by Ryan Casey
Chapter Three
A few hours later, Adam and I returned home for tea. It wasn’t sprouts, as Granddad had teased, but fish and chips, which he’d picked up from the chippy on his way back from the local seafront village. I liked it there. It made me think of old times. Looking out over the sea, walking down to the shops. The sort of place I used to live.
The six o’clock news dominated the room. Gordon Burns had an update on the local high school girl who had gone missing. Suspicious.
‘Maybe she just got lost,’ I said, as I pulled my trousers up over my swimming trunks.
Adam furrowed his brow. ‘Or maybe she got abducted by aliens.’ He rubbed his chin in front of the telly. Maybe we’d never find out, although I hoped we would. I hated those news stories where there was never an ending. They should get me, Adam, and Emily on the case because they clearly weren’t very good.
‘You ready to go, boys?’ Granddad said.
‘Yeah, just a sec,’ said Adam, as he scurried around the room, lifting up the chair cushions.
I bit my lip and tried not to laugh. ‘What’s up, Adam?’ I said.
He carried on frowning and pacing around the room with Carla following closely behind. ‘My trunks, I can’t…’
He looked at Carla and saw them draped across her head. His shoulders drooped to the floor, and he grinned.
I burst out the laughter I’d been holding in.
‘You idiot,’ he said, giggling.
After Adam got dressed, we went down to the pool with Granddad for an evening swim. We took turns throwing ourselves off the ledge into the depths below, covering passers-by with waves and making them tut at us until we were told to stop by the lifeguard. After that, we pretended we were policing the sea. Looking for missing bodies and remains of old ghost ships.
When that got boring, I turned my attention to Adam. I held my breath, submerged myself under water, and grabbed Adam’s toe. He kicked back at me, like I was a shark closing in on my prey. I let go, and he wrapped his hands around my leg. He was much rougher than I was, tugging at my leg until I begged him for air.
Adam always expected me to go light on him, but this time, I’d get my own back. I dove under the water, tugged at his leg, and held him under. At first, I saw his eyes expand, and he was still, looking at me with confusion. Then he started kicking like mad. I smirked—he’d never seen that coming. Nice joke. His mouth opened and he began to let out a laugh before kicking me in the face. I let go in surprise and Adam disappeared to the surface of the pool.
I swam up to confront him. He sat on the edge of the pool, dangling his legs into the water.
‘I was only messing, Ad. What was that for?’
Adam sat silent, staring at the ripples in the pool.
I climbed out to sit next to him. ‘Ad, you okay?’
He snapped out of his momentary trance and looked towards me, half-smiling. ‘Yeah, it’s not you. Sorry. It’s just, you know.’
My heart sank as the realisation set in. How could I have been so stupid? ‘I… I’m sorry, Adam. It just, I dunno. Completely forgot… you know?’ My throat felt croaky.
Adam shook his head and patted me on the shoulder. ‘It’s alright, I get it. Let’s head back now and see if we can get an ice-cream out of Granddad, eh?’
After we had picked up an ice-cream from the shop, we played our Game Boy to see who could get the best scores on Mario Kart. We opened our books upon our return and made a note of our day’s progress. My entry went something like this:
Day 10 – Met Emily in morning. Met Donald, who said he had something for us. Granddad and Donald shared a hug…
I stopped writing for a moment and remembered that embrace. Like old friends who hadn’t seen each other for years. Warmth. I hadn’t seen anything like that from Granddad for a long time.
‘Adam, did you see the way Granddad and Donald hugged earlier?’ I asked.
Adam doodled something on his piece of paper. I knew what he was drawing, but I pretended I hadn’t been looking. He would get over things in his own way. ‘What you on about?’ he asked.
‘I just thought it seemed a little strange. Seeing Granddad hug someone like that. Especially Donald. He hardly knows Donald.’
Adam chewed the end of his pen. ‘What are you trying to say? That they know each other better than we think, maybe?’
‘I don’t know. It’s just… I think we should maybe write it down in the mystery book and ask Granddad why he did that. Maybe ask Donald first, though. Because Granddad doesn’t know we’re close friends with Donald and everything.’
We chatted for a little longer before we fell asleep.
*
The next day, Granddad took me, Adam, and Emily—with permission from her parents—onto the beach. Gran stayed at home and did a crossword.
‘You not fancy a walk?’ Granddad asked.
Gran looked up at him and frowned. ‘Don’t be daft.’ She turned her eyes back towards the magazine and tucked into her crossword.
I liked walking on the beach. It was a pity we couldn’t go down on our own. We could sneak down, of course. In fact, we tried it once, but Granddad always seemed to be watching.
Adam and Emily teased one another as I walked behind them. The two of them punched each other. I wondered if this was how Emily got so many bruises. She didn’t seem to mind though.
‘Stop being such a wuss,’ she said to Adam, as she wrapped a strand of seaweed around her neck. It looked revolting but I tried to smile. Instead, she looked back at Adam, who flicked the seaweed into her face.
‘They’re a right little team, those two, aren’t they?’ Granddad said. I wasn’t sure where to look.
‘Yeah, I mean. We all get on well. All good friends.’
Granddad chuckled. ‘He reminds me of me, y’know. All the girls were after me at his age, too.’
I tried to laugh, but it probably sounded more like a whimper. My attempts to change the conversation were interrupted by Carla diving into a rock pool. Adam and Emily laughed, and Granddad charged towards Carla and battled with her to put her on her lead. ‘I’d best get her cleaned up, daft thing,’ he said.
Adam tutted. ‘Can’t we stay? I promise we’ll not go far.’
Granddad insisted that we weren’t to stay on the beach on our own, as it was unfair to Emily. We headed up to our den.
‘The mysteries are drying up a bit,’ Adam said, as we reached the makeshift entrance. ‘But I’m sure we’ll come across something soon. It’s about time.’
As we stepped inside, we were startled to see Donald sitting on the chair he’d built for us, his mustard cloak wrapped round his shoulders. He fiddled with his watch.
‘Um… Donald?’ I said.
He snapped out of his trance and laid eyes on all three of us, leaping up from the chair. ‘I… I’m terribly sorry, kiddos. I came to see if you were here and must have got taken aback. I’m just really impressed with this den you’ve made for yourself. And my chair ain’t too bad, if I may say so myself.’
‘Yeah… I mean, thanks, Donald. For the chair. We jus—’
‘No worries, Donald,’ Adam said, as he sat down on the chair. ‘You’re practically the fourth member of our team anyway. You’re like our boss.’
Donald grinned and chuckled like a child. ‘Well I’m very flattered, mister. Anyway, I came to ask you boys if you fancied a trip down to the caves later. I thought you’d maybe fancy looking for some ghosts. See if anything spooky is going on. And you’re welcome to come too, of course, Emily.’
Emily rubbed at her arm. ‘I—well, I’ll ask but, I don’t know if we’re busy. I’ll see.’
Donald smiled. ‘No worries, love. You’re more than welcome to join us, you know?’
‘Like she’s gonna join us,’ Adam said, snorting.
‘No, no, I understand. She doesn’t have to do everything you want her to, eh lads?’
Adam crossed his arms and frowned. ‘She could at least come with us once, but n
o, she’s always busy.’
‘I said I’d ask didn’t I?’ Emily’s cheeks began to flush, and she scratched at her arms.
Donald stood still as his eyes moved among us. ‘I’d, um, best be off, kids. I’ll leave you to sort your little disagreement out. Sorry again for raiding your presence earlier. Big fan of your den though.’
‘It’s fine, Donald,’ I said. ‘You do enough for us.’
He chuckled and looked back at me as he left the den. ‘You’re good kids. Make sure you tell your granddad where you are, especially if we’re going to the caves. Always remember that.’
We nodded as he left.
‘I should probably head back soon, too,’ Emily said.
Adam coughed. ‘Isn’t there something you’re forgetting?’ He raised his eyebrows at Emily.
Emily shuffled her feet and looked at the ground, avoiding Adam’s gaze. ‘I, erm…’
‘You’re coming to the caves with us, yeah?’
Emily paused for a moment before looking over at me. ‘I, well, I’ll ask but I think I’ve remembered that we’re going out tonight.’
Adam laughed. ‘Of course you are. Close the door on your way out.’
Emily’s arms looked awkward as they dangled by her side. She smiled at me as she left. Adam smirked to himself. I shook my head when he looked at me again.
‘What?’ he asked.
‘You know what. Lay off her a bit.’
Adam stood up and walked over to me. ‘Sorry, lover boy, I forgot you felt so strongly about her.’ He stuck his tongue out at me before taking a piss in the bucket.
I wanted to push him in.
Chapter Four
That evening, we ate our dinner quickly before shooting off to meet Donald. The sun looked pretty, and its glow danced on the sea. It reminded me of home, when Dad put me on his shoulders to watch the sun set over the horizon. I used to wonder where it went to hide at night.
We never did tell Gran and Granddad where we were going.
Emily’s caravan lights were on as we passed. The car was in the driveway. Did the curtain twitch?
‘Little sod,’ Adam said.
‘She might not have gone out yet.’
‘Oh, stop defending her will you? It’s so obvious you fancy her.’
I nudged Adam in the ribs as he raised his voice on the ‘fancy her’.
‘Shall we bother calling on her? Give her a piece of mind?’ Adam asked, edging towards her driveway.
I pulled him back. ‘Leave her be. Donald’s waiting for us. It ain’t worth it, Ad. Maybe her dad just doesn’t want her to play tonight.’
He shrugged and spat in front of the caravan. ‘Her dad doesn’t want her to do anything. He needs to chill.’
As we started walking away from Emily’s caravan, I heard a shouting from somewhere inside. A man’s deep voice echoed over the sound of the turned up telly. A woman’s voice cried back before everything went silent. Maybe it was just on the telly?
I looked at Adam, who turned towards the ground, before we walked on.
Donald waited right where he always waited when we went to the caves: right in front of the mouth of the woods. The woods looked threatening at night, as if they were preparing to gobble us all up. It made me feel like a real adventurer.
We headed towards the entrance. Donald clutched at the straps of his backpack and led the way. He walked quickly, which was fine with us, because the sooner we got to the caves, the better. Nothing was quite so clear in the woods. Strange shapes moved around and scuttled in the distance. I thought I heard voices whispering behind me. It was so dark that everything seemed to be black and white, like we were in an old horror film. The birds stopped singing. The leaves of the trees and occasional call of the owl were the only sounds that sliced through the silence. Something flickered ahead of us. Maybe it was a rabbit. Or maybe it was a ghost?
‘Um, are we nearly there, Donald?’ Adam asked, looking back over his shoulder.
‘Nearly there, boys, don’t you worry,’ he said.
‘Not scared are you, cuz?’ I asked.
Adam looked up at me, then back down to the ground. ‘No, why would I be?’
I smiled. ‘Just y’know, with all the scary things people say and—’
‘Yeah, yeah, I know,’ he interrupted. ‘Let’s just get there before you poo your pants.’
When we reached the caves, it was almost dark. Donald pulled out his flashlight and shone it upwards against his face before laughing like a ghoul. Adam walked towards a cave.
‘Woah, wait a second,’ Donald said, edging in front of Adam. ‘You don’t know what’s down there, especially with all the stories.’
‘What stories?’ asked Adam.
The stories were our favourite part—the reason we came to the caves. Donald perched the flashlight in between two stones, so it shone upwards into the sky, like Batman’s light.
Donald told us tales about how dogs had run down into the cave and never returned. How children had stuck their arms in, only to have something bite them off. Whole families had gone missing. The entrance to the caves themselves were small, probably big enough for someone of Donald’s size to squeeze in, but as the insects partied round the light in front of us, dancing to the sounds of our voices, he insisted that we’d never go down there. Especially not at night.
We talked and laughed for a while. Donald gave us marshmallows and cups of hot chocolate. It was good to have somebody like Donald around, who showed a real interest in us. It reminded me of Dad. It was good for Adam, too, for someone like this to be around. Donald treated us like adults, but wasn’t afraid to joke around with us and get involved in our mysteries. I looked at Donald and I looked at Adam and I remembered what it was like for him to have a dad who was there for him.
‘You did tell your grandparents you were out here, right lads?’ he said.
Adam and I looked at each other.
Donald’s head slumped. ‘Jesus, kids, you’ve got to start telling them. We can’t go getting into any trouble with nobody knowing where we are. Besides, your granddad and me get on anyway. He wouldn’t mind.’
‘Is that why you hugged the other day?’ I asked.
Donald’s eyes flickered in the glow of the torchlight. He took a moment before responding. ‘I—hugged me?’ he asked.
I nodded my head, quickly. ‘Yeah, I swear he hugged you yesterday, when we were in the wasteground and you caught us throwing rocks.’
Donald worried the grass beneath him, plucking little strands up in his tweezer-like fingers. ‘Oh, he was probably just thanking me for keeping an eye on you. What a funny thing to remember, kiddo.’ His smile twitched.
Adam sighed and rolled his eyes at me: another dead-end.
I think Gran and Granddad knew he took us on walks and things, but we didn’t tell them about him helping to plan our mysteries or coming out hunting for ghosts with us. It was a good way of getting away from everything else in the caravan and the stuff back home.
Adam and I headed back through the woods, the starry eyes of the night staring down on us. The sea crashed against the shore somewhere in the distance. The walk back was always the best part. Donald stayed behind us, shining the light ahead, and Adam and I marched on. Occasionally, Donald would switch the flashlight off and stop in his tracks. We panicked for a few moments, the excitement working its way up our chests, before Donald crept up in front of us and shone the light in our eyes.
‘I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I promise it won’t happen again,’ he laughed.
Adam giggled. ‘You always say that!’
*
When we got back, Gran and Granddad were in their usual spot. Gran lay stretched across the sofa, and Granddad read the sports section of the Telegraph. Carla greeted us with her usual modesty and brought us a gift, this time an old sock. Or at least we thought it was old; Granddad didn’t often wash his socks.
‘Where have you been, boys?’ Gran asked.
‘We’ve just been playi
ng at Emily’s,’ Adam lied.
Granddad’s turned from his paper, peeking over the top of his glasses. ‘How’s she doing?’
‘Oh, alright, y’know,’ I said. I couldn’t look at Granddad when I lied to him.
He nodded, and returned to his paper.
‘Why?’ I asked.
Granddad stared on. ‘I thought she was heading out tonight, after what you’d said before, but I must be mistaken, eh?’
I gulped. Adam sneaked behind me towards the bedroom, gesturing for me to follow. I stroked Carla and made my move out of the room. Granddad always seemed to get so close to sussing us out. He was like a really good police officer, weighing up his evidence before deciding to pull us up for it.
We went to bed quite early that night. We didn’t want to have another run in with Granddad after our close call.
‘Liam,’ Adam said, as he lay back in his bed. ‘Do you think, seriously, there’s anything after we die?’
I contemplated my answer, trying to walk the tightrope of what my cousin wanted to hear and what I believed. ‘Uhm… I think so,’ I replied. ‘I don’t know what, but the way I see it, there’s no such thing as nothing, is there? So, that means there has to be something?’
Adam turned his head towards the ceiling and curved his eyebrows inwards, pondering what I’d said, cryptically piecing it together like a maths puzzle. Adam was good at maths, exceptionally so, for his age. ‘But doesn’t that mean that nothing can be something?’ he asked.
I was a little taken aback, and didn’t really know what to say. I didn’t know the answer myself. I’m not sure anyone did, not even the wise old adults. ‘I don’t… I don’t know, Adam. But I think what I’m saying is… no one will ever know. But I think the chance that there is nothing what with all the people who have seen ghosts and things is small, eh?’
‘What about a heaven? Do you think there is one?’