54

04. Hansel and Gretel

After a breakfast of fig jam toast and some fruit, Doyoon and Bibi set off directly for the national park. Since taking a sports car wasn’t appropriate in many ways, they borrowed Richard’s SUV.

It wasn’t Doyoon’s preference, who valued aesthetics, but it was efficient in that it could carry a lot of luggage, didn’t need electric charging, had a much better ride, and, above all, was inconspicuous.

As they drove out of Long Melford and further ahead, buildings disappeared and plains appeared. The heavy fog-covered plains were a mix of newly sprouted green leaves and brown leaves that had died in winter. The inside of the car was quiet.

Doyoon played rock band songs and hummed along, making small talk, but Bibi barely responded. Her attention was elsewhere, replaying Isabel’s words from yesterday.

“Be careful if you go into the forest. There are ghosts living there.”

“My dear. You are so weak.”

“What Doyoon doesn’t want is to drink your blood.”

Everything she had said was full of incomprehensible questions. Because of that, Bibi couldn’t focus on this journey to find clues about her birth. The fog that damply filled the outside seemed to be rummaging through her mind as well.

“Did something happen with Isabel yesterday?”

Doyoon noticed Bibi’s troubled face and asked quietly.

“Isabel and I decided to be friends.”

“You made a friend.”

“But Isabel treated me like a baby vampire.”

“...She called you a baby?”

“No, not exactly. She said I was like a baby deer. Young and weak. Do I look like that in Doyoon’s eyes too?”

Bibi’s expression was a mix of shame and injustice.

Doyoon cleared his throat. He wanted to answer, “You’re even worse in my eyes,” but he couldn’t be honest. Bibi prided herself on being a strong and good hunting dog. She had given up the title of hunting dog now, but she must still be certain that she was ‘strong’.

“No. You look like a wildcat.”

As Doyoon answered tactfully, Bibi’s expression softened considerably.

“What was that cigarette you smoked with Isabel yesterday? The smell was peculiar.”

“A joint made of marijuana. She grows it herself in the basement.”

“Do you still have some?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I try it too?”

“Next time. Oh, and you can’t tell anyone about this.”

“Why?”

“In the human world, it’s classified as a drug. Because of its addictiveness and side effects. But drugs aren’t harmful to vampires. The aftereffects are about the same as a bad hangover from drinking too much all night. It also disrupts the parasympathetic nervous system, so it’s good for suppressing thirst.”

Listening to Doyoon’s explanation, Bibi became more and more curious about it. She remembered him exhaling hazy smoke yesterday and looking at her with dreamy eyes. It looked nice….

“Ah, but you still have to be careful. Especially if it’s your first time. If your mood gets excessively high against your will, you could do something foolish.”

Doyoon added, glancing at Bibi’s curious expression.

After driving for a while, the road narrowed, and the mountains that had been visible in the distance began to get closer. Before entering the national park, Doyoon turned the steering wheel and first stopped at a grocery store.

The grocery store was quite small, but it seemed to be frequented by camping enthusiasts or occult enthusiasts. Canned herring, bread, chocolate, and other simple foods were displayed on the shelves, and behind them were cheap souvenirs such as refrigerator magnets, bottle openers, and scarves.

On a trolley with weekly magazines, there was also an old fairy tale book. It was Hansel and Gretel. Old and tattered, the book had impressive faded illustrations. A witch scattering sweets to catch the siblings, the siblings greedily eating the gingerbread house, a scene of lighting a fireplace.

Bibi was captivated by the rather bizarre art style and looked at the book for a long time.

“How do I get to the monastery in the park?”

In the meantime, Doyoon placed two chocolate bars, sparkling water, and a block of cheese on the counter and asked the store owner.

The mustachioed owner, who had been tapping on the calculator, inadvertently looked up at Doyoon and blinked in surprise. His gaze, which had been fixed on Doyoon, moved to Bibi, who was looking at the book. Seemingly overwhelmed by the mysterious atmosphere of the two unusual customers, he gaped blankly.

“...Are you actors?”

The owner asked blankly.

“No.”

“Where are you folks from?”

“We came from Long Melford. Where is the monastery?”

Knowing that he had asked about their nationality, Doyoon simply stated their starting point.

“Monastery, huh…. Not many people look for that place. What’s your purpose?”

“We have some business there.”

“What kind of business?”

“Looks like you worked at the airport immigration.”

Doyoon looked at the nosy shop owner with a vexed expression. Sensing that he had acted like an immigration officer, the owner cleared his throat, gave him the change, and took out a map.

“Just surprised to see a foreigner. Most visitors here are either occult enthusiasts or campers living nearby. Besides… such looks are rare, so I can’t help but be surprised. Here… here’s the map…. The monastery you’re looking for is this way. Walk along the forest signposts and turn here, and you’ll find it.”

“I’ll take this fairy tale book too.”

Doyoon’s expression finally relaxed after getting what he wanted. He paid for the fairy tale book Bibi was looking at as well and handed over a check.

“Keep the change.”

Despite the considerable amount of money he was owed, Doyoon didn’t take the change. The owner, who had been eyeing the strangely atmospheric couple leaving the store, belatedly called out.

“Be careful. It’s not as bad as Yorkshire Dale, but it’s wide and rugged enough for people to get lost. Quite a few people have died while camping, lured by something.”

“Lured by what?”

“Ghost Jack lives in that forest. Must be an evil spirit summoned by the Celts. So be careful not to offend it.”

At the word ‘ghost’, Bibi flinched and took her eyes off the book.

“If you anger the ghost, they won’t even find your body, and you’ll be missing forever. You’d be lucky if they even found your remains.”

The owner’s face took on an even more sinister light.

Was it because of the warning, or was it just the gloomy weather? The forest, made up of oak, ash, maple, and holly trees, was cold and eerie. Moss and mushrooms covered the rotting tree stumps.

Walking along the path with Doyoon, Bibi spotted a black badger among the newly budding bluebells. The fierce weasel-like creature, having recently woken from hibernation, was very thin but had successfully hunted and was carrying a limp hazel dormouse in its mouth. The sight sent a chill down her spine.

Perhaps if they had come in summer, or if she hadn’t heard the frightening warning, she could have observed it with interest. It was a shame.

“Let’s go this way.”

Doyoon, carrying a large backpack, pointed to the middle of a dense forest beside the hiking trail. There was a sign saying not to leave the path because it was dangerous, but he lightly ignored it and strode into the forest. Leaving the safe route, a rough path with protruding rocks and roots appeared.

The atmosphere became even gloomier. A chilling fog filled the spaces between the trees, and a coldness kept rising from the ground. The more they walked, the more the scenery repeated itself. It even felt like they were going in circles. It was eerily sinister, as if a ghost would pop out at any moment.

Even though it was spring, the days weren’t very long yet. As the sun began to set, the forest quickly began to darken. Come to think of it, it had been quiet around them for a while. The small animals that had been seen occasionally were now gone. There was no wind, and not even birdsong could be heard. Did that make sense?

Bibi had her first doubt. Was it right to keep going like this? Was there really an abandoned monastery? Besides… why did she have this strange feeling since earlier? She definitely didn’t sense any presence, but it felt like someone was watching them. Could it be… the gaze of the ghost that was said to live in this forest?

“Watch out!”

Doyoon grabbed Bibi’s arm, who was walking blankly. At the same time, a black shadow suddenly sprang forward from the fallen leaves. It was a deer with white eyeballs and blood dripping from its mouth.

“Kuuuek!”

The deer made a bizarre sound she had never heard before, then shook its head and ran forward aimlessly.

Thump!

And it crashed its head into a large tree and fell to the side. Doyoon approached the sprawled deer and examined its condition.

“It’s dead.”

“…….”

“Let’s keep walking.”

Passing the deer’s carcass, Doyoon held out his hand. She could walk perfectly well on her own, but Bibi didn’t want to refuse his kindness, so she took his hand, then was startled. The temperature of Doyoon’s palm was very low. It was so cold that it was hard to believe he was a living person.

Bibi looked up at Doyoon. He was trying hard not to show it, but he looked uncomfortable. His cheeks were very pale and white. As night approached, his condition was getting worse and worse.