Read Online Wildwood (YA Paranormal Mystery) by Helen Scott Taylor - Free Book Online

against the side, full of straw bales covered in plastic sheeting.
    "This is our workshop." She took a key from behind a flowerpot full of scarlet geraniums and opened the door. Along one side, three windows flooded the shed with hot beams of sunlight. Spots of dust sparkled in the air. The fresh, clean scent of straw mingled with the warm, spicy fragrance of cedar wood. The aura of the place brushed over Todd's senses like a warm breeze. There was nothing evil in here. He was certain of it.
    Corn dolls in various stages of preparation stood in a line along the bench beneath the windows. Marigold pulled out a stool for him and then sat on another. "You can have a go at making one."
    She withdrew the blades of two knives from a wood block and put one on the bench in front of him. "Careful, it's very sharp. The straw blunts the blades quickly, so we keep the edges keen. It makes the job easier."
    Todd hefted the blade in his hand, feeling the balance. His father had always carried a couple of knives. One in a leather sheath attached to his belt, the other inside his boot. Todd often saw him use the one on his belt while he hunted or worked in the garden, but never the one hidden in his boot. He used to wonder why his dad carried the second blade.
    "Watch me first, then you have a go," Marigold instructed.
    She cut a bunch of stalks to length, then twisted and knotted them, making it look easy. She finished by using some of the stalks to tie off and hold the doll in shape.
    When Todd tried, stalks cracked, bent in the wrong place, and stuck out at strange angles, until his doll resembled a mutant hedgehog. He dropped it in disgust.
    Marigold picked up his pitiful attempt. "I suppose this could be Shaun on a bad day."
    Todd laughed. His frustration evaporated. "Or Grandpa. You should see his hair in the morning."
    Marigold pulled on a piece of straw. Todd's whole doll unraveled and fell to pieces. They both laughed. "Don't think we'll be offering you a job," she said grinning at him.
    He liked to see her laughing and smiling. He hoped no more of his questions made her sad.
    Marigold pulled a huge box full of material scraps from under the bench and sorted through them. She pulled out a piece of denim and a stretchy black square of fabric. She held them up in front of him and narrowed her eyes. "This'll do."
    Icy ants ran down Todd's spine. "What're you doing?"
    She paused, her hand reaching for the glue pot. "Making it look like you."
    Todd shook his head, trying to think how to tell her he didn't want one without offending her. He opened his mouth and closed it again when nothing came to mind.
    "Are you all right, Todd?"
    "I don't want one like me."
    "Why not?"
    "Don't take this the wrong way, but they remind me of voodoo dolls." He expected her to be mad; instead, she burst out laughing.
    "Do you know anything about voodoo?"
    "Course not."
    "They say the effect on the victim is only due to superstition. How about I make a Todd doll, and you can put it in a model Porsche. Maybe it'll bring you good luck."
    "I'd rather you didn't."
    "Okay." She grinned. "I'll make a doll that looks like me." She dropped the two scraps of fabric back in the box before pulling out two more pieces. She glued a pale blue skirt and pink shirt on the doll, then finished it off with yellow wool hair and a small straw hat decorated with a tiny marigold.
    Todd rested his elbow on the bench and propped his head on his hand, watching her nibble her lip in concentration. The tiny golden hairs on her skin gleamed in the sun. Heat prickled Todd's skin. Marigold might be strange, but he liked her. She was different from most people. They had that in common.
    "Grandpa told me you don't go to school," he said.
    "Nope. Mum homeschools me. I don't have to do any boring stuff like everyone else. I get to learn really cool things about crystals and astrology and herbal medicine and natural healing." She glanced up at him, her amber eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "I