And Along Came Jake (3 page)

He got down on all fours, hoping the tallness of the grass would conceal him, as he crawled to the back side of the barn.

With the barn sheltering him from the direct sight of the Brierly's house, Jake stood up and spotted the big oak where Todd Beven's body was said to be buried. He went over, and noticed what seemed to be a very small square stone lying on the ground, just a few feet away, clearing away the leaves and dirt. He took a deep breath, and blew as hard as he could, to try and remove the last bit of debris left on the stone. After wiping it with his hand, he was finely able to reveal the old, worn out headstone of Todd Beven.

The engraving was so faded and weathered that Jake was barely able to read the inscription. As he ran his fingertips over the words, he began to read aloud: "Here lies our town's hero, Todd Beven, giving his life to save others." The next line read: "Todd Beven: Born Dec 24, 1862 – Died August 8, 1895."

Jake sat down next to the faded headstone, and began to wonder about life, and how we could all be gone in the blink of an eye. As Jake looked around, he noticed what seemed to be an old grass covered path.

Wondering where it led, he got up and started following the worn out trail. Every now and then, the trails path would completely disappear, and Jake would have to stop and try to pick up the faded path once again. It finely ended at a sparsely wood covered area. Jake was excited, because he knew exactly where he was.

"Alright! This is perfect!" Jake exclaimed, as he clapped his hands together.

He stood just outside of the baseball field; the evidence of a few unrecovered home run hit baseballs, made that clear.

"Well" Jake thought to himself. "Now I know a way to get to and from the Brierly's without being seen, this is great!"

After Jake crossed the baseball diamond, he headed straight for Mr. Cobb's hardware store, hoping Edwin would be there helping his father, for free as punishment for getting beat up yesterday after his baseball game.

Once Jake reached the side of Mr. Cobb's hardware store, he saw Little Edwin outside, looking extremely bored, sweeping the front walkway.

"PSST!" Jake called, cupping his hands over his mouth.

Edwin looked around, but didn't see anyone, so he continued sweeping.

"PSST—Edwin—over here!" He called again, still cupping his hands over his mouth.

"J-Jake! Are you c-c-crazy?" Edwin whispered, as he looked in Jake's direction, and walked to the side of the store. "You're g-gonna get me k-killed."

"No time for that now Edwin" Jake whispered, pulling him around the corner. "I need you to do me a huge favor. I need you to grab a couple handfuls of Mr. Cobb's Nails!"

"N-N-No Jake! Y-Y-You should have s-seen the wip-wip-wippin' Pa g-gave me yesterday. I-I can't Jake!" Edwin said as he folded his arms.

"Edwin, you're my best friend, and you know I wouldn't ask you to do this if it weren't important. Come on pal, just this once?"

"Okay J-Jake, but j-j-just this once, a-and you owe me b-big!" Edwin replied, as he furrowed his brow.

"Of course I'll owe you!" Jake said, now smiling from ear to ear. "Okay, I'll meet you by the vacant shop at the end of the strip in ten minutes."

"O-O-Okay Jake, Pa's g-gonna let me go just as s-s-soon as I f-finish sweeping. I'll s-see you in about t-t-t-ten minutes."

About fifteen minutes after Jake got to the vacant shop, he could see his buddy running as fast as he could, his front pockets full of nails.

"H-H-Here you go J-J-Jake!" Edwin said. "Mama's expecting me home, s-s-so I'll s-see you la-la-later, a-a-and when I do, y-y-you better t-tell me what th-th-those nails were f-f-for!" Just as soon as Little Edwin handed Jake the nails, he ran home, yelling a quick goodbye.

"Bye Edwin" Jake yelled back. "I'll see you soon...and thanks again!"

From there, Jake acquired some food from Smitty's store, escaping from him yet again by squeezing between the broken boards of the tall fence. He walked past the baseball field, and followed the worn out path back to the old barn. Once there, he went right to work.

It took a few days, but he was actually able to fix the inside of that place like new. He refastened all the loose boards, and repaired all of the Beven's old furniture. As Jake put the finishing touches on his project, he put his hands on his hips, and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"I could get used to living here!" He said. He walked outside to a tree that stood right in front of the barn, took out a pocket knife his father gave him, and carved his name in big deep letters, J-A-K-E.

Every day for the next few weeks Jake made his routine. He would wake up, take the path into town, hustle some money, get some food, clean himself up by the local water pump, and then head back to his secret hideout to relax.

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One day, about two o'clock in the afternoon while Jake was taking a nap in the old barn, Madison Brierly was out walking the land, looking for her dog, Toby. She searched all around the house but there was no sign of him. She checked the large barn next to their house, but he wasn't there either. Madison went to all of his usual hiding places, but he was just nowhere to be found. The beautiful girl yelled and called for her dog, but Toby wouldn't respond.

Thinking he may have been bit by a rattler or something, she decided to venture further from the house, more than she was allowed. Her father always told her to stay close, because snakes would often hide in the tall grass.

Madison's parents always made it clear that she was to stay far away from the old haunted barn. She was told as long as she kept away, Todd Beven's ghost would never harm her. But if she got close enough for him to see her, her beautiful hair would turn white as snow, and would never change back. Fearing the worst, Madison decided that she'd take the risk to find her dog. As she reached the old barn, she whispered in a shaky voice.

"Toby—Toby are you here? Please come out—I'm afraid Toby—please."

To her dismay, Toby didn't respond. Fearing Toby slipped into the barn through the slightly opened door, Madison bravely, but cautiously let herself in.

"Toby! Toby!" She whispered, shaking uncontrollably, her eyes as wide as saucers. All of a sudden, she heard a loud noise, like someone growling over and over again.

"Oh no! it must be the ghost of Todd Beven!"
She thought to herself, as she cupped her hands over her nose and mouth.

She let out a blood curdling scream, which startled Jake, who stop snoring, woke up and began to scream as well. After a few seconds in terror, they recognized one another, causing both of them to giggle.

"Jake Patterson, is that you?" She asked, hands on her hips. "For Pete's sake boy, you scared me to death. What are you doing in here anyway?"

Fearing the worst, he didn't reply, instead tried making a run for it. He didn't get far though, his foot got tangled in the bed sheets, causing him to stumble, twist his ankle, fall to the ground and scream in pain.

"Stay there Jake, don't move. I'll go get my father to help!" Madison said. Jake sat there holding his ankle.

"NO!––NO! Madison, please don't tell your father that I'm here!" He said waving his hands in the air to get her attention. "I think it's broken!" He winced in pain.

"Let me have a look!" She said, as she sat down beside him. "It's not broken, you big baby. You just twisted it, that's all." She felt around his ankle, and rolled her eyes.

"Well, it hurts like the dickens!" He exclaimed.

"Wowy wow!" She said, looking around the barn "I've never been in here before. I've always been afraid of this place, because of all the old stories about Todd Beven."

"Here, take a gander at this!" He said, as he grabbed the wooden box containing the pictures and articles.

As she took the box and opened it, she went through all of its contents. When she finished reading the articles and looking at all the pictures, she handed the box back to Jake.

"Why in the world would people say such awful things about this great man, Mr. Beven?" She asked.

"I don't know." He replied. He then pleaded with her not to tell anyone he was staying there.

"Why are you in here anyway?" She asked.

"I don't know." He said, as he quickly changed subjects. "I was hoping no one would find me here with all the stories about Todd Beven."

"What happened Jake? Why are you alone?"  She asked.

"Well Madison, I'd rather not talk about it if it's all the same to you." He put his head down in embarrassment.

"Very well" she said. "I'm sure you have your reasons. I'll tell you what, I won't say anything to anyone, but only on one condition—I get to come over and visit any time I want. I don't have very many friends. Real friends I mean, you know, like the ones I can trust and talk to."

"Okay Madison!" Jake said, as he smiled. He then spit on his hand and stuck it out in front of him. "Spit on your hand and shake. That's the only way we can truly seal the deal." He instructed.

Madison made a disgusted face, put just a tiny bit of spittle on the middle of her hand, then stuck it out and shook hands with Jake, sealing the deal.

For the next few weeks, Madison visited Jake every day. She occasionally brought him leftovers that she claimed would go to her dog Toby.

The more Madison visited, the better friends they became. They shared stories about life, friends, family, situations at Madison's home and stories that they've heard about Todd Beven. Eventually, they became so close that Jake broke down, and told her all about his parents, and why he chose to run away.

—

Bad Events, Good Things

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Jake and Madison were talking at the old barn one morning, when suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by an earsplitting clap of thunder that began to taunt the small town of Blackwater.

"Did you hear that?" exclaimed Madison, both of them jumping to their feet to have a look outside.

"Whoa, that's amazing!" He said.

" I've never seen anything like it!" She replied.

They were taking about the previously sun-drenched sky, now covered with black, angry clouds; ready to unleash its assault on the land. By this time, the wind was picking up speed, and the trees swayed from side to side.

"Madison, Madison!" Her mother's voice was faint in the distance. "Where are you? You need to come in honey!"

The wind was blowing at full speed, and the rain drenched the ground. Standing next to one another, she still had to yell so he could hear.

"Sorry Jake, but I've got to go; I wish you'd come with me to our cellar, but—."

"Just go Madison!" He yelled. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine in here, just go; run as fast as you can. Go—go!

He gave her a soft shove, and watched as she ran back to the house. She turned, looking back at the old barn, thinking about Jake, hoping he would be alright, all alone in there.

As she finally reached the cellar, she noticed her father walking outside, putting his hat and coat on, preparing to search for her.

"I'm here Pa, I'm here!" Madison yelled.

Mr. Brierly gestured with his hands for Madison to quickly get into the cellar. Once everyone was inside, her mother wrapped her up warmly in a thick blanket.

"Madison darling, where on earth have you been?" Her mother asked. "Your Pa and I have been worried sick!—Oh just look at you, you're drenched from head to toe. Where were you anyway?"

"I was out looking for Toby. The storm started, I got scared and didn't know what to do." She said, not wanting to reveal Jake's secret hideout.

"Toby was with your father and I." Mrs. Brierly confirmed. She shrugged her shoulders and continued, "well, never the less, we're all together now. I just hope this storm passes quickly."

"Oh no!" Mr. Brierly exclaimed "I forgot about the small patch of crops I just planted. I need to go cover them up!"

"Please don't go out there!" Mrs. Brierly said, grabbing his arm. "It's very dangerous, and the winds are so high!"

Suddenly, a loud clap of thunder crashed across the sky, startling all three of them; while simultaneously causing the lights to flicker, scaring them even more.

"I'll help you daddy!" Madison said.

"Very well" Mrs. Brierly announced, placing her hands on her hips. "Let's all go then, so we can get this done and over with!"

Mr. Brierly began a countdown, by saying. "Five, four, three, two, one!" and with that, he opened the cellar doors, as the family quickly made their way to their nearby crop field.

Madison's father instructed her to hold tightly to his coat, and not let go until they reached the crops. Once at the fields, the rain soaked Brierly's immediately went towards the small patch of newly planted crops, and began to cover it with a tattered tarp they had in the cellar.

The scene was almost comical, as the family continuously chased the unruly tarps corners back and forth, until they found a few large rocks to secure it with.

Once the tarp was in place, they headed back into the cellar, dried themselves off, and got into a discussion about life, their hopes and dreams. Meanwhile, the storm continued to bombard the small town of Blackwater.

Mr. and Mrs. Brierly spoke on, about the possibility of crop loss, and how they would recover, while Madison was think only of Jake, who chose to weigh out this violent storm all alone, in that small old run-downed barn.

While the Brierly's were taking shelter, Jake managed to move all the furniture up against the barn door, which stopped the wind from slamming it over and over again.

He went to the corner, took out his lucky marble, and quickly began rubbing it between his hands. As it moved between his palms, he could feel the heavy vibration of the thunder as it hit. Curious as to what was going on, he got up, peeked through one of the cracks in the boards and couldn’t believe his eyes. He saw a large funnel cloud heading straight for the Brierly's, and his little barn! He began pacing back and forth, weighing out his options in his mind.

"I don't know what to do!"
He thought.
"If I stay here, I'm sure to die, but if I go to the cellar, Mr. Brierly will kill me! Either way…I'm dead!"

"Well"
He thought, as he threw his hands in the air.
"If I'm gonna die, at least I'll be able to see Madison's beautiful face one more time."

With that thought, Jake quickly moved the furniture from the door, and darted towards the Brierly's cellar. As he ran, he could see the twister coming closer and closer to the Brierly's house. Hoping to outrun the massive force of nature, he moved toward the cellar as fast as he could.

He could feel the wind and rains power more and more as he neared the Brierly's cellar, only a few yards away from their house. He saw the twister's size grow larger as it got closer. The tornado was now only fifty yards away, and the cellar was in sight, but Jake made a hasty decision, and chose to stop in his tracks.

He was afraid the tornado would endanger Madison and her parents when and if the cellar doors opened. He threw himself down on the ground, curled himself in a ball, and hoped for the best. He knew it would only be seconds now until it ripped through the Brierly's farm, and possibly tossing him miles into the air.

After about twenty seconds passed, he picked up his head to see what was taking it so long. To his amazement, he noticed the storm's path suddenly changed course, now headed away from the Brierly's land, and away from Blackwater altogether.

"Thank you God! Thank you, thank you!" Jake yelled, as the downpour began to subside, and the sky started to slowly clear.

Picking himself off the muddy ground, he heard the cellar doors begin to creak open. He knew he wouldn't have enough time to go back to the old barn without being seen, so he quickly ran around to the side of the house and waited.

"Abigail!" Mr. Brierly called to his wife, as he walked out of the cellar. "Go make sure everything in the house is alright, and Madison, come with me. Let's check if there's any damage to the crops."

"Hey Pa!" Madison said, wondering about Jake. "Why don't I go have a look around, and see if everything else is alright?"

"No Madison!" Mr. Brierly said. "You stick with me, just in case that storm decides it wants to come back. I don't wanna have to go out searching for you again."

"Alright, alright!" She said, sighing and stomping her foot on the ground.

"Why don't you go and get the rake from the side of the house, and meet me by the newly planted crops?" Mr. Brierly said as he chuckled.

"Okay Pa" sighed Madison. "Go here...go there...do this...do that!"

"What's that, young lady?" He asked as his daughters reaction brought a smile to his face.

"Nothing Pa. I'll get the rake for you."

Once Madison reached the side of the house, she saw what appeared to be the top of a fuzzy head, poking up between two piles of wood, neatly stacked against the house.

Madison carefully peeked around the corner, and noticed her father had his back to her with his full attention on the crops. She smiled, quietly got down and slowly duck-walked towards the wood pile. She jumped up directly in-front of Jake, completely startling him saying "Boo!" She put her arms straight out in front of her, and began walking like a zombie.

"I am Todd Beven" She said in a hypnotized voice. "I'm here to chop you up into little bits." Then she gasped, and knelt down beside him. "Jake Patterson was scared? You mean to tell me that tough Jake Patterson was actually scared?" Then she made her voice sound like a little girl and continued "Was wittle Jaky waky scared of a little teensy weensy, itsy bitsy, little bitty storm?"

"Alright, alright, stop it, stop it! Quiet down!" He said, now smiling and gently putting his hand over her mouth.

"Madison!" Her father called "Honey, where's the rake? Come on, my crops will be ready to harvest by the time you get here."

Madison grabbed the rake next to Jake, gave him a light peck on his cheek, then quickly took off around the corner running to her father with a huge smile on her face.

Jake, stood there in disbelief, and lightly placed his hand on the exact spot where Madison kissed him. With his painted on grin from ear to ear, he quickly got up, peeked around and watched Madison run to her father with the rake in her hands.

Jake walked and looked around the front of the house, wondering if Mrs. Brierly was anywhere in sight. When everything seemed clear, Jake began to run as fast as he could to towards town. He hopped and skipped, stopping here and there, to pick up a rock or stick and throw it as far as he could.

Madison's father, was oblivious about her little run in with Jake, he only saw her with the rake in her hands and a goofy smile on her face.

"Madison Brierly!" He said as he shook his head. "What on God's green earth am I ever gonna do with you. baby girl? Go on and play. This storm's not comin' back any time soon, just be careful okay?"

Madison picked up a stick, and pleasantly skipped away, calling for Toby to play a game of fetch.

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When Jake finally reached the center of town, he thought he'd try to make some money, so he made his way to the backside of the vacant shop at the end of the strip, pulled out his dice, and started rolling them against the building.

It wasn't long until other boy's his age gathered round for a few games of 'back alley dice'. Jake looked at each of the four boys who came to play, then placed ten cents on the ground.

"Okay boys" Jake said, "Who's gonna be the first to lose?"

A tall lanky boy walked towards Jake and placed ten cents on the ground as well. "I'll play ya Jake!" He nodded.

"Okay Phil, let's see who rolls first." Jake said, giving him a crooked smile handing him a die.

Phil put the die in his hand, blew on it for good luck, then rolled it against the wall, landing a five.

The other boys chanted, oohed and ahhed, knowing Jake now had to beat a five if he was gonna win first roll. Jake gave Phil a wink, rolled his die and landed a deuce.

"Okay Jake!" Phil chuckled, "I get to go first! Give me the dice and get ready to see a seven or an eleven."

The other boys chuckled, and focused on Phil as he rolled the dice against the building.

"Darn it!" Phil looked down and saw the dice which displayed double sixes.

"That's right, come to papa!" Jake smiled, and picked up his twenty cents.

"Wanna play again Phil?" Jake asked placing the change back down on the ground.

Phil smirked. He dug around in his pockets, pulled out his last twenty cents and put it all on the ground.

"I can't believe I'm doing this!" Phil said. "If I lose, Ma's gonna kill me. This money's supposed to buy us some groceries."

This time, Jake rolled the higher die, winning the first toss. "Come on lucky seven!" he said, as he shook the dice in his hand, quickly releasing them and watched as they bounced off the wall displaying a four.

"That's what I'm talking about!" said Phil "You gotta roll another four, or else I get my thirty cents back, plus ten of yours!"

"Well Phil" Jake smiled "here's your four!" With that, Jake rolled the dice which surprisingly displayed another four.

"Oh no!" exclaimed Phil "My Ma's gonna kill me!—I know, I'll tell her some older kids ruffed me up and took all my money."

Phil threw himself on the ground, and began to roll in the dirt, while purposefully ripping and tarring his shirt at the bottom. "So guys—do I look ruffed up?" He asked the other boys as he smiled, displayed his new look.

All the boys laughed together, then patted Phil on the back to wish him luck. As Phil walked away, Jake picked up the coins from the ground and began to play with them, moving it from one hand to the other.

"Who's next?" He asked, placing the money back on the ground.

Game after game, Jake continued to win; all the boys went away one by one, no money left in their pockets. As the last boy walked from the back side of the vacant shop, Jake began to count his winnings. He made one dollar and twenty cents.

"Wow, I did good today!" He said out loud, putting the money in his pocket, whistling all the way to Smitty's store. As Jake walked through the store, Smitty gave him an evil look, and held up a thick stick about two feet long.

"Go ahead Jake!" Smitty said. "I dare you to steal something today. I brought this stick just for you!"

"I got money Smitty" Jake responded with a smile. "One whole dollar and twenty cents!"

"I got my eye on you kid!" said Smitty as he pointed the stick at him.