Forest of Fireflies: From the Other World

It was early spring in Canada, green leaves were starting to sprout, and bees were beginning to pollinate the budding flowers. It's time for Noraya to buy a ton of Benadryl for her allergies.

They were preparing to visit the hunting ground where the son of Mrs. Harvey went missing. Mrs. Harvey was more than willing to pay for their trip to Kenora District in the northwestern part of the province of Ontario.

It was the first time that Noraya will leave the city of Toronto since birth, so she was a bit excited to travel.

"You think we'll be able to find something there?" Noraya asked Macrena while they were waiting for their boarding time.

"I hope so," She was looking forward to this trip, like Noraya. They had already made arrangements, so she was hoping that their preparations paid well, and they will be able to find a relevant clue about the missing son of Mrs. Harvey.

After a few moments, they heard their flight announced. It's time for them to board the plane.

The flight from Toronto to Kenora district took five hours. It was the first time Macrena was experiencing traveling through an airplane. She was not nervous about flying in the air, but more of an anticipation of what she will discover in that place. Will it look like the forest of fireflies in Akijam? Will she recognize the area when she see it?

They waited for spring to come and for the snow to melt before visiting the place. Besides, the area was not open for visitors during the winter.

It was already late in the afternoon when they landed at the airport, so they decided to check in to their lodging first and explore the tourist attraction around the area. Besides, it will take them around two hours by boat to the hunting ground.

"I don't want to be a dinner of some bears in the wild." Noraya reasoned out.

Macrena agreed at the idea. They booked a reservation in a local lodge near the center of the district so they will have easy access to necessities in case they need to stay longer in Kenora.

The next morning, Macrena woke up early. Noraya was still sleeping when she got up from the bed.

Before they went to Kenora, she already contacted Mrs. Harvey. She asked the police reports and other contact numbers of Mrs. Harvey's son's guide when he went hunting.

She was already here, so she doesn't want to leave without all the stones turned. She had the feeling that she will find something valuable in this place.

She took out the envelope in her bag and spread the content on the table. Those were the reports from the local police who first searched the area. Including, were some photographs. It was mid-November when the incident happened. It is early spring now, so the area might not look like the same as the photographs.

She stared at the man in his mid-thirties in the photo. He looks stunning in his white doctor's gown. He has a clean-cut black hair which perfectly frames his face, and has a rippling quality.

The stare in his dark-brown eyes with a hint of a smile was piercing even in the photo. He has a well-defined cheekbones sat above sculpted jaws. His mixed blood made his facial features rather exotic.

One thing that caught her attention in his face was the small mole under his left eye, just above his cheekbones. She finds it...what do they call it? Sexy.

She felt her heart skipped a beat. Just staring at the photo in her hands made her feel uncomfortable. How much more if she meet the man in person.

"Good morning!" the lively voice of Noraya snapped Macrena from her daydream.

"Ah...wha- good morning!"

"Hmn?" Noraya detected her surprise at her greetings. "Why are you so surprised? I just said good morning? What are you doing?" Noraya gave her a teasing smile. She noticed what she was holding in her hands.

In her hands was the photo of Owen, Mrs. Harvey's missing son. Noraya mouthed an 'O' and nodded. "You like him, don't you?" she teased Macrena.

"Huh? Ah! No! W-why would I like him? I- I don't even know him in person!" she stammered. She wanted to slap her mouth for not enunciating her words. 'Ah, so stupid!' She had never felt so embarrassed in her entire life.

"Hahahaha!" Noraya laughed out loud at Macrena's reaction. She did not know that she easily gets nervous when caught red-handed, staring at a handsome guy in a photo.

"It's okay, Macrena." Noraya took the photo from her hands. She can not blame Macrena in swooning over the man in the picture. "He is hot!" She agreed and gave her back the photo.

Macrena calmed herself and hid her growing interest in the man in the photo. "Anyways, I read those reports from the police already and saw those photos." She quickly changed the topic.

"Did you find any unusual?"

She nodded, "Everything about these reports makes no sense to me."

"What do you mean?" Noraya took the paper from her hands and read it herself.

Sworn Affidavit of the Witness (Owen's friend, who went with him for hunting)

'Tuesday, around three in the afternoon. We were in the wilderness island on Lake of the Woods, looking for a hunt. White-tailed deer was in season for a quest at that time.

Owen was a few meters away from me. A deer suddenly appeared. I assumed that the deer was hostile towards him because he cursed a few times. He started chasing after the deer but never heard him fire a bullet. Then, suddenly I heard him groaned twice. I tried calling him, but he did not respond. I thought he just tripped, so I did not pay attention and continued on my way.

After a few minutes, maybe 10 minutes, I came to see him. I was shocked when I saw him unconscious on the ground. I tried waking him up but to no avail. There was no signal in the area, so I had to go out of the woods to make a call. Our guide was in the area as well, so I told them to look after Owen.

It took me around five minutes to make the call, by the time I got back from where I left Owen, he wasn't there anymore. The guides were there confused and looking for him as well.

We tried looking around the area until the police came, but we did not see him. Even when I arrived at the lodge where we were staying, he's nowhere to be found.'

"So, he is saying that Owen just disappeared without a trace," Noraya concluded.

"Exactly! Does that make sense to you?" Macrena exhaled.

"Uhum." She answered while shaking her head. It is ridiculous for her too, if she looks at it as an average person. However, these past months, nothing was normal for her, with a goddess from another world, living with her. She couldn't expect more strange appearances from other creatures.

"It doesn't make sense if I am looking at it as an average person. But probably, in your world, it make sense?" Noraya vocalized what was in her mind.

Macrena suddenly eyed her with suspicion. "What do you mean by that?"

Noraya shrugged her shoulder. She doesn't even know what does she meant, really. "I don't know. I just thought of it. Maybe someone brought him to your world?" She was also surprised by how her brain works sometimes.

Macrena thought for a second. 'Ah, could it be that we're not the only one in that forest at that time? Did someone saw what happened?'

"Grooowwlll!!"

Macrena's thought was interrupted. "Was that you?"

"Eheh. Can we eat first before we dig deep into this mystery?" Noraya sheepishly uttered and went back to the bedroom to get ready for breakfast.

She smiled and nodded in agreement. Noraya's animated reactions made the not so good atmosphere lighter. She forgot about the reports for the meantime.

After having their breakfast, they hurried to the lobby of the lodge they were staying in. They are going to meet their guides.

"Good morning, Misses. My name is Bok, and this is Marco." A well-built and tall man introduced themselves to them when they arrived at the lobby.

"Good morning," they both replied and accepted their handshakes.

"I heard you specifically requested for us to be your guide?" The man who introduced himself as Bok spoke. He gestured them to sit on the sofa set in the lobby.

"Ah, yes. I heard you were the guides of Mr. Owen Harvey when he came for hunting?" Macrena answered before Noraya could even open her mouth.

Noraya noticed that since she told her about her identity, she was not the usual shy and clueless woman she first knew. She became confident and was leading her into their 'investigation.'

Noraya did not mind at all. Besides, she was enjoying this little distraction from her boring life.

The two guides looked at each other with confused looked. "Yes, we were. I heard he is still missing?" The other man answered.

"Is he the reason why you wanted to visit the area? Are you investigators?" Bok inquired.

"We are not investigators or some sort. We just wanted to see the area where he went missing." Macrena's answers were straightforward.

Noraya noticed the hesitation of the men's face. She was worried they might refuse to accompany them to the site. "Uhm, she is the fiancee of Owen, she wanted to see the area, maybe we can find some clues that the policed missed." Noraya interceded in the conversation.

Macrena quickly gave Noraya a questioning look. Noraya stared back, sending 'read my mind' message.

"See, these men were hesitating to take us to the forest. Just pretend so that they will help us." Noraya's mind said.

Macrena's eyes became misty. Her expression became sad, and with a soft voice, she said, "It's been months, but we haven't found him yet. We're supposed to have a winter wedding. I need to find him. Please help me." She pleaded. She totally got the message sent by Noraya.

'Wah! What an Oscar deserve acting!' Noraya secretly applauded the woman beside her.

Macrena's acting was superb, complete with teary eyes. The two men looked at each other and nodded. They can't bear to see the beautiful, sad face in front of them—those deep blue eyes on the verge of tears.

"Of course, we'll bring you to the site." the men agreed and gave a brief and safety procedures they must follow before they boarded the pick-up truck that was parked in front of the lodging.

After riding for almost an hour, they arrived in a dock. "We will take a boat to reach the island." The man called Marco informed them.

"These islands around are the usual hunting ground for tourists and locals here," Bok said while pointing to the islands they passed. "Only members of the Bow Hunting club can have access to that island where we're going."

Macrena nodded. "So, the island is not open to the public?" She asked. She knew even she was still in Akijam that the place is not easily accessible to humans.

Bok nodded and pointed at an island in front of them. "That's the island."

Macrena's eyes followed the man was pointing. The island he was indicating was smaller compared to the islands surrounding it. She felt a familiar feeling towards the island. Indeed, that's the island.

To the human world, it was just an exclusive island that only the rich will have access to, but in her spirit, she felt home. As they move closer to it, her longingness to Akijam becomes stronger. Her eagerness to solve all the puzzles and her questions concerning the human world was stronger than ever.

After a few more minutes, they arrived at the designated dock on the island.

Macrena almost shed a tear when her feet reached the ground on the island. The familiar air embraced her like a warm blanket, warming her cold body. She felt that she was home, although the environment looks foreign to her.

The weather in Kenora, particularly around the Lake of the Woods, was colder. For some reason, Noraya's hair around her body stood, and she felt an indescribable sensation crept throughout her body. She had no recollection when did she felt this kind of feeling in her body, but this was not the first time she felt it.

An image, so vivid, flashed in her mind the moment she set foot at the island. The last card she drew from her tarot card when she did the reading for Mrs. Harvey appeared in her mind. Owen Harvey is alive!

She stood still for a moment. She couldn't explain, but her ESP became heightened to the point that she felt dizzy. She even saw a deer in the distance.

"That's a deer!!" she exclaimed and pointed towards the woods.

The two guides and Macrena looked at what Noraya was pointing. There was no deer.