Rough Draft
“You know they were gunna close the pool down. Some kids even broke in one year and managed to turn all the water red, like blood red, it was really disgusting. They never did find out who was responsible and no one has ever taken credit for it. Some kids like to tell ghost stories about how it really was blood. The blood from all the kids who went missing a few year back. Ya know they say old man Robertson was responsible.”
“What are you talking about and who is old man Robertson?” Cindi asked. “I don’t remember ever hearing anything about that, and it’s not like I live on the otherside of the country.”
“Well its never really been proven I guess. But I do know kids stopped going missing after old man Robertson moved away. He didn’t even live here more them a year or so.” Cindi looked over at me inquistively. We were rounding the soft bend past the community pool as she spoke.
“You’re joking right? Ha ha another of Riley’s famous tall tales. You would think I would have gotten used to this by now”
“No. Not at all I’m being serious. A kid died up here once even before old man Robertson moved into the old house way up on the hill.” I pointed up towards the horizon to an old run down house. You could see from hear all the windows were now boarded up and the house was very much vacant. “See the hills have all these little holes, like pit falls, that just drop and drop. A couple of kids left the pool one afternoon and took to the hills for whatever reason. Five of them had gone out and only four came back with a terrible story which they choked out in between histerical sobs. The poor kids name was…ugh Billy, yeah Billy Jacobs. I can remember from the paper and it was all the talk for the next few weeks.”
“That’s terrible. That poor, poor boy and oh my God his friends.” Cindi whispered.
“I’m sor__.”
“But that doesn’t really make some lonely old man a monster!”
“No. Of course not, remember I said that was before the old man moved here. Billy Jacobs was just the first kid to die on those hills.” I paused for a moment thinking about the first time I heard about old man Robertson, Billy Jacobs, and that terrible summer. “You know all them kids went missing in just one summer?”
“Let me guess. The summer Mr. Robertson moved in.” She sounded incredibly sarcastic. I could hardly believe a few moments ago she actually seemed to be a genuinely upset for poor Billy Jacobs.
“That’s ok. You don’t have to believe me Miss. I know it happend and I lived here the summer the water turned red and my parents were at the town meeting too, where old man Robertson so adamintely argued against the draining of the little fishing pond that use to be next to the pool. It was of no use, though, the community was unamous on the issue and the pond was to be drained. Preprations were made and the draining was to begin in the spring. Old man Robertson fought all through the winter but when spring finally came and the draining began. Old man Roberston swiftly packed his bags and moved away.”
“Ok. So he was a little wacked about a stupid pond. Maybe he just really enjoyed the fishing. You said it was a fishing pond didn’t you?” Her body langauge said it all. As her eyes rolled and shoulders shrugged and a deep sigh escaped her mouth. I smiled weakly bringing my attention back to the road.
“There were no fish in that pond. No one even fished there anymore, it seemed that the water had gone bad.” I explained as I pulled up the old hill and parked next to a pavillion over looking the now dried up resiovoir where the pond had been.
“What do you mean the water went bad? How does water go bad?” She asked with a sarcastic sneer.
“I don’t really know how water goes bad. I can, however, imagine it might have something to do with what they found in that pond after it was all drained.” I looked down at the depressing dried up patch of dead earth.
“Oh God I don’t even know if I want to ask. But I guess you’ll probably tell me anyway.” She said with a sigh and continuing. “It looks so dreary down there.”
“I won’t tell you, if you really don’t want to know. I just thought for someone who was so certain I was fooling around you would want the full story.” I couldn’t help but to smile a little and slid a little bit closer to her. It was still unbarably hot and sticky but I liked being close to her and she was right about it being awful dreary down there. She looked at me strangely just then.
“I want to know. Tell me what terrible thing did they find in the pond that makes this old man so evil! Huh-huh c’mon tell me Riley.”
“Ok if you insist.” I couldn’t resist another smile.
“I do.”
“I don’t know exactly what day it was but I’m pretty sure it was in the first week of the work that they found the first one.” I gulped and felt an uneasy chill run up my spine and looking down on the dried up pond only made me feel more uneasy.
“First what Riley?’ She asked.
“The first body.” She gasped at what I said. She seemed to want to interupt and stop me from saying anymore more but I quickly continued. “It was small obviously a child. It was on the west end of the pond.” I pointed to where they had found the first body . I could still recognize the landscape and make out the massive old tree stump which was always just visible even when the pond was full. She shuttered a little and peeled her eyes away from the dried up dead patch of earth.
“That is so fucking terrible!” She cried out and quickly glance in my direction to see if I was laughing an obvious punch line to my morbid joke. I however was lost in thought thinking about what was still to come next.
Short Stories