This is the continued story of Simon’s Journal.
I would highly recommend you read the first volume of this story,

Simon’s Journal Thirteen Days – The First Crusade
before you begin this novel.

 

The following narrative is nearly a complete work of fiction.
Any similarity to actual individuals living or dead is completely unintentional.
If reading a coming of age story about boys wearing diapers and exploring their awakening sexuality is offensive or illegal in your area, then might I suggest you go read War and Peace or something equally stimulating.

 

 

Simon's Journal

Volume II

 

 

Thirteen Nights – After the Crusade

 

 

Written by

Danny
Author of Thirteen Days

 

 



 

Chapter - 6

PART 1 – Friday, March 05, 2004 – In the Presence of Mine Enemies?

 

When I woke up again his morning, I knew I had not been asleep for very long at all. From my clock, I could see that it was only a few minutes to five and yet I felt rested and through sleeping. Wanting to get a jump on the day, I got right out of bed only to find that my cloth diaper was sagging down between my legs a lot more then normal. Instead of trying to wake mom or dad again, I decided to go a head and get out of it myself, take a shower on my own and then hope that maybe one or both would be up by then. I knew that taking a shower on my own was risky and would potentially get me into trouble, I mean if I managed to hurt myself, but I wanted to prove that I could do it. So, I stripped down to nothing but my armor and my slippers and had to hold my breath when I took off my diaper because it was especially pungent this morning for some unknown reason. After tossing my wet and smelly diaper into the pail by my door, I pulled on my robe, tossed my pajamas into my hamper and headed out to the hallway bath.

 

Before turning on the shower I decided to sit on the toilet, just to reduce the chances of having a third day in a row in which I messed myself. After waiting for several minutes I felt the pressure building and before long my bowels opened and I pooped a big long log. I know that sounds gross, but I was somewhat proud of it, because I had done it in the toilet this time and not in my diaper. I can just envision the mess it would have made inside a diaper, not to mention the stench and humiliation I could have been forced to deal with yet again!

 

Despite trying, I couldn’t reach around myself to wipe my own bottom but I didn’t much care as I was able to deal with it in the shower when I was finished. I did however make a mental note. Come Monday, and every day that followed until I was healed enough to be able to wipe myself, I was going to have to plan on getting up a little earlier, so that I could sit on the toilet before school to avoid having to poop at school and then have to go around with a poopy crack. Worse yet, having to go to the nurse and ask to be changed out of a poopy diaper! “Yikes!” which I actually said aloud.

 

I managed to wash nearly all of my body without taking off my armor until the very last. I came up with a very clever way of washing my backside. Instead of using a washcloth like I normally do, I used a hand towel which I soaped up and was able to string between my legs and pulling it back and forth. With one hand holding in front and one behind me I got my bottom, crack and boyhood parts cleaned until no more poop signs were on the towel. I felt rather cleaver at thinking that little trick up, if I do say so myself!

 

When I did take off my armor to wash my upper body, I was very, ultra-super careful not to move too much. When I had my upper body clean, I proceeded to wash and rinse my armor before turning off the water.

 

Still being as careful as I possibly could be, I stepped from the shower onto the bathmat so that I could dry myself and my armor, which I put right back on before trying to dry the rest of my body. Well except for my hair, I had to dry it first too because it kept dripped onto the rest of me.

 

It was very difficult to get my armor back on by myself and after several failed attempts I surrendered to the idea that I needed assistance. As a result, I wrapped the towel around myself and left the bathroom to go wake my parents; except, I found that mom was already up and was pulling on her robe.

 

With concern in the way she spoke, she asked softly so as not wake dad just yet, “Were you just in the shower?”

 

“Yes mam, but I need help getting my armor back on.” I answered holding it out to her.

 

“Oh okay, just a minute.” She said.

 

I slowly made my way back to my room where I waited beside Jamie’s bed. She came in, helped me get strapped in, and then told me, “Next time, I want you to wait. I know you want to do things yourself but I don’t want you to get hurt and end up back at the hospital or stuck in bed again.”

 

“Okay!” I agreed as she kissed my forehead and started to go to my dresser to get my diapering things.

 

“Today’s Friday!” I said.

 

“I know that!” she said back.

 

“I’m supposed to sleep over at Lowell’s tonight!” I reminded her.

 

“Oh yes! I had forgotten. Do you think you are ready for that?” she asked.

 

I knew what she was asking of me and though I answered “Yea,” it did not come out sounding very convincing.

 

“I want you to be careful and no rough-housing over there! If you feel uncomfortable or uneasy while you are there, you just call and we will come get you!” she said bring the diapering supplies to my bed.

 

Once again, I assumed the position without having to be told to do so and she slide one of my disposable diapers under my naked bottom.

 

“Have you looked outside yet today?” she asked.

 

“No, but I did during the night.” I said, “It was snowing again.”

 

“It looks like we got another six or eight inches overnight.” She said.

 

“Cool! Then they will close school again!” I said.

 

Sounding confused mom said, “You didn’t have to go to school anyway.”

 

“Not for me, for my friends!” I explained.

 

She smiled as she applied the diaper cream, “I’m sure they will be just as happy when they see the snow and hear about the closings on the radio.”

 

“Can I go outside after breakfast?” I asked.

 

“As long as you are careful and stay close to home!” she said.

 

“Can I go to the park?” I asked.

 

“I don’t think so!” she said.

 

“But I went yesterday and it was a lot worser out yesterday!” I said.

 

“It’s worse, not worser.” She corrected me.

 

“It was a lot worse out yesterday!” I said properly this time and adding a strong, “PLEASE!” which I drew out nice and long for effect.

 

When she didn’t answer right away I tried to sway her by saying, “BJ will go with me!”

 

“Just so long as you don’t go alone and be very careful! I want you checking in from time to time too!” she said smearing my bottom with the diaper cream.

 

In no time, she had me diapered and mostly dressed except for my boots. In my stocking feet, I went to the kitchen with mom and found dad standing at the sink looking groggy and only wearing his boxer shorts and slippers.

 

“Morning dad!” I said and as he turned to look at me I seen that he didn’t look so good.

 

“You sick?” I asked.

 

“No! Someone woke me up in the middle of the night and I couldn’t get back to sleep!” he groaned.

 

“Why did you get up?” Mom asked him and then looked at me.

 

“Because your son needed changed!” dad said.

 

Mom got quiet and only answered with, “Oh!” and started to make coffee.

 

“Sorry dad!” I said sitting down at the table.

 

“It’s okay!” he said coming over to me, taking hold of my head and pulling my it all the way back so that he could kiss me. “I’d do anything for you!” he said which seemed somewhat sappy for dad, and the kiss? I mean dad never kisses me on the lips anymore. I chalked it all down to his lack of sleep, but never the less, it was still kind of unexpected.

 

Mom made us a big breakfast, I think mostly because yesterday morning we didn’t get to eat so well. I mean, I didn’t mind having Pop Tarts, but I think mom minded more then she let on.

 

After finishing my eggs, toast, sausage links, hash browns and downing a big glass of orange juice, mom helped me into my coat, hat, gloves and boots while Dad helped me into my snowshoes. As I was going out the backdoor, I found the other pair of snowshoes BJ had barrowed leaning against the back railing.

 

“Guess BJ was here sometime last night!” I said.

 

“Guess so!” dad said, “Where you going?” he asked.

 

“To go get BJ out of bed! We got unfinished business from yesterday!” I said trying to make it sound important!

 

“Wait a minute!” mom shouted from inside the house. A second later she was pushing dad out of the way and handed me an envelope.

 

“Give this to BJ’s mom and tell her I said thank you!” The way she said it made it seem like the envelope contained something very important.

 

“Okay!” I said and slipped it into my coat pocket before picking up the other pair of snowshoes. I had dad tie them to my back while he complained about the cold. I mean he was only wearing boxer shorts so I guess he was entitled to complain. When he said he was done I lit out and was off marching across the freshly fallen snow as I headed for BJ’s house.

 

I had reached the halfway point when I heard the sound of someone yelling from way off in the distance. When I turned to try to locate it, I could see someone way down Chester-Brown Street waving his or her arms and shouting. From that distance, I could not tell if the person was waving at me or for someone else. Heck I wasn’t even sure if it was a kid or an adult but I was guessing it was a kid.

 

I waved back and they waved again, letting me know it was me that they wanted. Whoever it was—since they didn’t have snowshoes, they were not able to move through the snow as easily as I was with my snowshoes on. I started walking toward them and when we were less then a block apart from each other, I realized it was Mike.

 

“HI MIKE!” I shouted and we soon reached each other.

 

Breathing hard, “Hey Simon!” Mike said.

 

“What you doing out here so early?” I asked.

 

“Called,” gasp, “your house” gasp, “to see if you,” gasp, “might want company,” gasp, “today.” Mike leaned over and put his hands on his knees to try to catch his breath.

 

“Dang Mike, you sound like an old fat man!” I teased.

 

Mike stood up and waved me off, “Hey, I was running,” gasp, “up hill in the snow!”

 

“I was on my way to go get BJ out of bed. Want to come?” I asked.

 

“You guys doing something today?” he asked still gasping.

 

“Nothing too important.” I answered, “Probably walk to the park again. We were there yesterday.”

 

“You were out yesterday?” he asked.

 

“I have been out the last couple days!” I said before adding, “I’m doing lots better!”

 

“Looks like it!” he said.

 

“I’d show you the plastic rib protector my doctor made for me but I got on too many layers and it’s too freaking cold out here.” I said.

 

“Yea, my nose won’t stop running.” Mike said wiping it on the sleeve of his coat.

 

“So, you want to come with me?” I asked again.

 

“Yea sure!” he said.

 

I gave Mike the second pair of snowshoes and showed him how to strap them on and how to walk in them. He fell three times before getting the knack of them. I had to walk a lot slower the rest of the way to BJ’s because whenever Mike walked fast in the snowshoes he would go down again.

 

As we made our way we talked mostly about how much trouble his brother was in, and how much Mike hated him. I never was able to get up my nerve to ask him what really happened between him and Tater to make him hate his older brother so much, but I still have my suspicions about that.

 

The conversation soon turned to the man on the news that everyone was saying was the kidnapper. I did not tell Mike about my run in with the man or my run in with Runt afterward either.

 

“My mom said that all the parents in town are happy that he is dead!” Mike said.

 

“Yea, I figure that’s why so many kids were out playing in the snow yesterday!” I said as we passed two girls just coming out of their house. One of which did a belly flop right into the snow. Mike and I both laughed, as did the girls.

 

Not too long after that Mike took another spill, this time face first into the snow and I had to stop myself from laughing before I was able to help him get back on his snowshoes. Snow had gone down the front of his coat and into his shirt. He was wiggling and complaining about how cold it was as he pulled off his gloves, unsnapped his coat and tried to get it all out before it melted and got him all wet.

 

“I’m sorry Mike, but that was just too funny!” I laughed.

 

“Yea! Well that’s cause it wasn’t you that was in the snow.” He said and I went on to tell him about BJ and I falling into the snowdrift yesterday and about how I ended up with my feet sticking out of the snow while the rest of me was buried. He thought that was pretty funny too.

 

When we finally got to BJ’s house, we found out that BJ couldn’t come out. Seems he’d managed to catch a cold yesterday. His nose was all red and runny and he looked like he had a fever. He said that he’d been out until almost dark yesterday on his snowmobile.

 

Standing at the door, I asked BJ, “You mind if we go to the park?” I asked in such a way as to let BJ know I wanted to take Mike to the secret barn the two of us had found yesterday.

 

“I just wish I could go with you!” BJ said before asking. “Everything go okay after I left you yesterday?”

 

I knew he was asking about me going home with a poopy diaper yesterday. “Yea it was okay.”

 

I felt a little bad for Mike just then, I’m sure he figured out that we were talking in code and I didn’t think that it was right to make him feel excluded. I said goodbye to BJ and told him that I would call him later.

 

As Mike and I made our way to the park, I made a mental note to myself that I was going to email BJ and tell him that I didn’t mind him knowing about my diapers and to thank him for not making fun of me. I had thought about it last night as I was writing in my journal and he was really cool about it, cooler then I was for that matter.

 

After a while Mike said, “Want to play a game while we walk?”

 

“What kind of game?” I asked.

 

“It’s something my dad always plays with us.” He said.

 

“Is your dad coming home?” I asked.

 

“Don’t know yet. I hope so ‘cause I miss him a lot!” Mike said.

 

“Yea, I can’t even imagine what that must be like!” I said, “Okay so tell me about the game.”

 

“Okay, one person says a quote from a book, movie or anything really and the other person has to come up with a similar quote or make one up that’s really good or better then the first one.” Mike said.

 

“I don’t get it!” I said stopping and turning to look at him.

 

“Okay, say I were to say, ‘Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moon light?’ and then you would have to come up with a quote or make one up that complemented mine or was better like maybe, “No, but I got jiggy with a lady while listening to Moon River.”

 

I laughed, though I didn’t really get all the double meanings. “Why did that first quote sound familiar?” I asked.

 

“Oh, that was from the first Batman movie.” Mike answered.

 

“Oh yea! The Joker said that before he could kill someone!” I said.

 

“Want to try one?” Mike asked.

 

“Sure!” I said starting to walk again.

 

“Okay, give me a quote and I’ll try to come up with one.” Mike said.

 

“Humm, oh I got one!” I said.

 

“Okay, but don’t tell me where it’s from. I get extra points if I can guess that too!” Mike said.

 

“Oh okay.” I said and then gave him my quote, “Snakes? I hate snakes!”

 

“Oh that’s a good one! Um, it’s from Indiana Jones, right?” Mike asked.

 

“Yea, the first one I think. When he was in the little plane at the beginning of the movie.” I answered.

 

“Oh yea, that was funny!” Mike said and added; “Now I have to counter your quote.” He thought for a few seconds and then said, “Oooo, I got it! I bet you’ll never guess where it comes from either! ‘Snakes and snails and puppy dog tails, thunder and lighting and baby said goo-goo, goo-goo.”

 

I started laughing, “That’s a better one then mine?” I said.

 

“Well sometimes we’d argue about who’s was better, but what do you except? My dad invented the game one time when we were broke down on the side of some old country road and had to wait for over three hours for a tow-truck.” Mike said.

 

“Okay, I’ll accept that quote but I got no idea what it’s from.” I said.

 

“It’s from the movie, Labyrinth.” Mike said, “It was one of the songs they sang in the movie.”

 

“Oh yea, I seen that movie, but I don’t remember that part.” I said.

 

“Okay, my turn to start.” Mike said, “I’ll give you one I used before with my dad." And in a deep voice Mike bellowed out, “Never rub another mans rhubarb!”

 

“That was the Joker again!” I laughed, “I know my super hero movies!”

 

“Yea but can you come up with a better one?” Mike said.

 

I gave it a good long hard think but couldn’t come up with anything so Mike said, “Okay then I get to go again.”

 

“Alright!” I said as we reached Mr. Nader’s father’s house again, where the tree had fallen during the snowstorm two nights ago. I showed Mike the hole that used to be where the tree was. Mr. Nader had totally cut up the tree but even under the new snow from last night, we could still tell where the logs were laying. The car that had been smashed when the tree fell was gone though and in it’s place a lot of the wood from the cut up tree was stacked and hiding beneath a blanket of snow. We went on into the park, it was as white and barren as it had been yesterday when BJ and I had gone into it. No footprints or tracks of any kind could be seen anywhere and the running path and parking lots had not been cleared either. It was simply beautiful!

 

“You ready? Here’s my quote.” Mike said, “NO! You must not read from the book!”

 

“Oh, oh, oh! I know this one! It’s, oh man, I know it! It is right on the tip of my tongue! Oh yea, ‘The Mummy!’” I said and got so excited that I nearly fell sideways into the snow.

 

“Careful!” Mike said laughing.

 

“Yea really!” I said, “So I’m right?” I asked.

 

“Yep!” Mike said.

 

“Good ‘cause I already got one for that!” I said proudly.

 

“Okay, hit me with it!” Mike said.

 

I stopped and turned to him. I made as if I was hooking my thumbs under the lapel of a suit coat and said, “Look to the books my boy! Look to the books!”

 

“Oh man, that is a good one!” Mike said, “You are better at this game then my brother.”

 

“Do you know what it’s from?” I asked.

 

“Yea, I seen the movie but I can’t think of the name of it.” Mike said scratching at his coat hood.

 

“Want a hint?” I asked.

 

“Na, you can’t give hits.” Mike said.

 

“Oh, okay then.” I said.

 

After a few seconds of thinking Mike said, “I give up!”

 

“It was the librarian from the movie, ‘The Page Master’.” I said.

 

“Oh yea! That was a good movie! I saw that one at the library!” Mike said.

 

“You go to the library to watch movies too?” I asked.

 

“Yea sometimes!” Mike said.

 

“I’ve only been a couple times! That’s were I seen the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Cartoons.” I said.

 

“I didn’t know they made cartoons of those books!” Mike said though it sounded more like a question.

 

“Oh yea! Long time ago.” I said.

 

“Too cool! I will have to see if I can check them out to watch!” Mike said.

 

“We own them on Video tape now!” I said, “You are welcome to barrow them. I don’t think mom and dad will mind at all.”

 

“Awesome!” Mike shouted. “Hey? Where we going anyway?”

 

“See them trees?” I said pointing toward them.

 

“Yea.” He answered.

 

“We’re going in there!” I said.

 

“Okay!” Mike said.

 

We continued walking on and when we finally reached the clearing where the barn stood mike exclaimed, “Whoa! Awesome barn!”

 

“Yea, it’s BJ and my secret place! We only just found it yesterday but you can’t tell anyone about it, alright?” I looked at him and waited for his promise to keep it a secret.

 

“Yea, sure, no problem!” Mike finally said when he realized what it was that I was waiting for.

 

Mike and I didn’t have to dig the smaller door out this time like BJ and I had to do yesterday. We just gave it a push and the door swung open allowing us to walk into the tack room.

 

“Wow!” Mike said.

 

“Ah this is nothing! Wait until you see the rest of our place!” I said, “We even got a big old rope to swing on!”

 

I looked over at the workbench where BJ and I had left our pile of treasured goodies and they were all gone. Every last item was missing. For a few seconds I started to get nervous thinking someone else had been in the barn after BJ and I left yesterday but then I got to thinking that BJ must have come back up here after he walked me home. He must have hid all our stuff so that no one would take it. Least that was my hope!

 

I showed Mike all around the barn, while still being watchful for the stash of treasure as well as for any signs that someone else had been around. In the back of my mind I reasoned that someone could have conceivably seen the tracks in the snow left by BJ and I yesterday and then followed those tracks right to our secret barn, found our bounty we’d collected and taken everything for themselves. Now that I think about it, I’m sure that in what didn’t happen and it had to be BJ that came back and hid everything; I’ll ask him when I see him again.

 

The first place I took Mike was up into the haylofts and then Mike decided he wanted to try to climb up to the top of the rope. He actually made it all the way up and back down with relative ease.

 

“Can’t wait until my ribs are healed enough that I can do that!” I said watching him come back down the rope.

 

“So now what?” Mike asked as his snow boots hit the wooden floor with a thud.

 

“Don’t know, oh wait! There was a door over by the tack room that BJ and I never got through. It was nailed shut though.” I said.

 

“Okay!” Mike said following me to the door.

 

Knowing the hammer, along with the rest of the stuff BJ and I had found, was no where to be found, Mike and I had no way to open the door.

 

“If we only had a hammer or something!” Mike said.

 

“Yea, oh well! Maybe next time!” I said.

 

Mike looked at his watch and said, “I think I need to go check-in.”

 

“Oh yea, I better do the same.” I said.

 

Therefore, the two of us left the barn and made our way back through the park, following the same tracks we had made coming in earlier. As we emerged from the trees and began crossing the park, Mike started singing some song I didn’t know and to my shock, he actually sounded really good and it gave us a tune to march too as we made our way across the snow covered sports park.

 

“Grandma’s in the celler. Lordy can’t you smell her

cooking Flapjacks on the darned old dirty stove?

And in her eye there is some matter,

that keeps falling in the batter,

and she whistles as the (sniff) drips out her nose.”

 

And right at the part where he sang, “And she whistles as the...” he sniffled really loudly. “Oh man Mike! That’s just sick!” I said stopping to throw a handful of snow at him.

 

“What? It’s a good song!” he chuckled. “What to hear the rest of it?”

 

“Yea sure!” I said.

 

“Okay but I have to start again.” He said and I made as if I was groaning but really, I thought it was a funny song.

 

“Grandma’s in the celler. Lordy can’t you smell her

cooking Flapjacks on the darned old dirty stove?

And in her eye there is some matter,

that keeps falling in the batter,

and she whistles as the (sniff) drips out her nose.

Out her nose, Out her nose

And in her eye there is some matter,

that keeps falling in the batter,

And she whistles as the (sniff) drips out her nose!”

 

“Oh man! Where’d you learn that song?” I asked.

 

“At camp! But there is still more to it!” he said.

 

“More?” I said and ignoring me, Mike took right back to singing again.

 

“Grandma’s in the celler. Lordy can’t you smell her

cooking crabs down on the darned old dirty stove?

On her arms there are some scabs,

the keep falling the crabs,

and she whistles as the (sniff) drips out her nose.

Out her nose, Out her nose

On her arms there are some scabs,

that keep falling the crabs,

And she whistles as the (sniff) drips out her nose!”

 

Not turning around this time I said, “Okay that one was worse yet!”

 

“It isn’t the worst of it!” Mike giggled.

 

“Dang how long is this song?” I asked.

 

He continued, laughing as he sang . . .

 

“Grandma’s in the celler. Lordy can’t you smell her

cooking rice down on the darned old dirty stove?

In her hair there is some lice,

the keep jumping in the rice,

and she whistles as the (sniff) drips out her nose.

Out her nose, Out her nose

in her hair there is some lice,

that keep jumping in the rice,

And she whistles as the (sniff) drips out her nose!”

 

“Okay you are going to make me puke! You can stop anytime now!” I said.

 

“No wait, there is one more verse to the song!” Mike said.

 

“Please don’t!” I said but I was giggling when I said it so he sang it anyway.

 

“Grandma’s in the celler. Lordy can’t you smell her

cooking grits down on the darned old dirty stove?

on her belly she’s got zits,

that keep popping in the grits,

And she whistles as the (sniff) drips out her nose.

Out her nose, Out her nose

on her belly she’s got zits,

that keep popping in the grits,

And she whistles as the (sniff) drips out her nose!”

 

He sang the last line so badly that a nearby dog started barking at us as we neared the point where we had a decision to make. “Want to come with me and call home?” Mike asked.

 

“First off!” I said scooping up a glove full of snow and packing it tightly as I turned to Mike. “That was probably the sickest thing I think I have ever heard in my life.” I couldn’t help but smile and giggle as I talked. “Secondly!” I said just before shoving the snowball down the front of Mike’s coat. Unfortunately more of the snow missed then actually went in. Mike looked like he was going to pounce on me but I quickly put up my hands in defense and said, “Careful! Remember, broken ribs here!”

 

Mike backed down but not until after he said, while shaking his fist, “Just remember I owe you one!”

 

I laughed and was finally going to answer his question. However, unbeknown to him, I knew I had already wet at least twice, maybe more since leaving my house and I was probably in need of a change since all I was wearing was a disposable diaper. So I answered, “Na, I think I’m going to go home and check in personally. Why don’t I call you and we can see what we’ll do from there?” I said.

 

“Sounds like a plan.” Mike said, “You need these?” he asked pointing down at the snowshoes I’d lent him.

 

“Na, you can use them. I’ll get them from you later!” I said.

 

“Good! Because I want to be able to use them as examples. I’m going to try to make my own pair.” Mike said. I knew how creative and cleaver Mike was and had no doubts that he could fashion his own pair of snowshoes together in record time.

 

“Talk to you in just a few!” I said.

 

“Yea! Catch ya later!” Mike said before we punched our gloved fists together and parted. In retrospect, had I known that it would be the last anyone would see or hear of Mike, I think I would have asked him to come home with me and call from my house. Or something like that.

 

I got home a few minutes later; although not before running into Mr. Nader who corrected me when I said, “Hi Mr. Nader!” and again asked me to call him Ruddy. I told him that mom and dad wanted to have him and his wife over for dinner sometime and that seemed to make him happy. I’d also had a chance to ask him about the smashed car which belonged to his father.

 

“I had it towed away. No way of saving that one, but it was a clunker anyway!” He’d said.

 

“What’s that mean?” I asked.

 

“What’s what mean?” he asked back while leaning against his snow shovel.

 

“Clunker?” I said.

 

He pulled off his hat and scratched his sweaty hair while giving me a peculiar look. “It means it wasn’t a very reliable car. It was always breaking down and I spent more time working on it then anyone spent driving it.”

 

We talked for a few more minutes before I continued my wonderland journey home. I arrived via our backdoor. Mom was still home, which surprised the heck out of me and dad had gone to work.

 

“Hi mom! I’m home!” I said.

 

“So soon?” she called from the back of the house.

 

“Yea, just checking in mostly!” I shouted.

 

She appeared a moment later, “Simon? You look about froze!”

 

Moms always say stuff like that!

 

“I’m fine! I just wanted to check in. I found Mike out there and he and I been hanging out. BJ’s sick though.” I said.

 

“He is? Oh that poor dear?” mom said. “Did you remember to give his mom that envelope?”

 

“Ahh!” I said smacking myself in the forehead with my still gloved hand!

 

“Simon!” mom moaned.

 

“Sorry mom! I just forgot!” I said trying to sound sorrowful.

 

“Give it here!” she said holding out her hand.

 

“I really am!” I said handing it to her.

 

“It’s alright, I’ll take it too her another time!” and she stuck it to the front of the refrigerator with one of the magnets.

 

“I need to call Mike and see what we are going to do now.” I said.

 

“Are you sure you want to go back outside?” she asked. “You look cold as an icicle.

 

“Yea, it’s not cold! And I’m having fun!” I said, “Better then being cooped up in the house all day!”

 

“Aright but don’t you dare track snow into the house. Just stay there and I’ll bring the phone to you.” She said.

 

She handed me the phone and I started to dial Mike’s home number but then it hit me, “Wait a sec!”

 

“What?” mom asked.

 

“Mikes not going to be at home and I don’t know the number of where he’s staying now!” I said.

 

“Guess you need to wait until he calls here.” Mom said coming back over and taking the receiver from me again.

 

“You’re not going around his brother are you?” she asked suspiciously.

 

“Mom, I’m not stupid!” I said and she gave me a dirty look.

 

“Sorry!” I said quickly.

 

“Well you need to get out of those if you are going to be staying in for a while!” mom said.

 

“Uh, no, I think I’ll go play out back for a while.” I said but I had other ideas that I was keeping secret.

 

Mom finally relented. “But if you decided to go anywhere else, you come tell me first.”

 

“Okay.” I answered before I slid the backdoor closed again.

 

I went off the porch and straight to the garage where I located a hammer and pry-bar. I hid them both inside my coat and went to tell mom that I was going back to the park.

 

“By yourself? No I don’t think so!” she said.

 

“No, not by myself! I’ll find Mike first!” I said.

 

She had to think about it a little but she eventually caved and said, “If you can’t find him then you come right back home. And no going near his brother!”

“I know, and I won’t! Bye!” I was gone before she could say anything else.

 

I walked toward the park as fast as I could. When I reached the point where Mike and I had split up, I couldn’t see any sign of him and since I didn’t know in which house he was staying, I had no idea how to find him. I did have the thought of following his snow boot tracks but after two houses, he must have started walking in the street because I couldn’t see any sign of his tracks anymore.

 

I know I should have gone back home like I was told, but something inside of me really wanted to get through that little arched door in the barn to see what was behind it. I was imagining all sorts of gems and jewels just waiting to be discovered. So, after wrestling with my conscious for all of about two seconds, I started back for the park and the barn. It was kind of fun to do it all by myself this time and instead of following the tracks Mike and I had made before, I walked along the fence where the snow was still untouched and unblemished. It took an extra ten minutes or so to reach the barn and I ended up coming up on it from the opposite side, but it wasn’t such a big deal and it added to my adventure. I walked back around the barn to the smaller walk door and went back in to take off my snowshoes.

 

I took out the hammer and pry-bar from my coat and went right to the little arched door to get to work pulling out the nails that secured it shut. There were a total of seven old square nails in it. It was obvious the door had been nails shut for a very, very long time. As I worked to get each nail out, I couldn’t help but imagine what might be imprisoned or locked away behind the door. All sorts of things were being conjured in my mind, dragons, skeletons, gold, a beautiful princess and the fanciful images just kept coming and coming.

 

When, at long last, the final nail came out, I had to use the use the pry-bar to get the door to swing. It just didn’t want to budge at first but after using all the strength I could muster without hurting myself, I got the door to open with an eerie creaking of the old rusted hinges.

 

Beyond the door, it was completely dark. I mean so dark that I could hardly see more then a few feet in. What made matters worse was that what little I could see seemed to be covered in layers upon layers of ancient spider webs.

 

“Dang, why didn’t I think to bring a flashlight?” I said aloud.

 

“Yea, you should have!” I said starting to talk to myself mostly because the ominous darkness was creeping me out big time.

 

“Okay, if I go all the way back home just to get a flashlight then mom’s going to find out that I didn’t find Mike and yet still came to the park anyway.” I looked around me as a light switch would magically appear just because I wanted it too.

“However, without a flashlight, there is no way I’m going in there!” I was glad then and still glad now that no one was around to hear me talking out loud to myself.

 

I stopped talking for a few seconds and was trying to come up with an idea when I heard something coming from way down inside the darkness. It sounded like laughter and then talking but it sounded so far away and seemed to be echoing a lot.

 

I still have no idea where I got the courage to pass through the little arched doorway. I pulled my hat down tight over my ears and zipped my coat all the way up to my neck before I started to grope around in the darkness, while letting my gloved hands slide across the wooden walls until the wood stopped and what felt like stone, started. I had been taking little tiny steps, almost dragging my feet across the floor so as not to trip and fall.

 

Little by little, my eyes adjusted to the lack of light and with the small amount of light coming from behind me in the barn, I could faintly see as the floor a head of me seemed to just stop about two feet farther. I got right to the edge of the floor where the ceiling overhead, which I could reach up and touch, seemed to slop downward and the floor just completely vanished.

 

I stood there scared and excited both and didn’t realize that I was peeing until I was nearly finished. Two thoughts appeared in my head nearly simultaneously. One was the fact that I’d forgot that part of my reasons for going home was because I needed a diaper change and the other thought, which actually came out of my mouth as a faint whisper, “Scared the piss right out of you huh Simon?”

 

Looking into the darkened void, I was reminded of Lowell’s story and what had happened in his last chapter. My imagination was churning out all kinds of scary monsters and demented creatures that could be prowling in the darkness.

 

I waited another minute, maybe two listening for the laughter and voices again but I couldn’t hear anything anymore. Eventually, I decided that I’d imagined hearing anything at all and decided that I’d come back another time, with the right equipment and NOT ALONE to explore further. I had only just turned to go when I again heard something, but this time I understood what was said.

 

Loud and angry came a voice up out of the darkness, “Old Tom was a son-of-a-bitch and we’re better off without him!”

 

“Says you! But what we going to do for a cook?” Someone else said and their voice though sounding masculine was much higher, almost the way I might imagine a mouse would sound—I mean if a mouse could talk.

 

A very deep, very growling voice, like that of a big dog or bear said, “I’ll take care of the food! I done it most of the time anyway as he was always too drunk to stand up, much less cook!”

 

There was a sudden bang and a flash of light that burnt my eyes but only for a second. Before I knew what was happening I was back in the tack room and was strapping on my snowshoes. I noticed but didn’t much care that I was completely covered in spider webs from head to toe. I didn’t waste any time at all getting home. I jogged across the snow-covered park following the tracks Mike and I had made earlier. Even after leaving the park, I didn’t slow down or bother to look back until I reached my street. I was huffing and panting like a dog in the middle of a hot summer day. Despite the fact that my face felt cold, the rest of me was sweating profusely.

 

I stopped and leaned against the side of the snow that lined the street. I was panting, trying to catch my breath while I attempted to get some of the webs off me when a voice said, “I thought I told you not to be outside alone?”

 

I spun around to see Runt kneeling directly over the place where I had just been leaning.

 

“Oh gee-whiz Runt! You scared the shit out of me!” I said with an unintentional curse slipping out.

 

“I do tend to do that to you!” He said smiling a very knowing smile and I knew, that he knew, that I had messed myself the other day when he’d seen me by that tree.

 

“W-Where’d you c-come from anyway?” I asked looking around.

 

“That’s not important! What is important is that you need to stop being stupid Simon!” Runt stood up and pulled the collar of his coat up so that it covered the back of his head. I also didn’t miss the fact that he’d called me Simon and not Spaz this time.

 

“You know the police are still looking for you!” I said to him trying to sound tough.

 

In an instant, he jumped down off the snow bank into the middle of the street. He grabbed me forcefully and threw me against the snow so hard that it hurt, it hurt a lot. My legs didn’t work and I fell right to the wet pavement.

 

“I can’t protect you if you are being an ASS!” Runt growled.

 

I wanted to talk back, I wanted to yell but I was hurting way too much.

 

“This is your last warning! Don’t be out alone again!” Runt said and just before turning to leave he added, “And stay out of the barn! You and all your friends!” and in a flash he was gone, running back toward the park, his coat trailing behind him like a cape.

 

I somehow managed to get myself to my feet again. The back of my pants and most of my right leg were wet from falling on the wet road. With my arms rapped around my chest I made it home where I leaned against the side of the house.

 

“Can’t let mom know I’m hurt!” I cried while wiping my tears and my nose on my coat sleeve.

 

I stayed there beside the house trying to get myself calmed down enough to make it to my room without mom suspecting anything. To be sure that I didn’t look like I’d been crying, I used snow to wash my face. I figured the cold snow would also help if my eyes were all puffy from crying. I also used the snow to get as much of the old webs off as I could.

 

The longer I stood there, the more I started to hate Runt and the angrier I seemed to get at him. By the time I was ready to go into the house I had worked myself up to a full boil and was ready to lash out.

 

I got into the house and mom was not in site. I hoped she was in the dinning room working one of her puzzles again but sure enough, “That you honey?” she called from dinning room.

 

“No, it’s me!” I said reluctantly.

 

“Oh, Are you home to stay this time?” she asked.

 

“Yea, I couldn’t find Mike. I looked all over too!” I said pulling off my gloves and hat and hoping she’d buy my excuse.

 

“Give me a second and I’ll help you out of those things.” Mom said.

 

“That’s okay! I can do it.” I said pulling one of the kitchen table’s chairs over so that I could sit on it while I took off my snowshoes and also being careful not to get snow or water anywhere but right by the door on the mat.

 

I had my first snowshoe off and was working on the other when she came in. “Simon, you’re making a mess all over the place!”

 

“Nahuh! It’s only on the mat!” I said.

 

“Let me help you!” mom said taking a step toward me.

 

“I can do it!” I protest rather stronger then I’d meant too but it was enough to stop her.

 

I didn’t see what she did but I did her breathing hard and make that, “Tich” sound with her tongue before she left the kitchen all together. I was so glad she left.

 

After I had my boots and coat off, I took everything to the laundry room and hung up my coat on the hook, along with my gloves and hat. I sat my boots and the snowshoes on the floor to dry and scuttled off to my room.

 

I closed my door and locked it this time before stripping down to just my armor and my very wet diaper, which was so wet, that when I sat down at my computer it squished. Not wanting to go get mom to change me I just pulled off my diaper by myself and slipped into a dry Goodnite.

 

After reseating myself at my desk, I checked my email and had one from Lowell saying that he was so excited about tonight and about me coming over. I wrote him back a quick note to ask when I was supposed to come over and what I should bring. I honestly had no idea since I had never slept over at anyone’s house, I mean a friends, before. Well there was the time at Mike and Tater’s but to me that doesn’t count as a real sleepover ‘cause I didn’t have much of a choice in the matter.

 

I had two emails from Bull, three from Jasper, five from BJ, one from Tater and a whopping seventeen pieces of junk mail. I wasn’t much in the mood for emails but I was still feeling pretty vengeful toward Runt for hurting me so much, though I wasn’t hurting so much now.

 

I opened a new email and addressed it to both Bull and Tater. It was short, sweet and to the point. On the subject line I put, “You probably should know” and then all I said in the email body was, “I think Runt’s hiding out in an old barn in the woods behind the running track at the sports park. I don’t think he’s alone either!” and I left it unsigned. I figured they would know it came from me by my email address.

 

I then closed out of my email and opened a browser window to Google on the subject ‘sleepover supply list’. Most of what I got was about sleepover parties, themes for sleepover parties, something about the Olsen twins and one thing about a ‘MUZZEM SLEEPOVER’. Since it was misspelled so badly, I had to click on it to see what it was about. As it turned out, it was just a PDF advertisement for some museum in Canada that does this sleepover thing for local schools. It looked sort of neat, but I’d never do it. Not with all them whacked out statues and mummies and stuff all over the place! That would be just asking for nightmares!

 

Since my first search was basically fruitless, I tried several more, each less productive then the first. I gave up on that idea and decided to journal about what had happened so far today. However, I couldn’t find my e-journal. I left it laying on my nightstand the last time I used it. I looked in my desk, my closet, under my bed, even in my bed but came up with nothing.

 

I started to panic but ended up finding it in the top drawer of my dresser. I figured that mom probably put it in there when she made my bed this morning.

 

After I wrote about everything that had happened up to the point where I was looking for my journal, I shut down my e-journal and unplugged it again. I decided that I’d go call Lowell and see how soon I could come over. I went to the dinning room first to get permission to use the phone but mom wasn’t there. She wasn’t in the laundry room, kitchen, dad’s office, the living room or her bedroom. I checked both baths and couldn’t find her anywhere.

 

“MOM!” I finally called out while standing in the middle of the living room.

 

“I’m on the front porch!” I heard her call back.

 

I went back to my room and got my robe on before going back to the living room where sure enough the door was ajar. I opened it to find her talking to some lady I didn’t know. Mom had on her coat so I guessed she was standing out there talking so that I was less likely to hear them and since I had already interrupted them I quickly asked, “Sorry, um, mom can I call Lowell?”

 

“Yes but keep it short. I’m waiting for your father to call.” Mom said.

 

I closed the door again, making sure to leave it open enough that it didn’t latch and then ran to the phone. I was glad when Lowell answered on the first ring.

 

 

Next Installment:

Chapter 6 – Part 2 – Friday, March 05, 2004 – The Sweet-Talking Son of a Preacher Man

 

** For the latest news on how each installment is coming along as well as answers to questions asked by other readers and so much more, visit me at www.talkhard.5u.com.  As always, your thoughts matter to me very, very much, so please send any comments, questions, suggestions, or criticism to me at:  [email protected] and I promise that I will reply personally to everyone that takes the time to write to me!  **