HEIRLOOM

Chapter 10

"Ah, you were right all along!" Gabriela looks at me in disbelief, hastily tying the loose ends of her dressing gown. "That stranger the kids were discussing must have been hiding in the paddock! And here I was..." She pauses, swallowing a lump in her throat. "Convincing you that it couldn't possibly be true." Her eyes widen with the realization of her mistake and the potential fallout of her misguided persuasions.

"I must reiterate, it was not a human being!" I insist firmly, the nightmare vision once again standing clearly before my eyes. "What I witnessed out there cannot be attributed to anything remotely human!"

"Well, there you go again," she retorts, her eyebrows furrowing in frustration. "Somebody throws on some bizarre clothes and suddenly you're dealing with a monster. This is just your overactive imagination running wild!" She snaps back, her temper flaring at the mere mention of something she doesn't believe in.

Taking a deep breath, I gather my nerves before summoning the courage to speak. "It's time to come clean," I think to myself, my voice strong and resolute.

"I'm telling you, I'm not crazy. Ever since we visited that stone building, inexplicable things have been happening to me."

Gabriela looks like she's about to argue, but suddenly falters at the sight of Alex, who happens to have overheard part of our discourse. His stern look silences her, and she falls quiet. I turn around to face him.

"What building are you referring to?" Alex's voice is filled with incredulity as he approaches us, his steps measured and deliberate.

Gabriela and I exchange a puzzled glance, both of us taken aback by his sudden questioning. She shakes her head uncertainly, her hand absently rubbing her neck. "Alex, we were just talking about something else," she stammers, her face turning flush with embarrassment. Her cheeks take on a deep red hue, like a freshly drawn crayon.

"No, I distinctly heard you mention a stone building," Alex interjects with a note of reproach in his voice. His eyes bore into mine, demanding an explanation for my earlier statement.

Gabriela hesitates, her voice timid as she struggles to find the right words. "The truth is," she begins, her cheeks reddening further, as if she's done something wrong. "The truth is that we found my grandfather's tombstone in that building - some rundown shack in the cemetery." She speaks softly, her fingers smoothing out the creases in her dress as she avoids meeting anyone's gaze. "We lied about going for a walk that morning after the rain," she admits finally, her voice barely above a whisper.

An unfriendly glint flares up in Alex's eyes, his expression turning stony as he quietly scrutinizes both me and Gabriela with a cold, unwavering stare. It's as if he's looking straight through us, deep into our souls, to confirm whether or not we're telling the truth.

The warmth that has been present in his face moments ago dissipates, replaced by a sudden menace that radiates off of him like an aura. His once-kind features become instantly sharp and austere, the lines deepening around his eyes and mouth as we bear the burden of suspicion.

"I had a feeling there was something more to your supposed morning stroll," Alex whispers bitterly, his face contorted with anger and disgust. His cheeks bulge with a suppressed fury, his complexion whitening from the sheer intensity of his emotions. With a furious growl, he grits his teeth, his jaw tensing with frustration.

Feeling uneasy about his sudden outburst, I tentatively reach out and touch his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. "Alex," I say carefully. "What's going on? We stumbled upon a tombstone in that old stone building - or warehouse, or whatever it is! We believe that the tombstone belongs to Gabriela's grandfather's grave and was brought there by someone for safekeeping."