Queen of Bones

In the eerie and foreboding landscape of 1931 Oregon, the Wilson siblings, 16-year-old Alice and 14-year-old James, eke out a hardscrabble existence alongside their father, Jasper, on the family's remote homestead. Their lives are marked by toil, isolation, and a deep-seated sense of unease. The siblings' mother, Elara, mysteriously succumbed to a "bone fever" – a malady that seems almost otherworldly – two years prior, leaving behind a lingering sense of loss and an unaddressed question: what really happened to their mother? As the harvest season gives way to the desolate cold of winter, Alice and James begin to feel the weight of their mother's absence more acutely. They spend their days helping Jasper with the chores, searching for game in the surrounding woods, and struggling to make sense of the strange occurrences that seem to plague their rural outpost. Doors creak open and shut, tools go missing, and the sound of whispers carries on the wind. The siblings exchange nervous glances, wondering if they are truly alone in the wilderness. One fateful evening, while out collecting firewood, James stumbles upon an ancient-looking journal hidden within the roots of a centuries-old fir tree. The journal belongs to their mother, Elara, and as James flips through its yellowed pages, he discovers a world of cryptic messages, sketches of symbols, and references to an otherworldly realm known as the "Bone Kingdom." Alice, ever the pragmatist, is dismissive of the journal's significance, attributing the strange writings to their mother's fevered imagination. However, as James continues to pour over the journal, he becomes increasingly convinced that Elara's death was no simple natural occurrence. Determined to uncover the truth, Alice and James embark on a perilous journey of discovery. They sneak into the abandoned mine on the outskirts of town, where local lore suggests the Wilsons' homestead was once situated before being forced to relocate due to a series of bizarre happenings. As they delve deeper into the mine, they stumble upon ancient artifacts and symbols that mirror the illustrations in Elara's journal. The siblings begin to realize that their mother may have been more than just a homesteader's wife; she might have been a guardian of a forgotten world, tasked with keeping the forces of darkness at bay. Jasper, however, seems unwilling to discuss their mother's past or the secrets she may have harbored. Alice and James sense a deep-seated guilt lurking beneath his stoic exterior, and they become convinced that their father is hiding something critical. As tensions between the siblings and Jasper escalate, the supernatural occurrences on the homestead grow in frequency and intensity. It becomes clear that something is stirring in the shadows, and the Wilsons – or at least those within the family – must confront the true nature of the force that has been manipulating their lives for so long. In a shocking twist, Alice stumbles upon an ancient ritual inscribed on the walls of the abandoned mine. The ritual appears to be connected to an ancient cult, long thought to be extinct, which venerated the spirits of the land and sought to maintain a delicate balance between the mortal realm and the Bone Kingdom. As the siblings ponder the implications of their discovery, they realize that Elara's death might have been a pivotal event in a larger struggle between light and darkness – a struggle that their family may have been unwittingly embroiled in for generations. The lines between reality and the supernatural begin to blur as Alice, James, and their father are forced to confront the truth about their past. The Bone Kingdom – a realm of skeletal beings, eerie landscapes, and a twisted hierarchy of the dead – starts to seep into their world, threatening to upend their fragile existence. In a desperate bid to restore balance to their lives, the Wilsons must make a perilous journey into the heart of the Bone Kingdom, where they will confront the mastermind behind the mysterious occurrences: a being from Elara's past, fueled by a hunger for power and vengeance. As the stakes grow higher, the Wilsons must come to terms with their family's dark history and the secrets that have been kept hidden for so long. Will they be able to overcome their differences and work together to vanquish the forces of darkness, or will the Bone Kingdom prove too powerful to overcome? The Wilsons' journey into the heart of the unknown will leave them forever changed, but will it be enough to restore their shattered lives and bring closure to the mysteries that have haunted them for so long?