Meadowview Acres by Donna Cain Page A

What?” The only thing he could hear was his heart beating.
    “Nothing,” replied Hunter, “nothing at all. Why aren’t the birds chirping? When’s the last time you heard something running around in the leaves or the trees? I haven’t heard anything at all for the last few minutes.”
    Eli had noticed that it was quiet, but the strangeness of it hadn’t occurred to him until Hunter pointed it out. A cold sweat broke out on Eli’s brow. That in itself was weird because he felt extremely hot again, and another headache was coming on.
    “Let’s just keep going and get a little closer. My stomach’s starting to act up a little. Probably nerves,” Hunter whispered and started moving again.
    A few minutes and yards later, they were close to the clearing. They could see where the shadowy woods ended in a bright sky. Both boys were sweating now, but neither wanted to turn back. They had come that far, and they wanted to keep going. Hunter got the bottles of water out of the pack and handed one to Eli.
    “What do you think about skirting the edge of the woods over to where the dozer is?” Hunter asked. “I kinda think we should stay as hidden as possible until we see what’s what. Plus, if it’s this hot in here, it must be really hot out there.” He poked his finger in the direction of the clearing.
    “That’s a good idea,” said Eli. “I like the idea of having some cover.”
    Still sweating, the boys started to make their way along the edge of the woods. They had both sucked down their water bottles and put the empties back in the pack. They were halfway around the curve where the bulldozer sat when Eli saw a glimmer.
    “What’s that? Can you see it in front of the Cat?” Eli said, not realizing he was whispering.
    “Yeah, that shiny thing? Can’t tell what it is. The glare is too big. Let’s get closer.” Hunter had seen it earlier but didn’t want Eli to become anxious, so he had kept it to himself.
    “You know,” said Hunter, “Mr. Jackson works out here on one of those big Cats. I’ve heard Mrs. Jackson tease him about driving to work when he could just clear a path to their back yard. You don’t suppose that’s his rig, do you?”
    “I don’t know,” replied Eli. “I’m sure there are other people who work out here, too. He can’t be the only one.” An uncomfortable feeling had come over Eli when he realized that it could be Mr. Jackson’s bulldozer. Eli had always liked Claymont Jackson. He was one of the grownups that actually played with the kids at the neighborhood parties. They would all be playing ball, and Mr. Jackson would leave a crowd of adults talking and run over to snatch the football then start running for the imaginary goal. He had always come to the Shazaam Brothers shows, too. He was one of the only parents beside his own and Hunter’s to ever show up. Eli remembered him trying to buy a ticket and telling them to think of the money as an “investment”. Eli really liked Mr. Jackson; he knew Hunter did too.
    They were almost at the front of the cab. Still relatively far away inside the woods, they couldn’t see inside, but it was turned off, and it looked to be empty. They were getting used to the quiet now and weren’t as jumpy, so they continued to where the glare was coming from. As they got closer, Hunter could see that it was coming from a box – a steel box, half buried in the ground. It looked like the bulldozer had been digging it up along with the trees surrounding it. He got a few feet from it, with Eli close behind. Then, without warning, Hunter bent at the waist and vomited. Out came the bottle of water along with the apple chunks and half-digested cereal he had eaten earlier. Violent spasms racked his body until there was nothing left to empty.
    Eli watched wide-eyed as his friend emptied his stomach. Hunter had not even said he was sick. It happened so fast! Eli’s head was pounding, but he didn’t feel nauseated. He stepped over to Hunter and