in an area that was very prone to thunderstorms, which often violently shook the cottage. One day, during a very bad thunderstorm, the family was forced to evacuate. While they were running, it was very dark and vision was poor due to the storm, so Carrie tripped on a loose floorboard blown by the wind and disappeared in the darkness of the woods, never to be seen again. Legend has it she haunts the well her family used to have picnics at. Her body has never been found…

Chapter 1: Alexander Harrison

One of my favorite feelings is getting home from my lumberjack job and just relaxing. I started reading the newspaper, which is telling me about what’s supposedly a big storm coming to the area where my friend, Joshua, lives. I was thinking about writing him a letter, but he doesn’t have a real address, just a shack in the woods. I decided to come over. I was just packing up, when suddenly there’s a knock on my door. And there he is. Hey, I recognized that ruffly brown hair, the big, hazel eyes, and overalls. Joshua King with his wife, Angela. With just his wife…“Where's your daughter?” I asked, wanting a good answer. “Can I come in?” he said to me. “I have a lot to tell you.” 

Chapter 2: Joshua King

Supposedly there is a storm coming. Again. It happens all the time around these parts of the forest. This one was supposed to be really bad. REALLY. I went over to my wife, Angela, and asked her: “Should we get ready? The storm should be in a couple hours.” She was washing the dishes.  She turned around, hands bubbly. I could tell she wanted to bite her nails, which is a thing she does when she’s nervous. “I’m not sure. Maybe we should pack our stuff, just in case.” Ugh, this happens all the time. I couldn’t buy a house where it was nice? What is the point of a house if you're just going to keep evacuating it? I went to my daughter, Carrie, who was in her room playing with her dolls. “Pack up your stuff, we’re going to Alex’s.” “Again?” I knew she felt the same way as me. Only 7 years old and she already practiced moving out.

I knew when the storm rolled around. Just as I made myself a nice cup of coffee, a part of the wall came off. I quickly drank my coffee, grabbed my suitcase, and went to go get Angela and Carrie. That hole in the wall was going to have to wait. Because of the wind, all the lanterns and candles blew out, and pretty soon it was pitch dark in the house. I used the walls to find myself around the cottage, making sure that I moved as quickly as possible. I soon found a door frame, and went inside. As soon as I finished telling them what we needed to do, lightning struck the house and the whole back wall came crumbling down. “We need to move!” I hollered over the collapsing wall. The light from the fire that was made from the lightning was our only way we could see the exit. Me and my wife sprinted out the door, but Carrie and her little legs were too slow, so she got caught in a loose floorboard. “Carrie?” I yelled into the shuddering house. “Dad?” I heard her say. I rounded a corner and saw her. “Hang in there!” It was too late. Outside of our destroyed house, we searched and searched for Carrie. I decided to hold a search party, so I went to my friend Alexander’s house. I knocked on the door, my fist covered in ashes and dust, when he opened the door. “Can I come in?” 

Chapter 3: Angela King

The next day, me, Joshua, and Alexander head towards the forest where we last saw Carrie. I’m worried sick, so I try to tell myself it will be ok. We arrive at the forest and go to the exact spot where she tripped on that loose floorboard. That horrible loose floorboard. Our house is still here, though it’s mostly scrap now. I look at the remains of the house when suddenly I hear a crash. We went over to the area where it came from and found something weird; there’s a tree lying on the ground. The storm ended two days ago, why would it just be falling now? I climb over the fallen tree to inspect the other side of it before returning to Joshua and Alex. “Nothing besides the fallen tree seems weird, I don’t know what could have caused it.” I say to them. However, there was one thing on the other side I didn’t want to tell them. There were some concerningly big scratch marks on the other side of the tree, which I covered with mud. The thing is, Joshua and I know the forest like the back of our hand. We know there are definitely no creatures big enough to make claw marks like that…

Chapter 4: Robert Washington

I’ve seen some strange stuff as a policeman, but this definitely ranks high up. Honestly, I get a lot of missing person cases, but this is different. The story I get when this man walks into the police station is crazy. “There was a big storm and my daughter is missing and I couldn’t find her body and there was this tree and-” He rants. “Whoa whoa whoa, calm down.” I tell him. “Start from the beginning.” He tells me the whole thing, and by the end, I’m just confused. I admit it, I don’t believe the part about the fallen tree. I don’t see how something like that is possible. Often, an extreme event like this makes people go a bit crazy. I went with him and two other people to the forest where he said it happened. I notice some footprints in the mud near the shack leading deeper into the forest, but it suddenly ends. They must’ve been recent, as any footprints made on the night of the storm would’ve been washed away. Why did they stop?

After that, they led me to the fallen tree. I inspect all around it, picking up pieces of wood and using my magnifying glass to look for fingerprints, but I find nothing. The only thing suspicious at all is a patch of mud on the other side of it, almost as if it’s covering up something not meant to be seen. I try to wipe it off, but it’s hardened to the point where it’s basically concrete. I have to admit, the tree does seem a bit odd, but it might have been close to falling during the storm, and then something small caused it to finally fall while they were investigating. I tell them my theory, and they seem to think it’s reasonable. The man’s wife, Angela, is very quick to agree with it, which seems a bit suspicious. When I saw that patch of mud on the tree, her face looked nervous, but in a way that suggested she was hiding something. Unfortunately, now isn’t the best time to confront her, with everyone here. I make a mental note to find the time to question her. It seems like she could be a big part of solving this case.

Chapter 5: Joshua King

Honestly, I do think Carrie is alive. She was very resourceful and smart, and I think she would have what it takes to survive. My biggest concern is honestly her mental health. Surviving alone in a forest can’t be good for one’s brain. I mean, this is probably taking a toll on my mental health too. I’m always stressed, and I don’t remember the last time I slept more than 15 minutes without having terrible nightmares. I still feel like this is my fault. Not only did I buy a run down cottage in the woods, I had to do it in a place with lots of storms. On the bright side, officer Robert Washington found a wooden dagger in the woods. He brought it to some scientists to analyze, and they found it was used, not long after the night of the storm. I can only imagine Carrie made it, which means she is trying to survive out there. Luckily, there actually aren’t any super dangerous animals in that forest, no bears or anything. (That I know of anyway.) The biggest animal out there is a deer. So if she’s wandering around, the animals are probably the least of her worries.

Chapter 6: Alexander Harrison

I wonder just how big that storm was. I wasn’t there, and while I was told a lot about it, I do wonder what it was like to actually experience it. Joshua has been staying at my place for a few days now, and I’m getting really worried about him. I see him every night staring out the front porch window, muttering to himself: It’s ok. It’s all ok. Get a hold of yourself. Carrie is out there somewhere. Every night during dinner, I see Angela pacing back and forth in the kitchen, like she is thinking about something else. Something besides Carrie. Was she hiding something? “Soup’s on!” I yell to Joshua. He snaps out of his little fantasy and walks over to the table.

He drums his fingers on the table and quietly eats his soup. Angela lifted her hands to her mouth to, I would expect, bite her nails. Luckily Joshua grabbed hold of them first. “You need to stop that habit.” He said firmly, finally speaking. I know the King’s have been devastated over Carrie, but I felt there was something besides that. Something… dreadful.

               

Chapter 7: Joshua King

Every night I find myself staring out the porch window, waiting for Carrie to walk down the sidewalk and skip into the house. “So you're not missing!” I would say to her. “I never was!” She would say back, beaming. Every. Single. Night. It seems I’m going crazy, just waiting for her to come home. Alex tries his best to comfort me, but it seems like it doesn’t work. Angela has been acting strange lately. Today I asked her why. This is how the conversation basically went:

Me: You’ve been acting odd.

Her: You think?

Me: Yes. Are you alright?

Her: Yeah, I’m fine.

Me: I’m just asking because-

Her: I said I’m fine! There is no reason to question me anymore about it.

Then she got up and walked away. I looked down at her hand and noticed she’d been biting her nails. Ugh. She needs to stop that habit. Is there something she isn’t telling me?

Chapter 8: Robert Washington

I go to Alexander’s house every day, checking if they have any new information. I still try to find the time to ask Angela some questions, but Joshua is always hovering over her. It is normal for people to always be together after an event like this, but this seems different. It kind of seems like he’s also suspicious of her. Then, one day, I finally got the chance. Joshua was asking Angela a lot of questions, and she was getting annoyed with him. She then yells, “I’m going on a walk!” As she leaves, I go up to her. Another weird thing happens; she seems to get a bit nervous as I approach. “I wanted to ask you a few-” I start to say, but she quickly interrupts me, blurting “I- I don’t have any… uh, any new information.” She always seems to stammer when I talk to her, and once again, she’s biting her nails. “Actually,” I say, “I wanted to ask you some questions a bit different from the normal ones.” At this point, she’s sweating, I wasn’t completely sure before, now I definitely know she has to be hiding something. “What are you hiding?” I ask. “Well, um-” she stammers, then stops talking. And starts running.

Chapter 9: Angela King

I run as fast as humanly possible out the door. I look back at Alex’s house, noticing nobody is chasing me. What did they want to know? I run into the forest and stop by the well me, Carrie, and Joshua used to go to for picnics. I trip and fall on a rock, which goes right through my dress, and blood comes pouring out of my knee. Braving the pain, I hobble to the side of the well and sit down. “Ow…” I mutter. Should I tell them about the claw marks? No. Last thing I need is another mystery. I need to focus on finding my daughter and solving this problem. I take deep breaths trying to calm my heart down. It is actually oddly peaceful now.Birds chirp through even the dark forest, I hear deer scamper through the clover. I was put at ease. Until I hear what sounds like a crash, coming from inside the well. I look inside, but there’s nothing there. “Am I going crazy?” I think to myself. I honestly think that’s a possibility, as I just sprinted out a door into the woods, when people were asking me questions about an obviously suspicious thing.

“Mother?” I hear from behind me. I whip around and my eyes bulge                      out of their sockets. I see a little girl, pale and skinny, in fact so skinny I could see her cheekbones. She looks burned and scratched up. I back away slowly, slowly. Why did she call me mom? I try to get up, but pain shoots through my knee like a sharp dagger, but in this case it was a sharp rock. I turn back to face the girl, but she seemed to disappear. “What the?!” I exclaim. Ok, I’m definitely going crazy.

Chapter 10: Alexander Harrison

I hear Angela scream: “I’m going on a walk!” And a second later, the door slams shut. I walk over to Joshua. “What happened?” I ask. “She is…” He trails off. “I don’t know.  She’s been acting very weird recently.” I think about that for a minute before responding. “Do you think she is hiding something?” “Well, OF COURSE!” Useless questions are my thing. I shrug it off and walk outside. Maybe I could find Angela. I turn the corner just in time to see Angela slip into the forest. What was she doing?

I turn and see Officer Washington standing on the corner, looking in the same direction. “What happened?” I asked as I walked over. “I started questioning her, and she just ran away.” He replies, shrugging his shoulders. “I still don’t know what she’s hiding, but it’s not like she’s going to start living in the forest.” He pauses. “I’ll catch up to her eventually.” 

End of Book 1

The Shoemaker’s Daughter: Pt.2: The Claw  

Chapter 1: Joshua King

I come outside to find Alex and Officer Washington looking around the corner, staring into the forest. “What happened?” I ask. “Angela ran into the forest when I started questioning her.” Answered Officer Washington. “She’s 100% hiding something.”  I reply, “She’s just being stubborn. And of course she’s hiding something! But how do we get it out of her?” “I don’t know.” Officer Washington said. “Though most of the time, just some pressure is what people need to make them crack. I mean, all I did was ask what she was hiding and she ran off into the woods.” He looked down at his shoes. “That’s it!” Alex flashed a smile. “We just need to go to your house! Or, what’s left of it anyway.” I frowned at him. “Why?” “Well, I remember when we were looking for Carrie that night, Angela checked the fallen tree. She looked around, then applied mud on the other side of it. I wasn’t suspicious before, but if that is what she’s hiding, we can find it!” Alex concluded. Wow. He was smart. (For once.)

Chapter 2: Angela King

I was hiding near the fallen tree after running away from the well. Suddenly, I hear footsteps. It's Joshua, Alex, and Officer Washington! I quickly duck behind a non-fallen tree and watch them. They go over to the fallen tree and try to wipe off the mud I used to cover the scratch marks. “We can’t wipe it off.” Alex says. “It’s hardened.” “Darn.” I hear Joshua say. I slump against the tree I was hiding against. “What has gotten into me?” I say so quietly that not even a mouse could hear me. “We need to wet the mud to get it off.” Officer Washington says. “Does anyone have water?” I peek out from the tree trunk to see Alex splashing some of his water on the mud. For several minutes, they tear the mud off, carefully so that whatever was under it wouldn’t come off. I prayed that they would forgive me for not telling them sooner. I hear them gasp.

Chapter 3: Robert Washington

I have never seen anything like this before! Claw marks, bigger than any creature I've seen before. It’s like it was made by a tyrannosaurus rex. What is that? And why would Angela keep it a secret? This is obviously a key part in solving this mystery, because I remember hearing Angela went around the tree and must have seen it. “That’s it. Let’s do a search party through the woods. That is the only way to find this creature.” Alex and Joshua look terrified. “It has to be done.” I said with a shrug. “I’ll also work with the local scientists to find out all the creatures we know that live in the woods.” There was no turning back now. “Let’s go.”

Chapter 4: Dasquarius Green Jr.

I watched as the chemicals fizzed, bubbled, and popped. I’m a biologist, though I would love to work in chemistry with those chemicals… oh, the fun I would have… hahaha- “Excuse Me.” I jumped. “Oh… Officer Robert Washington.” I slowly made my way over, fixing my rubber gloves. Snap. “How can I assist you?” “I made a discovery.” He clears his throat to make a point on how serious this is.  “There are some huge claw marks on a tree in the woods. They’re larger than any creature I’ve known to live in the woods, and I’ve lived here for 25 years.” This really was serious. “What do you mean?” “Come with me.”

We arrived at a wreck site a few minutes later. It really is a dump! “What happened here?” I stepped over what looks like a kitchen washcloth.

“Storm. Remember that really bad one two months ago? Well, Joshua King’s house was struck by lightning. His daughter went missing, and we suspect that whatever this is...” he put his hands on his hips. “Took her.” I gulped. This could be in our woods? I put some goo coming out of the scratches in a bottle, saving it for further research later. Suddenly, there was a big crash.

Chapter 5: Alexander Harrison 

“Ow…” I tripped over a teapot. Or what used to be a teapot, anyway. “When do you think you're going to get a new house?” I shook off whatever was on my foot. Ew. “It's been months.” I widened my arms to demonstrate just how long it’s been. “Most of this stuff is already disintegrated, not to mention the fact that the months that it has been, you guys were living at my house!” Joshua looked like he was about to argue, but then he paused. “You’re right, Alex,” he said. “I have been searching, but I need to find Carrie, not to mention my psychopath wife.” He rolled his eyes, and I swore that I saw a bush rustle. “Did you see that?” I asked. “See what?” He responded. “Never mind.” I waved him off. “Uh, no. Last thing we need is more secrets. Tell me.” I walk over to the bush, and something moves. I shudder, but I keep walking. I see an angry chipmunk looking back at me. Kinda cute. But wait a minute- there’s a leather shoe in the bush. Chipmunks don’t wear shoes! It’s really beat up and has no branding, (the shoe, not the chipmunk) as if it was made by someone living in the woods…

Chapter 6: Joshua King

One of my biggest accomplishments is teaching Carrie how to make shoes. So when Alex showed me the shoe, I got really happy. Carrie could still be alive! “This is great! Let’s give this to Officer Washinton. He can scan for fingerprints!” I give it to Officer Washington, who looks confused. “Look what the smart side of Alex found!” “Hey!” He examines the shoe, holding it by the back of the ankle. “And what exactly am I supposed to do with this?” I frowned. “It was most likely made by Carrie. She is very resourceful, and I taught her how to make shoes!” I waved my arms around like it was obvious.“Oh, right.” he replied, "Anyways, I’ll take a look at the shoe and get back to you.” That night, there was a knock on the door. I opened it, and Officer Washington was standing there, with the shoe in a bag. “Studies confirm. It’s Carrie’s.” Wordless, I grabbed my lantern and started the walk to the woods. 

Chapter 7: Angela King

I watched Alexander's house, trying to build up the courage to go and knock on the door. Suddenly, Officer Washington walks up to the house and bangs his fist on the door. How harsh! What is he doing at this hour? Wait. it looks like he’s holding something in a bag- but it’s too dark to see it. A moment later, Joshua opens it and they talk for a minute. I can see his face go pale, and he grabs his lantern and walks out the door. Alex follows, and they all go towards the woods. I could go catch up to them. Apologize for what I had done. My troubles could be partly over. But something stops me. “Would they really just forgive me?” I think. It takes about 3 seconds of thinking to confirm they probably wouldn’t. I’m about to start the walk to the woods when something catches my eye. It seems in their haste, they left a window open. And I have been running low on supplies…

I scavenge through the pantry for some food, preferably something that can last in the woods. I also want to find some clothes. I think about what I’m doing. I’m stealing from my own husband, practically living in the woods, and have basically become a wild animal. I bite my lower lip, resisting biting my dirty nails. Suddenly, I see a big wad of cash laying on the counter. It looks to be about 20 dollars, which could get me a lot. And there is a shop about half a mile from here. I don’t hesitate. I grab the money, get some canned food and fresh clothes, and I’m out of there. Don’t need to spend any more time here than I need. It’s already been a while. I start heading to the front door when I hear something. I freeze. I listen closely, and I hear voices. I’ve always had good hearing, and I can tell that it’s Joshua and Alex. I climb out the window as quietly and quickly as possible and drop to the ground and roll into a bush. I don’t dare breathe. They still have their lanterns, and they’re heading to the door. I don’t move a muscle. I don’t know how they didn’t see me, as they walked right past. I guess you really don’t see what you don’t expect. After ten seconds, I want to run as fast as I can, but I can’t. Not yet, at least. I slowly creep around the side of the house to the back door where they couldn’t see me… and run like there’s no tomorrow.

Chapter 8: Robert Washington

In my life as a police officer, I know the scene all too well. This was a robbery, no doubt. “Who could’ve done this?” Alex exclaims once we’re inside the house. “Actually,” Joshua replies, “I have an idea on who could’ve.” He pauses. “Angela.” “That’s what I think too.” I say. “I’m going to look for clues outside.” It only takes a minute for me to notice something; footsteps in the mud leading to an open window. A quick glance confirms that they’re Angela’s, and I know none of us have climbed through a window recently. I’m about to head back inside when I hear glass shatter. I run inside and see Alex staring in shock at Joshua, who’s laying on the floor, writhing in pain. Next to him, a broken window and a rock.

I quickly bend down, ordering Alex to get a washcloth to stop the bleeding. As I put it on, he winces, turning away from the gash as if it is too much to look at. “Gosh, this is serious. We better get you to a doctor. I did a final wrap, and we helped him limp to the rickety old trolly. I lowered him slowly onto the bench, and me and Alex sat down too. There was a little girl across from me, looking intimidated by me being a police officer and everything. I gave her a little nod, and she seemed to loosen up. Her mom smiled at me when it got to their stop. I checked my watch. 10pm. The medic will be closing soon. We finally got to our stop after the 20 longest minutes of my life, and sat in the waiting room. I looked around and saw a kid with an overly runny nose, a man with a nose as big as a clown’s shoe, and some girl with a broken arm. “Joshua?” I help him stand up, and he winces. “The pain has gone down, but it is best to check it.” Joshua looks up at me. I’m at least 5 inches taller than him. This case has gone too far.

Chapter 9: Joshua King

Who could’ve done it was my only question after I got sent home. They used tweezers to pull out the glass shards, and every time tears of pain sprung to my eyes. They were deep. I never did cry though. All I want is my family back together again. So far I have glass in my leg, an insane wife, a missing daughter, and no house. Great. I could picture Carrie now, sitting next to me on the trolly, asking me a variety of questions. “Did it hurt?” Did you cry?” “How’d it happen?” “Were the doctors nice?” The answers to those questions would be yes, no, I don’t know, and yes. The third question really would’ve got me. I have my brain stuck on what happened. Last thing I remember, a rock went flying at my pantry window, and glass shattered everywhere. Whoever did it escaped before Officer Washington could shine his flashlight into the looming darkness of the Louisiana night. Have I ever said I lived there? No? Hm.

Chapter 10: Alexander Harrison

The mystery of Carrie needs to be solved. We also need Angela in our grasp. What has come to Joshua’s family? And who threw the rock at the window? I paced the living room, crossed arms and brow furrowed. If Officer Washington really did speak with the scientist, why weren’t we getting results? “Night, Alex.” Joshua limped over to his room. “Night.” I gave him a tight smile, flinching on the inside when I peeked at his leg. “Are you ok?” I ask him. “Yeah, totally fine.” There was a real awkward pause. He darted his eyes to the room and back to me, as if saying can I go now? “Ahem.” He cleared his throat. “Oh.” I turn real slow, and walk across the room with and through the doorway, with straight arms and legs like a soldier. That was really embarrassing.

Chapter 10 ½: Dasquarius Green Jr.

I’ve been researching for days, unsure about when to stop. The green ooze from the claw was so fascinating. All the results that come up are nothing, nothing, and nothing. Nobody knows what this is. The ooze sizzles like bacon on a frying pan, then settles down before making a big “POP!” This… this could be revolutionary! I don’t dare touch it, as I do not know what it could do to the human body. I put it under a microscope and examine it more closely than ever before. There is something strange about this liquid, something I do not know…

                                

 —cArrie– 

What the?!- AHHHHH!!!