Nevermore
The flames blazed in Max’s eyes as he gazed expressionlessly
into the fire pit. The flames licked at the wood and stone as if they
were waiting for him to throw in another log. As Max brushed away
his bushy blond hair, his friend Georgia came around to the back of
the barn to join him. She sat down without a word and gazed into the
fire with the same expressionless face as Max, her red hair shining in
the fire light.
“So why are you here?” Max asked.
“My mom went to one of her meetings so I needed something to
do,” she replied.
“And you chose me instead of sleeping on that lumpy couch of
yours, I truly am flattered," he said with an air of cheekiness.
“Very funny, Max, the other reason I came over here was to tell
you that Minor cave, you know the one you like to go spelunking at, is
closed ‘cause toxic gas is leaking into it from underground,” she told
him.
“But Minor cave is the only good spelunking cave in Wawa,”
Max complained.
“Then do something else this weekend, like I’m going to the
library to study history, you could come with if you want,” she told
him.
“No, I have to baby sit my little sister, Emma.”
“Suit yourself," Georgia replied and she walked away. That is
so like Georgia, Max thought to himself, she brings you bad news then
brags about her good fortune.
“Aw well, might as well call it a night,” he said to himself as he
put out the fire and walked slowly back to the house.
The moonlight gave everything an eerie glow as a man walked
along the country side, pulling a chainsaw behind him, looking for a
place to sleep. How ironic, he thought, when I was little I always
wanted to go to bed late, but now I want to do nothing but sleep.
Pretty soon he came to a lake with a sign that read: MINOR CAVE
CLOSED FOR FUMIGAITION and there was yellow tape barring the
entrance. No matter he thought nothing has kept me out of anything
before. As he tore away the tape a foul stench reached his nostrils.
Must just be bat guano he thought as he walked in. He slumped down
on the ground and as a piece of paper fell out of his pocket, he fell into
a deep sleep. Later on he woke up and felt nauseous so he went to the
lake. Suddenly he stumbled over a rock and fell into the cold water.
When he got up he saw his reflection, his eyes were blood red and his
face was puffy and blistered. What happened to me he thought. I can’t
even remember my name. No, my name is Jeramya. Yeah that’s it
Jeramya. But then he just stopped thinking and fell into a fit of crazy
laughter.
Squealing, Max’s 4 year old sister ran through the house
protesting that she went to bed at 12 not 7:30.
“Emma, it’s time for bed now!” Max said sternly.
“No, Fairy Princesses don’t go to bed,” she proclaimed.
“But if Fairy Princesses don’t go to bed they won’t get their
beauty sleep.”
“You right and fairy Princesses always have to look butiful,
now go get my pj’s, servant,” she ordered him. Max sighed as he
walked to her bright pink room to collect her ‘My Little Pony’
pyjamas. After she had her pj’s on he read her a story, ‘The Little
Engine That Could’.
It was a tedious story about a train engine that was trying to win a
race. After that extremely boring book, he put Emma to bed, and sat
down on his leather couch and turned on the radio.
“In the latest news, Minor cave has being reopened so feel free
to go spelunking, or picnicking or whatever you want this weekend.”
He switched it off just as the announcer was talking about the pros.
and cons. of cashmere. I’m so going there tomorrow, he thought as he
walked into his room and went to sleep.
The fresh lake air filled Max’s nostrils as he walked into Minor
cave, but it disappeared as suddenly as a lightning bolt because the
guano was too overrpowering.
“Ugh,” Max said disgusted. As he walked deeper into the cave
he saw a dark figure walk towards him.
“You are tressspassing,” he growled in a wheezy voice with a
slur in his Ss.
“But it’s open to public,” Max exclaimed with a shudder.
“It’ss my cave now and you will pay for your inssolence,” he
stated. The figure started to run towards him. Just as he was metres
away, Max came to his senses and ran. He ran out of Minor cave and
back to his house.
“That boy wass trouble,” Jeramya told himself.
“I musst make ssure he doess not tell the resst of the town, he
must be destroyed,” he cackled.
Later on, Max was listened as his mom read Emma a story,
“…and they all lived happily ever after,” his mom finished as Emma
fell asleep.
“Max, deary, would you like to sleep in the barn tonight? It’s
really warm and I have guests coming over.”
“Ok mom,” he replied, “I just need to find my sleeping bag.”
After a few minutes Max started walking to the barn. As he walked,
Jeramya ran quietly up to a nearby bush with a can of gasoline and a
match.
“The lasst ssecondess of hisss life will go up in flamess,” he
cackled. As Max got into the barn the smell of manure reached his
nostrils.
“Good thing there aren’t any animals so the smell can’t get any
worse,” he mumbled to himself as he laid down his sleeping bag, curled
up in it and went to sleep.
While Max was sleeping, Jeramya walked silently into the barn
and poured the gasoline all over a haystack by a broken window.
After that, he walked around to the other side of the window.
“Time for the fireworksss,” he cackled coldly and he dropped
the match onto the gasoline smothered haystack.
Smoke filled Max’s lungs as he woke up and saw that the barn
was burning up with yellow, orange and red flames.
“Max!! Max!! Are you in there?” his mom screamed. Max coughed
and answered hoarsely.
“I’m trying to get out,” he yelled back. He ran up to the door but
suddenly a blazing plank of wood fell and barred it. He turned around
frantically and spotted the broken window. He ran desperately up to
it, and jumped over the haystack and out the window onto the soft
damp grass.
“Max, are you ok?” his mom asked.
“I’m fine, but a little spooked,” he answered.
“I just called the fire department and they’re on their way, but I
don’t know how the barn caught on fire.” Suddenly the fire
department arrived and started putting out the inferno with
powerful blast of silver water from a dark red hose.
The next day at 9:00 in the morning Max knocked on Georgia’s
door.
“What are you doing here?” she questioned, “Did you change
your mind about coming to the library?”
“Change of plans, you’re coming to Minor Cave with me, I’ll
explain why on the way,” he told her abruptly.
“But I was planning to go the…” but Max cut her off.
“Georgia, this is important, now get your sweater on and let’s
go.” Dumbfounded, Georgia grabbed her sweater and ran after Max.
“So you’re saying that you think the reason that your barn
burnt down is because some crazy guy who was exposed to the toxic
gas in Minor cave burnt it down because he wanted to kill you so no
one will know he’s in Minor Cave,” Georgia said breathlessly.
“That pretty much covers it,” he replied.
“So we’re going to a cave that some maniac lives in,” she stated,
confused.
“Yup, and I don’t think we’ll see him.”
“Why not?” she asked.
“ ’Cause when I saw him I was deep in the cave, so I think that he
hides deep in the cave during the daylight and comes out at night,” he
replied.
“So we’re only looking around the outer edge of the cave?”
“Yup,” Max said as they walked over to Minor cave, avoiding the
other people.
“What’s that repulsive smell?” Georgia asked disgusted.
“Guano,” Max replied.
“Which is…?”
“Bat poop,” Max answered with a chuckle
“Sick,” she stated as she looked around.
“Max, come look at this,” she whispered as he was looking at the
opposite wall.
“It’s an article: Jeramya Wilkinson arrested for countless cases
of murder, abuse and robbery,” she read.
“Do you think the man who burnt down your barn is Jeramya?”
she questioned.
“Maybe, but I didn’t get a good look at him. I also have another
question, what’s a chainsaw doing here?” he inquired, pointing to a
rusty chainsaw nearby.
“It’sss mine,” said a voice coming out of nowhere. Suddenly, a
man came out of the dark.
“Jeramya,” they both exclaimed in unison.
“Yesss, very good, now come with me unlesss you want me to
turn you two into mincemeat,” he cackled sinisterly as he picked up
the chainsaw.
Terrified, Max and Georgia put their hands on their heads and
walked deeper into the cave with a chainsaw at their backs. As they
walked, they came to a fork in the cave.
“Left!!” Jeramya ordered and they walked though the tunnel.
“Sit down!!” he ordered again as he pulled a rope out of his
pocket. They sat down on the guano filled ground as Jeramya leaned
down and tied them tightly together with a rope that smelt like salt
and blood.
DRIP, DRIP, DRIP, DRIP. The water dripping was enough to
drive any one insane. DRIP, DRIP, DRIP, DRIP.
“That infernal water is driving me crazy!” yelled Georgia
furiously.
“Georgia, the water dripping is the least of our worries, first we
have to get out of here,” Max stated.
“How are we supposed to do that with tall, dark and gruesome
guarding the edge of the cave?”
“Before we worry about him we have to get this foul smelling
rope off of us,” he added
“Ok, I have an idea!” she exclaimed after a couple minutes of
silence.
“We’re going to roll over to that point on the cave wall, try to
hook the rope onto it then if we pull on it, Voila! Instant escape,” she
told him. Awkwardly, Max and Georgia rolled slowly across the cold,
damp ground. In around 3 minutes, they were up against the wall
with the point in their backs.
“Ok, now all we have to do is move forward and hope the point
is strong enough to break the rope. Ok on the count of 3. 1, 2…”
“What are you doing,” screamed Jeramya as he ran in.
“3!!” shouted Georgia as they pulled the rope on the point. The
rope snapped and they were sent sprawling to the ground.
“RUN!!” Max yelled as he and Georgia ran quickly out of the
tunnel. When they got to the fork they turned right and they ran
down the tunnel until they came to a cliff.
“Come out, come out where ever you are!” Jeramya cackled.
“You’ll never be able to hide from me,” he told them as Max
spotted him coming out of the tunnel.
“Now time to finissh you once and for all,” he said sinisterly.
Even though their lives were in danger, Max and Georgia couldn’t
move a muscle, but just as Jeramya jumped at them, they rapidly
rolled out of the way and Jeramya Wilkinson fell to his rocky death.
The hot sun blazed in Max and Georgia’s eyes as they walked out
of Minor Cave.
“Max is that you?” his mom yelled.
“Mom, what are you doing here?” Max questioned.
“I wanted to check on you, you’ve being gone for hours. What
have you being doing?” she inquired. Max paused shortly before
answering.
“We just got a little tied up.”
The End