Autumn Night Cemetery

         The night air was cold and crisp and it caused Job’s breath to belch from his mouth in a thick fog.  He was tired from running and he leaned against the mausoleum trying to catch his breath.

         He leaned hard into the cold stone of the mausoleum, trying very hard to keep to the shadows.  However, he needed to look around.  He needed to know if he had been followed.  He needed to see if he could find David.

         He closed his eyes and forced himself to relax.  He slowed his breathing and managed to stop gasping for air.  That was just going to give him away anyhow.

         Job listened carefully to the sounds of the cemetery.

It was quiet. 

No-one was there. 

No-one had followed him. 

Job held his breath and looked around the side of the mausoleum towards the funeral home entrance.  It was the dead of night, but the moon was bright and cast everything in a ghastly pallor.

         No sign of the man or David. 

Job moved to the other side of the mausoleum close to a line of heavy bushes and looked around to that side.  Again, Job couldn’t see any sign of the man or David.

Job leaned back into the mausoleum in frustration.  The cold from the stone seeped right through his thin jacket and cotton shirt.  He wished he had worn warmer clothes like David had suggested, but he didn’t like his younger brother trying to tell him what to do. 

His mother’s last words to him were to look after David and try to get along better with him.  He tried to follow her last words, but David was always getting him into trouble, like tonight.

         As thoughts of his mom came to him, Job buried his head in his freezing hands and let the warm tears sprinkle onto his gloveless fingers.  He knew he could do better for David, treat him better, but he just couldn’t help being so angry with him.



         Job sniffed a few times and wiped the tears away from his cheeks.  He knew he didn’t have time for this type of thinking.  He needed to find David and get out of this cemetery.  However, he didn’t know where David was.  For some reason, David didn’t follow him to the upper cemetery mausoleums.

         He began to retrace his movements beginning at the funeral home steps.  David was with him there, so that was a good place to start.  David wanted to return Hodge’s pocket watch before his burial.  Job had wanted to leave it on the funeral home steps with a note, but David wanted to place it with the body.

         When they had gotten to the steps, the door to the funeral home was rattling slightly as if someone from the inside was trying to slowly force the door open.  Whoever it was, they were not banging on the door, but applying steady pressure to ensure the lock would break quickly.

         Job had told David to leave the pocket watch on the steps, but David protested.  Job ignored him and moved closer to the door when it suddenly let out a creaking noise and the lock popped loudly open.  There was silence for a few moments and Job didn’t move as the door just stood there not moving, but now unlocked.

         Job stared at the door intently.  He could vaguely hear David saying something, but he wasn’t listening.  He moved closer to the door that was just sitting there ajar, but not opening.  Job inched his way closer and reached out a hand for the doorknob when the door, slowly, started opening forming a crack between the door and the now broken door jamb.

         Job stopped reaching for the door knob and instead leaned over to peer into the now opening door.  It was dark inside the funeral home, but there was someone there.  Someone on the inside slowly pushing the door.  The sight of the man stunned him, but it was also the smell that hit Job, antiseptic and vaguely stale, like meat left out too long.

         The sight of the person inside and the smell scared Job and he jumped back hitting something.  In retrospect, Job knew there were only two things he could have stumbled over on those steps.  The planters on the edges of the steps were pretty far from the doors, so it probably wasn’t them.  The only other thing on the steps was, oh no, David. 

         Job silently swore to himself as he realized what he had done.  He had knocked his brother over trying to get away.  Job knew that had to be it.  David was the only thing on those steps. 

After he stumbled, Job had headed straight for the upper cemetery where the wealthy family crypts were located.  He had assumed that David would follow.  But David must have gotten lost when he got up and I was gone.

         Job franticly looked around the area to see if he could spot David, or the man from the inside of the funeral home.  Job thought about it and finally decided that the only person who might be working late is a mortician, so that must be who was coming out the door.  Although, why was he doing it so slowly?  Was the mortician screwing with them?  Maybe, trying to scare them?  Either way, there was something wrong with a person chasing two kids through a cemetery for a laugh.

         Job thought he could hear some rustling around the far side of the row of mausoleums.  Job sat still, not breathing, hoping it was David, so they could get the hell out of there.  A slight breeze pushed some leaves against the mausoleums and it made a scraping sound, like claws on stone.  Job couldn’t help but think about why David was always in the way, why he was always rescuing him. 

Job put his head in his hands again.  David was always a little tag along wanna-be.  Although, Job laughed quietly to himself, he sure didn’t want to tag along tonight.  But, it was his idea, so he had to come.  Maybe the mortician caught him, Job thought.  No, Job surmised, there would be lots of screaming.



The last couple of days had been rough for him and Job could not help but to think about his mother.  Had she been watching over him the last couple of days?  Did she know about Hodges? 



“I didn’t help him.  I just stood there and watched him die”, Job said in a broken voice.  He hoped, beyond hope that his mother had not seen that.  But, they had moved here less than a year ago, a fresh start he father had said, and he had to show that he was cool.  He’d been challenged, he had accepted, he didn’t mean for Hodge’s to die.  It took a while to realize the he was shaking, but not from the cold.



Job blinked a few times and tried to move a little.  Every bone in his small body screamed at him.  He had sat too long against the stone wall.  However, he kept moving.  He wanted to get a closer look at the funeral home entrance.  Maybe he could see David, or the mortician. 

He moved slightly out of the shadows where he could see the front door to the funeral home.  It was open almost the full way and he could clearly see inside, although, there was nothing but pitch black inside.  What was the mortician doing here at night, Job thought to himself, maybe working on bodies to be buried tomorrow?  Then again, who else would it be, Job felt he had reasoned it out pretty well.  Anyway, for now, he would just assume the man was a mortician who is out to scare us.

         The thought that David ran into the funeral home brought an immediate smile to his face.  That probably was not where David had run.  Job thought it was much more likely that David had ran into the lower cemetery where the bulk of the individual plots where located.  Job looked around and found a small clump of bushes that overlooked the lower cemetery.  The bushes were not too far away, but he’d still have to leave the shadows to get to them.

         Job looked around carefully, but didn’t see any sign of the mortician, so he moved out from his hiding place.  His muscles were still pretty stiff and he immediately fell to the ground with a very audible thump.  He froze on the ground momentarily and listened intently.  At first, he could not hear anything.  However, as he continued to listen, he could hear soft footsteps approaching from somewhere close.

         Job scrambled for the nearby bushes and hid himself inside very carefully.  He watched someone approach the mausoleums from the far side.  Whoever it was, they were too large to be David, it must be the mortician, Job thought to himself.  Job continues watching as the mortician moves across the back of the mausoleums, looking for the source of the sound.

         As the mortician moves back and forth around the back of the mausoleums, light breaking through the trees appears to briefly illuminate the mortician.  Job begins to wonder why the light from the moon would do that and finally decides it must be because the mortician is wearing a white coat.  Job is thinking about this when he notices the mortician begin to strike the mausoleum, like he’s frustrated, or something.

         Job watches a few minutes as the mortician appears to give up and moves off behind the row of mausoleums.  Job’s mind goes back to David and he knows he needs to find him.  However, Job is starting to suspect that maybe David ran home instead of going to the lower cemetery.  As Job is sitting in the bushes he begins to notice the same smell he did before at the funeral home door.  He looks around him but doesn’t see the mortician. 

         Sitting there with a bird’s eye view of the lower cemetery, Job peers down to see if he can see David.  The moon is very bright, casting row after row of tombstones and bushes in a very sick pallor, making everything look like a black and white movie.  This reminds Job of the old Abbott and Costello films that he used to watch with his mom.  He thought they were dumb, but he liked the way they made his mom laugh.  He thinks about what a pussy David always was when they showed the Abbott and Costello’s meeting a monster like Dracula or the Wolf-man.  They always gave David nightmares, every time.

         Job looks around but doesn’t see David and assumes that he ran home, probably to tell their dad.  Job knows David wouldn’t have gone into the funeral home without him, so after a few more moments of examining the lower cemetery, Job decides to go home and face the music.

         Job carefully looked for any sign of the mortician, but he was no where to be seen.  Job moved quietly out from the bushes and started to make his way to the mausoleums when he heard it.  It was a sound that chilled him to his very soul.          

“Job?  Where are you?  Job?” David yelled from somewhere in the lower cemetery.  Job made his way back to the bushes and had just settled in when he heard movement by the far side of the mausoleum.  He looked towards the mausoleums and saw a flash of white as something, probably the mortician moved down the upper cemetery and into the lower cemetery.  He must be going after David, Job thought.

Job turned to look into the lower cemetery to try and see David, but he didn’t see anything.  After a few moments someone, or something, started to slowly move up the left side of the cemetery under the tree line leading away from him.  It was too tall to be David.  It had to be the mortician.  However, Job couldn’t help noticing how odd he appeared to walk.  The man seemed to hobble along slowly.  It reminded Job of the way his grandfather used to walk before he died.

“C’mon, where are you Job?” David yelled again from some hidden position below Job.  Job’s body was trembling very badly now, somewhat from the cold, but mostly from fear.  He knew he should answer David and try to reassure him, but he was scared to let the mortician know where he was.

Job put his head in his hands and began to pray for David to shut up.  “C’mon, David, be smart for once in your life and shut the fuck up!”  Job thought.  Job could feel the eyes of his mother looking down from above and he knew he had to get down there and find David.  They had to get out of here, he kept thinking to himself.

Job, under the full weight of his mother’s gaze from above, stood up and moved to the front of the mausoleums.  He gazed briefly out the open front gate and sighed.  Then, he turned and slowly made his way down a small incline into the lower cemetery.  He started moving around some open graves at the base of the incline to get to a tall shady statue when he slipped and fell on some of the fresh dirt. 

“Goddammit!” Job thought.  He lay there motionless and quiet, trying to gather his thoughts.  Job couldn’t remember a time when he seemed so tired or worn out.  He started to lift himself up when he noticed it.  It was something in the fresh dirt that shouldn’t be there.  Job’s lips began to quiver in fear.  He stared at it even longer.  This is not happening, he thought to himself.  He couldn’t take his eyes off of it.  A single barefoot print was etched in the soft dirt.

Job forced himself to his feet and stumbled to the moonlit shade offered by the statue.  He leaned against it, wincing at the freezing cold emanating off of it.  Job sat there huddling up for warmth and getting angrier by the minute.

That dumb-ass better be quiet, Job thought to himself.  David was always getting him into trouble.  David was very small for his age and was always being picked on or beaten up.  Job was always coming to the rescue, just like what started this.

Man, who would be out here in barefeet, Job wondered.

Prove your cool, they had said to him and David.  Take something small from old man Hodge’s house and prove you’re cool.

David didn’t want to go, but we had to prove we were cool, Job thought.

Who is out here in barefeet?

David wanted to take the picture frame with the pretty woman in it, but no, Job had spotted the gold pocket watch sitting on the end table next to the sleeping old man.

However, he wasn’t sleeping at all.  Job had grabbed the pocket watch and was walking away when he heard a gurgling sound coming from Hodges.  Job walked in front of him, even though David was about to shit himself because we weren’t leaving, but I wanted to see why the old man made that sound.

Job saw Hodges sitting in the big overstuffed comfortable chair and saw his sweaty face, bulging eyes, and that right hand grabbing his left shoulder.  No, Hodges wasn’t sleeping at all.  Job motioned for David to come take a look.  As David moved in front of Hodges, Job heard a crunching noise on the floor.  Job looked to see tiny white pills spilled from an empty container.

“Job, we have to help!”  David whined.

Hodges looked up with pain filled eyes.  Job handed the pocket watch to David and Hodges arm grabbed David’s hand and he said just two words.  Just two little words as Hodge’s eyes filled with even more pain.

“Please… don’t”

David screamed and tried to pull away.

Job didn’t move to help the old man.  He was transfixed by what was happening.  What remaining strength that Hodges had, finally left him.  He started to slump and his gaze fixed on David’s.  When David had realized what happened, and that Hodge’s had a death grip on him, David became frozen in place.  Job had to rip David from Hodge’s grip and drag him away.

“Job, Job, you didn’t help him.  Why?”  David pleaded as they ran from the house and kids scattered away.  Job glanced down and saw the pocket watch clasped firmly in David’s hand, which was still red from the death grip that Hodge’s had on it.  He never answered David’s question.  And now, he’s here being chased by someone with barefeet, on a cold autumn night, while trying to return the watch because David has had nightmares ever since that day. 

“Job!  Where are you?!  Did you leave me?” David’s scream shook Job out of his thoughts.  Job still did not answer, but he could tell this time that the scream came from an older, more overgrown area of the cemetery.  Job pushed himself off the statue and started moving towards the older section.

Another time I’m coming to his rescue, thought Job, he has to shut-up or he’s going to get caught. 

I hope the little shit is happy, thought a tired Job, he wanted to return the watch, and now all this happens.  Though, he knew his mom would be disappointed in him for everything that he’d done over the last few days. 

Job was sneaking around the old part of the cemetery when he heard a sharp broken off screech, just on the other side of a tall hill right next to him.  Careful to stay in the shadows, Job climb the hill and positioned himself at the top under the shade of several trees.  He got comfortable and took a look around.

Immediately to his right he saw a line of three graves that had collapsed.  To his left was a line of trees and some heavy bushes.  Almost directly in front of him, the mortician was walking toward several small statues.  Some of them looked like people and others like angels.  As the mortician approached the statues, one of them moved its left leg like it was trying to back up.

Oh, fuck, thought Job, no, no, it’s just a mortician.

The mortician stared at David for several moments.  There didn’t seem to be anything else happening in the world at that moment.  No wars, no crime, no dying mothers, nothing was happening except this.

He’s just going to scare David, thought Job.  If David is that scared, he’ll run away, right?

The image of the barefoot print in the dirt snapped to his mind and he almost cried out.

No, no, no, no, I’m not doing it this time, Job thought.  I’m not doing it this time.  I can’t beat up the world for him.  The guy just wants to scare David, and maybe that’s what he needs.

Tears began to fill his eyes as the image of his mother from up above looking down on him burned into his brain. 

Job jumped when the mortician slowly bent down and took something from David’s hand.  The mortician held David by the arm.  Job’s memory started to stir. 

That’s how…that’s what…what Hodge’s did, Job thought, staring intently at the scene in front of him.

Job squinted to get a better look at the mortician.  His heart began to sink as he realized that there was something very odd about the mortician’s clothes.  It was almost like he was, like he was…naked.

The mortician finally let go of David’s arm and straightened himself.  He turned slowly and started walking, very oddly, towards the trees to the left. 

For a brief second the man’s head and shoulders were exposed under the pale moonlight and Job saw him, for the first time, he really saw him and recognition hit him hard.

“That can’t be!”  Job screamed as loud as he could.  “He’s dead!  I watched him die!”  Job covered his eyes with his hands and rolled on the ground screaming.  Hodges never responded to Job, but just kept walking towards the bushes until he was finally out of sight.  The smell of rotting bodily fluids escaping out of Hodge’s body hung heavily in the air long after the body was gone.

Job lay in the fetal position for what seemed like hours.  He eventually looked up and saw the same scene as before, but no Hodges.  David was still standing in the same position.

Alright, it couldn’t have been Hodges.  It had to be someone who looked like him, thought Job trying to keep himself from shaking.  He started to push himself over the hill to go and get David.  It was past time to leave this place.

The smell is the first thing that hit Job as he neared David.  David had messed himself very bad.  The closer Job got to David the more he could see that something was very wrong with David.

David must have bit his lip or tongue because he had blood seeping out of his mouth.  His eyes were fixed and as wide a dinner plates. 

“David, we got to get out of here” Job said as he gently reached out his hand to touch David’s arm.  The same arm that Hodge’s had touched.  As Job’s fingers graced David’s arm, his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell backwards to the ground shaking violently.

Oh god, no, no, oh god, Job thought quickly.  What am I going to do?!

Job sank to his knees and cradled David’s head. 

He didn’t help David, Job thought to himself.  He didn’t help.

Job started screaming as loud as he could. 

They needed help, but he wasn’t leaving David again.



The cop looked like every single cop that Job had ever seen on TV, he even walked into the hospital room with a donut and coffee.

“Hi Job, my name is Lieutenant Marks.  Your dad is right outside in the hallway and he’s given me permission to ask you a few questions” Marks said and took a drink of his coffee.  “Before we begin, can I get you anything?  I can get one of the nurses to bring you some food down if you want.”

“No,” Job said staring at the floor.  “How is David?”

“Not very good, from what I was told.”

“What did Hodges do to him?”  Job didn’t notice that the question visibly upset the Lieutenant.

“Well, you do know that Hodges is dead, right.  He died a few days ago of a heart attack.”  Job was very aware that the Lieutenant watched his reactions very closely after each question or statement.

“Yeah, I know.”  Job said simply.  “But, he was there tonight, chasing us through the cemetery.  What did he want?  I thought it was a mortician, but it wasn’t.  It was him.”

“Hmm, did you know that the funeral home doors were broken open from the inside”, said  Lieutenant Marks.

“Yes, I was there.”

“Hmm, Job, can you tell me how Hodge’s body got placed on top of his wife’s grave?”  Job looked a little surprised at this, but said nothing.

“Okay, what were you doing in the cemetery that late at night, Job?”  the Lieutenant.

“Returning something we had stolen from Hodges.  It was David’s idea to return it”, Job said.

Lieutenant Marks reached into his pocket and pulled out a shiny object in a small plastic pouch.  He dangled it in front of his face and asked, “Is this was you were trying to return?”

Job looked at it intently and tears started to well up in his eyes.  “That damn pocket watch.  Did you find it on the funeral home steps?”  Job said with much venom.

“No, we found it in Hodge’s hand at the grave of his wife.”  The words that Lieutenant Marks just said kept reverberating in Job’s mind.  The image of Hodge’s stooping over David now made sense, Job had told David to leave the pocket watch on the steps, but he must have wanted to leave it with the body.  With me knocking him over, and Hodge’s coming out of the door, David must have forgotten to drop it on the steps.  Hodge’s just wanted the pocket watch!  If David had left it on the steps Hodge’s wouldn’t have chased us. 

“Oh fuck, I’m responsible for this whole thing” Job whispered as tears began to fill his eyes.

“What was that Job?”

“I accepted the bet, I stole the watch, I watched him die, I wouldn’t listen to David, I’m…I’m…I’m responsible”  Job whispered again.

“I’m sorry Job, but you’ll have to speak up.”

“I may have killed my little brother,” Job screamed as the full impact of his actions came to him.  Job could see his mother looking down at him with shame at what he’d done.