by Brett McKay
We swept an area clear and sat in a circle so we could watch each other’s backs. I immediately took the side by the window so I could face the bedroom’s door. Jax sat with his back to the entrance, surprising both me and Gary. I’m not sure Jax realized it himself, but we weren’t going to tell him.
Jax and I had brought flashlights, but Gary had brought a lantern, which was much brighter and steadier than our flashlights. Oh, thank heavens for Gary!
The house made its sounds, just like mine did. My mom said it was just the house settling, but sometimes, I thought it wasn’t. The squeaks and creaks were slow and had the rhythm of walking. Our parents always told us that was all in our minds. But I was never really sure. Still, as we told jokes and laughed, time went on, and I looked up at the door less and less often.
Jax pulled out a deck of cards, and we immediately started to play a number of games, including our favorite, called “BS.” The lantern hummed as it burned its kerosene. I looked at the front door frequently to make sure no one stood in its frame, that no creature or ghost watched us. The window was broken, every last shard knocked out of the pane. The open window made for a quick escape if we needed it, and it led to the top of the porch roof.
The hour got late, close to two thirty in the morning. My eyes felt heavy, and Gary’s were bloodshot. Finally, we crashed from the sugar and soda rushes.
We felt safe enough to sleep. There’d been no ghosts or peculiar sounds, and we protected each other. We kept the lantern on low and tucked ourselves into our sleeping bags for the night.
I stared at the door to make sure neither a ghost or an axe murderer entered, and after a moment, I closed my eyes. I snapped them open every so often to inspect the room, but as more time passed in silence, my body relaxed, and I finally fell asleep.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
The noise shook me awake like I’d been dreaming of falling off a cliff and woke up just before hitting the dirt. My eyes went to the door. Nothing. Then they darted to the closet, window, and walls around us. Nothing. The house was silent again for a moment, and I looked at the others, my heart pounding. Gary’s face was green, like he was ready to vomit. Jax’s eyes were wide, and his bottom lip quivered.
“What the hell was that?” Jax whispered.
I shrugged.
“Is someone coming in?” Gary asked, but no one had an answer.
Bam! Bam! Bam! It came from downstairs, sounding like a hammer against wood.
“Kitchen,” I mouthed. It was my best guess.
Then the footsteps from someone’s heels followed. Clack, clack, clack, clack. It was definitely coming from the kitchen. One set of footsteps. Someone was walking back and forth, and the floor creaked in its usual spots.
We couldn’t move. I was too afraid to make a sound. There was silence again, then more footsteps.
They stopped.
“Henry!” a woman’s voice called out from downstairs. The voice belonged to an older woman, maybe in her seventies, and the shrill voice drove spikes of hair up my arms, back, and the nape of my neck.
Bam! Bam! Bam! I imagined a mallet tenderizing meat.
“Henry!” She was louder, more irritated. Her patience wore out. She marched quickly out of the kitchen. Clack, clack, clack! The footsteps stalked down the hall then up the stairs.
No! Up the stairs? She’s coming for us!
“Oh shit,” Gary hissed.
Jax’s face turned white. He jumped to my side and scrunched into me, and Gary quickly followed suit. We sat trembling with our backs against the windowsill. The air from outside blew against my back.
She reached the landing, and I saw movement beyond the door.
“Henry!” with more anger and frustration than before.
She burst into our room and stopped.
Tall and thin, she wore a black dress that covered her from neck to wrists. The bodice angled in at the waist, then the skirt flared out and draped down to her ankles. Her black hair with gray streaks was pulled into a bun so tight that it stretched the skin of her face taut. Her mouth was wrinkled, lips pursed. I saw every detail as if she were a living, breathing person. Yet I could see right through her. She was an image of her real self somehow transmitted beyond the veil for our viewing.
Her sharp eyes darted back and forth between us, registering us for the first time. Her brow wrinkled, and her lips pulled back in a snarl. “Dirty boys,” she cursed with disgust.
She appeared ready to hurt someone, and we didn’t wait to find out for sure. In unison, we grabbed our sleeping bags, pillows, whatever we could, and jumped to our feet. Gary and Jax practically pushed me through the window in their haste to escape. My pillow got caught on a nail and fell back into the room.
“Dirty boys!”
I hit the roof of the porch, and my friends came right after. We wasted no time before leaping from the roof and the short distance to the ground. We mounted our bikes and tore out of there.
I did look back. I had to, long enough to catch a glimpse of the woman standing in the window. White face glowing in the dark, she watched us ride away.
CHAPTER FOUR
Water Weenies
The next morning, I told my mom I’d come home because it got too cold for us to sleep outside at Jax’s house. I didn't get much sleep. I kept staring at my bedroom door, fearing the lady dressed in black would be standing there, staring at me.
I had to rest my head on my arms because I'd lost my pillow. It was back at the house with the ghost. She had it. Maybe she would walk into my bedroom one night, holding it in the crook of her arm.
“Dirty boys...”
Sitting at the kitchen table in a stupor, I dipped my spoon in the cereal bowl and raised it to my mouth, but milk spilled over the sides.
Scott zombie-walked into the kitchen, curly hair standing out all over his head after a long sleep. He poured Cocoa Puffs and milk into a bowl and sat down across from me.
“Didn’t you sleep over at Jax’s house?” he mumbled.
I paused, debating whether to tell him the truth or not. I wasn’t in the mood to. “Yeah, in his backyard, but it got too cold, and everyone went home.”
He nodded and kept eating his cereal.
I MET JAX AND GARY at Dead Man’s Hill. Other kids were there, including my brother, Scott, and his best friend, Daryl.
We were quiet, sharing glances reflecting our trauma. The sun was high and hot, without a single cloud to provide coverage. Summer allergies tickled my nose and eyes, tempting me to scratch. To avoid roasting on our steel bikes, we moved into the shade of a tree on the backside of Dead Man’s.
“I didn’t get any sleep last night,” Jax exclaimed, and it was clear by his bloodshot eyes.
“Do you think we should tell somebody? Like our parents?” Gary asked.
I looked around to be sure no one heard us and kept my voice low. “Tell them what? That we lied and spent the night in an abandoned house and saw a ghost? For one, they wouldn’t believe it, and two, they’d punish us for lying.”
“No way. I ain’t tellin’ my parents,” Jax said.
“It’s not like there’s anything they can do. It’s a ghost. We’ll stay away and never go back.”
Gary nodded, but I saw hesitation in his eyes.
We’d been through a traumatic event together, and past experience said our parents could help us deal with that, but I didn’t agree. Not in this case.
“Man, it is freakin’ hot!” I said. “What should we do?”
My two friends mumbled incoherently. They didn’t have a clue, either.
Scott and Daryl rode down the hill and skidded to a stop in front of us. Daryl Griffin was Matt’s younger brother, and his personality was in exact contrast to Matt’s. He was one of those boys who always held a friendly smile, no judgement in his eyes, and a face that glowed.
“What’re you guys doin’?” he asked.
“Not much,” I answered.
Daryl and Scott glanced at each other.
“Guys wanna have a water fight?”
“A water fight?”
“Yeah. It’s going to be the biggest water fight ever! Everybody’s gonna be in on it. My brothers and their friends. Pat’s going to get his friends—just everybody.”
“Matt’s going to be there too?”
“Yeah,” Scott said. “And Tadd and Jeff.”
“Wow,” I said. It was rare we got included in something our older brothers did. I always wanted to be a part of their world, and this was a no-brainer.
“I don’t have a water gun,” Gary said.
I had some cheap plastic pistols, nothing fancy.
“My brother lost mine.” Jax scowled.
“You don’t need one.” Excitement burst from Daryl again. “We’re making water weenies!”
“Water weenies?” Jax asked perplexed. “What’s that?”
“You guys each have a quarter?”
“We can get one.” I nodded.
“You have to go down to Pederson’s Drug Store and buy a length of surgical tubing, find a writing pen at home, and then I’ll show you how to make one.”
“A bunch of us are going right now. Do you wanna go?” Scott asked.
It was just what we needed to get our minds off the horror of the previous night.
We parked our bikes at Gary’s house and walked along Redwood Road toward the city center. Our parents didn’t allow us to ride our bikes along the busy road because there wasn’t a sidewalk or bike path along that stretch of road. Walking was just as dangerous as riding, but we obeyed our parents because we didn’t mind the walk. It was at least a mile up and back.
Daryl, Scott, Devin, and his two friends, Ralph and John, came with us. We all strode into the drug store and marched to the pharmacy in the back. Sheriff Packard’s police car was out front. He was talking to a clerk when we walked in, but he didn’t see me. I preferred it that way.
“What can I help you boys with?” The burly lady behind the tall counter was always grouchy, tight-faced, and scowling, and it reflected in the tone of her voice. “Let me guess. You want surgical tubing.”
“How did you know?” I was surprised.
“A bunch a you was in earlier.”
She took out the long, skinny latex tubes and cut off lengths of it for each of us while she mumbled under her breath, “I don’t know what it is you boys do with this stuff, and I don’t wanna know.”
We paid our money, and while I perused the racks of candy, I heard the heels of boots click against the tile floor, and they got louder... and closer. I turned to face Sheriff Packard, who stopped a foot short of me, glowering.
“What are you up to, Mr. McCoy?” He looked at each of us frozen in our spots and silent like convicts on probation. My run-in with the law was no secret.
“Nothin’,” I said. “Just buying stuff.”
“Stuff?” He looked at the tubing clenched in my fist. “Whatcha got there?”
“It’s surgical tubing.” The pharmacy lady ratted us out from behind the counter.
“Surgical tubing?” He chuckled. “What do you guys need surgical tubing for?”
My mind was blank, my mouth dry, and I couldn’t think of anything to say.
“Water weenies,” Daryl belted out, grinning from ear to ear. “We make water weenies out of ’em.”
“What the hell’s a water weenie?”
“It’s like a... homemade water gun. We’re gonna have a water fight.”
“Oh, okay.” He turned his eyes back to me. “You staying out of trouble? No more gangs?”
“No, sir. I mean, yes. Well... no gangs.”
“You sure? You guys look like you’re fixin’ to cause trouble.” For the first time, I saw a smile behind his serious expression and realized he was messing with us. “All right...” He gave me a friendly wink. “Don’t let me hear otherwise.”
Seeing our cue to bail, we scurried from Pederson’s and headed for home.
Once we hit our neighborhood, on the final stretch before we turned to get to my house, I saw her long strawberry-blond hair. She was around my age, and although I couldn’t make out all her features from where I stood, I knew she was cute.
She sat next to Morgan Anderson on the front porch of the Andersons’ home. We all knew Morgan. She was nice enough, with brown hair, glasses, and a mouth like a motorboat. From what I could tell, she was doing all the talking, as usual, and the new girl stayed silent and gave courteous nods.
“Who is she?” I asked my friends.
“I don’t know,” Jax said.
“I do,” Devin said. “She just moved in a couple of days ago.”
“What’s her name?”
“I don’t know. My parents went over and talked to them for about an hour. They made me come out and introduce myself.”
“Then how can you not know her name?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Can’t remember, I guess.”
We stood across the street and three houses west. Both girls looked our way, and I turned immediately, acting like I didn’t see them. That’ll do the trick.
“Go talk to her, Romeo.” Gary smirked.
“You go talk to her.”
“Are you serious? I’ve never talked to a girl on purpose.”
“Come on. We got a water fight waiting for us.” Scott urged us on before turning to walk away. We followed.
I kept my head down as we passed the girls, pressing my peripheral vision to the max to see her. I wanted her to look back. It was hard to tell, but I’m sure they looked at least twice. I stole another glance before we were out of range. I had to. In that second, I imprinted her image in my brain.
We finally arrived at my house, and my older brothers were there. They had their water weenies made, and they helped me make mine.
Jeff sat down with me. “Here.” He took my piece of tubing. “You tie a knot at one end. You gotta make it a good knot so it will hold the water.”
For the most part, my brothers and I went our own ways and hung out with our own friends, but occasionally, we spent moments like this, and I secretly cherished them.
Jeff picked up my ink pen and unscrewed the top from its bottom half. “You take the pen apart.” He abandoned the bottom half of the pen and all the insides, including the spring, and held up the tip of the pen. “You only need this half. You push it into the other end.”
Then I saw it. The top half of the pen became the nozzle for the water weenie.
“When you’re ready, untie the knot and fill it with water, but you gotta keep your thumb on the nozzle so the water doesn’t get out. Then when it’s full, tie the knot again, and you’re good to go.”
He helped me fill it. The water weenie expanded to the size of an actual weenie dog and was about as heavy. I kept my thumb on the nozzle, turned so I wouldn’t hit anyone, and tested it out. The water shot out of the nozzle. The stream arced and flew a good ten feet. I was impressed.
A ton of kids gathered at my house, people from all over the neighborhood, including some we saw as enemies or bullies. I didn’t see Fernando, and I didn’t want him to be left out. So Gary and I ran to his house and knocked on his door. No one answered, the drapes were closed, and we didn’t see any vehicles.
We had turned to walk away when the door creaked open slightly and Fernando peered through the crack.
“Hey, Fernando. How’re you doin’?” I asked.
“Good. You guys?”
“We’re good,” Gary said.
“We’re having a large water fight. The whole neighborhood is in on it. Wanna come?”
“No, thanks.” He shook his head. “I gotta help pack. We’re moving this weekend.”
“You’re moving?” Gary asked.
Fernando nodded.
“Where? Why?” I asked.
Fernando shrugged. He appeared withdrawn and somewhat sad. An awkward silence followed, but I didn’t know what to say. Finally, I managed,
“Well, I’m sorry to see you go. Good luck in your new place.”
“Yeah, best of luck,” Gary threw in.
“Thanks. See ya.” Fernando closed the door.
As we sauntered away, Gary and I shared a quizzical look.
“We better hurry and get back,” I said.
Gary agreed, and we bolted into a run back to my house.
Tadd, Jeff, Daryl’s older brothers, and some of their friends showed. Eight older kids and twenty-two younger kids ranging from my age down filled my yard.
“All right gather ’round!” Tadd stepped out and commanded the group. We all turned to listen. “We’re going to separate into teams.”
“I call captain!” Devin shouted, and then other kids started to repeat it.
“No, no, no. We’re not picking captains. We’re going to make this easy. It’s us against you.”
“You mean the older kids against the younger ones?” I said.
“That’s not fair!” Jax protested.
“Yes, it is. There’s like thirty of you rug rats, and only eight of us. We’re outnumbered.”
“All right.” I liked challenges, and I felt confident about our team. “Let’s do it.”
Then they revealed a hidden weapon. Tadd’s best friend, Sonny, stepped out from the crowd, carrying a water weenie the size of a giant boa constrictor wrapped around his neck. It was at least four times the size of ours, and he wore a cheese-eating grin.
“Go!” he called out and shot his fire hose at us. We ran from the stream, then everyone was spraying their water weenies.
Water flew everywhere. Nothing was off-limits. I got shot in the eyes and face several times, and the water fight expanded into the neighbors’ yards.
We scattered like frightened mice without a game plan and hid where we could behind cars, houses, and trees. We snuck from spot to spot, inching closer to the enemy. Sometimes, we got them, and sometimes, they jumped out of nowhere and surprised us.