Distance

Chapter 5

Leaving school, Ray couldn’t stop thinking about how Ken slipped away. How did he disappear? He is one mysterious kid especially since he wants to be friends with me.

Almost back to his house, Ray spotted a group of kids talking. It was Dan, Tyler, and Ivar. They glanced over and kept talking. Confused Ray decided to just keep going and think invisible. Nearing his house Ivar ran up startling Ray. “Hey Ray! What sup?” Ray acting surprised shrugged his shoulders, “Just walking home  you?”

 “Nothing really, just thinking about going for a walk. Were you over at the mausoleum yesterday?”

“No…why?”

 “Just wondering, me and Todd were hanging out over there and we thought we seen you. Anyways, want to do something later? Todd was thinking of playing basketball and thought you could come with.”

“Umm sure I guess, just let me know when.” Ray was stunned, but he knew they had to come back eventually. He still couldn’t help to think something else was going on, especially since he was talking to Dan and Tyler.

At home Ray waited impatiently with his dad in the living room watching TV. “Ray is something wrong, you haven’t said a word. People are really going to think something’s wrong with you if you keep acting like this.”

“No, I’m just thinking.”

“Alright but you got to stop being so shy. It’s creepy to everyone.” Ray feeling his self-esteem diminish stood up to look out the door. He paced back to the kitchen to see the view from there. There they were coming. “Hey dad, I’ll see you later I’m going to go play basketball.”

“Okay, just don’t come back sweaty. Water doesn’t pay itself!”

“Hey what sup? Do you guys feel like 21 tip?”

“No Todd forgot his basketball so we thought to just go down to the park.”

“Alright, but what are we going to do there?”

“We don’t know yet.” Said Todd irritated.

At the park, they contemplated what to do while they all sat on the swings. Talking of old times, new songs by their favorite bands; it seemed to Ray they never abandoned him for popularity.

Ivar stopped swinging. “Ray you have to tell us if you really did talk to someone in the woods.” Ray seemed stunned and Todd just looked at the ground embarrassed.

“Well yeah, there was someone I meet out there. His names Ken, but I don’t know where he’s from.” Todd looked up freaked out. He remembered distinctly seeing no one. Ivar walked towards Ray, “Will you take us to see him? It isn’t that we don’t believe you, it’s just we’d like to meet him.” Hesitantly there seemed to be no choice. With old friends back, he couldn’t let them down.

“He might be out there,” pointing to the woods, “That’s where he usually hangs out.”

Ray lead as the others followed down the branch clustered path to his mystical tree. Both of them were behind mad of all the scratches on their arms. “Is it much farther? Or are you just joking with us?” said Todd.

“No we are really close now.” As Ivar began to go ahead of Ray, he spotted the tree.

“Wow look at this.” Said Ivar awing. They all stood before it seeing the unknown. It looked hundreds of years old and the roots tangled up out of the dirt to make it seem foreign.

“This is it, this is where he usually is, but I don’t see him.” Todd and Ivar looked at each other while deciding if they should say anything finally Todd broke out. “Ray we came over to the old mausoleum one day when you were out here. We saw you talking to it. But no one was here.” Ray flushed red.

 “But I was talking to Ken dude, he was here with me.” Said Ray teary.

“Then where is he!?”

“How am I supposed to know? He just shows up whenever!” exclaimed Ray. Todd and Ivar began to walk away saying subtly how Ray went crazy. He started to look everywhere around the tree up and down and even in the mausoleum. Nothing. Begining to walk towards Ivar and Todd,  he heard movement from behind. “Hey what did those guys want?’ It was Ken.

“Hey you guys he’s here!” Shouted Ray. Ivar and Todd looked back and saw nothing.

“There’s no one there! Ray you’ve gone fucking crazy.” Todd screamed. Ray being disappointed in them not believing turned his attention to Ken. “But you are here, I can see you.”

“Of course I’m here.” Ken said laughingly. “Those guys are just messing with you.” Ray believed Ken. They were just jealous that he finally had another friend besides staying dependent on them.