Midnights

Chapter One

Anna Lia

I remember I wasn’t the type of girl to cry over an ankle popped out of place, but I was known to scream.

“Peter! Pop it back! Pop it back!”

Peter, my best friend, looked at the ankle. “It’s going to really hurt when I pop it back.”

I screamed, “Does it look like I care right now?!”

Peter sighed. “Fine, hold still.” There was an irksome pop when he put my ankle back into place, and then I sat up.

“Jeez, Peter, why’d you take so long? That hurt!” I stood on my feet and hopped on the ankle, making sure it wasn’t too injured.

Peter rolled his eyes. “You’re mad.”

I shrugged, and then remembering my favorite quote, I said, “We’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”

Peter smiled at me, knowing I was quoting the Cheshire Cat. He played along, saying his part. “How do you know I’m mad?”

And I finished with, “You must be, otherwise you wouldn’t have come here.”

Well, I was right you know. He’s never allowed to go past the Bones, especially at night.

The Bones were found two years after I was born. Peter’s father was out, going to make firewood for the winter, when he stumbled across them. At that time, there was still some flesh on them.

No one wanted to tell the police about it or even the news or anybody. They wanted to keep it a secret, like if they didn’t say anything the feeling in the air would just go away. But, of course it never did. Nobody really knew who the Bones belonged to before whatever it was died. But everyone knew that they don’t look anything earthlike. For one, it had huge claws that seemed to make up its entire paws, and although it skull was deformed from age, the huge razor like teeth still clung to the jaw. Its spine was thick and it had long spikes that grew on it, and everybody was sure they could be seen poking out of its flesh if it had any. Its tail was long deformed, but not from age. It looked like it was supposed to be like that, twisty, spiky, and broken. Everyone was sure that whatever it was, must have worked for the devil himself.

All the kids in the small town were told never to go near the Bones, not that any of the kids would go if they were told to.

All the kids except me.

I was the only one of the town kids who always wanted to go. Peter was just my best friend who tagged along to make sure I wouldn’t get hurt, which I always seemed to do no matter what.

That morning I came into town alone, which struck Peter and his parents as odd. I was only eight years old and my parents were very protective of me, so they questioned me thoroughly, to make sure I hadn’t run off. When I convinced them that my grandfather was in the other store buying some tobacco, they relaxed and let me lead Peter away.

Peter sighed. “What is it, Anna Lia?”

I gave him a serious look. “I want to see the Bones.”

Peter almost fell over. “What? No! We’re not allowed to even go near them!”

I crossed my arms over my chest. “I wasn’t asking for you permission, I was asking if you wanted to go.”

Peter sighed. “Well, of course I want to go, but–”

I didn’t let him finish. “Great! Then let’s go!”

It took time for I and Peter to get away from the adults, but in time we managed to sneak off. When we got to the field where the Bones were found, we couldn’t see them, but I wasn’t going to give up just then. So I climbed a tree to see if I could find them from up high. It was only when I did see them that I got so excited I actually jumped for joy and missed the branch coming back down (I had never been a bright kid), and that’s how I popped my ankle out of place.