The Haunted - Jessica Verday [120]
I got a head start and was already hanging upside down when he caught up. All the blood was rushing to my head, making me feel dizzy. “I can’t stay like this much longer,” I told him.
“Head rush.”
He leaned down and stuck his face next to mine, gifting me with a beautiful smile. “I know the feeling,” he said. “You give me a head rush all the time.”
˜ ˜ ˜
We left the playground around two, and I was surprised by the fact that I wasn’t hungry yet. We went back to Main Street, and Caspian pointed to a little gas station on the corner.
“Go get something to eat.”
“But I don’t want to.”
“All you’ve eaten since last night was a bite of pizza and a burrito. You need to eat more.
Go fill your stomach with some food. I’ll wait for you here.” I wanted to protest, but he had a point. And the smells of relish and hot dogs drifting out of the store were slowly starting to awaken my sleeping appetite.…
I went inside and grabbed a bag of chips, a hot dog, and a can of soda. I practically inhaled the food, proving that I was hungrier than I thought, and went back to the counter to buy a pack of gum.
I popped in a piece of minty freshness and chewed thoroughly, hoping to disguise any leftover hot dog on my breath. Caspian was waiting outside the store, the sun reflecting off his hair. The white-blond color practically glowed. “Ready to go?” I asked him.
“Where to next?”
“The cemetery.”
He led the way, and I followed him silently. As we walked, a cloud passed over the sun, dimming the light around us, and his hair didn’t glisten anymore.
I tried to pay attention to where he was leading me, but I got turned around and couldn’t tell which way we were going. He moved quickly, and I found myself jogging to keep up with him as we started down a gravel road.
A white clapboard church appeared, with a small graveyard directly across from it. There was a dark metal fence surrounding the cemetery, and a faded sign arched between the two main fence posts.
“Welcome to Saint Joseph’s Cemetery,” Caspian said. “My final resting place.” I placed one hand reverently on the metal post and took a deep breath. This is it. I’m here.
The tiny graveyard was vastly different from the one in Sleepy Hollow. There were no mausoleums, no ornately carved headstones, no statues of angels… no statues at all. Just simple, square granite markers punctuated with carved names and dates.
I stepped up to the first stone. It read: WALTER ROSE, BORN JULY 7, 1923, DIED AU-GUST 21, 1983. There was no “beloved husband” or “he will be missed.” Just an empty name with an empty date.
“I’m over here,” Caspian said, and I looked up. He was standing by a small gray stone, clearly set apart.
Forcing one foot in front of the other, I moved purposefully toward him. This was what I’d come all this way for. To see him. The real him. I steeled myself for the possible tears that might come and concentrated on walking.
Left foot.
Right foot.
Move one, then the other.
His head was bowed when I reached him, and I felt myself falling. Suddenly, the ground was underneath me. Rough stone caught my fingertips.
C, for Caspian. V, for Vander. He was here.
I spread my fingers and touched the rest of his name. Closing my eyes, I imagined…
Caspian in a black suit, eyes closed, head on a white satin pillow. Polished mahogany surrounding him, then slamming shut. Sealed forever.
Fresh dirt. Rich and dark, landing with a hollow thud against his closed coffin. New grass.
Growing slowly. Tiny blades appearing from little seeds planted so many months ago.
The pictures reversed, and new images began to play.
Black suit, head bowed, rain streaming down, at Kristen’s funeral.
Crying over her grave on prom night. Caspian finding me at the river… saving me.
Starry skies. The necklace he made me. All alone in his crypt, bent over a small candle and working with his hands to make something beautiful.
Lying on my bed. Green glowing over our heads. My own private constellations put there so I could have them anytime.
The library… smells of books and old papers. His hand grasping