The Family Thing

By Karl Shook

Dave and Brenda Brentwood are spending the summer with their Uncle Rob and Aunt Caryn in North Carolina. But the trip won't be all fun and games. There has been a monster trapped in a cave on the Brentwood property for over seventy years. After all those years, someone is trying to open up the cave. If their uncle can prevent the cave from being opened, they'll all have a nice quiet summer. If he can't then the family would have a terrible battle on their hands, and Brenda, twelve and Dave, eight, will truly find out what it means to be part of the family thing

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Mar 16, 2004
• ISBN: 9780595759514

Karl Shook

Karl Shook has written several magazine articles, and has been published in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Spain, as well as North America. His first book, The Family Thing, was also published by iUniverse in 2004. Like his character Billy Southwaite, Shook has cerebral palsy. Unlike Billy, he has never had a stepsister or met a mermaid. Shook resides in Champaign, IL.

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All Rights Reserved © 2004 by Karl D Shook

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher.

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ISBN: 0-595-31121-0

ISBN: 978-0-5957-5951-4 (ebk)

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER 1

CHAPTER 2

CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 5

CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 7

CHAPTER 8

CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 10

CHAPTER 11

CHAPTER 12

CHAPTER 13

CHAPTER 14

CHAPTER 15

CHAPTER 16

PROLOGUE 

It was a black, moonless night on the Southern Coast of England. The waves beat hard against the rocks as the shouts of the crew of a sinking ship were heard from a mile offshore. A tall figure stood at the top of a rocky hill laughing at the sight of the sinking ship.

The figure stopped laughing when he noticed five tall forms as they walked out of the water, and walked higher up the hill.

The five beings that approached the shore were in search of the dark figure atop the hill. He was a member of their own kind, but he was now a fugitive from their law.

The group looked back at the sinking ship and bowed their heads in sorrow.

I cannot believe that he actually attacked a sinking ship, said the youngest one with a shudder.

I would have believed it to be impossible as well Tamler, said their leader with great anguish in his voice.

I wish that we were helping the survivors Mongor, said a third member of the group.

As do I Rangot, said the leader, but it is for us to insure that he never does such a thing again.

But how can we do that Mongor? asked the fourth. He is one of the most powerful of our tribe, and he might be the most clever. Now that he has turned to evil we five might not be strong enough to stop him.

He is indeed powerful Perdon, said Mongor, but we cannot allow that fact to dissuade us from performing our duty.

Finally the last of them spoke up. Perhaps he will not harm us. I cannot believe that his evil will extend to members of our kind.

Tamler laughed loudly. How can you believe that Dronar? If he can defy our most sacred duty there is no limit to the evil that he might attempt. It would mean nothing to him to kill us.

The anguish grew on Mongor’s face. I fear that you are right Tamler. It is a very painful thing to me that one who has been so close to me has now become my enemy.

Before anyone could say anymore, flames began to rise from the sinking ship. The five hunters sadly turned away from the sight, and resumed their walk to the shore. As they reached the beach a huge rock came hurtling down from the hill above. The entire party scattered in different directions, and the rock landed in the water with a huge splash.

I believe that we have found where our quarry has been hiding, said Mongor lying on his stomach and breathing heavily.

Yes, said Tamler rising to his feet, but it will be difficult for us to reach him. He can see everything that we do from that vantage point.

There might be a way for us to attack him from behind, said Dronar standing straight up.

How we do that Dronar? asked Mongor.

I spent many happy hours playing on that hill when I was a child, said the younger hunter. There is a path on the other side that leads to the top. We can use it to attack our adversary from behind

An excellent plan! cried Rangot. But we must hope that our enemy is unaware of the path.

I doubt that he is aware of it, said Perdon. He, his brother, and I were inseparable as children. We never played in this area.

That is good to know, said Mongor. But we must remember that he is no longer the friend we once knew. We cannot be certain of what he knows, nor of what he will do. Whatever we decide to do, we should proceed with great caution. And we must be certain that we work together, otherwise it could mean the end of us all.

Dronar’s eyes widened. You cannot truly believe that he could actually kill us all. He cannot have become so evil, and there are five of us to his one.

We must believe that he as evil as that Dronar, said Mongor. "If we do not, he will have the upper hand. And you should not put too much trust in our greater numbers. He is one of the most powerful members of our tribe. He can

easily defeat our entire group. We must use all of our guile and skill to defeat him."

Without another word, Mongor raised his right hand in which he held a staff. Sparks quickly flew out of the top of the staff and into the night sky. The sparks formed into a large ball of light that made the beach as bright as day.

The ball was intended to blind the figure on the hill.

Mongor raised his arms again, and used a magic spell that allowed him and his companions to see despite the brightness of the light.

Dronar and Tamler quickly made their way to the path on the other side of the hill, while Mongor and the others climbed the hill from the beachside.

Do you think that he will be blinded for very long Mongor? asked Perdon as he searched for a handhold.

Mongor shook his head. I am sure that he will soon use his power to overcome my little trick of light. We can only hope that we can reach him quickly enough to retain whatever advantage we have at the moment.

Before Mongor’s companions could respond a rock flew past the trio, barely missing Rangot who was bringing up the rear.

I think that our adversary has ceased to be blinded, said Rangot, ruefully as he looked down at the fallen rock.

What I do not understand, said Perdon is why he has not hurled more rocks upon us.

Perhaps he has no wish to prevent us from reaching the top of the hill, said Mongor nervously. He may be using the rocks to encourage us to confront him.

Why would he want to do that? asked Rangot as he took another step up the hill.

Perhaps it is because he has a plan to defeat us upon the hill, said Mongor still trying to think it out himself.

Then is it possible that he is aware our companions are attacking him from the opposite side, said Perdon.

It is indeed possible, said Mongor. However if he is, there is nothing we can do at the moment to help them except to continue to climb.

Suddenly, a scream came from the top of the hill.

That sounded like Dronar, said Perdon. What could have happened?

It seems that our companions have reached our adversary, replied Rangot.

I fear that you are right my friend, said Mongor a chill running through him. But we must hope that the others can maintain the fight themselves long enough for us to reach them to help.

When the trio reached the top of the hill they saw Dronar laying on the ground and Tamler was fending off lightening bolts from their adversary’s hands. But neither of the combatants seemed to notice the arrival of the other three.

Mongor signaled for the others to be silent. The leader waved his arms, and each of the trio held a large net in their hands. Then they quietly walked up behind their adversary and threw the net over him. Their enemy let out a scream like a wild animal. Because he was weakened by his battle with Dronar and Tam-ler the prisoner struggled under the net unable to free himself. The four hunters took advantage of his momentary struggles to cast a magic spell to put their enemy to sleep.

That was far easier than I imagined, said Rangot.

Yes but at what cost? asked Mongor.

Tamler knelt down beside Dronar. He looked up at his companions with tears in his eyes. I am sorry Mongor…Dronar is dead.

But at least this evil one has been defeated at last, said Perdon.

Let us hope so Perdon. Let us hope so, said Mongor as the burning ship disappeared into the ocean behind them.

CHAPTER 1 

ROB’S WORRY

Rob Brentwood sat looking out the bay window ofhis house on Pamilico Sound in North Carolina; the only light in the room came from a small lamp in the far corner. As he watched the tide roll in over the beach just outside his home, Rob wondered if he should call his brother Brian.

It wasn’t just brotherly love that made Rob want to call Brian. It was a desire he had to invite his niece Brenda and her brother Dave to spend the summer with him. The invitation wasn’t just a whim. It was always something that Rob intended to do. Although, he wasn’t the one who came up with the idea. His family made that decision when Brenda was born twelve years ago.

That decision gave Rob the responsibility to lead his niece and nephew into battle against a horrible evil. His grandfather, along with his sister and uncle, had met and defeated the evil many years before, and his family had guarded against the evil escaping the cave ever since. Now, it looked like the evil was about to return.

Rob turned away from the window and looked at the portrait of the thin gray haired man that hung over the fireplace. Are we going to have to deal with the same problem that you did Grandpa? I was hoping that this responsibility would pass me by.

Rob laughed. That was the dumbest statement that he had ever made in his life. It was a miracle that the evil his family had defeated over seventy years ago had not returned before now. His father had always been prepared to face it since he was a child. In fact, he was always asking Rob to keep him informed about the return of the family nemesis, even though his father was retired and living with Rob’s mother in Florida. Rob bought the house when his parents moved, and he was given the responsibility to watch for signs that the evil was returning. He wasn’t sure why the responsibility had fallen to him. He wasn’t exactly the type of person that people would pick for a hero. He had cerebral palsy, which met that he used crutches and a wheelchair to get around. His brother Brian would have been the choice of many people to be the leader of the group, but the decision had been made at a family gathering, and while everyone was surprised that Rob had been chosen, no one argued with the choice.

Rob was the most surprised of all, but he remained at Pamilico Sound watching and waiting for the evil he hoped would never come. It wasn’t a bad place to be really. The area was quiet and beautiful, a perfect place for him to write his western novels. Novels that had been well received throughout the country. While his success had never gone to his head, Rob was able to forget the trouble he was on the lookout for when he wrote. But something had happened that brought the problem front and center.

An archeologist had come to the area to investigate some of the local caves. It was unusual, but Rob had not been concerned about the man’s arrival until today.

While Rob was out shopping at Cooper’s Grocery, Professor Daniels, the archeologist, came up to introduce himself. The man was dressed in a khaki shirt and pants, with calf high black boots. His clothes were in sharp contrast to his dark complexion, brown eyes, and black hair, with gray at the temples. There was something about the way the man just happen to be there that made Rob suspect that it was more than a casual meeting, and he was proven right. The professor wanted to explore the caves on the Brentwood property, including the cave that had been closed off by a cave-in several years earlier.

Rob thought for a minute then replied. Well Professor, I have no objection to you exploring the other caves on my property. But I see no reason to open the last one. I’ve never heard that there was anything remarkable about it.

One never knows what an expert might find Mr. Brentwood, said the arche-ologist. But haven’t there been stories about a monster in that cave?

Rob smiled. That’s just a local legend. You know, the kind of story that fisherman tell when they’ve had too much to drink. I just think that it would be too dangerous to open that thing up. No one knows how much of the ceiling actually came down when the cave-in occurred. And no one knows how stable the roof would be if you were able to get inside.

I assure you sir, we would take every precaution to insure the safety of our expedition. We would be the ones taking the risk, you know.

That’s true enough. However, you must realize that I am responsible for what happens on my property, and I do not want to be responsible for the injury or death of anyone in your party.

The professor thought for a moment, rubbing his chin. Suppose my associates and I came up with a proposal that takes every reasonable precaution, would you consider allowing us to open up that cave?

I might be willing to consider it, but I would have to be convinced that it was absolutely safe.

Fair enough.

"With that, the two men parted company.

Rob had rerun the conversation through his mind a dozen times since the afternoon. Even though the professor had been very reasonable Rob sensed that his attitude wouldn’t last long. Stall tactics wouldn’t dissuade a man like that. Rob had the feeling that no matter what he said or did, the professor would find some way to get into that cave. But if the archeologist knew the real reason for the cave-in, he wouldn’t be so anxious to enter the cave. In fact, Rob thought, the man would do everything he could to avoid it.

However, there was no way that Rob could tell the professor what was in the cave. He smiled, and spoke to the portrait of his grandfather again. Every possible precaution the man said. If he only knew grandfather, there aren’t any precautions a man can take against this thing.

He pushed his wheelchair across the living room floor to the mantelpiece above the fireplace. The wooden floors of the old house creaked as the chair rolled across the floor. Rob’s right leg began to shake; he adjusted his foot to make it stop. He hadn’t realized how nervous he was.

When he reached the mantelpiece he took down the old jewelry box that rested there. He opened the box and looked at the three rings that the Brent-woods of long ago had used against the evil menace. The Rings of Glitno had been passed down through three generations of his family; it looked like Rob and his niece and nephew would wear them very soon. As he was placing the jewelry box back in its place, there was a knock at the door. Rob pushed his wheelchair over to it, and looked out the peephole to see who his visitor was. He smiled at the sight of his girlfriend, Caryn. Rob unlocked the heavy wooden door and opened it. Caryn walked in, bent down, and gave Rob a huge hug and a kiss.

Her bright green pants suit complemented her short bright red hair and emerald eyes well. In Rob’s mind, the suit made her look like a character from Celtic mythology.

Rob felt like a slob in his light blue sweats. Before she sat down on the couch, Caryn reached up to the light fixture that hung from the ceiling, and pulled the chain that turned on all four bulbs.

Rob felt slightly amused. I hope you plan to turn that thing off when you leave.

"I will, but I like to see what I’m looking at. I don’t know how you can sit in such a dark room.

Oh, I was thinking about something, said Rob as he pushed himself over to sit near Caryn.

Rob pulled up about two feet in front of her. Caryn stretched out her long legs, crossed her right ankle over her left, and rested her feet on the right back wheel of his chair.

How’s it going? asked Caryn.

Oh, Rob said, things are going all right, but there are going to be some changes around here in the near future.

You mean the eggheads are going to start poking their noses around in the caves on your property?

Rob felt a pit in the middle of his stomach. How did you know about that?

Rob saw a broad smile cross over Caryn’s face. When she smiled that way it always made him feel better. Oh come on, you know how fast gossip travels around here. Especially, when people hear that Daniels wants to open the haunted cave.

Rob laughed. Nobody ever said it was haunted.

But there is some kind of monster in there.

Rob didn’t like the way this conversation was going. That’s what the stories say anyway.

Oh please, said Caryn. "This is me you’re talking to. We’ve known each other since we were kids. You’ve always been a little more serious about that cave than anyone, except for Brian. It’s always been obvious that you two thought that