16 GRIM TALES

Graveyard Grandpa

Graveyard Grandpa

I stood at the entrance of the graveyard wondering what I was about to do; was it really worth it? The rusty gate in front of me that was shut told me what I was about to do, would give me goose bumps. The late-night sky was only getting darker and darker while the fallen stars grew brighter. If I don't do it now...then I will never do it, I thought. My consequences will be much worse if I don't do this. I have no-other choice....so without another thought I picked up the cold handle of the spade and pushed opened the gate. The gate was shut ....but not locked, making my break in all the more easier.

As soon as I stepped into the graveyard my worn-out boots felt the soggy soil underneath me and that's the moment, I heard the most, gruesome laugh anyone could have had. It sounded like a maniac. A villain who had thought they'd won. An evil clown's laugh. I started to sweat. I wanted to turn back. To run straight out the gate without a second thought. I wanted to leave and never to return, never ever to see this place again.... but then I remembered I had no other option. Finally, the laughing stopped but my sweat did not, and my footsteps that drove me forward without my consent didn't either. At this moment all I could think about was my surroundings and what laid ahead. The undead souls moaning dreadfully, lurked around every grimy R.I. P stone while the threatening tree branches reached out to grab me. Even the roses placed on the graves for loved ones seemed just as horrifying as everything else. With needle sharp thorns that could put Sleeping Beauty to sleep all over again and dry blood red petals that fell whenever the wind whistled.

The freezing wind stabbed and sliced my lungs every time I dared to take a breath, and my thin clothes full of holes and tears kept me as frozen as an ice-cube. My footsteps were slowing down as I dragged the spade behind me. I wish I was warmer; I wish grandpa was here with his warm thick coat he always used to wear. What am I thinking? He'd never forgive me after what I'm about to do, even if he is dead. Then, unexpectedly I felt a huge gust of (odd enough) warm wind! Just then I turned around... and dropped the spade. Everything went black. Every thing was dark. I couldn't see a thing. Something had covered my face. Something that was warm and thick. I pulled it off and found it to be ...a coat. A huge one. I put it on and let the coat hang down to sweep the ground. It had two big pockets that was at my hip height and long sleeves, longer than both my arms. I folded the sleeves up and placed my hands into the pockets, and as I did so I felt something thin and plucked it out.

It was a piece of paper with the following words on it: best grandpa ever. Tears flooded my eyes. This was with no doubt grandpa's coat...and this message was from me sometime ago, when his heart still beating. Was grandpa watching me? Was he mad? No! What am I thinking? He's dead, gone.... never coming back. It must have simply flown from his grave with this windy weather. I must be close to his grave. I checked the two pockets to see if there was anything else, but there was nothing. I wiped my teardrops away and picked up my spade. As I walked I thought about how easy this was supposed to be.

Break in, dig up some of grandpa's grave to get his gold watch worth lots of cash and then, get out before anyone saw or knew...but things didn't feel that simple or the same. Even walking didn't feel the same compared to how it was a few moments ago. I felt like a little child, tripping over a coat you thought you'd never fit into. Suddenly a flash of lightning cut through the night sky. Tearing it into two. A roar of thunder shouted and echoed all around. Tiny drops of rain hit the ground ...and me. Lucky the coat had a hood. I dropped the spade and pulled the hoodie from the back of me as the storm continued to rumble. When my hood was on and I could no longer feel the raindrops dance on my head, I bent down for my spade. I didn't find it; my spade was gone! I looked around in panic...I didn't see it anywhere but there was something else. Grandpa's R.I.P stone. I had stopped right next to grandpa's grave. I fell to my knees and began to dig the earth with my bare hands. My coat ruffling in the furious winds. I dug and dug...until a bolt of lightning so bright forced me to draw all my attention to it...and when it was over, my ears heard a gruesome laugh. The same gruesome laugh I had heard before but this time I knew where it was coming from. A terrible figure stood just a few footsteps away from me. I didn't know if it was a ghost seeking revenge or a blood sucking vampire. An alien from outer space or mad scientist. Whatever it was...its appearance was frightening. With blood shot eyes, a stained coat, and pale white skin. Snake like teeth and a smile as wicked as a witch's. Suddenly another bolt of lightning shot through the sky, blinding me. When I opened my eyes...the figure was closer to me. Too close! An inch away from me. Now I could see the blood on it's teeth. ''Get out!'' it shouted in an old sinister voice that would forever give me nightmares.

I ran out the gate, not looking back. Leaving the buried watch in the grave that I never even caught sight of, leaving the wondering spade that I might never see again. I forgot about everything. Running and running...until I could run no more. I stopped by the first lamp post I saw. I was a few meters away from the graveyard and nothing had followed me. I was finally safe, but I was devastated. My brother will surely die now. How will I pay for his injuries that need to be treated? What should I do now? If grandpa was here, he'd help. He always helped...but then why won't he help me now? A teardrop rolled down my cheek and dropped onto one of my pockets. Something was in the pocket. Something quite big. I opened the pocket to reveal a glittering shiny watch. It was Grandpa's watch and it still worked, telling each second of endless time. I put the watch on and in the glass, I saw grandpa's reflection. His grey beard with his coat on and his deep blue eyes were unforgettable. I looked behind me but he wasn't there...no-one was. I looked back at the glass but the image was gone. A new image was there and written was these words: To the best grandson ever. Go help your brother, don't worry...I forgive you. You'll always be my boy. - Grandpa

Then the ghostly words faded leaving me to see where the two hands of the clock lay. Both hands straight up-right on the twelve. It was exactly midnight.