Read Online What We Saw by Ryan Casey - Free Book Online

the leaves with full force.
    I wished Donald was here to help us out.
    Still, I followed. It was still hard to make out the figure ahead, as the trees had a way of dancing in my line of sight. We didn’t want to get too close. As we snuck closer, every step felt like one foot nearer to some sort of great truth. I hoped that whoever was there would spot us and that they’d be cutting firewood. Some easy explanation. Deep down, I knew that wasn’t the case.
    Suddenly, I saw their face through the trees. Adam carried on, but I froze on the spot. If someone flicked me, I’d shatter. I wanted to scream but I knew I couldn’t. My throat wouldn’t let me. My legs wobbled like strawberry laces, and I collapsed to the floor, unable to hold myself in place any longer.
    Adam must’ve noticed as his hand clutched at my back like one of those claw machines at the arcades. He dragged me up and looked at me, looked at how pathetic I was. I wondered if he’d seen what I’d seen because there was no way he could stay composed if he had.
    His hand hit my face, throwing me to the side. My face stung, but I knew what he did was necessary.
    ‘I know,’ he said, nodding his head. ‘But we’ve gotta carry on and see what he’s doing. He could be doing anything.’ He crinkled his forehead.
    Before I had time to disagree, he pulled me towards a small rock that was just large enough to hide behind. The person tossed bits of ground into the air. He was the one who told us not to move things about in the natural world because it was upsetting insects’ homes. As we crouched behind the rock, Donald dug away the earth, and the large, black zip-bag at his side marked the end of the trail. Whatever was in the bag, it must’ve been heavy.
    The spade hit the ground and gravel flew upwards. Donald breathed heavily, like he’d been working for a while. Adam stayed very still and stared. We’re trapped. My thoughts froze.
    After what seemed like forever, Donald stopped digging. He collapsed, putting his head in his hands and rocking it back and forth like a child. I didn’t know what to make of this—it wasn’t like Donald. It was as if someone were in his body, like he was possessed. I remembered his weird behaviour the other day. Just how much do we know about Donald, after all? He came here on his own, and he was interested in mysteries, like us. Now he was in a ball on the floor, bawling like a newborn.
    A part of me wanted to go to him and tell him everything would be okay. Maybe that way he’d be able to open up to us and tell us what he was doing. I don’t know. I sweated, and my hands burned. I needed to see what was inside the black bag. We both did.
    Maybe it was Carla in the bag? Maybe Donald had found her and was burying her? That’d explain why he acted so upset. He loved her just as much as we did, didn’t he? Perhaps he’d found her and couldn’t bring himself to tell us about it? I looked at Adam. He continued to stare. I wondered what he was thinking. I wished Emily was here so we didn’t have to explain it all to her. Why did she have to be going out with her family today? It wasn’t fair. A part of me wished Granddad was here, too. He was a wise man, and he’d handle the situation perfectly. He’d pat Donald on the back and hug him again.
    My thoughts were interrupted as Donald’s hand edged towards the black bag. He tried not to look at it. I took a deep breath, taking in the smell of fresh earth. Donald toyed with the zip on the side.
    Then he started to open it.
    As his hand travelled down the side of the bag, a rotten chicken stench poisoned the air. Adam gagged and covered his mouth. I wasn’t sure if I could hold my cough in. It travelled up my chest and hit the back of my throat. My toes curled at the sour taste in my mouth.
    I saw her face.
    She looked peaceful. Her face was so white that it looked like she’d been dipped in flour, but her skin looked slimy, like an eel. Everything about her looked