Luke, Ellie, John, and Jimmy were left standing in the middle of the street. They stared at each other for a moment and then John said, “Do we go look?”
“For what?” Luke asked.
“Footprints.”
“Why?”
“To see if someone was really there,” Jimmy said.
“Someone was there alright,” Luke said. “Ellie heard it too.”
“I did. It was creepy,” she said, wrapping her arms around herself.
“I think we should wait until it’s light out,” Jimmy said. “No use traipsing around in the dark.”
“I agree,” Luke said. “Besides, what if he has a gun or knife or something?”
Nobody said anything for a minute as they all thought about that. Finally, Ellie said, “Sorry you had to be the bad guy Jimmy. Everybody seemed pissed.”
“I don’t care about that,” Jimmy said. “They’ll get over it.”
Ellie smiled at him. “Still-it was big of you to take the heat.” He waved it off.
“You guys do know that if this gets worse, we’re going to have to tell them all,” John said. “For their own safety.”
Everybody nodded, but Luke didn’t want to think about it getting worse. That voice he heard was going to keep him awake tonight as it was.
“We should walk Ellie home,” Luke said.
“Thanks, guys,” she said. The four of them headed off toward Ellie’s house.
The snow was falling hard now and Luke could hardly see ten feet in front him. They talked about mundane stuff as they walked and their voices had an odd quality to them; muddled and stale, like they were trapped in a vacuum. Ellie said only a few words here and there, then suddenly yelled at the top of her lungs. “Whoo hoo!”
They stopped and looked at her as she smiled, sheepishly.
“Did you hear that?” She said. “No echo at all. It was like my voice was sucked away.”
“You are weird,” Jimmy said, but was smiling. Luke laughed and John just stared at her.
“You scared the crap out of me,” John said.
“Whoo Hooooooo!” Luke yelled, and then laughed.
“Aaaaeeeeeee!” Jimmy piped.
Pretty soon they were all yelling at the top of their lungs and laughing at the stupidity of it. As they stopped, the giggling quieting down, they heard a distant “Whoo hoo!” mocking them and they all froze. Ellie shifted next to Luke and grabbed his arm. Luke felt suddenly colder and wished he were home in his warm house.
“Come on,” John said, and started walking faster.
They got to Ellie’s house and stood at her door.
“It could have been anybody, you know,” Jimmy said.
“Yeah,” Luke mumbled. “But it could have been him, too.”
“Thanks for walking me home,” Ellie said. They were all quiet for a minute, then Ellie added, “You guys are my best friends.”
Luke didn’t know what to say and apparently neither did Jimmy or John, because they all stood there shuffling their feet.
“Bye,” she said reaching for the handle, but then stopped. She turned, quickly took a step toward Luke, and kissed him softly on the lips. She smiled coyly and Luke felt himself turning red. She opened her door and disappeared inside.
“What was that?” John asked, grinning.
Luke couldn’t help the big grin on his face, but he said nothing. He could still smell her hair and the feel of her lips on his. He looked away, embarrassed, and led the way home.
Chapter 6
Luke couldn’t sleep. The evening’s events had his head in a spin and he couldn’t shut it down. The voice kept replaying in his head and that laugh chilled him to the bone. He could not seem to get warm. Several times over the last few hours he thought he heard it again, outside his window, a whisper, like sandpaper against the glass, or a little titter of laughter. He thought he was imagining it, but he couldn’t be sure. It did little to help his restlessness.
Then there was Ellie. Every time he thought of her, the voice would slip from his thoughts. He relived the kisses over and over again and felt silly at how good she made him feel. The smell of her was still on his jacket so he lay with it next to him. Jimmy and John would think he was stupid, but he didn’t care. She was the most beautiful thing in his life right now and he clung to that ferociously. He could hear her voice in his head saying to him, “I know you’ve been wanting to do that, but I knew you wouldn’t, so…” and he thought it very cool she was so bold. She was right. He would’ve never kissed her first.
His cell phone vibrating on his bedside table startled him. He looked at the clock. It was 3:32 am. He picked up the phone looking at the caller I.D. and smiled.
“Hey,” he whispered.
“I can’t sleep,” Ellie said.
“Me neither.”
“Is the voice keeping you awake?”
“Yeah,” he said, pausing. “Along with you.”
“I’ll hang up then,” she teased.
“No-I mean-not now. Thinking of you was keeping me awake.”
“I know, silly. I was teasing you. You’re keeping me awake too.” And he could tell she was smiling even though he couldn’t see her.
Silence for a moment and then he could hear her rustling in her bed. Imagining her laying there was making him feel funny.
“Are you ok?” he asked.
“Yeah. Just scared. I’ve been wanting to call you for the last three hours but I was afraid I’d wake you.”
“You can call me any time, remember? I told you, for any reason. Any time.”
“I know, I just…”
“Any time.”
“Ok. I’m glad you were awake.”
“I’m glad you called.”
She giggled. “Now we know we’re happy about that. Why can’t we sleep?”
“That creepy voice won’t leave my head. I keep thinking I hear it again outside my house.”
“So do I,” she whispered. “But that can’t be, could it? Not at both our houses.”
“Yeah. No way. I know it’s my imagination, but I still hear it.”
She was quiet for a long moment and then said, “What are we going to do?”
“I’m not sure, but you could kiss me some more tomorrow.” He couldn’t believe he had said it.
She laughed. “Ok. It’s a date.”
“I’m glad you did it first. You were right. I probably never would have gotten up the nerve.”
“I figured, but what I can’t figure is why? Do I scare you that bad?”
“How long have we known each other now?” he asked.
“Oh…let’s see…third grade…about five years. Why?”
“We’ve gotten to be pretty close friends, right?”
“The best.”
“I guess I was scared to mess it up. What if you got mad at me? I couldn’t stand the thought of you hating me.”
“How long have you felt this way Lucas Harrison?” she asked.
“Since you called me a ‘Goofy Goober.’”
She laughed at him and he realized if he couldn’t hear that laugh all the time, he would feel lost.
“I could never hate you,” she said quietly.
“Ok. Promise?”
“Promise.”
“I feel better,” he said. “Don’t you?”
“Yes. I think I can sleep now.”
“Me too.”
“See you tomorrow?” she said.
“I can’t wait.”
They both hung up and he was asleep before he could count to ten.
All four were in the backyard of Luke’s house looking at the ground. The white snow made everything new and clean, and it was hard to feel threatened in the crisp, white world that now surrounded them. The sun was out, shining bright, and everything sparkled and twinkled.
“The snow has covered any tracks he made,” Jimmy said, more to himself than anybody specific.
“There’s nothing in the bushes,” Luke yelled from the side of hi
s house where the hedge they hid in stood covered in snow.
“Let’s check by the pool,” Ellie said and they all trekked down the hill in Luke’s backyard toward the hole in the fence that led to the sports complex.
Luke’s fence backed up to the tennis courts and pool complex that belonged to the neighborhood. The homeowners would pay a yearly fee and have use of all the amenities for everyone in the family. There were tennis teams, swim teams, diving classes, water aerobics, a kiddie pool, and swimming classes. Just about anything you could think of.
Cotton Court’s entrance was all the way on the other side of the main street into the neighborhood and was a pretty good walk to the pool area, but Luke’s backyard lay right up against it. There was a path that ran down the side of his house and through the backyard to a hole in the fence. Everyone in the court cut through it to get to the pool.
Luke’s Dad was upset about this at first, but now he didn’t seem to care. Nobody hurt any of his shrubs or grass and it was convenient for him also. Just a quick jog down the short path, slip through the hole between the fence and the giant hedge of honeysuckle, and you were right there.
Ellie peeked through the hole in the fence and then slipped through. The rest of them followed and they squished through the snow toward the pool about a hundred yards away. The empty and quiet tennis courts were to their left, and not a single footstep, or animal track, marred the new snow as far as the eye could see. The heavy snowfall had wiped everything clean.
They came up to the fence that encircled the pool and peered through the chinks at the iced over water.
Ellie suddenly smiled and said, “Let’s try to walk on the ice.”
“I don’t know,” Jimmy said. “Could be too thin.”
“Let’s see,” she said and started climbing the fence.
Luke shrugged at John and Jimmy, and then followed her over the fence onto the deck. All the pool furniture was covered in snow and the ice in the pool had a ghostly layer over top of it.
Ellie stood at the edge and said, “Hold me.”
Luke grabbed her arm and John held onto her coat. She put one foot on the snow covered ice and slowly put more weight down. Luke kept expecting to hear a loud crack and watch as Ellie slipped from his grasp, sinking into the freezing water. She had all her weight on one foot now and she lifted the other leg off the ground, standing solely on the ice. She looked up and grinned. That’s when the ice broke and her leg slid into the water. She let out a little cry as Luke and John held her tight, but not before her right leg went into the icy water up to her thigh. They quickly pulled her up and onto the pool deck. She was laughing as she fell onto Luke who had tripped trying to pull her out. He didn’t think it was so funny.
“That didn’t work,” she said.
“No crap,” Jimmy said.
“If you had fallen in, I don’t know if we could have even seen you,” Luke said.
“You wouldn’t jump in after me?” she teased.
“You know I would,” Luke said. “I wouldn’t like it, but I’d jump in.”
She leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Thanks for saving me.”
“Hey!” John said. “What about me?”
“Thank you, John,” and she kissed him on the cheek too. Luke felt a little twinge of jealousy, and it bothered him that he would feel that way toward his best friend.
Jimmy was studying the pool, lost in thought, when he said, “You know, if somebody fell in this thing, I don’t think anybody would find them ‘til spring.”
“Nah-somebody would see,” John said.
“Wanna bet?”
“How’re you going to prove it?” John asked.
“I got an idea.” And Jimmy explained his plan. They all grinned.
That evening, at dusk, they met together on the side of Luke’s house with the items they had collected. Jimmy had his dad’s giant MagLite flashlight, and John had an ice pick along with some old clothes. Luke and Ellie had brought old clothes too. They sat in the snow and put together a stuffed dummy with the clothes and rags. The only things missing were shoes and hands. Luke didn’t think it would matter.
Ellie held the stuffed dummy up and said, “He needs a name.”
“How ‘bout George,” John said.
“George it is,” Ellie said. “Come on George, let’s go swimming.”
It was full dark now, no moon, and Jimmy led the way through the wooded backyard with the flashlight shining the way. It was very quiet and Luke kept thinking he would hear the voice again, but nothing made a sound.
When they got to the pool fence, they tossed ‘George’ over and climbed after him. Jimmy doused the flashlight and they worked in the dark. John took the ice pick and chipped the ice around the hole Ellie had made earlier until it was big enough for ‘George’ to fit through.
“Get the lifeguard pole, John,” Jimmy whispered.
John grabbed the pole that was hanging by brackets on the fence and brought it over. Jimmy used it to stuff the dummy up under the ice and push it out deeper into the pool. He then took the hook end and pushed the snow around on top of the ice, clearing an area so they could see the dummy through the murky thin ice. From their point of view, ‘George’ looked exactly like a body that was trapped under the ice.
“Come on,” Luke said and giggled at the sight. “Let’s go!”
They all quickly climbed back over the fence, laughing nervously and trying not to make too much noise. Luke got stuck at the top of the fence for a minute, his coat snagging on the chain link. He panicked and pulled it hard, ripping it as it tore free. He almost fell when it came loose.
They ran back to the hole in the fence, worked their way back up through Luke’s backyard, and stood in his driveway, proud of themselves.
“Now we wait and see how long it takes for someone to find him,” Jimmy said. “I give it ‘til spring.”
“I say two weeks,” John said.
“Three weeks,” Luke said.
“A month,” Ellie said.
They were all wrong.
Chapter 7
After they made bets with Jimmy and John on when ‘George’ would be found, Luke and Ellie said goodnight to the brothers and then went to his house.
“Mom?! Ellie’s here.”
“Ok,” Luke’s mom yelled back. “What happened to kick the can?”
“It’s too cold.”
“Alright, don’t keep her here too late. Her mom will be worried.”
“I’ll call her, Mrs. Harrison,” Ellie yelled.
Luke’s mom came to the door of the kitchen and looked them both over. “Ok, Honey. That would probably be good. Are you doing ok? We haven’t seen you here in a while. So sorry about Bentley.”
“Thank you, ma’am. And yes I’m doing better.” She looked at Luke and smiled.
“That’s good. You guys gonna watch some TV? I could bring you some cookies and milk.”
“Thanks, Mom. That would be great. Come on, Ellie.” Luke led her down into the basement where the Harrison’s had a game room of sorts. Luke found the TV remote while Ellie called her mom. He grabbed a blanket, since it was a little chilly in the basement, and waited until she finished with her mom.
“I have to be home at 9:00,” Ellie said.
“Ok, that’s cool.” He turned the TV on and found an old movie to watch. Luke’s mom came down with the cookies and two glasses of milk on a tray and set it on the coffee table in front of them.
“It’s freezing,” she said. “Are you sure you guys want to stay down here? You can watch upstairs in the living room.”
“We’ll be fine, Mom. We have a blanket. Thanks for the cookies.”
“Thank you Mrs. Harrison,” Ellie said, grabbing a cookie and taking a big bite.
“You’re welcome, Sweetheart. Ok. If you guys change your mind…” and she turned and went back upstairs.
They ate a few cookies in silence and then she snuggled up next to him, pulling the blanket over them both. He
r head was resting on his shoulder with his arm around her and he could smell the shampoo she used. He put his hand on her head and gently stroked her blonde hair, feeling the fine softness of it as his fingers ran through it.
She hummed softly and said, “That feels so good. Is that weird?”
“Not to me,” he said. “I’ve wanted to do this for a long time now. Is that weird?”
“You should have done it sooner.”
“I told you, I was too scared.”
“You don’t seem scared now.”
“You promised not to hate me.”
She looked up at him. “I did, didn’t I?” She kissed him shyly and then more confidently. He felt he could get lost in those lips.
She broke the kiss and touched his face. “So, are we boyfriend and girlfriend now?”
He hadn’t thought about it. “Well, I’m a boy and you’re a girl, so…”
“Really?” and she punched him playfully. “I suppose you’re going to say ‘And we’re friends…so…’”
“We are, aren’t we?”
“The best.”
“Ok then. We’re boyfriend and girlfriend.” He smiled at her and she kissed him again.
As he got lost in the softness of her lips, a faint ‘tap, tap, tap’ invaded his senses. She pulled away and looked toward the back sliding glass door a few feet away.
It came again. Three quick, light taps, as if someone was using their fingernail against the glass. Luke tensed and he felt her shrink into him.
“What is it?” she said.
“Wait,” he said softly, and she waited.
Tap, tap, tap.
“Shit,” he said and got up. She followed him to the door and he tried peering through the glass into the darkness. He could see nothing. He flipped on the outside light and brightness flared into the backyard illuminating the white snow.
He could see nothing out there.
She held onto his arm, leaning into him, as he took another step closer to the glass. Suddenly an object crashed into the door and she screamed as they both jumped back.
It was small, black, and fluttered around on the ground for a second outside the door, then grew still. Luke knew what it was.
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