An Eventful Afternoon Outing

An Eventful Afternoon Outing

1961 words

by Johnine M. Simpson

“The sign read No Trespassing,” Willis explained to Josh.

“But where was this sign posted?  I’ve never seen one by the reservoir.”

“In plain sight by the main road, where else?” Willis said.

“I guess I’ve never seen it because I always go in through the woods on the east side of the reservoir.  I don’t do any harm – just look at the water and sometimes throw in a fishing line.” 
Josh did not look apologetic.

“The sign is there for a reason,” Willis continued.  “Isn’t that reservoir a water source for some towns?  I’ve never seen a building anywhere near it.”

“True, no homes or cottages line the shore and I guess it IS a water source for the small towns around here.  What harm can come from some simple fishing?”

Willis asked, “Have you ever caught a fish in the reservoir?”

“No, but I haven’t tried that often.  Mostly I like to relax by the water and listen to Nature.  Is that so weird?”

“It’s not that it’s weird.  It’s illegal.  If you get caught, you’d be fined or something.”  Willis sighed because he knew talking rationally to Josh would not work.

“Wanna come with me and check it out?  We can slip in and out unobserved and find an observation spot that can’t be spotted from the entry road.”  Josh looked hopeful.

“Well…” Willis hesitated.

“PULEESE, please.  You’ll love it.  I know you will.  We’ll be safe, I’m positive.
. . .

The two boys had agreed to visit the reservoir together.  They looked up and down the access road before slipped into the woods.  They moved through the wooded area until they came to the barbed wire fence close to the water’s edge.

“You never told me about a fence,” Josh complained.

“You never asked.  It’s not hard.  This low place on the ground will let us slip under without a trace.  I’ll go first and show you how it’s done.”

Willis removed his backpack and tossed it over the fence.  Then he pressed down the grass in the area to which he had pointed and, sure enough, the ground was hollowed out making slithering through possible.

Willis grinned as he plopped to the ground on his belly and scootched himself through the small depression.  Victoriously giving the thumbs up sign as he stood, he smiled.  “Your turn,” he said.

Josh did what Willis had done and soon was standing beside Willis on the waterfront side of the fence.

“That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Willis asked as he brushed himself off.  Josh did the same.  “Now, on to the shore.”  Willis began walking.

The woods were thinner but quite a few trees surrounded them.  Josh looked left and then right as they walked.  “Hey, Willis, look.  What is it?”  He pointed toward a copse of trees growing close together.  “I thought I saw denim.”

Willis laughed.  “Josh, my boy, you are losing your marbles.  Denim here in a ‘no trespassing zone.’  You gotta be kiddin’” Nevertheless, Willis came back to see where Josh pointed.  He stood very still and then muttered, “I see it too.  I wonder what it is?”  Willis looked at Josh. “Should we investigate or pretend we never saw it – whatever it is?”

“If it’s something bad, we’ll never forgive ourselves for not checking it out.  Scares me to think of it, but I guess we should check it out.”

The two boys moved closer.  They saw a slight mound and, indeed, denim was sticking out.  “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Willis asked. “Looks like it could be a body.  UGH….what a terrible thought.”

“That’s what I was thinking too.  What do we do?  I guess we’ll have to get closer to know.”

“Hmmmm, a little closer.”  Willis led the way until they were a few feet from the mound.

“We’ll have to kick away some of the dirt and stuff to see I guess,” Josh hypothesized.

“You or me?” 

“We’ll both do it.  I’ll go on the other side and kick near the middle and you stay on this side and kick near this end.  Okay?”  Josh looked dubious even though he was suggesting this.

“I guess…” Willis stammered.  He moved toward the bottom of the mound as Josh moved to the other side.

“On the count of three.  One…two….three.”

Both boys kicked out.  Dirt, leaves, and debris sprayed around them.  It took only a few kicks to reveal the mound’s contents.

“Stop already,” Josh shouted as he backed away.  “It IS a body -  looks like a girl from the jeans and shirt.”

“I think you’re right.  Body has on pink tennis shoes.  Few boys would dare…” Willis backed up as he realized what he was seeing and saying.

“What do we do now?” Josh asked.  “We don’t have to uncover more, do we?  I don’t think I could do it.”

“I guess we need to call 911.  My cell phone’s in my backpack.  Willis pulled his backpack from his back and rummaged through it.

“We’ll get in trouble for being here, right?”

“Probably,” Willis agreed, “but not as much trouble as not reporting this.  I assume it’s a crime scene of some sort.”

“Okay, you call.  Shall I go back and cover things up again?”

“NO!  That would be tampering with a crime scene.  We’ve already done enough.”  Willis pushed 911 and waited.  The cell signal was not strong in the woods but he got through.
“My emergency,” he began after listening to the responder, “is that my friend and I have just found a body near the shore of the reservoir.  Yes, Ma’am, we are sure it’s a body.  We think it’s a girl but she was left under a mound of dirt and leaves.  We kicked off enough to be sure of what we were seeing.  We didn’t check out her face or anything.  We saw jeans and a plaid shirt and pink sneakers.  That’s it.”

After a pause, Willis continued, “Yes, Ma’am, we know it’s not legal for us to be here.  We were going to look at the water and enjoy the sights and sounds of Nature.  Nothing more.  We weren’t going to cause any trouble.  You say, can we wait for the troopers?  I guess so.”  He looked at Josh for confirmation.

Josh nodded his head.  Willis listened again.

“If the troopers go a short way down the eastern access road, they’ll see the grasses mashed down by our feet.  They’ll find a low point where we scooted under the fencing.  We were heading for the reservoir when we spotted the mound.  Yes, we’ll wait.  They won’t be long, will they?  Oh and thank you, Ma’am.”  Willis closed the call.

“What’s happening?” Josh asked.

“The lady said she’d notify the troopers and they’d be right along.  She said not to touch anything else or to move close to the mound.  Let the authorities deal with it.”

“Did she seem angry that we were on the reservoir property?”

“No, but she reminded me that we weren’t supposed to be which, of course, we know.  I’m sorry I got you into this, Josh.  You told me we shouldn’t come.  I guess you were right but, on the other hand, if everyone stayed out, who would have found the body?”

Josh was quiet for a moment.  “I guess you’re right.  For the sake of the person who lies beneath the mound and her family and friends, I am glad we made the trip even if we are being illegal.  Let’s go back to the road to help the troopers find this spot.”

“Shouldn’t one of us stay here to be sure no one takes the body away before the troopers come?”

“I didn’t think of that, Willis.  Even though it’s not too likely, perhaps one of us stays and the other goes back to the road.  Which do you want?”

“If you’re all right with staying, I’ll go to the road.  I know the inside of this area better than you do and it wouldn’t be good for you to get lost finding the road or bringing the troopers to this spot.”

“Okay, I’ll stay but I won’t go any closer to the mound than this,” Josh stated.

“Fine.  I’ll leave my backpack with my cellphone so you can call 911 if something happens.  Try to stay calm and think about pleasant things until we get back.”  Willis dropped his backpack by Josh’s feet and began trekking back to the road.  He was gone.

“Geez, I am all alone with a dead girl buried in dirt and leaves a mere few feet away.  How do I get myself into these pickles?  Willis is a good friend but he sometimes has hair-brained ideas and this was one of the worst.  I wish we’d never come.”  Josh hesitated thinking of what Willis had said about the poor ‘mound’ not being discovered if they hadn’t come. “Oh well, it will turn out all right.  We’ll get reprimanded or maybe need to volunteer at the food closet for a few weeks but I guess it’ll be worthwhile knowing this girl’s family can get some questions answered. Josh kicked at some loose sticks as he thought.  “What’s that noise?”
Someone coming?  I should hide, but where?  Nothing close or big enough to hide behind."  Josh pivoted in his spot but saw nothing that could keep him from being seen.  He began sweating profusely.

“This way, officers,” Josh heard a voice say.  “My friend is keeping watch over the mound.”

Josh nearly fainted from relief.  “Thank heavens, it’s you, Willis.  I had fears that someone was coming for the girl.  Oh, hello officers, I’m Josh and I’m glad to see you.”

The troopers took over.  One began investigating the mound and then used his phone to call others to the scene.

A second trooper took the boys aside further from the mound and questioned them about what they had seen and done.  They answered honestly, hiding nothing.

“Are we in big trouble?,” Josh couldn’t help asking.

“Not sure, kid,” the officer replied. “You know you’re not supposed to be here yet you’ve discovered something that otherwise might not have been found.  What happens to you two will be up to the judge, not me.  If I were in charge, I’d offer a thank you for your help.”  He smiled.

“Judge?”  Josh was incredulous.

“Not to worry, kid.  Butch, my fellow officer, and I will attend court and your parents will too.  It’ll be all right.  Trust me.”

“Same for me?” Willis asked in a meek voice?

“Same deal, yes, but maybe at a different time.  Don’t know.  By the way, do your parents know where you are?”

“Well, no.”  Willis gulped.  “We couldn’t exactly tell them we were going into a ‘no trespassing’ area.  They know we’re out spending the afternoon in nature.  That was good enough for them, I guess.”

“As soon as the other investigators arrive, we’ll take you boys home and explain it all to your parents.  Meantime, sit and wait until I come back.”

“Yessir,” the boys replied in unison.

When the officer was out of sight, Willis said, ‘I suspect my punishment from my old man will be worse than what the legal system does.’  He looked sad.

“Your dad’s hard on you.”

“You could say that.  More than once I couldn’t sit down after Pop was done with me.”

“Yikes.  I’m sorry.  But maybe the fact about finding the dead girl will help.”  Josh looked forlorn.

“Maybe yes,” Willis agreed.  “No matter what, our afternoon was worth it, wouldn’t you say?”

“I think so.  But let’s agree not to find another mound together (or apart for that matter) on an afternoon outing.  Okay?”