Read Online Secret Of The Crest by Demetra Gerontakis - Free Book Online

I scoped the area in detail and that’s when I saw man behind a large maple tree. He was slouched and had a sun burnt face and stared back at me. I noticed he wasn’t alone. There was a woman with him as well. She had long black hair. Having no fear I called out to them. “ Hello, I am Gregor, Gregor Dracopoulos. ” They held each other’s hand and backed away. That’s when a hunter appeared.
       “ Boy, ” he said. “ You shouldn’t be out here alone. There are many wild animals that can rip you to shreds. Come along I’ll escort you home. ” 
       Finishing his sentence I saw the two slouchers come out and attack him. He hadn’t seen them being all interested in my safety. They ripped their long nails through his neck and wrists draining him of his blood. The poor man hadn’t the chance to even put up a fight. Everything happened so fast he hadn’t seen it coming. Finishing off their victim they suddenly looked up at me and I became aware at that very moment that all that time I could have ran to save myself but I had just stood and watched putting myself in great danger. The woman tried to get closer to me but not as if to hurt me but as if she wanted to get a closer look at me. The man pulled her back violently and they quickly disappeared. That was the first time I encountered the ghouls. They were human, alive not dead, they were just like all of us and I felt sorry for them. Sorry because they hadn’t asked to become what they were, it just happened to them and they were condemned to it. Their eyes looked sorrowful. It seemed that they had a heartache of some kind and I realized at that point that I sympathized with them.
       I picked up my line, bucket and the two trout I had caught and headed home. I was a six year old with no fears, capable of providing to survive. I had become an adult prematurely do to the circumstances and again knew not why I was so fearless.  When I arrived home my grandmother was waiting nervously pacing at the door. “ Come Gregori, I was so worried, you are very late! ” she said.
       “ Grandma, I caught two fish today! ” I told her.   
       “ Bravo my boy! ”
       “ I also, saw a man and a woman drink the blood of a hunter. ” I said.
       “ What? Are you alright” Did they come to you? ” she asked.
       “ I am fine grandmother, they were staring at me for a long time but they did not come near me nor did they talk to me. Then they ran into the forest. ” I answered her.
       “ I told you to blow the whistle, why do you have it hanging in your neck of you are not going to use it? ” she asked angrily.
       “ I didn’t blow on the whistle because I was not in any danger and most of all I was not afraid! I stated. 
       She looked at me strictly at first and then her eyes became calm again.
       “ I know you are not afraid and I don’t want you to be but that doesn’t mean that you must stay in danger’s way. You must promise me that if you should ever come into a similar situation, fearless or not, you will get away as fast as you can and blow that damned whistle! Promise me right now! ” She had raised her voice. She did that once in a blue moon. “ I promise! ” I said.’
       Marina knew that Gregor had come across his parents who had been turned to ghouls. That was the reason their bodies were never found. Had they been other ghouls they would have taken Gregor with them. His parents though wanted him to live his original life and would never attempt to turn him into the freakish monsters they had become.
       ‘After that day, I went nowhere without that whistle’ he said.
       ‘Let’s stop here please’ said Cassandra. ‘I want to take shots at this point first. It’s beautiful here!’
       They all stopped, unpacked their gear and started taking photos every which way. Gregor rested his leg as he stood upon one of the smaller boulders and stared out at the river. Cassandra slightly turned her camera