Dan Poblocki - The Stone Child

I thought about what I should do. I was certainly willing to put down the pendant, to stop writing, or at least try to write something without monsters in it. I had never been able to do so before, but I was older now, with more experience. I had become a different person. Hadn’t I?

However, if I refused to tell her story, would the Woman send me more bad dreams? Was that the worst she could do?

At that point, I was certain I could handle it. That was before-

The lights in the back of the store flickered, and Maggie stopped reading. The three kids looked toward the door in the rear wall. It was open a crack. No one said anything, but Eddie knew what they were all feeling. The pen in Maggie’s hand was shaking. Harris clutched the table. Eddie’s leg started to twitch. The big bookshelf on the left side of the door obscured the overhead light, so it was impossible to see inside the storage room. Blackness gaped through the crack in the doorway.

“Mom?” called Harris, his voice shaky.

“I thought you said she was upstairs,” said Eddie.

“Is there someone back there?” Maggie whispered.

Eddie and Harris glanced at each other.

“You know what?” said Harris. “I sort of hope so. Because if someone is back there, that means that something isn’t.”

“Maybe it’s nothing,” said Eddie. “Sometimes in old buildings, lights flicker by themselves. Right?”

“Right,” said Harris and Maggie, sounding too enthusiastic, as if they were trying to convince themselves.

“But maybe we should finish reading the book somewhere else?” said Maggie.

The lights fluttered again, briefly. Eddie remembered what had happened in his bedroom the night before. He shuttled his chair closer to Maggie. He didn’t want to finish reading the book at all.

“I think that’s a good idea. Let’s go upstairs,” said Harris, sliding his chair back and standing up.

The lights in the back of the store suddenly went out. The only lights on now were the two table lamps near the front door.

Eddie knocked his own chair backward as he stood. It banged against the hardwood floor, sending shivers across his skin. Then he saw Maggie’s face as she stared toward the street, and his shivers became an arctic chill.

“You guys…,” she said, nodding toward the town green.

When Eddie turned around, he saw only his reflection in the window. “What’s wrong?” he said.

“The lights in the park… They’ve gone out too,” said Harris.

Eddie glanced toward the back of the store. It might have been his imagination, but he thought he could see movement through the open door. He turned around, refusing to look.

“Not only the park,” said Maggie, squinting, “but it looks like the whole town has gone dark.”

“We need to get out of here,” said Harris. He shoved The Enigmatic Manuscript under his arm and grabbed the notebook and pen. “Now.”

Eddie nodded. He snatched his book bag and ran toward the front door. As he reached for the knob, Maggie ran up beside him and tugged on his sleeve.

“Wait,” she said. “We don’t know what’s out there.”

Suddenly, Eddie heard a familiar voice in the back of the store. Why? it said in a soft, singsong manner. Eddie… why do you want to hurt me…?

“Do-do you guys hear that?” said Eddie.

“Hear what?” said Harris.

The two table lamps in the store began to flicker as well. Over Maggie’s shoulder, Eddie saw someone moving through the shadows, reaching out toward him. His voice caught in his throat as he turned around and threw the front door open into the night. Then he ran.

As he hurtled across the front porch and down the stairs, he heard his friends behind him. They leapt from the last step onto the sidewalk, hopped over the curb, and skidded into the middle of the street.

When they turned around, they saw that the only light in the entire town spilled dimly from the windows of The Enigmatic Manuscript. All Eddie could see of the other buildings on Center Street were silent silhouettes against a starless sky.

Inside, the store now seemed empty. Those vague arms Eddie had seen reaching from the shadows were gone. Eddie glanced over his shoulder to the park.

Could she have followed them out of the store? Could she be with them out here in the dark street?

“What’s happening?” said Maggie.

“I heard her talking to me,” said Eddie. “She asked me why I want to hurt her.”

“I thought I heard someone talking in the store too,” she said. “But I figured it was my imagination.”

“The Woman in Black,” said Harris, crossing his arms over his chest. His voice started to rise. “She’s coming for all of us now?”

“We need to stay calm,” said Eddie. “We still have some light left. If we stay quiet, maybe we can sit here and-”

“Are you crazy?” said Harris. “You want to sit in the middle of the cold dark street and keep reading this stupid thing? No way! I want to find someplace nice and bright to hide.”

“That’s it,” said Maggie quietly.

“What do you mean?” said Harris. “What’s it?”

The light from the store gave Maggie’s eyes a fierce glow. “She keeps asking Eddie why he wants to hurt her. But why does she think he’s hurting her? What have we been doing for the past couple days?”

Eddie and Harris glanced at each other. “All we’ve been doing is reading Nathaniel Olmstead’s book,” said Harris.

“Right!” Maggie pointed at the book Harris had tucked under his arm. The Enigmatic Manuscript. “ When Eddie was translating the book last night, he only got so far because she interrupted him. Just like we were interrupted right now.” Maggie thought about that. “Maybe she’s afraid of what we’ll learn if we finish reading the book.” She smiled. “That only makes me want to read it more.”

The lights inside the store began to flicker again, this time dimming almost all the way out.

“We won’t be able to read anything if the lights go out,” said Eddie. He huddled closer to his friends.

Harris cried out, pointing toward the apartment above the store. The light turned on in the kitchen window. Frances ’s silhouette appeared. She raised her hands to the glass, as if trying to block the glare to see outside. Then she lifted the pane and leaned over the windowsill. She didn’t seem to notice that the entire town had fallen into darkness. “Are you kids hungry?” she called to them.

“Mom!” shouted Harris. “Watch out!”

Behind Frances, another silhouette loomed. It rose and expanded, filling the bright kitchen window with shadow until the room went dark.

“Mom!” Harris cried again.

Then all the lights went out. Downstairs. Upstairs. Eddie’s body stiffened as Maggie clutched at his arm. He could barely see her face.

“Mom! She’s behind you!” Harris called as he started running toward the side door.

“Harris!” Maggie shouted.

“Don’t go in there!” Eddie called to Harris’s running silhouette. Then, before he could stop himself, he chased after his friend. Maggie followed close behind. He heard the screen door slam. Eddie followed the sound, yanking the door open. Maggie caught it from behind him. She held it open as Eddie stared up into the darkness. He could hear Harris tripping up the steps. He had to turn off his brain so that he would not imagine Harris falling into the cold arms of the looming silhouette.

“Mom! I’m coming!” Harris cried.

Despite being unable to see, Eddie took the stairs two at a time. Using the handrail, he yanked his way to the top and flung himself through the doorway.

But the overhead light in the kitchen blinded him.

Eddie found Harris in the middle of the room hugging Frances. Harris heaved sobs into his mother’s neck, and Frances glanced at Eddie, as if to say, What are you kids up to?