Mr. Brierly's father first came to Blackwater in the late 1890's and purchased that land for a good price in 1899, then just before his father passed in the 1920's, he left the entire property to his son. Ironically, he nor his late father ever gave it any thought to tear down or renovate the small old barn, which was only about a quarter mile away from their main house; it just remained in its derelict state.
It was nearing eleven o'clock at night when Jake made his way to Mr. Brierly's land. The moon was full, and its dull light cast eerie unknown shadows on every surface. When Jake finally reached Mr. Brierly's barbwire fence, he thought again about the old haunted barn and wondered if he really wanted to do this, after all, he was wide awake now with all this excitement. But he also knew it would only be a matter of time before he got tired again, so he decided to continue on.
As he crawled and made his way underneath the barbwire fence, he was now officially on Mr. Brierly's land. He snuck right past the Brierly's large two story home, and quietly continued to the old barn, waiting patiently a quarter mile away.
He could see the silhouette of the old broken down barn in the distance and it gave him chills just thinking about all the horrible stories that's been told.
He once heard a story, that when the moon was full, and the land was quite, Todd Beven could be seen in the middle of the barn, burying the Tanner's body parts. And if Todd Beven ever caught a glimpse of you watching him, your fate was sure to be the same as the unfortunate Tanner's.
When Jake finally reached the old barn his heart was violently pounding inside his chest. He tried to escape the vision of the Tanner's body parts being buried, but it was no use. That vision was now trapped in his mind, and it played over and over again.
He heard a noise coming from inside the barn; an eerie rustling sound. Jake was so scared, he didn't even realize that he peed a little, in his pants. He wanted to run but his legs seemed to be paralyzed. Then his eyes widened, as all of a sudden the barn door creaked open just a little, all by itself.
Without warning, a small fox bolted out of the barn, into the darkness. Jake threw himself on the ground, scooting backwards using his hands and feet, until he realized it was nothing more than a little fox.
Jake took a deep breath, regained his composure, then cautiously entered the old haunted barn. It was pitch black, and he could swear he heard the sound of a shovel digging in the ground.
He took out a matchstick and attempted to light it, but his hands were shaking so violently, that he dropped it on the ground. He took out another, but he was so frightened that he didn't realize how much pressure he placed on the fragile matchstick, and broke the tip clean off.
He took out a third one, and struck it once, twice, then on the next try, was finally able to get it lit. The tiny flame gave him just enough light, as he waved it this way and that, fearing that at any moment he would see the ghost of Todd Beven and the whole gruesome scene. To his relief, the only thing he could see was a filthy, dusty, dirty, and broken down barn, that seemed to have been converted into some sort of living quarters.
As he began to search through different areas of the barn, he felt a burning sensation between his fingertips, reminding him that the matchstick wouldn't burn forever. He quickly shook his hand, putting out the flame, then lit another.
He cleared some debris in the middle of the dirt floor with his foot, grabbed two small boards and some dried out grass, and put them in the middle of the small clearing. Once again, the flame from the match reached his fingertips, causing him to put it out, and quietly squeal in pain. He reached into the matchbox and lit one more, but this time the match would be used to light the small boards and dried out grass, making a tiny fire in the middle of the barn.
Once he got the fire going, he was able to see the inside of the barn completely. It was very small in size, and there were broken boards everywhere. There was some old furniture thrown here and there, and a small wooden box at one of the corners, next to an old, worn out, wood burning stove.
Intrigued by the box, he removed the wood lying on top of it, picked it up, brought it over to the fire, and hoped that it might contain some money. When Jake opened the box, he saw a few old newspaper clippings and some pictures.
As he picked up one of the newspaper clippings, dated August 9, 1895, he read the headline aloud: 'Brave man dies after saving entire family.' The headline caught his attention, so he began to read the article in its entirety.
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"Last night, the Tanner house caught fire as a result of one of their children playing with matches. As the flames engulfed the front of the house, the Tanner family was forced to retreat to one of the back bedrooms. Their screams for help were silenced, as the smoke caused the family to go unconscious. All of a sudden, their brave ranch hand, Todd Beven, ran the quarter mile from the small barn, rushed into the Tanner's house, paying no attention to the flames burning his flesh. His heroic efforts paid off, as he carried all four members of the Tanner family to safety. Unfortunately, Mr. Beven, who was burned over thirty percent of his body, died later that evening from wounds, as well as smoke inhalation. But just before Mr. Beven died, he was asked why he did it. Todd Beven was quoted as saying: "After I arrived here from Wales with my wife and son, the Tanner family took us in and treated us like kin, I consider them a part of my family as well, and I'm sure they would have done the same for us."
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Jake carefully put the article down, and thought about what he just read. He picked up another article, that contained the funeral event of Todd Beven. According to the article, the entire town came out to pay their respects to the late hero, and give their condolences to his wife and son.
It also said Todd Beven's body was buried in back of the old barn, in front of a large oak tree. The last article in the box stated, the newly widowed Phyllis Beven, and her son Arnold, moved away from Blackwater, but continue to live somewhere in Missouri. The article mentioned the Tanner family, and how after the tragedy, they could no longer live with the guilt of Mr. Beven's death, so they left Blackwater, and were never heard from or seen again.
Jake then looked to see a few photos in the box. They were pictures of the Tanner family, and the town's hero, Mr. Todd Beven, his wife and son. As he looked at Mr. Beven's photo, he was nothing like how the stories projected him.
It was always said that Todd Beven was a large, hairy, disfigured, angry old man. But in this picture, Mr. Beven seemed quite happy, standing in front of his new home, this little barn, with his wife and son. Jake also noticed that Mr. Beven was a good looking fellow, probably in his early thirties, standing about five foot seven inches tall, and skinny as a rail.
After looking through pictures of both the Tanner and Beven families, Jake put everything back in the box, and laid down next to the small fire. He closed his eyes, and tried to understand how someone could portray such a wonderful man as Mr. Beven, to be this terrible monster who's done such horrible things. As his fire began to die down, he unknowingly drifted off to sleep.
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When Jake woke early the next morning, he could see the inside of the barn clearer, and thought he'd fix it up, since he'd be using this as his special hideout from now on. He looked around and found a few old tools scattered about, which reminded him that Edwin's father helped out at Mr. Cobb's hardware store a few times each week for some extra cash.
Jake slowly peered out from the barn door to see if any of the Brierly's were in sight, wondering how he'd be able to sneak past the house without being seen.
"There must be another way into town." he thought to himself.
He got down on all fours, hoping the tallness of the grass would conceal him, as he crawled to the back side of the barn.
With the barn sheltering him from the direct sight of the Brierly's house, Jake stood up and spotted the big oak where Todd Beven's body was said to be buried. He went over, and noticed what seemed to be a very small square stone lying on the ground, just a few feet a
way, clearing away the leaves and dirt. He took a deep breath, and blew as hard as he could, to try and remove the last bit of debris left on the stone. After wiping it with his hand, he was finely able to reveal the old, worn out headstone of Todd Beven.
The engraving was so faded and weathered that Jake was barely able to read the inscription. As he ran his fingertips over the words, he began to read aloud: "Here lies our town's hero, Todd Beven, giving his life to save others." The next line read: "Todd Beven: Born Dec 24, 1862 – Died August 8, 1895."
Jake sat down next to the faded headstone, and began to wonder about life, and how we could all be gone in the blink of an eye. As Jake looked around, he noticed what seemed to be an old grass covered path.
Wondering where it led, he got up and started following the worn out trail. Every now and then, the trails path would completely disappear, and Jake would have to stop and try to pick up the faded path once again. It finely ended at a sparsely wood covered area. Jake was excited, because he knew exactly where he was.
"Alright! This is perfect!" Jake exclaimed, as he clapped his hands together.
He stood just outside of the baseball field; the evidence of a few unrecovered home run hit baseballs, made that clear.
"Well" Jake thought to himself. "Now I know a way to get to and from the Brierly's without being seen, this is great!"
After Jake crossed the baseball diamond, he headed straight for Mr. Cobb's hardware store, hoping Edwin would be there helping his father, for free as punishment for getting beat up yesterday after his baseball game.
Once Jake reached the side of Mr. Cobb's hardware store, he saw Little Edwin outside, looking extremely bored, sweeping the front walkway.
"PSST!" Jake called, cupping his hands over his mouth.
Edwin looked around, but didn't see anyone, so he continued sweeping.
"PSST—Edwin—over here!" He called again, still cupping his hands over his mouth.
"J-Jake! Are you c-c-crazy?" Edwin whispered, as he looked in Jake's direction, and walked to the side of the store. "You're g-gonna get me k-killed."
"No time for that now Edwin" Jake whispered, pulling him around the corner. "I need you to do me a huge favor. I need you to grab a couple handfuls of Mr. Cobb's Nails!"
"N-N-No Jake! Y-Y-You should have s-seen the wip-wip-wippin' Pa g-gave me yesterday. I-I can't Jake!" Edwin said as he folded his arms.
"Edwin, you're my best friend, and you know I wouldn't ask you to do this if it weren't important. Come on pal, just this once?"
"Okay J-Jake, but j-j-just this once, a-and you owe me b-big!" Edwin replied, as he furrowed his brow.
"Of course I'll owe you!" Jake said, now smiling from ear to ear. "Okay, I'll meet you by the vacant shop at the end of the strip in ten minutes."
"O-O-Okay Jake, Pa's g-gonna let me go just as s-s-soon as I f-finish sweeping. I'll s-see you in about t-t-t-ten minutes."
About fifteen minutes after Jake got to the vacant shop, he could see his buddy running as fast as he could, his front pockets full of nails.
"H-H-Here you go J-J-Jake!" Edwin said. "Mama's expecting me home, s-s-so I'll s-see you la-la-later, a-a-and when I do, y-y-you better t-tell me what th-th-those nails were f-f-for!" Just as soon as Little Edwin handed Jake the nails, he ran home, yelling a quick goodbye.
"Bye Edwin" Jake yelled back. "I'll see you soon...and thanks again!"
From there, Jake acquired some food from Smitty's store, escaping from him yet again by squeezing between the broken boards of the tall fence. He walked past the baseball field, and followed the worn out path back to the old barn. Once there, he went right to work.
It took a few days, but he was actually able to fix the inside of that place like new. He refastened all the loose boards, and repaired all of the Beven's old furniture. As Jake put the finishing touches on his project, he put his hands on his hips, and wiped the sweat from his brow.
"I could get used to living here!" He said. He walked outside to a tree that stood right in front of the barn, took out a pocket knife his father gave him, and carved his name in big deep letters, J-A-K-E.
Every day for the next few weeks Jake made his routine. He would wake up, take the path into town, hustle some money, get some food, clean himself up by the local water pump, and then head back to his secret hideout to relax.
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One day, about two o'clock in the afternoon while Jake was taking a nap in the old barn, Madison Brierly was out walking the land, looking for her dog, Toby. She searched all around the house but there was no sign of him. She checked the large barn next to their house, but he wasn't there either. Madison went to all of his usual hiding places, but he was just nowhere to be found. The beautiful girl yelled and called for her dog, but Toby wouldn't respond.
Thinking he may have been bit by a rattler or something, she decided to venture further from the house, more than she was allowed. Her father always told her to stay close, because snakes would often hide in the tall grass.
Madison's parents always made it clear that she was to stay far away from the old haunted barn. She was told as long as she kept away, Todd Beven's ghost would never harm her. But if she got close enough for him to see her, her beautiful hair would turn white as snow, and would never change back. Fearing the worst, Madison decided that she'd take the risk to find her dog. As she reached the old barn, she whispered in a shaky voice.
"Toby—Toby are you here? Please come out—I'm afraid Toby—please."
To her dismay, Toby didn't respond. Fearing Toby slipped into the barn through the slightly opened door, Madison bravely, but cautiously let herself in.
"Toby! Toby!" She whispered, shaking uncontrollably, her eyes as wide as saucers. All of a sudden, she heard a loud noise, like someone growling over and over again.
"Oh no! it must be the ghost of Todd Beven!" She thought to herself, as she cupped her hands over her nose and mouth.
She let out a blood curdling scream, which startled Jake, who stop snoring, woke up and began to scream as well. After a few seconds in terror, they recognized one another, causing both of them to giggle.
"Jake Patterson, is that you?" She asked, hands on her hips. "For Pete's sake boy, you scared me to death. What are you doing in here anyway?"
Fearing the worst, he didn't reply, instead tried making a run for it. He didn't get far though, his foot got tangled in the bed sheets, causing him to stumble, twist his ankle, fall to the ground and scream in pain.
"Stay there Jake, don't move. I'll go get my father to help!" Madison said. Jake sat there holding his ankle.
"NO!––NO! Madison, please don't tell your father that I'm here!" He said waving his hands in the air to get her attention. "I think it's broken!" He winced in pain.
"Let me have a look!" She said, as she sat down beside him. "It's not broken, you big baby. You just twisted it, that's all." She felt around his ankle, and rolled her eyes.
"Well, it hurts like the dickens!" He exclaimed.
"Wowy wow!" She said, looking around the barn "I've never been in here before. I've always been afraid of this place, because of all the old stories about Todd Beven."
"Here, take a gander at this!" He said, as he grabbed the wooden box containing the pictures and articles.
As she took the box and opened it, she went through all of its contents. When she finished reading the articles and looking at all the pictures, she handed the box back to Jake.
"Why in the world would people say such awful things about this great man, Mr. Beven?" She asked.
"I don't know." He replied. He then pleaded with her not to tell anyone he was staying there.
"Why are you in here anyway?" She asked.
"I don't know." He said, as he quickly changed subjects. "I was hoping no one would find me here with all the stories about Todd Beven."
"What happened Jake? Why are you alone?" She asked.
"Well Madison, I'd rather not talk about it if it's all the same to you." He put his head
down in embarrassment.
"Very well" she said. "I'm sure you have your reasons. I'll tell you what, I won't say anything to anyone, but only on one condition—I get to come over and visit any time I want. I don't have very many friends. Real friends I mean, you know, like the ones I can trust and talk to."
"Okay Madison!" Jake said, as he smiled. He then spit on his hand and stuck it out in front of him. "Spit on your hand and shake. That's the only way we can truly seal the deal." He instructed.
Madison made a disgusted face, put just a tiny bit of spittle on the middle of her hand, then stuck it out and shook hands with Jake, sealing the deal.
For the next few weeks, Madison visited Jake every day. She occasionally brought him leftovers that she claimed would go to her dog Toby.
The more Madison visited, the better friends they became. They shared stories about life, friends, family, situations at Madison's home and stories that they've heard about Todd Beven. Eventually, they became so close that Jake broke down, and told her all about his parents, and why he chose to run away.
Chapter 2
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Bad Events, Good Things
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Jake and Madison were talking at the old barn one morning, when suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by an earsplitting clap of thunder that began to taunt the small town of Blackwater.
"Did you hear that?" exclaimed Madison, both of them jumping to their feet to have a look outside.
"Whoa, that's amazing!" He said.
" I've never seen anything like it!" She replied.
They were taking about the previously sun-drenched sky, now covered with black, angry clouds; ready to unleash its assault on the land. By this time, the wind was picking up speed, and the trees swayed from side to side.
And Along Came Jake Page 2