It was a dark and misty night. I
remember the sky was heavy and gray when we walked up the long road to the
graveyard.
My cousin, Tess, and I walked past rows of tombstones.
Some looked new and marble. Some
were old -- wooden and crooked. Some
were just plain rock. Most of them
were covered in moss and topped with a dirty film.
It was fall. Too early for
fog really, but the damp, gray, thick mist that fell upon us when we made our
way past the vineyards and old oaks to the graveyard gate sent a chill all the
way through me.
I pulled my sweatshirt sleeves over my hands and pulled my hood over my
head.
Tess loves graveyards and was immediately lost to me in the fog.
“Tess!” I called.
I squinted into the grayness.
I could see a figure moving up ahead, stopping here and there to look at a
headstone.
A small wooden one caught my eye:
Johnny Smilth
Born: 1742
Died: 1755
Wow, I thought. He’d been
about my age when he died – thirteen. For
some reason this wooden marker made me nervous so I hurried towards where I
thought Tess had gone.
The misty fog was thicker now – January like.
Tess was not where I'd figured. “Tess? Where
are you?” I called.
Her voice sailed over the misty fog sea. “Over here Jake.”
Leaves cracked under my feet as I headed for her voice.
“Where?”
A distant call floated through the afternoon.
“Babies?” I yelled.
It sounded exactly like babies crying.
“Coyotes on Cooper’s Hill.”
I
scanned the rows as best I could. A
wind was picking up. My stomach was
telling my feet that it was time to go home.
Something didn’t feel right.
The
wind whooshed through the trees and cracked in the air.
“Jake?”
Tess’ voice sounded far away and lost.
I
tried to move but couldn’t figure out which direction to go.
“Tess, stay in one place!”
The
crying grew louder.
“This
way,” I heard, “over here.”
I
signed. Sometimes hanging out with
fearless Tess just wasn’t worth it…but sometimes with cousins you don’t
have a choice.
A
tiny whirlwind swished dirt into my eyes. When
it cleared – so did most of the fog. I saw Tess peering at a grave.
“Stay there!” Finally I
approached her. “It’ll be dark
soon. Let’s get outta here.”
I said.
I
went to move one step closer when something grabbed at my foot.
I
screamed. I tried to pull away, but
the harder I pulled the tighter the hold became.
I
looked down to see the top of a head and a decayed hand with fingers laced
around my ankle.
I
screamed again. Tess screamed too.
She tugged on me as I kicked away. I
ran. Tess was right behind me.
Tess
and I made our way over the crunching leaves as hands and faces lunged up from
the earth.
They
were reaching for us. Grabbing our
feet, scratching our legs.
I
zigged right, then left.
“Faster,
Tess faster!” I shouted.
I
heard her feet crunching the leaves behind me.
Then I heard a terrifying, blood-curdling scream.
“Help! Jake, help!
It’s got me!”
I
spun around and dove for her ankles as a white swirl pulled me back.
Nothing, but something, was holding me.
“I
can’t get free!” Tess yelled.
