The Stone of Blood (30 page)

I walked out to the old barn; out by the back fence and through the tall grasses freshly wet from the mornin’ dew and I stood there lookin’ up into that window loft and I thought about the ghost.

That’s where it had all started, I reckoned, right there beneath the shadows of that old barn. I wondered if my Dad knew about the secret doorway and tunnel that lay beneath the barn floor boards that me and Colby had discovered. Or if he’d found where we’d simply covered it up.

What had happened upon these grounds that had bound that man’s spirit to the land; keepin’ him from his eternal rest, I did
not
know. But I
did
know that it had to be somethin’ awfully serious!

There was a
passion
in it I reasoned; a passion so strong that death itself couldn’t free him!

The fact remained however that I wasn’t really even supposed to believe in ghosts.

I knew that!
Well, maybe that’s not entirely the proper word choice I should have used. Perhaps I should say that, ‘
I
believe that ghosts exist
’. I mean, I know it’s written in the bible that ‘
we must worship in spirit
’ and that ‘
God is spirit
’ and even that the family of God consists of ‘
the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost
’. But I wanted to make since of it all, in an intelligent way and not be goin’ by any untraveled roads that might lead me into believin’ in things that wasn’t all together the truth!

I walked up to the top of our hill and I went in and sat down on the small green stool that I used as a chair, just there on the inside of my clubhouse. Me and my cousin Jody had built the clubhouse a few years back. Originally it had been built onto the back side of my dad’s tool shed. But we moved it up to the top of the hill so that it could be more private, and also cause there was a better view from up there!

Mountains, valleys, ponds and fields of corn and cattle stretched out for miles!

And there in the distance, standing vigil in solemn stance …I could see the silhouette of St. Joseph’s Cathedral; its steeple and cross stood tall, majestic and somber in the solitude of that beautiful mornin’ sky.

It was
Friday mornin
’. And sometimes on Friday’s after work, my dad would take us all out to Riley’s restaurant to eat for supper. Riley’s was a small Diner located just crossways and up the road a piece from “My Old Kentucky Home State Park”. It was a great place to eat! I mean, we all liked it there. But I do remember my dad gettin’ powerful mad one time cause it cost him six dollars and twenty-five cents for all of us to eat! “
It cost six dollars and twenty-five cents for four hamburgers, four fries and four cokes!
” I remember him sayin’.

But they were good times. And he said that ‘
we were worth it
’.

Sittin’ inside my clubhouse, it was kinda hard to believe that it had already been a week since me and Colby had spent the night out at the quarry.

So much had changed since then.

I figured that it was time I spoke to somebody older and wiser than myself about what was happenin’…maybe somebody like my grandpa.

I thought I should ask him about some of the stuff that I had seen, and that maybe he could shed some light on it for me.

I’d sure like to know what he’d have to say about it. I mean, he was a whole lot older than me and maybe he had some answers to some of the questions that I didn’t even know how to ask yet!

Grandpa told me that when he was a boy like I was, that he lived with his mama and his daddy too, just like me. Only his mama got real sick or somethin’ when he was my age and she died and went to Heaven. So, when she was gone, he no longer had her there to love him no more.

“
I
was real close to my mama and she cared for me very much.
” Grandpa said. “
Mama was good to me.
” I remember him sayin’ in a choked up kind of voice.

Grandpa said that his daddy was a ‘
harsh man
’. He said that ‘
his dad had remarried that same year to a very stern and mean woman,
’ who he said was ‘
alot like his dad
’. And I don’t think that my grandpa ever took to her real well. She apparently didn’t take to him very well either! I guess that sometimes grownups just don’t have enough love left in em’ for other people’s kids. So my grandpa had to do alot of growin’ up on his own.

Now I don’t know how much schoolin’ he got …or even if he really ever had schoolin’ at all, but I do know that he said that he had worked since he was little! And I remember him talkin’ about how he had to give his dad all of the money he made on whatever job he happened to have been workin’ on; whether it was bailin’ hay or workin’ at the Sawmill or whatever!

And my grandpa’s Brother Percy didn’t have to give his daddy one single “
damned dime!
” My grandpa said. “
And
that just was not right!
” He continued.

I’d have to say that I agreed with him.

I mean I don’t know what kind of grudge or nothin’ his daddy had towards him, but it wasn’t a very good way to be treated. Especially when he was just a kid and all! And that’s about all I gotta say about that I reckon.

As I sat there in my clubhouse lookin’ out over the meadows with the sunlight continuin’ to rise, I thought I heard somethin’ …somethin’ I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

It sounded like somebody ‘
laughin
’. Like the …‘
laughter of a young girl
’ or that of ‘
a couple of young girls laughin’ back and forth with one another’
. I had never heard nothin’ like it. At least not all the way up there on our hill by the woods!

It was eerie soundin’.

I stepped outside the clubhouse and I stood upon the hill overlookin’ the grasses and the meadows and the road down below me. That’s where the sounds seemed to be comin’ from.

But I couldn’t see anybody. Not anybody out and about this early in the mornin’ anyways. And yet the sound of the laughter …was growin’ louder!

I looked down then into the shadows of our old barn, and into the murkiness of its loft.

“
Did somethin’ just move within its shadows?”
I wondered. “
Was there something sinister lurking ju
st inside of its
darkness? Could someone have come up through that hidden cavern door?
”

Within moments I found myself standin’ again before the gloomy edifice of the barn, peerin’ deep into the depths of its void; where the shadowy movements beckoned me from within.

And just then! Just as the laughter reached its loudest point …just as it rang loudly into my ears …it stopped!

It was immediately replaced by …deafening silence.

Cold chills ran down the base of my spine as the hairs stood straight up on the back of my neck! Panic filled my spirit as I realized …the sounds had not come from inside of the barn in front of me!

They had come from behind me!

Someone or ‘
something
’ was now standin’ in the indistinguishable darkness surroundin’ me!

Somethin’ stood near me now as my heart pounded rapidly and as I stood in sheer terror! I could feel its hot breath upon my neck!

I don’t remember what happened then. But I do remember the blood in my veins goin’ cold! I saw bits and pieces and flashes of light as my eyes surveyed my path! My feet ran by way of a long and treacherous tunnel in black and white! As if from somewhere on high I watched myself running!

I was bein’ chased! Hunted! Runnin’ in slow motion! I saw the yard! The steps! The porch! The door! I remember the door openin’ and my squeezin’ through it! Just in the nick of time and closin’ it to save my life! I heard the sounds of the gnashin’ of teeth! And my heart poundin’ as the door was slammed shut!

“Son!” My mama called out from just inside the kitchen. “Don’t you be slamming that door that so hard! Breakfast is ready.” She continued. “Now come on in here and sit yourself down and get yourself somethin’ to eat!”

Had it only been my imagination? Did my mama
not
hear the dogs or wolfs growls? I was physically shakin’ as I stood there turnin’ as white as a ghost, just this side of the kitchen door! And I was still breathin’ hard as I walked into the kitchen and scooted myself up to the table. It was the first time in my whole entire life that the smell of bacon didn’t provide me any kind of comfort at all! And Mr. Whiskers was barkin’!

“Mom…” I said as I sat there at the table shakin’ and tryin’ to eat my eggs and bacon and freshly melted buttered toast. “…do you know anything about the wolves livin’ in those woods?”

“Wolves?” my mama replied as she stopped what she was doin’ and looked at me. “I don’t think we have wolves around here son, not in these parts. Why? Have you seen one?”
Mama walked over to the windows then and looked out into the yard to see if she could see anything out there. She could hear Mr. Whiskers barkin
’
and I could tell she was gettin’ worried.

“I’ve seen a bunch of em’ Mom.” I told her. “And not just in my imaginations neither!”

“Where did you see them?” she asked. “Out in the field?”

“Me and Colby both seen em’! We saw em’ at the quarry!” I said. “And just now, out by the woods near the barn! One of em’ just chased me Mom!” I stated matter of factly. “There’s a bunch of em’ out there!”

“One of them just chased you? Oh my goodness!” Mama exclaimed and ran over and grabbed my head and held it to her tight. “Did they bite you or scratch you or anything?”

“Not that I know of Mom!” I answered.

“Well, don’t go outside anymore today and don’t you go worryin’ about any of that right now! We’ll let your daddy know about them when he gets home, and we’ll see what he can do!” Mama said as she continued checkin’ me out for scratches and marks and things. “You just go on and eat your breakfast before your food gets cold. Your dad will check it out and it’ll all be fine!” she said and then she kissed me on the head.

“Mom?” I asked. “Do you know if anybody ever died out there in our barn?”

“Toby, no more talk in this house about ghosts.” Mama said sternly. “You know we’ve already talked about that! There are no such things as ghosts! We don’t believe in them.” She continued.
 
“When someone dies, they either go to Heaven or they go to Hell. It’s just the way it is.” she said. “It might have just been someone up their tryin’ to scare ya’ll at the time or somethin’.”

And with that, the conversation was ended. The subject was closed.

Maybe it
was
closed for my mama, but it wasn’t for me. Just as it was in the cave, at a certain point there can be no turnin’ back! I would need to look at this from a new perspective. Get someone else’s view on it. I knew my grandpa believed about witches and ghosts and things of that nature. And I knew I would have to seek out his wisdom!