Dairy Entry # 14: Crying Night
I see him running again. Charging down my street, through the haunting darkness above him. His grey hoodie is pulled over his head hiding his features from the outside world. The screams that had come from his house had been horrifying, I didn't know what to think when I was woken by the blood curdling screams coming from the Fosters basement.
No one other than me seems to hear them, maybe my parents and the rest if the street just turn a blind eye to what is happening. Mum always say’s not to get involved with other peoples business. Dad tells me that nothing is happening and it is all in my head, a teenage imaginative story! I know something is happening though, I know that they are doing something to their son that is definitely bad. Maybe my parents don’t see that because Mr and Mrs Foster are what keep this street from falling to the ground.
Their money is the only thing that seems to keep the electricity passing through those low over head hanging electrical wires.
I can hear his soft cries as he crawls under the fence of Mrs. Pullman’s garden, leading towards the dark shrub outside. Walking back I peak my head outside my rustic brown door. The dark unlit hallway greets me with an eerie silence. The shadows of my imagination play within the corners of the hall, dancing in vivid rhythms of a human form. I can hear my Dad's breathing machine coming from his bedroom just next to mine. My mother snores softly next to him though it is hardly heard.
Should I go after him, or shouldn't I. Those same words have been passing through my head the past two weeks. When ever I see him running from his house and towards the shrub behind Mrs. Pullman’s fence I know that I should go after him. I grab at my dark green coat lying over my desk chair and begin to walk towards the stairs, stopping at the top as I usually do. Fear is what stops me from running to him, fear is what stops me from doing anything…I am such a coward!
"Ashwell, stop being such a wimp and go down these stairs" I tell myself through gritted teeth focusing on the stair in front of me. The red linen that’s wraps around it shines in the moonlight coming form the window to the left side of me.
Closing my eyes I push myself down the stairs towards the front door. Placing my hand on the knob I scrunch my nose up again. This is the fatherest I have gone in disobeying my mothers and fathers strict rules not to play outside in the dark. Turning the door knob, I hear the door click unlocked. The cold air that pushes at me as I let the door swing back stings at my face with a violent icy touch.
Taking a step on to the wooden porch I stair at the grass around me, the moonlight hits the individual blades making them light up in the eerie darkness. The street light just outside my gate flickers ominously, taking in a deep breath I step back in the house and close the door.
“It’s probably for the best anyway” I whisper to myself turning away from the door. I clench my fists as I take a step towards the stairs. His cries echo in my ears, daring me outside. Biting into my lip, I let the door fly open and I step outside closing it quickly behind me.
The sound of an owl in one of mum’s peach trees make me jump towards the door my hand sealing around the knob nervously.
“Stop being such a bay, go and help him!” I hiss to myself. Pushing myself back I begin to walk towards the street slowly my feet padding across the tiled pavement. Stopping at the white picket fence I try not to turn and run back inside the warmth hearth of my house.
Pulling the rusted latch back, I bite into my lip fearfully as the sound of the hinges screeching back in resistance. Stepping out into the street a gust of wind hits me full in the face, turning I look up at my Mothers and Fathers window. Hoping in blind luck they would yell for me to come back inside. Sighing as I realise they down I wrap my hands around my body and begin to run down the moon lit street, ignoring the voice in my head telling me to stop and turn back. Jumping over a hedge, my foot caught in a bramble sending me sprawling across the pavement floor. I close my eyes slowly staring under my arm back up towards my room room. Closing my eyes I push myself resistantly of the floor and begin to walk towards the iron meshed gate, in Mrs. Pullman’s backyard. Getting on my knees I see the hole he used to climb under, the small Christmas gnome next to me shines his black eyes back me. Pushing the gate upwards, I crawl through the mud the slime and algae rub up against my pyjamas making the hairs on my chest stand on end at the coolness. The wire scrapes into my back as I push myself fully through, letting the gate fall back in place. The bush thickens around me; I can hear the soft sound of a stream just ahead of me. Pushing myself to my feet I begin to lumber towards the stream, ignoring the urge to throw myself away from here. The sound of birds whistling through the night sky gives me the creeps. I stare up into the stars splattered sky and spot a shadow swooping down towards me. Rushing forward I glance around cautiously looking for an axe wielding maniac to jump out.
“There is no axe wielding maniacs here” I began to chant as my toes stubbed stones and dirty clumps of sand. I can hear him now, his sobs echoing through the rushing of water. Picking my way through the trees I stand behind him staring at the water cloaked in the moons light. The feeling of relief to see him made my heart jolt, I wasn’t alone in the darkness anymore!
I sit down next to him staring at my hands. “Why are you crying?” I ask quickly tyring to invite myself. He jumps around staring at me as if I were a ghost.
“What are you doing here!” he spits his voice coaxed with sobs and raw fear.
“I saw you crying, is something wrong” I look up into the moon, the small crevices etched into it make me frown.
“No” he began to wipe at his tears “Nothing is wrong, I am not crying. You shouldn’t even be here! Leave me alone!”
I didn’t move I only sat determinedly on the ground “You have been crying and running to here for the past two weeks, I’ve seen you do it” I turn my glance on him “something is wrong!” I can’t see his face through the hoodie, but if I could bet it would be stained red.
“I’m Ashwell” I said blinking at him, tyring my best at a smile. He looked away from me, pushing himself to his feet.
“I don’t care” Kicking a stone he ran off into the shrubs. I stood up fear coiling around my heart, what was I doing here. What did I suspect he would spill his beans; I shouldn’t even be out at night.
“Hey wait!’ I scream towards his receding figure.
“I said leave me alone!” His voice dies away as the night begins to wake.
Firstly, I'd like some indicator of how old each of these characters are. I'm getting the impression that the narrator is a teenage boy, but for the other boy I'm not so sure. He seems younger, but something about the way you've described him makes me think he's not 