MYSTERIOUS FOREST HOUSE

By Elizabeth Fisk

The story centers around the new girl in town.  Rachel is confronted and challenged by the school bully, Zelda to discover the secret of the house hidden in the State Forest  

Throughout the winter breaks and into the Spring Rachel finds ways to cope with Zelda and is able to help Zelda become a gentler person.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Elizabeth Fisk
• Release date: Jul 7, 2020
• ISBN: 9781087885063

Book preview

MYSTERIOUS

FOREST

HOUSE

BY ELIZABETH FISK

COVER BY JIHYEON JOUNG

MYSTERIOUS FOREST HOUSE 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER  TITLE

1   A NEW HOME

2   NEW FRIENDS

3   WARNINGS

4   KURT MEETS ZED

5   SURPRISES

6   EXCITEMENT

7   EXPLANATIONS

8   HELP FOR ZED

9   WILD ANIMALS

10   REVELATION

11   FARM CHORES

12   TO NAB A POACHER

CHAPTER 1

A NEW HOME

Ladies and gentlemen, we will be landing in about twenty minutes.  Please make sure your seatbelts are fastened securely, the stewardess announced.

His mother exclaimed, Look down, Kurt. You can see the entire valley, including the town!. Isn’t it great to see all of the areas at once?"

Kurt Jackson glumly stared out the window as the plane banked into a wide turn. He could see a sprawling town, and along the far southern edge, was a river that ended

in a crystal-clear lake.  The city was much smaller than where the family had previously lived back east.  Two main roads were bisecting the town into four quarters.  Kurt could barely discern the smaller streets throughout, some with

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smaller shopping centers and housing areas.  Kurt could distinguish the hospital, on the eastern edge of town, and

numerous smaller schools scattered throughout the whole city, and the two larger schools must be the high schools.  Centrally located was the courthouse, many businesses, and the main Post Office. Farms dotted three sides of the town to the foothills of the surrounding hills. On the north, about a mile or two from the city, there was a thick forest climbing up and over the mountain. 

Kurt grumbled quietly, "Here we go again, another new town and school.  This makes the third move since kindergarten. I want to be happy for my parents, after all

I’m starting the seventh grade, and they did promise this was the last move." 

Kurt smiled at his mom, Nice, mom, what area are we going to live in?

His mother started to explain.  "Our house is on the

east side of town about three miles from the hospital, it is the

largest house we have ever lived in and has a big,

fenced backyard.  After we are fully settled, maybe around Christmas, we may be able to get you a dog, just like we promised. Your dad and Uncle Bill should be waiting for us."

Kurt knew this was exciting for his parents, but was worried about having to start over, making new friends, and getting used to a new school.  Uncle Bill had suggested. Kurt’s father apply for the hospital administrator position that had recently been vacated.  He was hired, and a short time later, his mother was hired to be the new director in the nutrition department.  Both parents had worked hard to achieve their dreams, so Kurt did not want to disappoint or hurt their feelings, but he was nervous at the thought of starting over again.

Kurt prayed under his breath, "Dear Lord, you know how hard it is for me to make friends.  Please guide me, give

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me patience, and show me your will that I may follow it. Thank you in Jesus’ name. Amen,".

Upon entering the terminal, they saw Uncle Bill and Kurt’s dad smiling and waving to them.  As they greeted each other there were the usual comments about how much Kurt had grown.  They all laughed at this comment since the only time Kurt had seen by his uncle was a few days after his birth, twelve years before.

Kurt’s dad said, Come on, let us get your stuff.  We have enough time to show Kurt the house before Aunt Carrie has lunch ready.  By the way, I hired a cleaning company to clean the house. I was able to do all the yard work so we can relax tonight before the furniture arrives at nine tomorrow morning.  I have been working hard since I arrived here yesterday morning.

His mother exclaimed. Oh, that’s wonderful! Thank you, honey,

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Kurt knew how relieved his mother was since that would give them four full days to unpack and put things away before his parent’s started working early Monday. He still had another week before school would start.

Kurt’s mother smiled, saying, So we have time to unload most of our luggage before lunch?  We put everything we will need for tonight in our carry-on luggage. That way, we could put the other items into our rooms.

Uncle Bill explained. Sure, Carrie planned lunch for around one o’clock in case there were any delays on your flights. We will give all of you the big tour, and he can check out his new room. You know Kurt, this town is only about one-tenth of the size of the town you just moved from.  It has about 40,000 people, two high schools, three junior highs, and several elementary schools. It also has a large hospital, numerous shopping areas, and a large enclosed mall. The main library is downtown, but there is a small branch library within walking distance from your house. There is even a teen center where you can go to even though you are only twelve,

Kurt stared as they drove through town.  It did not look too bad, except there were no buses.  About twenty minutes after leaving the airport, on the northwest side of the city, Uncle Bill pulled up in front of a large two-story home on a cul-de-sac.  Kurt looked intently at the house as they got out of the van and grabbed the extra luggage. He glanced around at the houses nearby and noticed they were all different sizes, colors, and shapes, not at all like the housing communities they had previously lived.

As they entered the house, Kurt was surprised by the open downstairs.  The stairway was off to the right of the living room. The living room flowed into the kitchen and dining room.  Through the double doors between the kitchen and dining room, he could see the backyard was huge, with high wooden fences on the two sides. Along the back were a gated metal fence and a footbridge that looked over a swift-running stream. The far bank of the stream led into a row of stately pine and birch trees before rising upwards to a hill.

Kurt’s mom called, Hey sweetheart, why don’t you go up the steps. At the landing, turn left and go to the back bedroom.  That is