Hazels (4/20 Special)

https://rumble.com/v50t232-hazels-by-ray-bush.html

 Hazels

By Ray Bush

Hazel bought each of her four G-babies a small trinket, she always called her grandchildren her G-babies. She had two more but those two were grown and not on this family trip. Each thanked their Gma then thanked the sweet old lady that either owned or managed the second hand store. They ran next door to the gas station where Gpa just finished gassing up the motorhome. Hazel knew her husband Rick would be waiting for her but she still decided to wander a bit. There were second hand stores all over the city around where they lived but this one was different. It was full of things that you would never be able to find around their city of Bountiful. Hazel found a Ouija board in a box of glass similar to a jewelry store. Hazel turned away from that quickly, she hated those things because of an experience her mother had. Hanging above the glass case were pictures labeled Mirror Lake, which is where the family had been heading. Some of the paintings looked ancient but there were also pictures that could have been taken two weeks ago and everything in between. The painting and the pictures captured the beauty of the place but Hazel figured the pictures would be nothing compared to the real thing. Hazel focused on the third painting from the end, she thought she could see someone hiding just inside the tree line. 

“That’s a beautiful painting,” A sweet old woman’s voice said from behind her, Hazel nearly jumped out of her clothes and screamed loudly. “Oh my, I’m so sorry dear. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Hazel laughed. “You are just fine,” She said, “ I’m just a jumpy person.” Hazel turned to look  at the woman, she was so adorable.

She had to be several inches under five feet, very skinny, and very frail looking. Her eyes were as blue as a summer sky and as vibrant as if Hazel downed a good dose of ecstasy. Her face was tanned and wrinkled in all the right places to make her the cutest little old lady Hazel had seen since her own mother. She was dressed in a sunflower dress with matching yellow shoes and earrings. Hazel wanted to hug her on sight.

“My great, probably times five, grandaunt painted that picture maybe a couple centuries ago,” Hazel was a bit shocked thinking about how long ago that was, that much time is kind of intimidating. “That is Mirror Lake, where she and her family grew up, then her daughter painted one, then her daughter, and so on until about three weeks ago when a cousin brought me that framed picture.” Hazel thought it was pretty cool to see the advancements in picture technology, it was like a museum. “We were all raised at Spirit Lake but their family migrated north back in the olden times.”

Hazel moved on from the pictures and moved over to a shelf with a variety of various sized nicknacks. Her eyes fixed on a bottle with  a scrap of paper inside so old that it had to be called an artifact. “What’s this?” Hazel instantly wanted to pick it up but she didn’t want to upset the shop owner. 

“You have a good eye dear,” The woman was smiling, clearly pleased that Hazel noticed the item. “That particular item was created by one of my grandmothers, I couldn’t even tell how many greats would proceed grandma. Her name was Hazel and she lived in a small cottage only miles from Spirit Lake and the town of Elwood.” Hazel started when the old woman mentioned her name.

“What the?” Hazel was excited, “My name is Hazel. Maybe I’m related to her too.” Both women laughed. “You could be my sister.” 

“Oh you,” The woman sounded flattered, “I’m old enough to be your great grandma. Do you want another surprise?” Hazel nodded, “My name is Hazel as well.” Both women laughed harder this time. “Open it up.” Hazel very much wanted to, that paper had been calling to her since the moment she laid eyes on it. But she was also worried because that paper looked old enough to turn to dust with a single touch. 

“Are you sure?” Hazel asked, “I don’t want to hurt it. It looks pretty old.” The woman smiled and nodded. “Oh snap,” Hazel popped the cork and dumped the paper into her hard, she shivered at the touch of it. Like something swam through her blood. She unrolled the paper and read,  Take Me Home And I Will Haunt You For A Lifetime. Hazel’s body broke out in chills. 

The woman smiled and for just a split second she didn’t look like a sweet old woman. She looked like something out of a child’s nightmare. “That is most people’s initial reaction.”

Half of Hazel wanted to shove it back into the bottle but on the other hand she was  enchanted by the ancient writing. She tried to move her hands but they didn’t listen and her eyes wouldn’t leave the paper. She felt like she was floating through the purple fog clouding her mind while the dark writing swam around her. 

Everything went black. “Take Me Home And I Will Haunt You For A Lifetime,” It sounded like the old lady whispered in her mind. 

“Are you okay mom?” Brandy asked from the doorway. Hazel snapped back to reality. “Dad’s out here waiting. What are you doing?” Hazel’s daughter sounded amused. 

“She was just showing me this bottle,” Hazel said, trying to remember for sure what was going on. “Can I buy this from you?” Hazel asked and reluctantly rolled up the paper and stuffed it back in the bottle. Mentally it was much harder than it should have been. Hazel felt guilty for asking but for some reason she couldn’t imagine leaving without it. Before the old woman could answer Hazel absently placed the bottle in her pocket like there was a strange gravitational pull.

The old woman watched Hazel smiling,” That’s been in my family forever and ever passed down from Hazel to Hazel.” She told Hazel who was blushing and pulled the bottle out of her pocket. “But I don’t have any Hazel’s to pass it down to,” The old lady teared up. “Did I hear you call one of your granddaughters Hazel also?” Hazel nodded, both women had forgotten about Brandy who watched quietly. “You can keep it if you can promise me to keep the bottle in the hands of a Hazel. That should protect it for at least fifty years.” Gma would definitely pass it down to baby Haze. “It’s the only way to keep my family's name alive.”

“Deal,” Hazel said, she did still feel a bit guilty for wanting it so much. The fact is that she needed this bottle. “Mrs. Brandy, come give this sweet lady a hug.” Brandy thought it was weird to see her mom hugging this stranger, and Brandy was shy and had no desire to hug a stranger. There was no getting around it now, her mom already put it out there for everyone to hear. Brandy gave the woman a hug and Hazel noticed her shiver at the woman’s touch and wondered why. 

Hazel walked out of the store smiling with her favorite oldest daughter. Brandy got in the SUV with her husband Ray while Hazel climbed into the motorhome with Rick and her G-babies. They drove the rest of the way following Ray and Brandy, Rick wanted them to be a scout to make sure they didn’t get the motorhome in a tight spot. Boo, Hazel’s favorite youngest daughter, followed with her husband Steve. Hazel spotted license plates with the grandkids, they saw fifteen states. That was far from the family record but it was not bad for a three hour drive through Utah. 

They got to the campground, and found the perfect spot to fit the mobile home, two SUV’s, and a few tents. Steve set up his and Boo’s tent then set up one for his daughters Ricky and Hazel. Ray set up the tent for the two boys, his son Arayen and Ryan who was Boo and Steve’s young son. Ray and Brandy set up the DIY curtains covering all the windows in the SUV, they had a bed made up in the back. The green leaves were more vibrant than Hazel had ever seen. The birds sang beautiful songs while the insects buzzed the background music. The flowers on the drive in were cute, but they were behind Brandy on the dusty road. The dust in the air must have masked the  beauty of the flowers. Here in the campground the purples, reds, and yellows were as vivid as if Hazel dropped a strong dose of acid. The green grass or maybe it was weeds was the perfect accent to the beautiful mountain landscape. Ray had been right about this place, the blue water of the lake reflected the sky in the most amazing way. It made the water look like a painting rippling lightly because of the small waves. Hazel was mesmerized by the breathtaking scenery. 

It had been so long since Hazel spent the weekend in the mountains. She took a deep breath of the fresh air filled with all the aromas of the outdoors. Hazel was glad that she was here. Hazel couldn’t wait for tonight when the air was cool and was filled with the sound of a million crickets and the smell of campfire. The stars glittering in the night sky was one of the most gorgeous sights Hazel would ever see. It was much better than the city stars she would see from her backyard in Bountiful.    

After camp was set up Hazel took the G-babies to the lake and let them play in the chilly water. Hazel was shin deep in the water standing on the soft dirt listening to the musical sounds of nature. When you added the sound of her laughing G-babies, there had never been a sound to match that beauty. Hazel heard a crow across the lake. When she looked she swore she could see something in the shadows of the treeline. It was human shaped but much too far away for Hazel to make out any details. No, there were two people, the second was a bit shorter than the first. It looked about the same size as Ryan who was eight years old. Hazel rubbed her eyes. When she looked again the shapes were gone, if they had even been there in the first place. She stayed with the kids for another thirty minutes until the G-babies came out of the water shivering. 

When they got back to camp Rick was grilling burgers and hot dogs while Brandy sat with Boo in lawn chairs gabbing like only sisters are capable. Ray was off gathering wood with Steve, Hazel could hear the two laughing probably at something goofy that one of them said. The trees surrounding the campsite produced the perfect amount of shade but it did still have sunlight to help warm up the kids after they changed their clothes. After dinner the wives made some adult beverages while Ray wandered off into the dark rainbow sky created by the coming of dusk in The Echo Forest. The kids made smores as everyone talked, laughed, and genuinely enjoyed each other’s company. The stars began to dot the sky, Hazel wished on the first like she had since she was a little girl. That night was full of laughs until around midnight when the drinks stopped making things fun and started making the adults sleepy. Steve, Ray, and her oldest G-Baby Arayen took turns taking a bucket to the lake to put out the campfire. It took about five times until the logs no longer smoked and there were no embers left in the fire pit. 

Everyone wandered off to where they would sleep, Rick watched until his entire family was secure in their beds. The kids were in their tents, next to Steve and Boo. Brandy and Ray were locked inside the SUV with their windows cracked. It was three thirty three in the morning when Hazel heard something in her dream, it was just a small tap. Her eyes opened but the sound was still there, something was hitting the window of the motorhome. Hazel looked out the window, at first she saw nothing. Then she looked at the tents, the flaps were open. Hazel looked at the hiking trail that led into the forest. She saw a shape, about the size of Ryan but it looked like a girl. Hazel panicked when the fact that her G-babies just ran into an unfamiliar forest in the middle of the night set in. She was on her feet and out the door without a word to Rick, Hazel had to get to them before they got lost. 

“Ricky,” Hazel yelled into the brisk night air, “Arayen, Hazel, Ryan get back here. Where the hell are you going?”

“Gma I’m over here,” That was the oldest G-baby Arayen. Hazel took the left fork towards the sound of his voice. She ran into the complete darkness, The canopy of trees blocked out any light from the night sky. 

Then from behind her she heard Ricky’s voice, “Gma where are you going? I’m over here. Hazel stopped on the trail and looked behind her. Hazel ran back up the trail and found a trail that forked right. 

“No Gma come this way,” that was baby Haze, Hazel wondered why their voices sounded echoey in her mind. Hazel found a fork that went left, Hazel was running as fast as she could in the middle of the night wearing pajamas and slippers. 

“Gma,” That was Ryan he sounded like he was near tears, “Gma , I’m lost. Please help me. Please Gma.” Hazel stopped and listened. The voices surrounded her in the night air. Hazel stood still and just listened. She needed to just focus on one of them. Ryan was the youngest and most vulnerable so she would start with him. The voices were coming from everywhere, she couldn’t pinpoint any of them.

“Gma!” That was ricky screaming, the rest of the G-babies had gone silent. “Gma help me, she’s got us.”

Hazel sprinted down the trail to the right, that’s where she thought Ricky’s voice had come from. After a full minute of sprinting Hazel stopped and listened again. The night was silent except for her breathing. There were no voices and the night creatures were completely silent. She was standing on a trail that went straight ahead and straight behind. To either side were thick trees and tangles of weeds. Hazel had to go forward or back, this was the first time she stopped to think. She had no idea where she was, she was lost in the night. Hazel looked forward, there was nothing but night. Hazel looked back, there was nothing but darkness. Hazel screamed when she looked back forward to see a small child standing on the trail. Hazel could see her perfectly despite the dark forest like she was standing in a dim spotlight. She was dressed like she was straight out of a Thanksgiving play from the eighties, she was obviously a pilgrim. 

“La la la la la la,” The voice was beautiful but also spine chilling. It had to be the little girl, she couldn’t have been more than eight. She wore a mask on her face that was hideous, it might have been made from human skin judging by the looks. 

Hazel turned back, there was the woman from the second hand store also standing in the dim spotlight. She no longer looked sweet and innocent. She now had the face of pure evil like a witch from the nightmare of an imaginative child. Hazel turned back to the little girl, she closed half the distance between them while Hazel was looking away. Hazel looked back to the witch who had now also closed half the distance to Hazel.  She looked back to the little girl who again was halfway closer to Hazel. Hazel began breathing heavily, and not from the three AM sprint into the forest. Hazel looked back to the witch, the two seemed to be playing games, the witch was now the same distance as the girl. She looked back to the little girl who was now gone but Hazel did fill a tug on her pant leg. 

She jumped and looked back towards the old woman who was now face to face with Hazel. “Boo,” The old woman whispered. Hazel felt the witch's icy breath on her face.

Hazel screamed , turned right, and did the worst possible thing. Hazel ran blindly into the forest. Branches slapped at her face and arms while weeds grabbed at her feet trying their best to trip her up. She could hear something moving through the brush to the left and the right. It couldn’t be the old woman and the girl, they couldn’t be as fast as her. A thin branch whipped Hazel in her right cheek, she felt blood drip from the thin scratch. Hazel stopped and the movement in the forest stopped also. The night was completely silent, the silence was deafening and seemed infinite. Hazel felt like she ran through the forest all the way into another dimension. Hazel could hear her heart pounding in her ears. 

“La la la la la la,” Echoed through the forest, Hazel didn’t realize that she just realized why they called  this place The Echo forest. 

Hazel realized for the first time that she did one smart thing when she left the motorhome. She didn’t remember grabbing it but Hazel had a flashlight in her hand. Hazel turned on the light and shined it around wildly, she couldn’t calm down. A branch broke to her left, Hazel shined the light that way but saw nothing. Someone whispered from behind her but again nothing was there when she shined the light in that direction. A wolf howled from somewhere, it could have been a mile or ten miles in the complete silence it was hard to tell. 

“Rick!” Hazel fearfully yelled into the dark night, he always protected her from anything and right now she needed him. “Rick, please help me.”  Her voice echoed away into the night, “Please Rick I need you.” Hazel was nearly crying. There was a quick burst of breath on the back of her neck that had a pleasantly sweet smell. 

Hazel got weak legs and fell to the ground. The hideous mask worn by the little girl filled Hazel’s vision. “La la la la la la,” The little girl sang. Hazel’s vision first went blurry then faded to black.

When her eyes opened Hazel tried to move but her arms were tied to the arms of a homemade wooden chair. She tried to stand up but her legs were also tied to the chair. Hazel looked around at her surroundings. She was at the edge of a middle sized clearing with a fire burning in the center. She saw things hanging from the trees, they were various animals in multiple stages of decay. The ground should have been littered with sticks but instead it was littered with bones from the size of a large bull all the way down to the size of a mouse. There was a bright blue flash ten feet in front of Hazel. She expected a sonic boom but there was no sound at all. 

When her vision came back there was a table directly before her and on the table was a crystal ball swirling with deep blue  smoke. On the opposite side of the crystal ball sat the old woman with the masked girl standing directly behind the woman. The woman was dressed in a black gown and smiled a wicked grin at Hazel. She was scary but she was also beautiful at the same time. The woman raised her hands and dropped the bottle from her left sleeve into her right hand.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for you Hazel,” Hazel didn’t know what the woman was talking about. “I have had so many chances at this but it had to be you. I hope down the road you will understand. I’m looking for something new and you are perfect.” Hazel tried to speak but her mouth seemed to be frozen shut. “You can’t understand but in another place you and I are sisters, you of course were the favorite.” Hazel was completely lost. “My body is old, your body will do for a while, but the one you call Baby Haze will work for at least a century.” Hazel tried to scream and fight herself free, her body wouldn’t respond.

The old woman waved her hand slowly over the ball, the smoke swirled faster. The witch began chanting, the smoke moved even faster. Hazel closed her eyes to blink away the tears. When she opened them again the smoke was now swirling outside the ball and covered the floor of the clearing. The fire continued flaring behind the smoke. It was getting thick fast and rising quickly. Hazel didn’t want to find out what would happen if she inhaled the smoke. It was up to Hazel’s knees now and the woman’s skin began to turn the color of wet cement tinted with the slightest hint of green. The witch began to look younger and even started taking on Hazel’s facial features. The woman’s hair was changing from a greasy black to a much more vibrant brown with blonde highlights. The smoke continued to rise even though the woman had stopped chanting. It was all the way to Hazel’s chest. She squirmed against her restraints but that only seemed to make them tighter. 

Hazel pleaded with her eyes but the witch didn’t answer with her eyes or her mouth. The smoke was now to both women and the child’s chins. The little girl was clearly smiling with her eyes and probably her mouth but it was impossible to tell. Hazel took in a deep breath just before the smoke reached her mouth. Hazel closed her eyes, she didn’t know what the smoke would do to them, but she could feel the smoke swirling around her head and blowing her hair. She held her breath for as ;long as she could but after a long minute Hazel inhaled deeply. She instantly could see the smoke swirling around her mind. Hazel fell into a serious coughing fit. Hazel could now feel the eyes watching her from inside the smoke waiting to pounce. The smoke felt alive. The witch laughed again but this time it was from inside Hazel’s head. 

Before long it wasn’t just the laugh and slight sense of the smoke’s consciousness, Havel could now feel someone inside her head. It felt like she had a hitchhiker in her mind. It was a terrible feeling to have two people in the same brain. 

“Don’t fight me Hazel,” The woman said now her voice was also inside Hazel’s head. “My body is gone so now you must surrender yours. It has to be you Hazel, you’re the only one that can keep me alive. Hazel could feel herself being pushed out of her own mind. “And you also have Baby Haze, you must know that I drew you to this place and to take the bottle.”

There is no way Hazel would let this woman get anywhere near Baby Haze, “Stay away from her bitch.” For a short moment Hazel had time to feel terrible for people with multiple personalities, that had to be so horrible. “I won’t let you have her,” Hazel didn’t know how but she pushed back against the mind stealing witch. 

The witch screamed inside the head both women were now sharing. The witch pushed and Hazel pushed back. She screamed from excruciating effort. The witch was also screaming, inside her mind felt like a hurricane combined with a tornado that exploded out of a volcano. Hazel’s body was shaking. The left half of her hair turned gray as the left half of her body dropped to the temperature of a corpse. Her skin wrinkled and also took on a gray tint. There was one last eruption of chaos in her mind then everything went black.

“Mom!” Hazel’s eyes fluttered at the sound of Brandy’s voice, “Mom, where are you?” Now her eyes fluttered entirely open. She was no longer restrained and it was no longer night. 

“Mom!” that one was Boo, she was much louder than Brandy. “Mom say something please.” Both daughters sounded on the verge of tears. 

Hazel tried t```777o scream but her mouth was dry so it came out in a whisper that sounded like the croak of a weak frog. She sucked on her cheeks and tongue to try to muster any moisture in her mouth. She tried to yell again. “Brandy! Boo!” It wasn’t a scream but it was loud enough to be heard by both daughters. 

“Keep talking mom,” Brandy said, “Keep talking so we can find you.” Hazel did and after only a few minutes both daughters entered the clearing. “Oh my god mom!” Brandy was clearly shocked at Hazel’s appearance. “What the hell happened?” Brandy asked and the witch laughed from inside Hazel’s head.