A Moment Revisited

By
Leslie Cieplechowicz

The dead grey sky hung low over the two young men, spraying them with tears, which streaked their faces and matted their hair. Josh shifted his black, cloth backpack, covered in splotches of fine ashen dust, and pushed his dirty blond hair off his long, thin face. His slate blue eyes skipped over the overgrown field then glanced at his chunky partner swaddled in a mud-colored sweatshirt, his dark curly hair exploding from his hoodie. "I don't know how you dragged me out here. I could be home, drinking a beer and enjoying the warmth."

"You will change your mind once you see it. It has such a freaky history." Cody gave toothy grin, a black hole heralding the loss of his front left incisor. His reddened pushed up nose sniffled, and he wiped it with his sleeve. Josh grunted. "Dude, no really. You always tell me how much you love Halloween and all its freakiness. This is the perfect place to visit."

"I liked Halloween when we were in grade school, dude. We're not kids anymore." Josh rolled his eyes.

"Don't be a Debbie downer." Cody laughed.
"You're an idiot." A crooked grin cracked Josh's features.
The two pushed through the field, the wet brambles snagging their jeans and leaving

dark streaks. A brick building loomed ahead with a sign saying "Ea ly enrollme 2000." Its carved ornate façade beckoned to a time long past. A crumbling cement parking lot flanked it with large, muddy pools creeping across it. In the cracked windows, faded signs warning "No Trespassing" dangled. The two men skirted along the side of the building until they came to a yellow, dented door dangling from rusty hinges. A black, murky interior crouched behind it. The smell of age and rot permeated their runny noses. A crash with a jagged bolt from the angry sky made them jump.

"After you." Cody waved his arm in a grand flourish. The two ducked under the door and crept inside.

Josh switched on his flashlight. A faded beam cut through the heavy air and flicked over blue, rusty lockers, lining the hall aged soldiers. Moldy ceiling panels draped downward, with rusty wires forming metal spiderweb. "

"This place is whack." Josh shook his head. "Why the hell do you want to explore this dump?"

"Tsk, tsk, so quick to judge." Cody's boot crunch on the damp floor littered with old math books swollen with water. "Cmon, there is a dope aud."

As they wandered down the hall, Josh aimlessly shone his light in each of the classrooms. At the yawning doorway of one, he got a chill. He paused and peered in. Cody, oblivious, continued down the corridor.

Light radiated down from the ceiling and shined a spotlight in the center of the classroom. Bathed in the hazy glow sat a huge, ebony shepherd, the dark pupils of its eyes surrounded by glittering gold. It hunched motionless, the breath from its moist nostrils puffing into the air. Josh froze, his eyes widening, his breathing ceased.

Both him and the dog froze in time, neither moving. Seconds crawled.

"Hey dummy." Light hit Josh's eyes. He blinked and saw Cody circling back to him. Josh turned toward him, waving frantically, putting his finger to his lips.