nuts to go there at night!” he declared.
I began to think I had misjudged him. He was afraid to go there. That’s why he was trying to stop us.
“Are you coming or not?” Josh demanded, getting farther and farther ahead of us.
“I don’t think we should,” Ray warned.
Yes, he’s afraid,
I decided. I only imagined that he was threatening us.
“You don’t have to. But
we
do,” Josh insisted, picking up his speed.
“No. Really,” Ray said. “This is a bad idea.” But now he and I were running side by side to catch up with Josh.
“Petey’s there,” Josh said. “I know he is.”
We passed the dark, silent school. It seemed much bigger at night. Josh’s light flashed through the low tree branches as we turned the corner onto Cemetery Drive.
“Wait — please,” Ray pleaded. But Josh didn’t slow down. Neither did I. I was eager to get there and get it over with.
I wiped my forehead with my sleeve. The air was hot and still. I wished I hadn’t worn a sweatshirt. I felt my hair. It was dripping wet.
The clouds still covered the moon as we reached the cemetery. We stepped through a gate in thelow wall. In the darkness, I could see the crooked rows of gravestones.
Josh’s light traveled from stone to stone, jumping up and down as he walked. “Petey!” he called suddenly, interrupting the silence.
He’s disturbing the sleep of the dead,
I thought, feeling a sudden chill of fear.
Don’t be silly, Amanda.
“Petey!” I called, too, forcing away my morbid thoughts.
“This is a very bad idea,” Ray said, standing very close to me.
“Petey! Petey!” Josh called.
“I know it’s a bad idea,” I admitted to Ray. “But I didn’t want Josh to come here by himself.”
“But we shouldn’t
be
here,” Ray insisted.
I was beginning to wish he’d go away. No one had forced him to come. Why was he giving us such a hard time?
“Hey — look at this!” Josh called from several yards up ahead.
My sneakers crunching over the soft ground, I hurried between the rows of graves. I hadn’t realized that we had already walked the entire length of the graveyard.
“Look,” Josh said again, his flashlight playing over a strange structure built at the edge of the cemetery.
It took me a little while to figure out what it was in the small circle of light. It was so unexpected. It was some kind of theater. Anamphitheater, I guess you’d call it, circular rows of bench seats dug into the ground, descending like stairs to a low stagelike platform at the bottom.
“What on earth?” I exclaimed.
I started forward to get a closer look.
“Amanda — wait. Let’s go home,” Ray called. He grabbed at my arm, but I hurried away, and he grabbed only air.
“Weird! Who would build an outdoor theater at the edge of a cemetery?” I asked.
I looked back to see if Josh and Ray were following me, and my sneaker caught against something. I stumbled to the ground, hitting my knee hard.
“Ow. What was that?”
Josh shone the light on it as I climbed slowly, painfully, to my feet. I had tripped over an enormous upraised tree root.
In the flickering light, I followed the gnarled root over to a wide old tree several yards away. The huge tree was bent over the strange below-ground theater, leaning at such a low angle that it looked likely to topple over at any second. Big clumps of roots were raised up from the ground. Overhead, the tree’s branches, heavy with leaves, seemed to lean to the ground.
“Timberrr!” Josh yelled.
“How weird!” I exclaimed. “Hey, Ray — what is this place?”
“It’s a meeting place,” Ray said quietly, standing close beside me, staring straight ahead at the leaning tree. “They use it sort of like a town hall. They have town meetings here.”
“In the cemetery?” I cried, finding it hard to believe.
“Let’s go,” Ray urged, looking very nervous.
All three of us heard the footsteps. They were behind us, somewhere in the rows of graves. We turned around.
I began to think I had misjudged him. He was afraid to go there. That’s why he was trying to stop us.
“Are you coming or not?” Josh demanded, getting farther and farther ahead of us.
“I don’t think we should,” Ray warned.
Yes, he’s afraid,
I decided. I only imagined that he was threatening us.
“You don’t have to. But
we
do,” Josh insisted, picking up his speed.
“No. Really,” Ray said. “This is a bad idea.” But now he and I were running side by side to catch up with Josh.
“Petey’s there,” Josh said. “I know he is.”
We passed the dark, silent school. It seemed much bigger at night. Josh’s light flashed through the low tree branches as we turned the corner onto Cemetery Drive.
“Wait — please,” Ray pleaded. But Josh didn’t slow down. Neither did I. I was eager to get there and get it over with.
I wiped my forehead with my sleeve. The air was hot and still. I wished I hadn’t worn a sweatshirt. I felt my hair. It was dripping wet.
The clouds still covered the moon as we reached the cemetery. We stepped through a gate in thelow wall. In the darkness, I could see the crooked rows of gravestones.
Josh’s light traveled from stone to stone, jumping up and down as he walked. “Petey!” he called suddenly, interrupting the silence.
He’s disturbing the sleep of the dead,
I thought, feeling a sudden chill of fear.
Don’t be silly, Amanda.
“Petey!” I called, too, forcing away my morbid thoughts.
“This is a very bad idea,” Ray said, standing very close to me.
“Petey! Petey!” Josh called.
“I know it’s a bad idea,” I admitted to Ray. “But I didn’t want Josh to come here by himself.”
“But we shouldn’t
be
here,” Ray insisted.
I was beginning to wish he’d go away. No one had forced him to come. Why was he giving us such a hard time?
“Hey — look at this!” Josh called from several yards up ahead.
My sneakers crunching over the soft ground, I hurried between the rows of graves. I hadn’t realized that we had already walked the entire length of the graveyard.
“Look,” Josh said again, his flashlight playing over a strange structure built at the edge of the cemetery.
It took me a little while to figure out what it was in the small circle of light. It was so unexpected. It was some kind of theater. Anamphitheater, I guess you’d call it, circular rows of bench seats dug into the ground, descending like stairs to a low stagelike platform at the bottom.
“What on earth?” I exclaimed.
I started forward to get a closer look.
“Amanda — wait. Let’s go home,” Ray called. He grabbed at my arm, but I hurried away, and he grabbed only air.
“Weird! Who would build an outdoor theater at the edge of a cemetery?” I asked.
I looked back to see if Josh and Ray were following me, and my sneaker caught against something. I stumbled to the ground, hitting my knee hard.
“Ow. What was that?”
Josh shone the light on it as I climbed slowly, painfully, to my feet. I had tripped over an enormous upraised tree root.
In the flickering light, I followed the gnarled root over to a wide old tree several yards away. The huge tree was bent over the strange below-ground theater, leaning at such a low angle that it looked likely to topple over at any second. Big clumps of roots were raised up from the ground. Overhead, the tree’s branches, heavy with leaves, seemed to lean to the ground.
“Timberrr!” Josh yelled.
“How weird!” I exclaimed. “Hey, Ray — what is this place?”
“It’s a meeting place,” Ray said quietly, standing close beside me, staring straight ahead at the leaning tree. “They use it sort of like a town hall. They have town meetings here.”
“In the cemetery?” I cried, finding it hard to believe.
“Let’s go,” Ray urged, looking very nervous.
All three of us heard the footsteps. They were behind us, somewhere in the rows of graves. We turned around.
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