Scrap Yard Scrap

Scrap yard Scrap

The year was 1958; Bill and Dave had been friends since Grammar School, they had recently set up their own business. They had opened a scrap yard, dealing in used car parts and scrap metal. The business was doing extremely well, and the two were becoming really successful businessmen.

One cold winter’s night the two friends were having a bit of a party in the offices of the scrap yard, they were drinking alcohol and playing cards with some of their closest friends. The party ended around 2am .Bill turned to Dave and asked
“Do you want a lift home?”
Both had consumed excessive amounts of alcohol. Dave said to Bill
“Are you going to be ok? You have had a lot to drink, I should really call a taxi,”
“I’m fine,” Bill replied,
“I drive better with a few drinks inside me!”
“Go on then said Dave, as long as you take it steady, we should be fine.”
They were just about to leave the premises, when Dave realised that his youngest son was in the back office fast asleep, he had forgotten about him.
“Hang on,” said Dave,
“Alan is asleep in the back, I will just go and get him then we can go”
“Ok, I will just go outside and warm the car engine up.” replied Bill.
Dave went into the back and picked up his 5 year old son covered in an old army blanket, went outside to the car and placed him gently on the back seat. Dave went back to the office switched off all the lights and locked the door.
“Right,” Dave said to Bill, as he climbed into the passenger seat.
“I think we are ready to go.”
Bill released the hand brake and proceeded to drive.

Half mile down the road Bill reached down to change the channel of the car radio, when Dave shouted,
“Bill! Bill! Look out there is someone in the road!”
There was, what appeared to be a man stood in the middle of the road, he seemed to be hypnotised by the headlights. Bill looked up,
“Oh my God;” he cried.
He pulled hard to the left on the steering wheel and swerved to avoid hitting the person that was crossing in front of them. The cold night air had started to freeze up the road; the car skidded on some black ice, forcing it to veer out of control into a tree on the grass verge.
“No!” screamed the two men as they were inevitably going to collide.
Crunch, smash as the car collided with the local fauna. The horn could be heard beeping continuously as Bill’s head was lying on the steering wheel, unconscious, blood oozing down his face. Dave was left prostrate on the ground by the vehicle, the door must have flung open with the impact of the collision and Dave had fallen out of the car his head was covered in blood his right leg seemed to be in a very awkward position too. On the back seat lay an army blanket.

“Oh my God,” said the man in the road, he then shouted,
“Can somebody call for an ambulance now? There’s been an awful accident.”
A man came running out from a nearby house and said to the man
“Its ok mate, my wife has phoned them, they are on their way.”
In the distance the ambulance siren could be heard and the blue flashing light could be seen.
“They are here, look down the road the ambulance is coming now!” said a lady who was now one of many onlookers.
The ambulance arrived on the scene and the ambulance men placed the casualties on stretchers and placed them inside their vehicle, they sped off down the street at an urgent pace so that the casualties, could receive hospital attention.

Two months went by and Bill, who had recovered almost completely from the horrific crash, was looking after the business while Dave was still in hospital receiving treatment for his extensive injuries, the worst of which was the multiple fracture and dislocation of his right leg. Dave was due to be discharged imminently. Bill was getting the office ready for Dave’s return. The door office door flung open Bill looked around to see his best friend Dave standing there, Bill smiled, “Welcome back mate, we have all missed you.”
“Yeah cheers, It’s great to be back, Bill, it’s really great to be back, believe me.”
The little boy stood in the corner of the office smiling, but saying nothing.
“Fancy a walk Bill?” asked Dave,
“Where to?” Bill enquired,
“Oh just around the old scrap yard I have missed it while I have been in hospital, I just fancy a walk around. You coming with me mate? Come on.”
“Yeah, ok then, I’m up for that,” replied Bill.
The two of them left the office with the little boy following their every step, trying his hardest to keep up with them.
The day was cloudy, but yet very cold, every breathe taken could be seen as it vaporised in the cold air. Bill was wearing a brown pin striped three piece suit and a brown trilby hat with a white broad band. He kept his hands in his pockets as he walked around. Dave was also wearing a suit but also over that suit he was wearing he had a black Crombie coat, the collar pulled up to keep his ears warm. He wore a black trilby that was slightly cocked to the right hand side.
“Let’s stop here. Fancy a coffee Bill?” Dave said.
“Yeah, why not?”
Dave stopped by a 1949 Morris Oxford saloon, the doors were missing from this car Dave put his left leg onto the running board of the driver’s side of the car reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a thermos flask.
“They don’t make cars like this anymore,” Dave said to Bill, who was standing at the exposed hood, where once a proud 1500cc side valve engine would have once sat. Bill looked into the gaping hole and said,
“Nope, they certainly don’t”
Dave took off the cup which was attached to the flask and placed it carefully on the roof of the car and proceeded to twist the stopper out of the thermos to reveal steaming hot coffee
“mmmmm, that smells good,” said Bill.
Dave carefully poured some coffee into the cup he had placed on the roof of the car, and passed the cup to Bill, who was by now shivering,
“Looks like you are in need of it more than me pal, drink up, it will make you feel a bit warmer.” said Dave, as he handed the cup to Bill.
“Cheers Dave,”
Bill swiftly drank the coffee. He placed the coffee cup in his left hand and his right hand went into his suit jacket pocket, he seemed to be fumbling for something. The little boy was now pulling on the trouser leg of Bill
“No, No, don’t do it, don’t do it, please,” he cried.
Bill appeared to ignore the plight of the young boy. Bill approached Dave and put his left hand around the back of his head and said,
“I knew and hoped for this day to come, I have beaten you to it.”
He drew out a flick knife from his pocket, clicked the button so it would release the blade and thrust the knife into Dave’s chest. The little boy was crying and still tugging at the trouser leg screaming,
“No Uncle Bill, Please No, don’t kill Daddy!”
He appeared to be ignored, yet again. Bill stared down at Dave as he was choking and pleading for help.
“You did not expect that did you,” he said to Dave arrogantly.
“I decided to do it to you before you killed me; I knew you would, given half the chance because of what happened a few months ago with the crash.” Dave replied,
“That’s where you are wrong the coffee was spiked with cyanide you have 30 seconds to live, you may die before me. You deserve to die. Isn’t that right Alan?”
Dave looked directly at the child, who was smiling, yet crying at the same time. Bill looked around, and by now was feeling rather faint, he noticed the child looking up at him.
“Uncle Bill, Why?” The boy said.
“You……..”
Bills last words were uttered from his mouth he fell to the floor, poisoned by the coffee spiked with cyanide. Dave spluttered blood from his mouth and cried
“I’m coming son, I’m coming!”
Dave died by the ford consul clasping a piece of paper which was carried by the wind onto the back seat of the car. The little boy went up to his daddy he kissed him on the cheek and disappeared into thin air.

Many years later, the scrap yard was being redeveloped, so all the cars had to be removed and sent
to the crusher. Two workmen were walking around the yard surveying the place when they came across the old Ford Consul.
“Wow Nobby, look at this, A Ford Consul. My Dad drove one of these, built like tanks they were.” Excitedly remarked the other workman,
“Ooh what’s this?”
He pulled out a piece of paper from the backseat of the car which seemed to have got itself wedged at the back of the seat.
“Hey, it’s about those blokes who used to own this place, it says here on this bit of paper that there was a car crash involving three people two adults and one child, it says here that the adults survived but the child died instantly, mangled up body it says.”
He sits down in the car, staring at the piece of paper.
“Hey, Nobby! I heard that they both killed each other, one was poisoned and the other stabbed.” From the right side of the workman came a voice it said,
“Yep that’s right,”
from left side a voice said,
“You know your stuff!”
The workman looked up at the windscreen of the car when a small boy, who appeared to be sat in the passenger seat, turned around to look in the back where the workman sat and smiled, the workman opened his mouth, but words could not come out, he looked to his left and right to see two gentlemen flanking him, both wearing old fashioned clothes and both wearing trilbies, he looked down and around again and they were gone. The workman quickly got out of the car shouting “Nobby, Nobby, you won’t believe this.” He never returned back to the yard, he asked for a transfer elsewhere

The yard is still there, and although the old cars have gone, now replaced by more modern ones, you can often see two men and a young boy walking around, if you are really lucky you may see the re-enactment of their final day before they entered the spirit world. You may even feel someone tugging at your trouser leg, don’t worry it’s only the ghost of the young boy warning you of danger ahead like he tried to warn the adults on that dreadful day.