[Excerpt] After Chet and David’s candles were lit, the five of us gathered at the base of the tree and Jake put his flashlight under his chin. “Time to explain the dark secret of Kingwood, ladies. This treehouse was built by John King himself for his twin sons after he discovered they weren’t his. Once his wife’s secret was out, he poisoned her. It was a long time ago and everyone thought she just died, but his crime was discovered decades later when his diary was found. He was going to poison the boys as well, but he stopped himself.” “Because he knew they were innocent?” “No, he thought poisoning was too good for them. He wanted them to suffer. So, he built this treehouse and made the boys live in it. Spring, summer, fall, winter. All the time. And he put two big Dobermans down at the bottom to attack the boys if they tried to leave. So, they didn’t. Even when they started to get hungry and thirsty after John King quit bringing them food and water. In the diary, he says he finally let the boys go and told them to never come back. That he didn’t care what happened to them. Then he wrote that he tore the treehouse down. But all of that was a lie. The treehouse is here, isn’t it? Randy, Mark and I were the first to discover it — and the truth on Halloween night. We climbed up and saw the skeletons. It was gnarly.” “That’s right. Gnarly.” “We buried their bones, but the skulls keep coming back every Halloween.” “So . . . they’re up there now?” “Yeah, numbnuts, just like we said. The three of us have taken our turns appeasing them. Now it’s up to the two of you, rookies. Start climbing.” No. 130 My face felt as hot as the lit candles David and Chet Somerset were being forced to carry, part of the dumb prank being played on them. The little flames flickered as the brothers made their climb with David in the lead. Jake, Randy and I stepped back several feet and aimed our flashlights up at them. “Dude,” Randy whispered. “They bought every word of it. Holy shit.” “Did I tell it as good as you, Mark?” Jake said. Randy aimed his flashlight into my eyes. “Sure you don’t want to go up there with your buttbuddies?” Jake snickered. I told them both to fuck off. “Chet made all that up.” “He sure knows what your room looks like.” “I told you my mom let them come over. I didn’t have a choice.” “Sure.” Jake, Randy and I had been best friends since we were seven. We were fifteen now and I couldn’t tell where I stood with them after Chet started talking about him and David hanging out in my room. They didn’t say it outright, but I knew I had to help them scare and humiliate Chet and David. Restoring myself in their eyes required this Halloween sacrifice, and the idea the Somerset brothers believed this was some friendship initiation rite just made it better to Jake and Randy. “Keep climbing, girls,” Randy said, his tone filled with merciless joy. “And don’t forget, if the candles go out, you have to climb down and light them again.” Jake lowered his beam a few notches to Chet’s ass. He snickered. “Is that a brown spot I see?” I joined Jake and Randy’s laughter just enough to keep up pretenses. HEATHER REYNOLDS, EMUNESKA - BEST OF BIRDY 058
31 Publizr Home