The Legend of the Firewalker

by Steve Bevil [paranormal/YA]

  “No.”

  Malick grinned. “Oh. Well, now I just did.”

  Nathan looked up to the ceiling of the car and shook his head. He was caught off guard when he felt a buzz in his pocket. It was a text from Lafonda. “Where are you?” it said.

  Nathan’s face immediately turned red. “Lafonda knows I’m gone,” he said. He placed his phone back into his pocket. “It’s just a matter of time before she realizes that you and Jonas are gone too.”

  The front windows were clear now and raindrops splattered on the hood of the vehicle. Malick grinned as he put his car into gear. “It’s now or never,” he said.

  Nathan glanced back at Jonas from the rearview mirror. His hair was wet and besides being clothed, he looked like he normally did after stepping out of the shower. Jonas realized Nathan was looking back at him and smiled. “Just go,” said Nathan.

  Malick hit the gas hard and the tires screeched as the car cut through the water in the parking lot. Malick continued to beam as he quickly turned the corner. “Where to?” he asked with a smile.

  “O…kay,” said Nathan while fastening his seat belt. He heard the clicking sound of another seat belt from the back seat. “It is raining outside. Can you try not to kill us?”

  “Uh – yeah, he’s got a point,” said Jonas.

  Malick smiled and then reached to turn on the radio.

  “Can you not be so excited to break the rules?” Nathan asked.

  Malick had a mischievous look on his face. “Can you not look so distraught for breaking them?”

  Nathan smiled slightly. Jonas took off his seat belt and leaned over the driver seat to give Malick directions. Nathan looked out the window as the car whooshed by rows and rows of houses. His leg vibrated again and he had a good guess at who was texting or calling him.

  Jonas pointed towards Nathan’s side of the window. “Turn right after the railroad tracks,” he said. “Our house is the next to last house at the end of the block.”

  The silver car abruptly came to a stop and Nathan and Jonas were thrown forward. Jonas held on as tight as he could to the passenger and driver seats, but still landed in the front of the car. “Ouch!” he said. Jonas rubbed his arm. “You could have warned us.”

  A loud horn suddenly blared and Nathan saw a flashing red light. Malick pointed over the dashboard. “Sorry,” he said. “But a train was coming.” He had an apologetic look on his face. “I didn’t see it until the last minute.”

  Nathan adjusted his seat belt and glanced at Jonas. “That’s why you wear a seat belt,” he said. He pointed at Malick. “Especially if his truly is driving.”

  Jonas made his way back into the back seat and fastened his seat belt. “I hate that freakin’ train!” he grumbled.

  Nathan’s face squinted as he peered through the front windshield. “Where is the railroad crossing guard?” he asked. It was difficult to see because of the downpour of rain. “All we have is a flashing red light?”

  “I don’t know,” said Jonas. “And the stupid train runs right behind our house.”

  “That sucks!” commented Malick.

  “Yeah,” said Jonas. “Try sleeping through the screeching sound of an approaching train at midnight.”

  Slowly, the silver metallic car pulled into the driveway of the next to last house at the end of the block. Malick turned off the engine; shutting off the radio and causing the rapid motion of the windshield wipers to come to a stop. He squinted as he tried to look through the fast accumulating raindrops. “You are right,” he said. “You can see the railroad tracks right behind your fence.”

  “Yeah,” responded Jonas. “And it sucks.”

  Nathan got out of the car and stood outside. The block that Jonas lived on was heavily lined with trees so combined with the rain, the street appeared ominous. Malick rested a hand against the wet car and Jonas walked across the grass to the concrete path that led to the front door of the house. Nathan waved his hand through the air. The heavy rain was now a light mist. “At least the rain has finally let up,” he said.

  “I know,” commented Malick in a drawn-out voice. “I was really getting tired of being trapped indoors.”

  Nathan watched as Jonas sprinted up the steps to the red door of the gray, one-story bungalow. The modest house with sloping roof and white trim had a cheery appearance and the red potted flowers that hung from the porch and adorned the grey steps stood out against the overcast day.

  Jonas looked excited as he knocked on the door. “Come on guys!” he shouted. “What are you standing over there for?”

  Nathan and Malick carefully cut across the grass. Malick made an effort not to get mud on his shoes. “I’ve never seen you be so particular about walking in mud before.” said Nathan.

  Malick looked up. “It’s rude to track mud into somebody’s house.” he said.

  “Oh,” said Nathan as he rubbed the bottom of his shoes against the yellow straw mat in front of the red door. “Jonas,” he said. “Don’t you think your parents will find it odd with you showing up like this? I mean technically you should really be at camp.”

  “Nah, it’s okay,” he said. “My mom is expecting me.”

  Nathan looked confused. “What?” he asked. “Why?”

  Jonas smiled. “I was going to sneak out regardless if you were coming,” he said. “Remember? I told my mom I was coming home yesterday.”

  Nathan slowly nodded. “Oh—yeah – right,” he said. Then he suddenly looked confused again. “And she went along with it?”

  The red door to the front of the house quickly swung open. “Jonas Bartholomew Riley!” shouted the woman at the door. “Give your mother a hug!”

  Jonas smiled big and embraced the curly blonde-haired lady. She was short in comparison to Jonas, and his arms could probably wrap twice around her tiny waist. “I love you, Mom,” he said, while still wrapped in her embrace.

  “Aw,” she uttered. “I love you too honey!” She attempted to comfort Jonas by rubbing his back. “These three weeks away from home must have really gotten to you.”

  “Jonas!” shouted another voice.

  Jonas quickly released his mom. “Bobby!” he yelled with excitement. Jonas playfully ruffled the dark curly hair of the boy in front of him. “Did you miss your big brother?” he asked.

  Bobby winced playfully. “Umm, a little,” he said and then he grinned. “What’s to miss when you’ve called practically every night this week?”

  Jonas playfully put Bobby into a headlock and continued to ruffle his hair. “I am going to take that as a yes!”

  Jonas’ mom turned around to glance at Nathan and Malick. “Oh my goodness, how rude of me,” she said. “And is it still raining?” She paused briefly to stick her head outside the door. “Come in, come in,” she said, with a gesture. “Before it starts raining again.”

  She closed the door and faced them; peering over her glasses, which sat oddly crooked on her nose. “Ah,” she said. “Let me guess – you must be Nathan?”

  Nathan paused. He was a little startled by her accurate prediction. “Yeah,” he said. “That’s me.”

  Jonas’s mom clapped her hands together and smiled. “Oh!” she said, dragging out the word. “I am just so thrilled to meet you.”

  Nathan raised his eyebrows and gave a quick look to Malick before rewarding her with an awkward smile.

  She placed her hands on her hips and laughed. “Ha!” she yelled, so loudly that Malick jumped back. She smiled and fluttered her eyelashes. “Don’t act so surprised,” she said. “Jonas talks about you all the time!”

  She extended a hand first to Malick and then to Nathan. “As you probably already guessed,” she said. “I am Jonas’s mother, Linda Ann Riley.”

  Nathan still had a surprised, but awkward look on his face. “Nice to meet you Mrs. Riley,” he said, while shaking her hand.

  “Aw,” she said. “Just call me Linda.” She fluttered her eyelashes over her glasses again and grinned at Malick. “And I apologize, wha
t’s your name?”

  Malick gave a cynical smile. It looked like he was trying not to laugh. “Stephen,” he said. “Stephen Malick, but just Malick will do.”

  Linda stared at Malick. She raised one eyebrow and twitched her lip. “Malick,” she said. She hesitated before speaking again. “Oh, okay. Well then have a seat Malick and you too Nathan.”

  Nathan sat down next to Malick on a yellow and white floral upholstered sofa and Linda sat in the matching armchair. The living room was neat and sparsely decorated. In the corner next to a bronze floor lamp, a Siamese cat was sprawled out on the hardwood floor. Nathan thought the cat’s bright blue eyes were hypnotizing.

  “Jonas!” said Bobby. He had an excited look on his face. “Guess what?” he asked. “I finally completed the last board of Wizards and Warriors!” Bobby grabbed Jonas by the hand. “Come on,” he said. “Do you wanna see?”

  Jonas smiled. “Oh, okay,” he said. “But you need to say hello to Nathan and Malick first.”

  Bobby quickly looked over at Nathan and Malick. It was as if he just noticed them for the first time. “Oh – hi,” he said. He slowly walked over to Nathan and put out his hand. “Nice to meet you,” he said. “I’m Bobby. Do you play video games?”

  Bobby looked tired and there were what appeared to be faint scratches on his forearm. Nathan noticed the scratches were red so he assumed they were probably recent. “I play a little,” he said with a smile. “But it’s been a while since I’ve last played a video game.”

  Bobby turned to Malick. “Do you play?” he asked.

  Malick ran his hand through his hair. “I’ve played my share,” he responded cockily.

  Jonas turned to look at Nathan. “I’ll make it quick,” he said.

  Nathan nodded and Jonas hurried around the corner with his little brother.

  “Jonas is really good with his little brother,” said Linda. “He really does look out for him. He’s done a great job encouraging Bobby with school and with his studies.”

  “He mentioned Bobby has been having problems in school,” said Nathan.

  The Siamese cat that had been spread out on the floor next to the floor lamp was now at the foot of Linda’s leg. It purred as she rubbed her back. “This is our cat Lacey,” she said. “She helps to keep me company.”

  Linda paused. She suddenly appeared uncomfortable. “He’s a young boy,” she said. “Considering everything that happened, I think he’s doing well.” She looked sad, but still tried to smile. “He’s still doing the normal things like most boys his age,” she said. “Playing video games, roughhousing with his brother, you know – the normal stuff.”

  Nathan was a little confused. He didn’t know what she meant by ‘considering everything that happened.’ “So are things better now?” he asked. “I mean, did something happen at school?”

  “Well,” she said. “Things have gotten a little better. His teacher said he’s turning assignments in on time but falling asleep in class is still an issue. I think he sneaks at night to play his video games, but I don’t want to come down too hard on him.”

  Lacey attempted to sit next to Malick, but he shooed her away. She meowed and Nathan leaned over to pet her. “This might sound strange,” he said. “But I noticed there were some scratches on Bobby’s forearm. Did he fall recently?”

  “Oh,” said Linda, looking slightly surprised. “He probably got a few scuffs and scrapes climbing trees.” She smiled. “You know – just being a typical nine-year-old. His father was so good at keeping him inline and watching after him when he played outside. It’s just been so difficult for Bobby, and I am sure for Jonas too.”

  “Wait,” said Nathan. “I know that Jonas is close to his brother, but why has it been so hard for him?”

  Linda looked confused. “Wait – what?” she said. She paused for a second and then suddenly placed her hand to her mouth. “You don’t know do you?” she asked. “I thought Jonas would have told you.”

  Nathan felt clueless. He turned to Malick to see if he had any answers and he just shrugged his shoulders. “Told us what?” he asked.

  Linda looked as if she was fighting back tears. “They lost their father not too long ago.” she said. Her nose began to run and she started to sniffle. Malick grabbed a tissue from the nearby end table and handed it to her. “The police believe he may have been murdered.”

  “Jonas hasn’t said anything,” said Nathan, in a somber tone. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

  “It’s okay,” she said. “That’s why I don’t want to be so hard on Bobby. I am sure climbing trees and playing video games is his way of dealing with losing his father.” Linda blew her nose into the tissue. “They need time. I want them to be able to grieve in their own way.”

  Nathan could feel his cell phone vibrate in his pocket again. He quickly placed his hand in his pocket to turn it off. “I apologize for asking this,” he said. “Do you mind saying what happened?”

  A tear ran down her face and she blew her nose again. “See Bart…” she said.

  “Bart?” interrupted Nathan.

  “Oh…Bart, I mean my husband, used to work late.” She paused and then smiled. “In fact, he liked to work late. See, Bart was a little bit of an insomniac. Bobby reminds me of him; I think he works better at night too.” Linda’s smile faded away and her face became more somber. “He would often work on projects when he couldn’t sleep; sometimes even driving to the office late at night,” she said. “I didn’t notice it at first, but Bart’s nightly disappearances were really starting to affect Jonas.”

  Nathan looked confused again. “Why did it bother Jonas?”

  “Jonas is a light sleeper, unlike me,” she said. “And he would often wake up to the sound of Bart’s car leaving the driveway. Jonas knew this was typical of his father, but would try to stay up until his father returned anyway.”

  Nathan looked concerned. “Did this affect Jonas in school?”

  “No,” said Linda. “Bart would come home to find Jonas asleep on the sofa. And again, Jonas is a light sleeper so sometimes when Jonas woke up, they would end up talking, particularly about basketball.” Tears were building in her eyes. “But that was before things got worse,” she said. She blew her nose and wiped the tears. “Bart would return back home extremely tired and sometimes bewildered or confused. It got to the point that I begged him to see somebody, to see a doctor, but he wouldn’t listen.”

  “About his insomnia?” asked Nathan.

  Linda nodded her head and her crooked, gold-rimmed glasses started to slip down her nose. “He insisted that it was just stress from work – that things would get better. But things didn’t get better. See, one night Jonas woke up from what he said sounded like a train; I think he said it was about midnight. Jonas walked the house like he normally does after he wakes up and noticed that his father was gone, but Bart’s car was still in the driveway.”

  A few creases formed on Nathan’s forehead. “Where did he go?” he asked.

  There was angst in her voice. “We don’t know,” she said. “We looked everywhere, but we couldn’t find him.” Linda paused to look down at her hands. “It had snowed that day. Jonas’s hands and feet were so blue from searching all day and night. We got a call from the police about a week later; they found Bart’s body somewhere out on Route 7.”

  She sobbed now and Malick handed her another tissue. “I know they miss their father,” she sniffled. “The last gift Bart gave Jonas was an autographed basketball from his favorite player; Jonas still carries it around with him.”

  “I am so sorry about your husband,” said Nathan. “How long ago did this happen?”

  “Back in December,” Linda sobbed. “Of last year.” She removed her glasses and dabbed her eyes. “The police have no leads but the case is still open.”

  Laughter suddenly filled the room as Jonas and Bobby filed in. “I beat you fair and square!” shouted Jonas.

  “How about a rematch?” asked Bobby. “I know my warriors will
take out your wizards!”

  Jonas attempted to grab his brother and tickle him. “I’ll give you a rematch,” he said.

  Nathan was still astonished by what he’d just learned, and he watched Jonas roughhouse with his little brother.

  Malick stood up and stretched and Lacey suddenly ran away. “We probably should be heading back,” he said.

  Nathan glanced at the yellow and silver trimmed clock on the wall. “You’re right,” he said. “We probably should get going.”

  Linda’s glasses lay crooked on her nose again and she smiled. “Okay,” she said. “I am so glad you got a chance to visit, Nathan. It was so nice to finally meet you, and you too, Malick.”

  Malick grinned. “You too, Mrs. Riley,” he said, while nodding his head.

  Linda took Nathan by the hand. “Thank you for bringing Jonas home,” she said.

  “No problem,” replied Nathan.

  “Okay, bro,” said Jonas. “I’ll see you in about a week and then we’ll see about that rematch.”

  Bobby smiled.

  Linda opened the front door and Lacey darted outside. Nathan quickly raised his leg to avoid stepping on her. “Will you be coming to the closing ceremony on Saturday?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she smiled. “I’ll be there.”

  “What about Bobby?” asked Jonas.

  Bobby awaited a response, intently.

  Linda looked down and peered over her glasses. “We’ll have to see,” she said. “It depends if Bobby intends to keep turning in his homework.”

  “You heard it bro,” said Jonas. “If you want to come you will have to finish your homework.”

  “I got it,” said Bobby, confidently. “Done!”

  Jonas glared at him incredulously.

  Bobby laughed. “I’m serious,” he said.

  “Cool,” said Jonas, hugging his brother.

  Malick fired up the silver Camaro once again and Jonas waved good-bye to his brother and mother. Nathan reached inside his pocket to turn on his cell phone; it vibrated furiously. “Look at all these text messages,” he said, nervously. “Lafonda’s going to kill me!”