“The only thing left for a Wicker man such as herself is to burn. Ironic, isn’t it,”
Winter Punishment
Innocence is deemed by society.
Jenn sloshed her way to the whitebark tree. There was no snow about 20 meters around the base of it. She looked around for her comrades, trying to catch her breath.
The winter winds violently swirled around her. It wasn’t a good night to be outside. The news had a blizzard warning blaring all day, and now it was 7:00 p.m., and the storm was swinging in.
She zipped up her winter jacket and replaced her hands back into her pockets. Something unordinary had happened. It was just her and her friends going to play a little prank on their teacher, but things erupted out of control.
“Jenn, is that you,” a voice called out a couple of meters away from her. Jenn quickly turned around to see Jeffrey slowly making his way towards her.
“Jesus, Jeff, you scared the shit out of me,” Jenn said, ushering Jeffrey over. He, too, was shaken about what happened, the smell of gasoline and burnt wood still clinging to him.
“What the hell happened back there,” Jeffrey asked, trying his best to keep calm.
“Like I would know?’
“Wasn’t this your plan,” he asked.
“Excuse, what do you mean, my plan? It was our plan.”
“Our plan was to scare him. You’re the one with the grudge against him.”
Jenn looked back, appalled.
“He just embarrassed me a couple of times in class for what I was wearing. I didn’t want him homeless.”
“Guys, where’s Carter,” said another voice from behind the tree. Jenn and Jeffery turned around to see a girl in a fur coat sloshing up, looking like a movie star. “Rosanne, what the hell are you wearing,” Jenn said, surprised by her outfit.
“I am right here and been here since Jen showed up,” said Carter sloshing his way from the forest to the whitebark tree.
“I changed clothes before coming here. The smell was getting to me,” said Rosanne.
“How did you have time,” asked Jenn.
“What the hell, man, what happened back there,” Jeffery interrupted, clearly not being able to control himself.
“I don’t know, but we might have hit a gas pipe or something because,” Carter was about to say but stopped to see a man dressed in all white similar to the tree appear slowly behind them.
“Because what,” Jenn said, then she noticed Rosanne staring behind her in fear.
“Have you children come to be judged by the Craobh a ‘Cheartais,” said the man in white.
Jenn swirled around and took a couple of steps back before bumping into Carter. Jeffery and Rosanne moved beside them, and all four stood in a line before their judge. “Who the hell are you, and who are you to judge us,” Carter demanded.
“Wait a minute, you’re Mr. Greene right,” Jeffery blurted out. The man in white said nothing. “Yeah, you got to be him. This is one of those deals where it was all an important lesson and how we should learn from our mistakes and do better in the future.”
Carter and Jenn both gave Jeffery this stare. You know the stare that looks like you finally lost it.
“I am not Greene. I am Geambradh the Druid of the Craobh a ‘Cheartais, and you are here to be judge,” Geambradh roared. “State your sins.”
“Well, first of all, we did nothing wrong. If anyone should be judged, it should be Mr. Greene,” Rosanne snorted out, waving her hand at Geambradh.
“Mr. Greene, this joke is old. I’m going home,” Jeffery said, starting to head out, but as he was walking away, strong roots sprouted out of the ground surrounding the area around the tree. They were large and thick, a naturally grown fence.
Jeffery stopped inches away and looked down to notice that his winter jacket had been ripped open by one of the roots. “You’re not Mr. Greene, are you,” he asked.
The druid walked up towards Jeffery and peered deep into his brown eyes.
“Jeffery Teach, Rosanne Perez, Carter Bailey, and Jenn Hastings, you are hereby guilty for the death of Liam Greene, Eliza Greene, and their offspring Olivia and Timothy Greene. May the Craobh a ‘Cheartais choose your punishment. State your innocent,” Geambradh commanded. Jenn and the crew could feel each word sting their bones.
“I’m…Innocent,” said Jeffery stringing together a broken smile.
Unfazed by his answer, Geambradh stretched out his hand towards the Craobh a ‘Cheartais, and a branch shot out, wrapping itself around Jeffery’s neck and then yanked him off the ground. Hanging him.
Jeffery struggled to breathe as he squirmed around and around. Jenn dashed forward towards his feet but was held back by Geambradh. His strength was deceiving. Jeffery hung there twitching and squirming, still trying to grasp life, and then he stopped. “Craobh a ‘Cheartais has given him his punishment may his soul come back in ten years as a better being,” prayed Geambradh.
“You monster, I demand you let us go this instant, don’t you know who my father is,” screamed Rosanne. “If you don’t let us go, I will scream.”
“If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound,” Geambradh shot back.
“We’re here. We’ll hear it,” Jenn whispered, then looked up to Geambradh, who was now inches from her face, eyes popped open.
“Evil has no voice, so state your claim. Are you innocent?”
“All we did was set fire to some plants of his. It’s not our fault that his house caught on fire. We didn’t do anything,” Rosanne claimed.
“She does not speak for all of us,” Jenn shot back. Rosanne looked surprised at Jenn’s answer. Then Geambradh reached out his hand, and root swirled around Rosanne, making a dome. Jenn and Carter both stood there and watched in amazement as the water filled the dome.
“I thought we were friends,” Rosanne said as the water filled up past her knees. “I don’t deserve this. This is your fault. It was your idea. You did this.” Water filled up the dome. Rosanne scrapped at her throat, and soon her eyes glazed over.
The blizzard now roared stronger around them, yet in that space, they felt nothing.
“May your soul in fifteen years return pure. Now state your innocent,” Geambradh said.
“Well, sir Druid if you don’t mind looking at this video evidence that is live at the moment,” said Carter pulling out his mobile phone and revealing a news feed.
A first erupts from a pale yellow house, the Greene’s house. The fire is large and catching other houses a blazed. We could even see a woman hanging out of the window of Greene’s house being burned alive. The woman was no longer moving.
“We are here live at West Point Grey where the House of Liam Greene is slowly being put out. Many other houses have been damaged by the flames. Sources tell us that the RCMP has a witness that can clearly give an accurate description of the perpetrators. Jenn Hasting and her colleagues Jeffery Teach and Rosanne Perez have been missing from their homes and are suspected to be the ones that started the fire. If you see these three college students,” the caster said, showing pictures of Jenn and her friends. “Please be sure to approach them with caution and call the RCMP. They are dangerous.”
Geambradh looked around to Jenn and then back to Carter.
“I spoke to RCMP before the incident. After telling them I made my way to Mr. Greene’s house to stop my friends, but they wouldn’t listen,” Carter pleaded.
“Liar,” Jenn blurted out.
“I loved Mr. Greene, sure there were some times where he did bully me, but never on purpose. I use to babysit Olivia and Timothy all the time. I knew what I had to do. I swear I am innocent on the holiness of Teutates, Esus, Taranis,” Carter finished.
“Liar, you’re the one that started the fire. You were there way before we were. You tr-”
“Silence! May Craobh a ‘Cheartais have mercy on your soul,” Geambradh interrupted and stretched out his hand again. The roots started to wrap and pierce themselves into Jenn’s legs. The roots ripped through her flesh and bones crawling up to her face.
“Druid? How did you know this man was a Druid, Carter? Unless you planned — traitor. Traitor,” Jenn said, finally piecing things together. Then the roots covered her face.
“The only thing left for a Wicker man such as herself is to burn. Ironic isn’t it,” said Carter looking at Jenn’s wicker form and watching her burst into flames.
“May your soul in twenty years return pure. Now Carter Bailey,” Geambradh said, turning to face him. The roots around the area receded back into the ground. “Go and never return. I see the truth in your eyes, but who am I to kill the avenger and murderer of the Greene Family. The Craobh a ‘Cheartais is confused. Society has deemed you innocent, but your crimes will be forever etched into your back.”
Carter started to feel a burning sensation on his back. He crumpled to the floor in pain. Gasping for air and gritting his teeth until the sensation was gone and all that was left was his sin.
Carter staggered up and started to limp away into the blizzard. Geambradh looked onward as Carter disappeared into the forest. Just as he appeared, he melted away into nothing.
Then the Wicker Man.
Started.
To move.
