|
Our second place Middle School category winner was written by home-schooled Saugonian Doug Ducott. He was also a contest winner last year. |
It was dark by the time Mom was putting the key in the lock of the cottage door. It felt like weeks since we had decided to come up here, but it was actually only this morning. After another rough night for both of us, we talked about it over breakfast and came to the conclusion that we needed a drastic change.
It had been quite awhile since the accident. Dad had died so suddenly. I think, in a way, we were both still in shock. Neither of us had quite figured out how to go on with our lives. We were kind of stuck. Doing what was expected of us each day, but not really doing anything for ourselves.
Mom had happy memories of this beach area from her childhood. I had never been here. She said we didn't have much money, but this was the end of the season, so rents would be cheaper. We made up our minds to do it, packed what we needed, got in the car, and never looked back.
We drove all day to get here. It seemed like we were the only car coming and the rest of the world was going. There was a traffic jam of people trying to get back to their regular lives. We were trying to escape ours. Or start new ones. But as the key clicked in the lock of our new home, all I really wanted to do was go to sleep. Our new life could wait one more day.
I woke up to the sound of a whistling tea kettle and the smell of pancakes and bacon. I guess Mom was taking this new life thing pretty seriously. I dragged myself out of bed and headed for the smell. I found Mom wearing an apron and happily flipping pancakes. She was way too happy for this early in the morning, but it was good to see her smiling.
"Pull up a chair," she chirped. I dropped in the nearest seat. She put a huge plate of food in front of me. There were eggs, too. We talked over breakfast about what we should do next and decided to just explore alittle, since it was our first day there. She thought we should leave the car home and try to walk off the ten pounds of food we had just eaten. Sounded good to me.
We roamed around aimlessly for awhile. The place was really deserted, except for shop owners closing up for the season. I noticed an arcade that hadn't closed yet, and a group of kids about my age hanging around out front. I assumed they were locals. They all stared as we walked by. My Mom smiled and said hello, but nobody responded. She looked at me and shrugged, and we kept walking.
She took me to a lighthouse, a dock with a handful of old fishermen and lobster traps and people towing boats out of the water, and up and down gravel side roads. We walked for hours and finally stopped at a little pizza place. Mom said it was one of the few places up here that stay open year-round. While we were eating, I noticed that same group of kids hanging around outside the window and wondered if they would be my friends someday. Mom interrupted my thoughts by saying it was time to head back.
When I woke up the next morning, I found Mom typing away on her laptop. Now that was something I hadn't seen in a long time. She's a writer, but she really hadn't written much lately. She said all the fresh air yesterday must have done her good. Since she seemed to be on a roll, I told her I'd entertain myself today. She nodded without looking up, so I went to eat breakfast. I left shortly after, glad to have alittle time to myself.
I headed straight for the arcade and was glad to find it still open. The place was pretty big, with wooden floors covered in sand from people walking in off the beach. There were a surprising number of games. Unfortunately, most of them looked like they were from Mom's time there as a kid. I recognized a few though. After a half hour or so, I realized I was still the only person in the place. It was kind of creepy, so I decided to leave.
I had just about reached the door, when I heard a game start up behind me. I turned around and was surprised to see a girl at the game I just left. Where the heck had she come from? A back door maybe? She looked about my age and had shoulder length, light blonde hair. She was kind of cute, and I was pretty sure I recognized her as one of the kids I saw before. I made a snap decision to go introduce myself. Somehow it seemed easier when there was only one of them.
I went over and started playing the game beside her, hoping it would break the ice. We started out talking about the games, but I eventually found out her name was Lily and told her mine. We talked and laughed for a long time. Suddenly, she stopped in the middle of a sentence and said she had to go. She rushed away without even saying goodbye. I started to follow, but saw her running toward her other friends outside the arcade. I got the impression she didn't want them to see her talking to me, so I waited until they were gone. Then I walked home, trying not to be insulted.
The next day, I decided to try to find her. I never got to ask her where she lived. I checked the arcade, the pizza place, and a few nearby roads. No luck. I headed in the direction of the lighthouse my Mom had shown me. When I reached there, the area was deserted, so I sat down on a bench to think.
As I stared at the little house attached to the lighthouse, I thought I saw movement in one of the windows. But the longer I stared, the more I thought it was my imagination. I was startled by a voice behind me. I spun around to see Lily standing by my bench, surprised I hadn't heard her coming up the gravel path. She asked what I was doing there, but before I could answer, she started to apologize for leaving so suddenly yesterday. She went on and on, saying the other kids wouldn't understand, don't take it personally, they aren't very nice kids. I finally broke in to ask her why she hangs around with them. She was quiet for a moment, then said they were the only kids here year-round.....until now.
She sat down and we talked some more. I told her I lived with my mother, and that we had just moved into a cottage on Barnacle Road. She said she lived with her grandfather, but I got the feeling she didn't want to tell me where. When I asked her, she just said I could always find her by coming to this bench, which I thought was kind of weird, but I dropped the subject. Eventually, I realized how late it was getting and told her I better get back before my Mom sends out a search party.
Over the next few weeks, I began to see what Lily meant about the other kids. Saying they weren't very nice was the understatement of the year. They broke shop windows, egged cars, flattened tires, lit fires, knocked over mailboxes and tipped headstones in the graveyard. Lily started spending most of her time with me. All I had to do was go to the bench near the lighthouse, and she would mysteriously show up within a few minutes. It was strange, but I wasn't complaining.
In the weeks leading up to Halloween, we met every day to talk about costume ideas. Lily was really excited about the Harvest Festival and happy we were going together. I had to admit, so was I. When Halloween night finally came, I got dressed early. I shredded an old shirt, put on furry werewolf gloves and pulled a rubber wolf mask over my head. Simple, I know, but it looked pretty good. I couldn't wait to see what Lily finally decided on.
I got to the bench early to wait for her. She showed up a couple minutes later. I almost didn't recognize her. A long black wig covered her blonde hair, and she wore a black dress that came down to the ground. She obviously went to more trouble than I did. She looked great. In her best Dracula voice, she said, "I am Vampira, Queen of the Vampires." Even her fangs looked real. I told her I was Wolfie, King of the Easy Costumes, and she broke character long enough to laugh.
The Harvest Festival was set up on the town common. It wasn't a very big area, but it looked great. Jack-o-lanterns lined the whole outside wall, and the entrance was a big gate, like the type at a haunted mansion. Orange lights hung everywhere, and scary music was playing loudly. There were a lot of people there already. Mostly younger kids in costumes with their parents. Lily and I tried every food stand and game in the place. We were having a great time.
I was getting us some hot chocolate when I heard arguing behind me. I turned to see Lily talking to her old group of friends. They were trying to convince her to go with them, and she was refusing. As I walked up beside her, one of them mumbled, "It's your loss," and they all took off laughing. She told me they were planning something big, but she didn't know what. They had said it would top everything they had done so far. Lily was determined not to let them ruin our night and headed for another game.
About an hour later, I spotted an old man approaching us. I was startled when Lily said, "Grandpa?" He walked right up to her, without looking at me, and said, "It's time for us to go." Her face turned pale. She turned to me and, with tears in her eyes, began thanking me for taking her to the festival and for being her friend. She said this was the most fun she had ever had in her life. Then her grandfather took her hand and they slowly walked away. She kept looking back at me like she was never going to see me again. And I just stood there, trying to figure out what had just happened.
When I got home, my Mom was watching the news. She said something terrible had happened. I looked at the television and saw our lighthouse fully engulfed in flames. The reporter said they suspected the fire had been set. I suspected I knew by who. Mom said, "Halloween must be bad luck for that place." I was too tired to ask what she meant and went to bed.
The next morning, I went straight to the bench to find Lily and to check out the damage. The lighthouse and the house attached to it had been burned to the ground. I couldn't believe it. I sat there a long time waiting for Lily, but she never showed up. I checked around town, but didn't have any luck.
I went home for lunch and asked Mom what she meant about Halloween being bad luck for that place. She said I should read the story she's been writing. "It's about a bad storm that hit here on Halloween thirty years ago." I was more interested in finding Lily. Mom's story would have to wait.
Over the next few weeks, I checked the bench every day, sometimes staying for hours at a time. I knew it was crazy, but I felt like I had to. I had the feeling she would show up the minute I left.
Finally, I woke up one morning to pouring rain. This forced me to do something other than head for the bench. I sat around, not knowing what to do. Then I spotted Mom's laptop. She had asked me to read her story before, but I was always running out the door. This was as good a time as any.
'It was Halloween night, 1978, when a fast-moving storm blew in. It was so powerful, it did tremendous damage to all the buildings in town. Trees were knocked down. Power failed. Huge waves crashed over walls onto streets. It took years to rebuild everything. The most amazing thing about this storm was that only two people died. Sadly, the old lighthouse keeper and his granddaughter Lily hadn't survived.'
The End
![[home]](/Icons/Extras/lilhome.gif){kind=icon}
![[up]](/Icons/Extras/lilup.gif){kind=icon}