20 Operation: Barricade for the Forest—Forest Ghost

SHINA chuckled as she looked at Dandy who was crying in her arms. She could almost see herself when she cried that day.

"Hush now, child," she wiped Dandy's tears. "it has been a long time and I'm used to waiting."

"But…but…"

"Shh," she put her finger in Dandy's small lips. "I can wait until eternity, Dandy. But for you who are just starting your life, I want you to take this as a lesson. This white cloth symbolizes the love that was never meant to be. We use this as protection for everyone. We may or may not love them but it is safe to leave it here."

Dandy nodded at her and gave her a hug. She hugged her back remembering all those days when they were in the village, playing with all of the children there.

They were at that position when Naru came back. Dandy then looked at him and run towards her brother. Dandy didn't mind the coldness and anger in Naru earlier. She just ran up to him and hugged his one leg.

"I'm sorry, Naru," Dandy said. "I promise that I wouldn't do that again. So, please come back and play with me again."

Shina looked at Naru and smiled at Dandy. Eventually, he carried Dandy and looked at Dandy's face, and wiped the traces of tears in her cheeks.

"Be cautious, kid. Stay away from humans. And always remember this," he pointed at the white cloth. "It is painful to lose someone but it is more painful knowing that you cannot see them again ever."

Dandy looked at the white cloth in front of her. Controlling the urge to look at Naru's face, her cheeks puffed before nodding. Naru then pinched Dandy's nose and put her down. He then looked at Shina. "It's about time. We should go."

"You'd come back, right?"

"Of course, we will continue our game." Naru waved at them. "Your sons, surely they did not inherit any of their father's calmness."

"I rather say not."

Dandy looked at them and made her think that if the sons that they were talking about were Shina's son, then it was Yu's son also.

Dandy smiled.

******

After hearing the story from Shina, Dandy then planned something that would help her avoid humans that were coming into the forest.

She called it an operation barricade the forest, be a forest ghost.

"Why are you indulging her, Yoshiko?!" Tamotsu shouted at Yoshiko when he heard of what Dandy wanted to do.

"Why?" she asked as she looked at the two. "Isn't it perfect? I can protect the forest by frightening them. If they are afraid of the forest, they would not come back here. They will not ruin the plants and trees. They would not go to mister Kahaku to bathe. He hates it when they play around and throw things at him."

"But still, your grace," Tamotsu tried to stop her by standing in her way. "You will regret this in the long run, your grace."

"How so? We haven't tried it yet. Let's see first if it's effective." Dandy still stood her ground. She didn't want to listen to Tamotsu as she believed it will keep her safe from the danger of having some mortal be thrown to oblivion because of her.

"Can't you see, Tamotsu?" Dandy continued as she gathered some of the weeds and vine. "I'm not just protecting the forest. I'm protecting the humans to myself. What if they found me and they would like me and I will like them. No, no, no. Shina and Naru said that I shouldn't let that happen. So, let's go, Yoshiko."

Dandy then rode on Yoshiko's back. Without effort, he jumped over Tamotsu and run towards the deepest part of the Forest.

Yoshiko ran towards the entrance of the Forest, where humans usually come in. From there, Yoshiko ran going to the waterfalls, where humans usually do their baths. Dandy started to throw the vines, weeds, and moss.

She wanted to make the forest a little gloomier. Darker and scarier. That even in the day, the forest looks darker. And if it's darker, the humans would be afraid of coming in.

Dandy giggled as she looked back. Her decorations were effective. The forest was starting to get darker.

Yoshiko stopped at the end of the trees. They can now see the cool and bright paradise of Kahaku. Dandy looked around, looking for Kahaku who usually bathed at this time of day.

She then saw him just below the waterfalls, where the stones and water merged. She wanted to call him but it looks like he was meditating. His long black hair was tied in a bun on top of his head. He wasn't wearing his upper clothes and the more Dandy looked at him, Dandy just shivered. The water was cold and she felt by just staring at him.

"Let's go," she asked Yoshiko.

"Where to next, Deity?"

"Wait for me!" It was Tamotsu.

Eyes wide, she looked at Yoshiko then back to where she heard Tamotsu's voice were. "He already caught on us?"

"That's Tamotsu for you," Yoshiko chuckled and started to ran. "But I'm still faster than him."

Dandy giggled. "Hi-ho and away! To the flowerbed we go!" Dandy shouted as she pointed at the road ahead.

******

Dandy and Yoshiko stopped running away from Tamotsu when they were finished 'decorating' the forest. Now it looks gloomy and dark.

She thought that humans don't usually go into the forest when it's dark. She heard that it frightened them, it creeps them out, as they said.

Thus, she imitated the Forest at night. And now, there's only one thing to do now. She looked for the mud pond in some part of the forest. She rolled her body in there, making her dirty and looked like a ghost that got drowned in murky water.

She then stood up at Yoshiko's head. With her light feet, she can stand up there without minding that she would fall. With the remaining vines, she used it as her hair. Long black hair that hid her face.

"Let's go near the river. The humans are usually there as they loved to swim at the cool river of Lord Kahaku."

"Your grace!" Tamotsu held on to Yoshiko's tail and kept pulling it but got dragged instead. "This is a mistake. We shouldn't do this. It will harm the Forest!" he shouted.

Dandy stopped Yoshiko from walking and looked back at Tamotsu. "You're just saying that so you could stop me. I will not yield. I will go with my plan. I know it is the right thing to do. It will save me and will save the forest from the harm,s of humans bring."

And with that, they left Tamotsu again.

Dandy at Yoshiko first came in contact with a human who was looking for woods. Looks like they were going to camp near the forest.

"Then after camping there, they would leave the spot where the fire burned." Dandy clicked her tongue and wore her vines over her head.

"Psst," Dandy called but she didn't let the human see her. "Get out of the forest. Psst," She said again.

The man stopped what he was doing and looked around. When he didn't saw Dandy, he continued what he was doing but this time, he did it with haste.

He was about to go back to where the camp was when Dandy approached him. She stopped at his back and whispered in his ear. "Go back or I will eat your soul?"

"Aaaaahhhhhh!" the man screamed as he threw the woods that he picked and ran towards where his camp where.

Dandy giggled and laughed. She just stopped when it sounded like her. When she laughed again, it sounded eerie and creepy. She just put her hand in his mouth when a chorus of screams was heard.

Victim one. Success.

With the success of her first attempt at driving the humans away from the forest, she tried her best again.

She welcomed the humans who are coming into the forest by her presence.

Running around the entrance following them. Calling onto them. Making them got a glance of her running. And eventually, show herself in front of them.

With bloody face. One eye pop out of its socket and blood running out of her mouth. Then would runs towards them letting them run away out of the forest. Then disappear when they got out of the forest.

She got not less than a dozen of humans with that trick.

With the help of Yoshiko, they made the humans believe that there was a demon wolf were staying in the forest.

And soon, the forest started to get quieter and quieter.

Too quiet that it started to invite unwanted visitors.

****END OF CHAPTER*****

Today is not a good day..

nothing seems going, right...

can you please cheer me up with your comments?

that would be highly appreciated more than anything in the world...

thank you

😔