Peyton wasn’t allowed to drive to drive to the cemetery ‘cause she may scare the spirits, so Nic made us walk. We started out walking to the Richfield Reading and Speech Center for batteries. We walked in loudly discussing our plans of raising or talking to the dead. The back room door was open, it was empty except for threads and scraps of material laying on the floor, Margie the owner walked out with two women following, and started apologizing to them about the mess as her tenant had just moved out. I guessed the pair was mother and daughter taking a tour of the place.
Margie spotted us and gave us a cheerful “well hello girls” and introduced us to the possible new tenants. They both had dark hair; the daughter was slim with dark make-up, petite but pretty in her own way. She had a long black cardigan, jeans and black boots on. The way she dressed reminded me of the burn-outs at our school. The mom was shorter dressed in jeans and a black sweater, she seemed nice, like a cheerful person.
We had gotten our batteries and I got a Snickers. It was only dusk but by the time we crossed the highway, through a field, and an industrial office area. It was dark when we reached the massive black wrought iron gates that protected the entrance of the cemetery; all three of us popped our flash lights on at the same time. When Nic explained what we were going to do a couple of days ago it sounded fun and not scary at all; but now in the dark cemetery it seemed a lot more ominous than I expected. I hoped I wouldn’t get cold feet.
As we footslogged through and around the headstones we finally came upon one that was very large and fancy. The name on it read “Harriet Winchester” I said “Hey! We know her!”
Nic replied “That we do… she owns the house down the street from me, well her two grandsons own it now, but they are never there because they travel a lot. That’s why they pay me to look after the place.”
“If anyone is in tune to us trying to talk to the dead, it would be sweet Harriet.” I replied. I remember Nic and me going to her house and cleaning it and her kitty litters, she had several cats and I even remember going grocery shopping for her and putting it away into her original medicine green metal cabinets in her tiny kitchen. She always tried giving Nic money and she would be very insistent sometimes, in that case Nic would take it and then put in her cookie jar, where she kept all her cash. She didn’t use a bank. I could picture her with her white hair all pulled back in a bun, hunched shoulders, short, walking with a cane and always in a dress. Nicest lady ever. I bet, Nic was going to ask her where the treasure was! She always spoke of one, among other scary tales but we always assumed it was a story.
Nic dropped her backpack and started setting stuff up; three white candles in front of the tombstone and lit them, she poured some kind of black spice or crumbs from one side of the gravestone in a circle around to the other side. Then she dropped what looked like red flower petals in the middle of the circle in front of the candles and said something Greek.
We held hands across from the gravestone she told us to concentrate on wishing to talk to Harriet and we were supposed to say “Talk with us in the land of the living we bring you no harm” over and over. Of course Peyton and I just giggled. Nic got mad, stopped us and said “Really? Both of you concentrate.”
As I was looking at Nic trying not to laugh, I saw movement over her shoulder, a dark figure wearing a long dark hooded cloak. It looked like the girl from earlier if I had to guess, tall, slim but it was so dark and why would she be out here. I turned back to the grave yanked on Peyton’s and Nic’s hands and said “Let’s do this so we can get out of here.”
“Close your eyes.” I said very seriously shaking their hands. “Talk with us in the land of the living we bring you no harm.” I said strongly and the girls repeated it with me. I put all my energy into it and raised our hands. “We seek out your missing treasure.” I felt a surge of heat go thru my body, my hair stood on end, the circle set on fire and I heard something say ”It’s at the base of my favorite tree, eleven paces out due west the treasure is yours my dearest Nicole.” One of us screamed so loud, I didn't hear anything else. I wanted to run but had a flash of consciousness, stamped out the fire, blew out the candles and grabbed the backpack. I looked back and saw the cloaked person, let out a yelp, and ran to find Nic and Peyton huffing and puffing at the wrought iron gates at the entrance to the cemetery.
The two of them were giggling. “Addie don’t do that, you scared the crap out of us.” Peyton complained.
“Do what? I didn’t do anything? It was Nic’s séance.”
“Oh no, it’s under my favorite tree ha ha ha.” Nic bantered.
I held my throat, “I didn’t say that” I spoke softly, “I didn’t…” The girls turned, started walking back home chatting away like nothing happened. I heard it, I didn’t say it….
* * * * * * *
As far back as I can remember, we typically had family night on Friday nights and we would go out to dinner every other week or so. The kids got to choose where too, my brother would sometimes choose Burger King but we loved it, he would always get the ham and cheese sandwiches. I don’t know why they stopped making them, they were good.
My favorite place to go was Quaker Square for pizza, it's in downtown Akron. I love going in the winter, steam would come out of the sewer caps on the ride home making for a very cool effect in the dark, and I could imagine a creepy supernatural movie scene when I see it. When we would get to Quaker Square we would put our name on the waiting list and then go visit these old full sized retired trains that you could walk through and see the many model trains setup inside. My father loved trains and that would take up most of our wait time. Quaker Square used to be the old Quaker Oats Mill up until 1970 when they converted it into a shopping mall, hotel and restaurants. Totally cool too, all the hotel rooms were round; we got to stay in them once for a wedding. They gave us a totally cool tin filled with Quaker Oats cookies too.
Quaker Square has the best Pizza in town, my parents say “If you can’t get Chicago pizza this is as close as you’ll get.” After dinner we would walk across the parking lot to the shopping mall. They have a glass elevator that goes all the way to the top floor – since they used to be oat silos there were many floors to shop on and explore. We usually shopped around a little after dinner always hitting the candy store before going home; it was one of those old fashioned candy stores, where you give them a dollar and it bought a whole bag of candy.
Since our parents were going out with their friends tonight we got to choose a restaurant last night. It was Tori's turn to choose and she picked Skyway's Drive In, a fast food restaurant we love, it has the best cheeseburgers, toasted cheese sandwiches and onion rings ever! It was a drive-in restaurant so you had to eat in your car, always fun as a kid. A great benefit of Skyway was the cute guys that came to your car to wait on you. Plus, it’s the hot spot for kids our age to go. Number one on my list is the Ski-Hi burger, next is the California Fizz which is a drink - they're outstanding! If you try and duplicate either, the burgers or the drinks, ya just can’t.
Anyway, we were on our way to our parent’s friend’s house, the Monaham's. My dad was always on time and my mom always ran late, but today she was on time and our moods were all on high.
My parents were very social, they go out just about every Saturday. We used to have a sitter but not this summer. Now, when they go out with their good friends the Monaham's, who also have kids, they bring us to their house to fend for ourselves while the parents go have fun. Of course, the Monaham's kids were always doing something they weren’t supposed to. When we go there, depending on the week, one kid was always singled out and picked on, hurt or traumatized in some way or other.
Just after we got to the Monaham's, before all the parents left, we got the usual rundown of rules: “No fighting, no playing in the living room or dining room, no friends over and do not answer the door no matter what! Call us at the restaurant or theater ONLY in an emergency. And if any of you get out of line there would be consequences!” My neighborhood
friends thought my dad was scary but I think Mr. Monaham was way scarier and we took every word he said seriously. As far as discipline went, we were grounded or even may have been paddled when we were bad, but I always had a sense that their discipline was way more severe! I knew they had family secrets too and if they ever told us them I am sure they would have to kill us! Maybe they wouldn't kill us, but I'm sure they'd get the highest punishment available, which in that house couldn't be good.
The parents didn't take long to leave; they left at 6:45 on the nose. Right after they left, it seemed to be a more somber crowd, not the normal fighting and screaming that usually started the minute the parents left the driveway. It was strange because normally Kevin would yell something funny to us and the screaming, yelling and running around would begin. It wasn't that way tonight, at least not yet.
I guess we just had to wait for it. Of course it came, the reason they were on their best behavior…. The Monaham kids, Kevin and Lucy, said “We are going to invite our friends over and if any of you tell on us, Kevin will kick your asses.” Kevin, by the way, had a black belt in karate. So we believed them when they told us that.
All the kids started to fight and we were trying to keep Kevin from using the phone but he locked himself in his parent’s room and made a call and five minutes later his friend Logan arrived. We all went into the living room – the living room where we weren't allowed. It was okay though, we sat around talking. I sat on the floor, across from the couch and coffee table next to Kit. I wasn't going to get blamed for anything, easy exits from where I sat. Tori, Kevin and Logan were on the couch. Lucy was still upstairs in her room.
The doorbell rang again, Lucy bolted for the door, it was her friend and they joined us in the living room. Everyone was bragging about what they had and what they did this summer, except my sister, brother and I. Obviously, we were in a rich kid’s neighborhood. Although, the houses didn't look rich or massive, but you knew they came from money. Everything was pristine, kept up and perfect. The kids and parents always had all the newest gadgets.
The Monaham's had a nice two-story house and although nothing looked really expensive everything looked immaculate. The grass and bushes all perfectly manicured and the inside so clean I doubt you could find a spec of dirt. The grand picture window in the living room was lined with expensive drapes and opened perfectly leaving enough window open to let in daylight. The kitchen was spotless, with a dishwasher, double ovens and all the perks a kitchen could have. The dining room looked like it had never been touched. The basement was finished so nicely it didn't even look like a basement. Everything was up-to-date, new, but not too fancy either. And the kids had every kind of toy imaginable, new TV's, all the Atari video games and attachments, considering it's the very first home video game available to the public, it was a big deal.
As Logan kept ranting about his playthings, Lucy and her friend got flustered and mad because they were duped by him – he obviously had more stuff. They got up and went to Lucy's room. That left the rest of us. Logan kept on bragging along, now he was onto the sports he was in and how well he does in them. My sister got so mad she decided to tell him, “You look too fat to be good.” He wasn't fat maybe husky but not fat – okay he’s chunky – scratch that he’s fat – I’m always trying to be nice to everyone. She started telling him how all three of us were on the swim team and anyone of us could beat him. He replied by saying “I would love to see you in a skin tight swim suit.” I was sitting Indian style with my elbows on my knees and my chin resting on my hands, I looked up at him quickly. He was looking right at me, but I dismissed him thinking he was talking to Tori.
Everyone flirted with my sister so he must have been looking at my sister when he said it, all the boys liked her. She was beautiful. My sister told him about my diving and Logan said “I betcha diving makes you sooo flexible, I wanna see you twisting and flipping in the air,” real sleazy like. Kevin and Logan were the only two that laughed.
Who does this guy think he was John Travolta? Give me a break. I just gave him a dirty look and said “You're sick” and he responded “Sick in love with you”. He just grossed me out more, this guy is crazy – “You mean you're in love with Tori”, and he replied “No, I mean you!” I was actually repulsed by this guy, and now I thought I'm glad I'm not Tori because she has to put up with this crap from a lot of guys, I’ve seen it happen before.
Logan was obnoxious and nothing to be obnoxious about. He looked very average to me, nothing special. He doesn't even look like he's fit enough for sports; maybe there is a layer of muscle hiding underneath that husky body of his, or maybe not I laugh to myself. He had short dark hair that was dyed a brown orange color, ick, and no extraordinary features to him, except for the fact that his ears stuck out. And the mouth on him, has he ever listened to himself, maybe that's the problem, he won't shut up because he likes listening to himself – he’s the only one too. When he ran out of things to say I think he just started making things up, actually I think most of the stuff he told us was all lies.
He started bragging again, this time about how he was on swim team and he's sure we had nothing on him. My sister got so mad she blurted out that I was a wrestling manager and I can kick anyone's ass.
In eighth grade, Nic and I were what they called wrestling managers. We weren't actual managers though. We would just keep score and video tape their matches at the meets which included tracking, setting up and breaking down the equipment. There was no actual wrestling or training involved. The only people I have ever fought with before were Tori and Kit and I’m sure that didn’t count for much.
At this point I was still drawing pictures in the carpet with my finger, bored, half daydreaming not paying attention to what Tori was saying but to look like I was interested I agreed with her and said “Oh yeah sure” while still looking at the carpet and drawing something else. I didn't bother looking up or even removing my face from my hand and Kaboom! I was flat on my back! Logan had launched himself over the coffee table onto me laying me flat out, his head hit mine making the back of my head crash into the floor. He said “Give me a kiss baby!” and in the distance I heard Kevin saying “Let's give the love birds some privacy. “ Kevin, Tori and Kit all left. I'm assuming they went all the way down to the basement because that's the only place we were allowed to go.
I tried to get out from under him, “Get off me!” He grabbed my wrists and pinned them to the ground, I shook my head back and forth so he couldn't plant his awful lips on me. I wiggled to the left when he leaned to my right and tried to plant one on my cheek. “You know you want it; you know you love it baby.” He said in this creepy awful voice.
I thrust my butt up off the floor and kicked my legs out to the left and was able to free half my body wishing desperately I could make this stop. Logan grabbed me at the waist and pulled me back to him. I yelled “Help!” but my voice was drowned out by TV’s and stereos blasting throughout the house. He entangled his leg around my right leg and I couldn't move. Everything felt as though it was in slow motion and time was standing still, I tried to get free, I felt my muscles begin to tire. He ripped my shirt part-way open, “Stop!” I said “Stop it! Let me go!”
He told me “You love it baby, you know you want it.”
My body began to shake, tears began to fall. He was working with my right arm trying to pin it down. I fought and moved any part of my body I could trying to break free. I couldn’t move under his weight, my one leg was still totally pinned.
“You’re hurting me! Let me go!”
He grabbed hold of my right wrist but had no control. As I struggled to free myself I tried to think of a wrestling move that would get me out of this mess. I quickly thought; roll over so I wouldn't get pinned and then try and get up. I could do this, I could roll over. I tried and tried to roll but I couldn't budge.
“Addie I know you want it, give me a kiss” he said with effort.
“Leave me alone,” was all I could muster up and not very loudl
y, it was a struggle to speak. I pulled myself up on my elbow and suddenly, he whacked my head with his and my head hit the floor with such force that it throbbed and rang. When we locked eyes, his looked like reflective mirrors with no color to them at all, they alarmed me with such a frenzy my heart stopped. He got my right arm between our bellies and laid on it with all his weight and I could barely move. My right leg still pegged started to tingle. Me being panicked and struggling to get away so bad, I know, was making him more excited.
He pinned my left arm to the ground, pressed his head on my cheek and pushed so I couldn’t move, I couldn’t even turn my head. “Stop! Please! Stop!” I felt tears rolling down my cheek and his hot breath on my neck and he licked it and then I felt a searing pain. “Get off!” I tried wriggling some more and broke my left wrist free. I inhaled and started hitting him with my fist as hard as I could, in the back, arm and face, anywhere. I felt like I started to break free but instead I felt his hand in my shirt and on my breast. I pulled at his hand, “Leave me alone!” I yelled again and I’m sure no one can hear me. All I can hear is noise.
I free his hand from my chest and he moves it to my waist, my jeans open and his hand is...”Aaaaahhhhhh” I let out a high pitch scream. I started crying so hard I couldn't breathe. And then, just like that, he was off of me. I immediately sat up and scooched myself backward until I hit the wall. Logan was standing holding his eye “You bitch!” I retreated further into the wall pulling my legs into my chest, pulling my shirt closed as tight as I could. I looked over to the entryway, my brother was standing there backing up slowly, shaking his head, he looked really scared. “You asshole, if you ever touch my sister again I'll split your other eye open!” Kit shouted.
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