The woods that made up Verdant Springs could be called eerie. A mix of tall old birches and pines that grew thicker the deeper on travelled off the paved paths that wove through it. Moss grew in great blankets across the ground broken by small game trails and paths.

The young boy who walked down a dirt path didn't find the deep wood eerie, but a refuge. Dried tears clung to the boys cheek as he navigated the path as hastily as possible. The far away laughter of other people tormented him as he sought a favorite sanctuary. In his mind any laughter heard A small creek that carved its bed through the woods.

Jacob Grand walked down the path in to his sullen self. A look that he wore just like the big baggy clothes and thick-rimmed glasses he sported. At five-foot nine, Jacob's obese fr