is a bad man,” the face in the
junk pile said to them.
“He is mean,” Garth replied.
“Who are you?” Sean asked. “I’m
Sean, and he’s Garth.”
“I’m just a baby,” the face said. As
they watched, the face’s mouth slowly opened and its eyes widened. It sputtered
and gasped, trying to breathe, shuddering. Its lips turned blue and its eyes began
to bulge and roll upward, leaving only white. Garth grabbed Sean’s arm, afraid
of what he was seeing. Then the shuddering stopped and it was still. The eyes
rolled back down, and it stared past them, no longer seeing. It faded, leaving
only a dark hole in the junk pile.
“Hello?” Sean said.
Garth stood and approached the
pile. He walked around the edge of it, studying it, trying to see the face. “He
must be inside there,” Garth said, looking for entrances or gaps that might
allow someone to crawl in or out.
“Here!” Garth said from the back
of the pile. “Here’s a hole!”
Sean rose off his knees. He no
longer felt any pain in his side; it was as though the substance he’d eaten had
not only resolved his hunger but taken away the pain of his fight with Garth.
He walked around behind the junk pile where Garth was standing. They were now
in the back corner of the garage, a place they never ventured. The light was
very dim, and it was hard to make anything out.
“Look,” Garth said, dropping to
his knees. “He’s in here!” Garth disappeared inside a small hole next to the
wall of the garage, barely big enough to accommodate him.
“Wait!” Sean said, but Garth was
already gone.
A moment later, from inside the
junk pile, Garth screamed.
Sean panicked. He was afraid for
Garth, but Garth screamed all the time. He was more afraid Frank might hear the
scream, come find them, and beat them. Sean dropped to his knees and looked
into the hole Garth had crawled into. He was met with Garth’s posterior rapidly
approaching his face.
Sean pulled back and Garth’s feet
and legs emerged from the hole. He was rapidly backing out of it. As his body
cleared the hole he leapt to his feet and ran to hug Sean. They both looked at
the hole he had emerged from.
“Run!” Garth said, pushing him.
Sean didn’t run. He strained his
eyes to see the hole, to see what would come out of it. He was expecting a rat.
He’d dealt with them before. If it was, he’d stomp on it. A couple of good kicks
was all it took to stop a rat.
What emerged from the hole wasn’t
a rat. It was large, and it looked more like the head of a goat. It had two
long horns. It had a long, flexible neck, like a snake, but thick. Once the
head had emerged from the hole, it turned to look at Garth, who grabbed his
brother tightly. Its eyes were dark red and the glow from them lit the garage
with a hue that made the walls look like they were on fire.
Sean knew he should follow Garth’s
advice and run, but the creature that emerged from their junk pile was so
fantastic that he was mesmerized and felt compelled to examine it. The neck
continued to extend out of the hole and the goat head began to rise until it
was as tall as Sean. The head moved toward them and Sean took a step back,
dragging Garth with him. The mouth of the goat began to open. Inside was fire,
a swirling mass of red, orange and yellow. Smoke came out of the goat’s
nostrils. The fire extended out of the mouth and towards Sean and Garth.
Garth screamed again, and Sean
placed his hand over Garth’s mouth to silence him. He walked backwards from the
goat head, pulling Garth with him, but not turning from the image. As they
backed into the safer area of the garage, the goat head pulled back. Sean saw
the eyes of the goat go black as it disappeared from view behind the junk pile.
The light in the garage dimmed and went out, leaving only the dark and the
smell of baked wood.
“Where’d it go?” Garth asked.
“Back into the pile,” Sean said.
“What was it?” Garth asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Do you think it
junk pile said to them.
“He is mean,” Garth replied.
“Who are you?” Sean asked. “I’m
Sean, and he’s Garth.”
“I’m just a baby,” the face said. As
they watched, the face’s mouth slowly opened and its eyes widened. It sputtered
and gasped, trying to breathe, shuddering. Its lips turned blue and its eyes began
to bulge and roll upward, leaving only white. Garth grabbed Sean’s arm, afraid
of what he was seeing. Then the shuddering stopped and it was still. The eyes
rolled back down, and it stared past them, no longer seeing. It faded, leaving
only a dark hole in the junk pile.
“Hello?” Sean said.
Garth stood and approached the
pile. He walked around the edge of it, studying it, trying to see the face. “He
must be inside there,” Garth said, looking for entrances or gaps that might
allow someone to crawl in or out.
“Here!” Garth said from the back
of the pile. “Here’s a hole!”
Sean rose off his knees. He no
longer felt any pain in his side; it was as though the substance he’d eaten had
not only resolved his hunger but taken away the pain of his fight with Garth.
He walked around behind the junk pile where Garth was standing. They were now
in the back corner of the garage, a place they never ventured. The light was
very dim, and it was hard to make anything out.
“Look,” Garth said, dropping to
his knees. “He’s in here!” Garth disappeared inside a small hole next to the
wall of the garage, barely big enough to accommodate him.
“Wait!” Sean said, but Garth was
already gone.
A moment later, from inside the
junk pile, Garth screamed.
Sean panicked. He was afraid for
Garth, but Garth screamed all the time. He was more afraid Frank might hear the
scream, come find them, and beat them. Sean dropped to his knees and looked
into the hole Garth had crawled into. He was met with Garth’s posterior rapidly
approaching his face.
Sean pulled back and Garth’s feet
and legs emerged from the hole. He was rapidly backing out of it. As his body
cleared the hole he leapt to his feet and ran to hug Sean. They both looked at
the hole he had emerged from.
“Run!” Garth said, pushing him.
Sean didn’t run. He strained his
eyes to see the hole, to see what would come out of it. He was expecting a rat.
He’d dealt with them before. If it was, he’d stomp on it. A couple of good kicks
was all it took to stop a rat.
What emerged from the hole wasn’t
a rat. It was large, and it looked more like the head of a goat. It had two
long horns. It had a long, flexible neck, like a snake, but thick. Once the
head had emerged from the hole, it turned to look at Garth, who grabbed his
brother tightly. Its eyes were dark red and the glow from them lit the garage
with a hue that made the walls look like they were on fire.
Sean knew he should follow Garth’s
advice and run, but the creature that emerged from their junk pile was so
fantastic that he was mesmerized and felt compelled to examine it. The neck
continued to extend out of the hole and the goat head began to rise until it
was as tall as Sean. The head moved toward them and Sean took a step back,
dragging Garth with him. The mouth of the goat began to open. Inside was fire,
a swirling mass of red, orange and yellow. Smoke came out of the goat’s
nostrils. The fire extended out of the mouth and towards Sean and Garth.
Garth screamed again, and Sean
placed his hand over Garth’s mouth to silence him. He walked backwards from the
goat head, pulling Garth with him, but not turning from the image. As they
backed into the safer area of the garage, the goat head pulled back. Sean saw
the eyes of the goat go black as it disappeared from view behind the junk pile.
The light in the garage dimmed and went out, leaving only the dark and the
smell of baked wood.
“Where’d it go?” Garth asked.
“Back into the pile,” Sean said.
“What was it?” Garth asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Do you think it
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