The Jubokko

“Shh.” A voice warned.

“Who’s there?” she shouted back, scared and confused.

“Quiet!” It warned again.

“Who’s there, where am I?” she gets up and looks around.

“Quiet, it’ll find us!” The voice snarkled, knowing something would happen as if it happened before. She felt a sudden pull on her leg and fell back to the ground.

“Aaaah!” She shrieked as it pulled her back, deeper into the woods until I could no longer hear her. A man came out of the bushes and walked over to the spot she woke, he crouched down as if looking for something he lost. I tried to see his face, assuming he was apart of some kind of kidnapping. Once he left, I too started investigating, looking for clues. Too many people have gone missing in this particular area, but no one listens to reason. They keep coming up here.

That girl, Edda Hammes, the one that was taken, that was the just the first person this year. But there have been others throughout the years, no one was ever able to figure it out. That’s why I’m here, everyone else gave up. I won’t whoever this is, they took my brother. We were out here playing eleven years ago when all of a sudden, he was gone. The police told us the same thing they tell everyone this happens to, “I’m sorry, but all we found was a little wooden figure.”

After investigating, I went back down to the town. “Fresh fruits and veggies, get em right here for less!”

The Fruit Stand Man was always there at the entrance of the town, that’s why I avoided the entrance when I went into the Woods, he’s loud.

“Hello Ms. Aldora Ashleye! Can I interest you in some fruits?” Then for once he started whispering, “If you buy a bag, I’ll throw in a special deal.” He teased.

“I’m not interested.” I answered, not looking up at him.

“Even if I knew something you were looking to know?” He smiled deviously.

“Like what?” I rolled my eyes.

“Let’s just say, well, I know something about your brother’s kidnapping.” He whispered.

“You do? Wh-” He covered my mouth and pulled me in the back before I got loud. “Where is he? What do you know, and what was that all about?!”

“I don’t know where he is exactly, but I do know that this was just some ‘ordinary’ kidnapping. It was something hidden right in front of our faces, something hidden in nature.”

I yanked him by the beard, pulled him close and got real quiet, “What do you really know about my brother?!” I was getting impatient, “You’re just teasing aren’t you?”

“No.” He yanked away, “I’m not teasing. Someone was taken from me too, my wife. I saw the whole thing, no matter what I did, I couldn’t get her back. That was the last time I ever saw her. Then I saw a small woo-”

“A small wooden figure, yeah, I know. That’s the only thing that’s ever left behind. Tell me something I don’t know!”

“You didn’t let me finish. Anyway, I found the wooden figure, and that’s when I knew. It was The Jubokko, a bloodsucking legend. It’s appearance is just a regular tree, but you always get a very strange feeling when around it. The Jubokko is born as a regular tree, but aborbs the blood in the center of a former battlefield. It sucks the life out of people, and their face will appear on its bark, visible to all. Their bones buried underneath it. Be careful around it though, you could be next.”

Then he pushed me out. At first I thought he was just teasing like everyone else in town, but I knew he wasn’t, I just knew. I went around town trying to tell everyone else who lost someone to this Jubokko what had happened, no one believed me. Now I guess I know why he didn’t want anyone else knowing, they would think he’s crazy. “So muched for help!” I muttered to myself.

The Next Day

“Pss, hey! Aldora, get up. Aldora!” I heard someone whispering in my ear as I woke up.

“Wynnstan?” I yawned, “What do you want?”

“I want to help you find this tree, it’s important that you find him, so I want to help you. Do you think he’s still alive?” He smiled.

“I don’t know, but are sure you want to do this? What if it gets you next?”

I didn’t want Wynnstan’s help, he was my best friend. I was already an orphan when the Jubokko took my brother. He was the only person that looked after me, then he was taken. I met Wynnstan that year when his mother was taken. He reminded me of my brother, I couldn’t let him go.

“But what if it gets you next? I’ll go. If I don’t go, then neither will you.” He demanded. That’s how my brother would be about a situation like this, that’s one of the only things I do remember about my brother, considering I was only five.

“Fine, you can come.” I frowned. So we made a plan and went to the center of the forest, just far enough that we wouldn’t get caught by the Jubokko.

“Ok, you wind up the toy plane so I can sneak up and around. I want to try and find his face. I’ll look for your mom too.” I tried to sneak that sentence in so that he knew what was going on, and so that he was more safe than I, but it didn’t work.

“Aldora, you’re not getting away that easy. C’mon, the entire reason I came is to keep you safe, even if it means I get taken.” He declared.

“Yes I am. I have to see it myself, and I can’t risk loosing you. You still have someone, all I have is you. If I loose you, I’ll have no one. Please let me go.” I cried.

“Aldora,” he sighed, “you can go, but when you see it, come back. Then we rethink the plan.” So I went and looked for the tree for a couple minutes, keeping my distance so I don’t get caught. “Woah.” I suddenly felt something, but I couldn’t exactly describe it. It was like grief, but it felt strange, it was different from anything I’ve ever seen or felt. Then I knew the Jubokko had to be close. I kept a close eye out for any faces, then I heard what sounded like screams. That’s when I started running. I didn’t know why, or where I was running to, but then I saw it. The screams got louder, I saw faces everywhere. No one was around. Then, it got silent.

Something touched my ankle after a while. “Aaaah! Wynnstaaan!!” It pulled me down, dragging me back to the tree faster than I could see. I screamed for help, terrified that I’d never be found. So I closed my eyes, crying, knowing it was the end for me.

“Thunk!” It stopped pulling.

“Thunk!” I heard it again.

“Hurry, get up and grab the shovel!” Wynnstan demanded. So I grabbed the shovel he brought me and I started swinging at the tree. It was thick, and branches were grabbing at us, but we managed. We just swung and swung, until I saw him. Auden was right in front of me, his face.

He was wooden. Then I couldn’t stop swinging until we were done. I had to kill this tree, it killed my brother so I was going to kill it. We swung for hours, then, “Thunk!” The tree fell down. My arms were sore, there was blood everywhere. It was terrifying, but it was mostly relieving.

We went back to town to tell the others, and this time they had to believe us for there was blood and wood all over us. We got them to come up to the woods with us, but the tree was gone. It was all gone, and everyone probably thought we were playing it all out. “I know he was here. I felt him, he was here. You’re the only one that’s gonna believe me now.” I sighed.

Wynnstan sighed, “It’s ok if no one believes us. I know they want to. All they want right now is to find out what exactly happened to their loved ones. They don’t want to believe something that sounds totally crazy, and besides, I now know to believe you about anything!”

I was still upset after he said that. I just walked home alone, drowning myself in thoughts. When I got there, I saw a letter on my door. It was from the victims and witnesses.

Present Day

“Hayden, Norma, wait up! We need to talk later, there’s something we’ve gotta do. You’lle love it!” I cheer.

“Okay how’s tomorrow?” They answer.

“Sounds good, as long as you don’t forget something, Norma.” I laughed. “So how’s you’re day been Wynnstan?” I smile.

“Eh you know, the usual. I just chop down trees for a living, that’s all!” Wynnstan chuckles. He stops and looks at me, “What’s wrong?”

“Do you remember when we met? I didn’t know anyone, they always teased me, thought I was crazy for seeing what I saw with Auden. Now it’s like all of us, everyone who lost someone to that tree, we’re all connected now.” I get lost in thought. It was all because of the Jubokko.