The Boy Who Slept in Graveyards.

Just a quick write I wrote over winter break a few months ago. I was a little weary to post it, but I feel that the theme is important. The theme of moving on.

It was a frigid and damp afternoon. I laid my body onto the blanket sprawled upon wet grass, waiting to hear the soft whimpering echo bounce of the tombstone beside me. Water particles formed at the corners of my eyes while I tried really hard to imagine it. The pitter-patter of his paws coming to greet me. The saliva ingested kiss slapped against my face. The gap between my legs, a place he claimed as home. Where he slept, curled like a ball. I closed my eyes and envisioned him, a shiny black nose, dirty blonde fur, and eyes that expressed an array of emotions.

I felt the cold increasing as the day grew dark. My body convulsed at the sudden change in weather. I expected the watchman to show up and call the police, as I knew he would easily find me here. Still, I gave into my addiction and slept next to his tombstone every Friday afternoon. I had nowhere pressing to attend to, no close friends to endlessly gossip to, and no interest in wild parties.  My only interest being the canine that left to be with his maker. Hoping one day he’d pay a visit. 

            I believed in the afterlife, so I brought all of his favorites. Bacon strips, a squeaky toy shaped like a bone, and a dirty piece of string that had almost ripped to shreds. I would set these items on his tombstone with every intention to meet with him, always ending in disappointment. The notion that the next day his high-pitched yelp of joy would somehow reach me.

When I finally fell asleep, it was not the watchman who woke me with a jolt. A muscular teenager with an outfit that did not agree with the weather placed his hands onto my shoulders and shook me. It was with a gentle force I did not expect from some one so large. As my eyes adjusted to the light shining at me, I froze in shock. It was none other than the man who humiliated me at our wrestling match last year.

“Hey man, what are you doing?” I heard him say with genuine concern.  My mind knew what to say, but my mouth refused to open. I got up suddenly and ran for the parking lot.

“Hey! Wait up!” he yelled, trying his best to run after me. His muscle mass was a crutch for his ability to catch up. The guy was out of breath before he could even reach me. I left him there and slammed the car door as soon as I arrived at the parking lot. Then put the key into the ignition and brought the car to life. The giant’s muffled yells grew distant as I drove straight to the nearest convenience store to buy spiked lemonade, a tradition of mine that began after my canine friend’s passing. I had obtained a fake ID from a guy I knew at a crack house a little ways from where I lived.

I was interrupted as soon as I arrived, when two boys in grime soaked hoodies asked for my wallet. Their sharp eyes pinned into my own as desperation overcame common sense.

“I’m just here to buy booze,” I explained, attempting to react as calmly as possible. Even if I did have the urge to just hand the wallet over and freak out. I was so close to that spiked lemonade bottle in my hands. All I had to do was deal with a couple thugs until I could honor my friend.

“Give us the wallet!” They pressured on, one of them grabbing the collar of my leather jacket, their pupils dialated. I could smell a scent of cannabis.

I hated their desperation more than anything now. I didn’t have a very think wallet, nothing but 5 bucks and some change. I pushed the guy off with what strength I had and shoved past them so I could get inside one of the many 7/11’s on my block.  If they had had any weapons I would have been dead because my actions at that point were anything but well thought out.  My head clouded with the thought of buying that drink.  Both of them tried to grab me, but with no luck, as I slipped through them and sped for the door. Their feet stopped right in front of the suspicious cashier when they followed me inside.

“You boys need to get out of my shop before I call the police!” threatened the cashier. I hadn’t noticed the small pocketknife one of them failed to hide. The two looked at each other and with false innocence apologized for disturbing the peace.  I stared at them as they left, expecting one of them to gesture at me with the middle finger. Luckily, the cashier had been watching them too, so no act of oncoming revenge came from them.

“You ok?” The cashier asked me.

“Yes, I’m fine, thank you.” I replied. I found the pink bottle of spiked lemonade and placed it on the counter with known confidence.  The cashier took my fake ID and scanned it.

“Here you go,” he said as he handed me the bag filled with tonight’s engagements.

“Stay safe out there, I would like to see you soon.”

“Will do.” I said to him, heading back into the warmth of my car. I didn’t know if I would go home or just keep driving due to the heaviness eating away at my chest.  I knew I wouldn’t hear those paws beating against the wooden floors. I knew I would be sleeping alone. I shook away those same water particles that had emerged back at the cemetery and just drove. I would get home, maybe I wouldn’t. Maybe, I would drive off the main road that led to my house. Surprisingly, I respected my parents enough to stay alive. Like they said, it was just an animal. There will always be other ones, as soon as the economy gets its s**t together, as my dad would say.

I opened the driver and passenger window to feel the wind against my skin. I tilted my head back and stuck out my tongue to taste the air. Thankful the cops did not show up to disturb my therapy.

Something must have possessed the wheel to turn into his neighborhood when I managed to park in front of his townhouse. The tall bushes still blocked the main entrance of the small wooden door. The same infestation of weeds bled into the cracks of the front steps. A similar possession led my feet to reach the small wooden door and turn my right hand into a fist that banged against it.  The door swung open and a worried muscular giant towered over me.

“Oh, so now you decide to show up. What’s with the hudeni stunt man? I was worried as hell!”

I took a deep breath and cleared my throat, “ Sorry,” was what came out. I really had no idea why he, or I for that matter, cared so much for each another.  He made me succumb to embarrassment when I had lost that wrestling match. He was taller, more muscular, and more popular than I was.  

“Really Eli… Sorry? Are you for real?” He smacked his lips in irritation, “ Just come inside. You look like s**t.”

All I could respond with was, “I slept in dirt” while he led me to his twin sized bedroom.

“Dude, I know. I knew I would find you at that cemetery. I followed you once after school because I wanted to know why you kept turning down my invites.”

“I hate parties.” I snapped.

“Uh, you could have told me that.”

“Where’s your mom?”

“She works nightshifts as a nurse. Never seen one person work so hard in my life,” he grinned. It took me a few moments to notice his face a few inches from mine. My spine tingled and shivered all over.  The material in my jeans felt tight all of a sudden.

“I think you should let her know I’m here, at least.”

“She wont be back until 7am tomorrow.  It’s chill.” He scoffed. “At least stay the night.”

His voiced cracked as he bowed his head, “I’d feel bad if you left this late, with what happened.”

“What do you mean?”

“The tombstone you were sleeping next to…”

The heat from my cheeks began to burn, “Oh, that tombstone.” A silence emerged between us now courteous of him.  A hand squeezed my own in to what was to come. I had no desire to tell him how my companion’s death had affected me. Not another person to worry over me. I thought it was a job only for parents and possibly, God. Before I could reach for my phone to distract myself, he laid his head on my shoulder and I jumped at the unfamiliar sensation. It seemed to shift around a little bit before it found the perfect spot. When he let out a big sigh of relief and his body settled, I knew he’d have problems moving later.  No use in reaching for my phone and disturbing the relaxation he’d found on my shoulder. His head was too heavy but a comfortable giant was better than one that wasn’t. I reacted by putting my right arm around his body and pulled him into me. I would do so with my canine friend when he’d nuzzle with me on the couch. The only difference was that this companion could talk.

“Thanks for the shoulder man, it’s been a long day.”

“You’re telling me,” I chuckled. My hands began to rub his back and his body sank into the bed. A short “mmmm…” would appear every few minutes as I kept the process going. My face now beaming in satisfaction over what I had done to this gentle giant. Suddenly, his head was on my lap as he laid the rest of his body on the bed.

“I think I’m gonna to stay here for a while,” he said. I ran my hands through his dirty blonde hair. I felt I had to.

“How’d your pet die anyways?” He asked. I looked upward to try and stop the tears from falling out of my eyelids.

“Put under.” I said. He looked up at me, “dude, I’m sorry…”

“It’s ok.” I interrupted, playfully scratching my hands through his hair.  I forced a smile and without thinking kissed his forehead. His head was inches from mine so it only felt natural.

“It all makes sense.” He replied. I swallowed hard.

“Do you want a drink?” I asked. My legs fidgeted underneath him. He smiled wide and nodded in agreement. I slid his head off my lap and headed for the door.

“It will only take a second,” I assured him. I found him in the same position when I arrived with the spiked lemonade I’d left in the car moments later.

“Sweet!” He smiled. His legs left the bed and his hands grabbed the bottle from me.

“Damn, you couldn’t wait at least 5 minutes,” I laughed nervously.  He popped the lid open and took a huge gulp. I reached for the bottle and grabbed it from him, “hey, leave some for me ok?”

“Don’t worry, I will. It’s just been too long.” He took it back from me and this time took a sip. The room went quiet except for a swallowing noise near me. I once again took the bottle from him and took a swing, the cold liquid falling into the back of my throat as if it was meant to be there.  The smooth sensation making it’s way into my stomach as I sighed in contentment over its cold embrace.

“I’d like to kiss that neck of yours.” He blurted. My eyes popped open and I jumped a little. I hadn’t realized my eyes closed. I was too busy feeling the spiked lemonade seep into my throat.  I turned to look at him. His dark brown eyes followed the outline of my adams apple. My mouth opened slightly and my breath halted.  Suddenly, his face turned away from me and his head bowed.

“I’m sorry, that was a total douchebag move. I just, felt like it was natural to say.”

There was another silence between us. It seemed to occur more often as the night wore on and sleep over took us. I yawned and he did the same. I rubbed his back again and smiled, “It’s ok. I think it just mean’s its time for some shut eye.”

“Ya, you’re right. You’re not against sleeping in the same bed are you?” My cheeks flushed, “no, it’s cool.” The words did not come from my own, but from a supernatural force. My canine friend might have been here, after all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[JE_Platypus]

The writing was clear and easy to follow and I like the attention to detail. I especially liked the opening paragraph, particularly when you described the way the dog claimed the gap between the main character's legs. This line drew me into the story. I also thought the scene of the attempted robbery had some nice tension and would have liked to see it expanded a bit.

What I enjoyed most was the way this story contrasted Eli's grief, social anxiety, and rough neighborhood with wonderful bright spots through memories of the dog and a budding relationship. The last line about sleeping in the bed brought things full circle and left me with a bittersweet feeling. (More sweet that bitter!) It was this contrast between a hard and soft world, that really made the story shine! Overall it was well written, just wanted a little more depth - specifically, I wanted to see the character interact with the dog (perhaps a flashback) and more about the relationship between these "friends." Thanks for the read!

[Jake B. Rudie]

Very well written and the story went where I didn't expect it to which was very cool. Thanks for sharing this.

[Tionge Rosalie Johnson]

Why thank you very much! I enjoy writing intense short stories in my free time. So, I really appreciate the feedback! I'm very flattered that you enjoyed it!