Floating

Part 3: Love

My one-month recovery was finally over. It was August and that meant that school was starting soon. I walked down the stairs for the first time in awhile and saw my mom making pancakes.

"Morning Sweetheart, how is your leg?" My mother had gotten a job at the local diner in a town over to help pay the bills. She had learned to make some of the best pancakes I have ever had. She usually didn't get home until late, but today was her day off.

"I'm doing better. Can you drop me off at the library later? I want to grab a book," I said half asleep. I was telling the truth. My leg did feel better. I stopped taking the pain medications because they were making me puke so I just let nature take its course.

"I can take you to the library after you eat the pancakes I made for you," She said almost singing. I sat down and grabbed a fork from the middle of the table. She set the pancakes down in front of my face and smiled. That was weird, she usually wasn't this happy.

"Mom, where's the butter?" She pointed me in the direction of the butter. I grabbed it and spread the butter on my pancakes.

Once I finished, I thanked her and ran back up the stairs to take my shower. I turned on the water but nothing came out. I hit the showerhead, and it sputtered, but still nothing came out. I waited and waited. Finally water started coming out slowly at first but then more and more water started shooting like daggers against my back. The water was cold. They had cut our hot water so we only had cold water. It wasn't freezing but it wasn't warm either. I didn't take a long shower.

I got dressed and found my mom downstairs. "Mom, I think i'm going to take my bike to the library. You stay here and rest," I said smiling. She turned towards me and thanked me. I grabbed my bike and left the house. I realized I hadn't ridden my bike since the incident. I remembered everything once more and it gave me a shiver down my spine.

It was another nice sunny day. The leaves were starting to turn brown. As I was riding my bike, I looked up to the sky and saw a cloud. My hands started getting sweaty, and my brain started pounding in my head. I could swear that the cloud was in the shape of the clown. I looked down at my hands to find sweat dripping from them. I looked back at it and found it looked more like a tree. My brain stopped thumping and my hands dried back up like a sponge. False alarm, I thought to myself.

I hadn't seen or heard from the clown since the Neibolt house. I hoped that he had moved, but I knew deep down that he hadn't.

When I finally got to the library I found it packed with people, but that's ok because I wasn't there to stay. I looked to the back past all the books to find the painting that always gave me the creeps. It was a painting of a woman holding a baby near a well. I always felt like it was watching me.

I was there to find the History of Derry book. I wanted to see if I could connect the clown to anything.

I walked up to the librarian and asked, "Ma'am, do you have a history of Derry, book here?" I pointed to the books.

"Oh, sorry kid. A kid named Ben Hanscom checked it out earlier this summer and hasn't given it back." She smiled directly at me and directly into my soul. I was starting to get the creeps so I walked out of the library and back to my bike.

Ben Hanscom had been the other new kid. We had moved here at the same time but we lived too far away to get to know each other. He seemed cool though, I said in my head as my bike speed foreword.

I got to my house pretty quick as it was mostly downhill going back to my house. I parked my bike on the side of the house and ran back up the steps. When I got to the house the door was half cracked open. Weird, I thought, she must have forgotten to close the door when she left. The lights were off. My heart started to beat faster and faster. I yelled, "Mom, are you in here?" No reply. I started to get scared. I felt for the light switch on the wall. I found it and flipped it on.