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Scene #21
The old man put the light up a week before he passed on. The man knew his clock was winding down. The light was a compass to guide him to Heaven. The townsfolk had thought the lamp would extinguish soon after his death. But they were wrong. That light still shines.
...Until Tyler opened the undisturbed door that once only opened for that old man. The light flickered. Tyler looked back, breathing hard. He couldn't believe he was about to break into the abandoned house. He whispered his purpose softly under his breath, reminding himself that if he didn't complete the task, he wouldn't be allowed into that gang his mother had warned him against.
First, he had to pass the test. Breaking in was only part of it Royce, the current leader of the gang had told him. After breaking in, he would have to find something of worth in the
decrepit, old house.
He turned his back on that creepy light. He had heard of the stories they told down at Jerry's General Store. How the old man haunted the house. How the lamp outside was the grave marker for that old man that was buried in his front lawn. But Tyler didn't believe that. No way was William McCarthy, the old man, buried in the front lawn.
Tyler sucked in a breath and stepped forward into the darkness of the house, trying to leave behind that awful light that followed him all the way to the porch. Tyler fumbled for the flashlight in his pocket. He clicked it on.
There was a small living room with a dusty couch that had a few rips in the armrest, and a television that seemed like one of the first ever made, with a small screen and two antennas pointing to the rotting ceiling. Tyler walked over to it; maybe the TV was considered something of value. But it was just junk, like everything else here. Tyler noticed a coffee table on the left side of the couch. Old magazines and a newspaper that was dated back in June of 1929 sat under a layer of dust on the table.
Tyler knew he was wasting his time so he moved on to the narrow hallway. Among the spider web's filled with dust, the flowered wallpaper was hardly visible. When nothing popped out at him, he thought it okay to proceed.
The tiny kitchen had windows that let William's lamp shine in. The counter that had a few pieces of paper on it. Tyler didn't bother to look at them. He didn't care about anything except for finding something to please Royce and getting out as fast as he could.
He discovered a refrigerator in the corner. He moved toward it, his flashlight shaking in his hand. Tyler thought that maybe he would find something hidden away on the shelf. His mother used to keep her spare keys inside the fridge; that way she never misplaced them. But then maybe it was just his mother.
Tyler decided to look anyway. The top shelf was covered in mildew. He held his breath, kneeling down to the floor to face the middle shelf. He shined his flashlight on it.
Tyler jerked back so fast that it pushed him into the table. Why the hell would a Barbie doll be in the fridge? Its clothes were ragged and old, as if someone had bought it that way. The Barbie's hair was cut off giving it the illusion that at first glance it was a Ken doll. But that wasn't what Tyler was so freaked out about. He was so worried because the doll wasn't covered in dust or mold like everything else.
The flashlight was still in his hand, facing downward. Tyler didn't want to see what else was there. He was too frightened. He stood there, pushing on the old table for support.
Breathing hard like he had run miles without pausing, he turned around, facing the lamp outside in the front lawn. It flickered and then shut off. Someone whimpered, but it wasn't him. The light came back to life. Tyler bolted for the front door.
He dropped his flashlight somewhere in the hallway. Tyler didn't even bother to close the front door he had left open before. He ran across the lawn and stopped at the mailbox. Being in the lamp's light made him feel a whole lot better.
He rested his sweaty palms on his thighs, leaning down, staring at the sidewalk. Someone whined, but this time it was much closer. He closed his eyes; this was something he was imagining. He was sure of it.
When silence took the night, except for the buzzing of the insects hitting the lamp, Tyler waited until he was positive that it was just his imagination. Keeping his eyes closed, Tyler straightened up. He cautiously opened his eyes, but there was nothing there by the light. He turned around, staring into the darkness that led to home. Tyler started to leave; he was so close. He put his right foot in front of the other, ready to run and not come back. Ever.
"Help me," A little girl's voice sniffed. Tyler was afraid, but he wasn't stupid enough to have his back to the voice. He knew she was right behind him. He turned and the lamp by the mailbox shut off. He was in total darkness. Tyler didn't know what to do. "I'm lost." The girl's voice said, so close to his ear that she might have been standing right next to him. Tyler didn't move.
The lamp came back on, lighting the sidewalk where Tyler stood. Sitting right next to the light, partly hidden by the growing weeds was a Barbie doll. Tyler didn't have to go over and look at it to know that it was the same one from the refrigerator.
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