Midnight

The familiar ringing of the telephone filled the small living room. Andrew Collins lazily looked over at the receiver sitting on the side table by the couch. The caller I.D. informed him that it was his best friend, Matthew. He stretched out his arm and grabbed the phone.

“Hey, Matt. What’s going on?” Andrew said casually.

“Aww, nothing much. How ‘bout you?” Matthew responded.

“Just relaxing on the couch. I finished that big essay due on Monday.”

“Oh, cool,” Matthew stated. He paused, “Uhh, which essay was that?”

“You know, the one due on Monday. Why? Aren’t you about finished?”

“Yeah! Uhh, yeah! Of course! I finished it, uhh, last night before I went to bed,” Matthew lied.

“Whatever,” Andrew laughed, totally not falling for it. There was an awkward silence.

“Hey, I was wondering if you wanted to come over and spend the night tonight. When it gets dark enough, we can have a bonfire and roast marshmallows and stuff. We can stay up all night. My mom even rented one of those really scary movies for us. It’ll be fun!”

“Yeah,” Andrew agreed, “Let me ask my mom.”

“Okay, I’ll wait,” Matthew replied.

Andrew put the phone down and went to find his mom. He walked into her office. She was working on her computer, and she looked like she was in a good mood. That was good!

“Hey, Mom,” Andrew started, “Is it okay if I spend the night at Matt’s house tonight? He just called me.”

“Of course, Honey! Matthew’s such a nice boy! Have fun!” She replied as if he was four, not fourteen. Then she went back to work, typing vigorously.

“Thanks, Mom! Bye!”

“Uh, huh,” she said, but it was obvious that she was already occupied with something else.

Andrew went back to the phone and told Matthew that he could come over.

“Sweet!” he exclaimed. “Do you want to come over at like 6:00? That’s an hour from now.”

“Sure, I’ll see you then. Bye,” Andrew said as he hung up the phone. He strolled over to his room to grab a few things. He put clothes, an alarm clock, his toothbrush and toothpaste, one of his video games, and a few other things into his blue Nike duffel bag. He also put on his new sports watch. He’d gotten it for his birthday last month. It was waterproof, and it had a cool light on it that lit up the face.

He was about ready, but he couldn’t find his jacket. He’d heard it was supposed to get cold tonight, and he didn’t want to be a wimp shivering by the campfire. He scanned his room slowly for the gray windbreaker, but his growling stomach interrupted him. He decided that he’d find it later. He went into the kitchen to find something to eat, but when the clock read 5:50, he decided he’d go over to Matt’s house. They’d probably have pizza or something.

Andrew slipped on his tennis shoes, grabbed his duffel bag, yelled a loud goodbye to his mom, who probably didn’t even hear him, and stepped out the front door. He went to the shed to get his bike. “This will be nice,” Andrew thought, leading his bike out of the shed, “Just Matt and I, hanging out, playing video games until we puke, and relaxing on a Friday night.” Andrew quickly hopped onto his bike and proceeded through alleys and shortcuts until he reached Matthew’s house. Andrew didn’t know, however, that the night held something completely different for him and Matt, something neither one of them saw coming.

Andrew reached a large brick house and knocked loudly on the door. Matthew’s mom, a very prim and proper woman dressed in a bright pink pencil skirt and jacket, answered the door.

“Hello, Andrew!” she said in the same voice his own mom had used earlier. “How are you doing today?”

“Pretty good,”Andrew politely replied. “Is Matthew here?”

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Matthew appeared out of his room. “Hey, Man. How’s it goin’?” There was an awkward silence as the boys stood next to Matthew’s cheerful mom. The boys looked at each other, not wanting to be rude.

She smiled at both of the boys, finally getting the hint, “Well, I’ll let you two “hang out” and “chill” or whatever it is you teenagers do these days. There’s popcorn in the cupboard and juice in the fridge if you guys get hungry.” She giggled and slowly walked away, her high heels clicking on the wood floor.

Matthew rolled his eyes as his slightly chubby cheeks grew pink. Andrew laughed and slapped him on the back, “Dude, my mom’s the same way! Don’t sweat it.”

The boys made their way to Matthew’s room and ate pizza and drank Coke (not popcorn and juice) until they couldn’t possibly fit another ounce inside their stomachs. They played video games until their fingers were sore. When they had a break, Matthew looked at the clock. “Dude, it’s 11:23. Do you wanna go build a fire or something?”

“Sure,” Andrew agreed.

The two boys journeyed to Matthew’s backyard where the fire pit was located. The chill of the October night nipped at Andrew’s arms. He rubbed them quickly with his almost-numb hands, trying to warm himself. The boys worked together and got a nice sized fire going. Even though the fire was warm, Andrew was shivering. He really wished he had his jacket.

Suddenly it hit him. He’d forgotten his jacket at the park! He and Matt had had a contest yesterday on the monkey bars, and it was getting really intense. He was working up a sweat, so he’d taken off his jacket and set it down on the picnic table. He could just picture it sitting there, waiting for him to come claim it.

“Hey, Matt,” Andrew explained, “I left my jacket at the park. I’m kind of chilly, so I’m going to ride my bike over there real quick and get it.”

“Okay, do you want me to go with you?” Matt offered.

“No, I’ll be fine. The park’s only a few blocks away. I’ll be right back. Don’t worry, I won’t be too late.”

“Are you sure?” Matthew joked. He said in a baby voice, “Do you want me to come and fight off all the ghosts and monsters? I wouldn’t want you getting hurt.” Matthew put on the creepiest voice he could manage, “After all, strange things happen around. . . midnight. Oooooooh! Oooooooooh! Ooooooooooh! Ca-caw! Ca-caw!” he loudly mimicked a raven.

Andrew playfully punched him in the shoulder, knocking him off the small stump he was sitting on. “Oh, you be quiet!” Andrew said, annoyed but smiling. He got on his bike and called over his shoulder, “I’ll be back in a few!”

“That’s what they all say!” Matthew yelled. “Oooooooh! Oooooooooh!” 

Ignoring Matthew, Andrew rode through the shadowy streets lined with giant, towering trees. The breeze was even colder as he flew down the streets. The trees held bare branches like long, creepy fingers waiting for the right moment to reach out and snatch him. The only thing lighting up the quiet night was the silver moon glowing in the sky. It gave the whole night an eerie feeling, casting shadows on every little object in sight. It was a full moon.

Andrew was almost to the park. His imagination was starting to scare him a little, so he rode faster. He was a little embarrassed by the fact that Matthew’s stories were kind of getting to him. He didn’t let up until he saw the big, worn down sign that read, “South End Park”. The letters, although they needed a new paint job, were big and bold. A strong gust of wind blew leaves across the ground. The silence of the night was so great that it felt loud. It rung in his ears, and he could hear his small, choppy breaths. He slowly leaned his bike up against the sign, turning his head in all directions, making sure that no one else was there. 

Andrew looked around the spooky park for the picnic table where his jacket lay. The park had a strong odor to it. It smelled of pine, but there was also a strange musty scent like something that’d been sitting in an old attic for ages. It was barely there, but Andrew could smell it clearly. It wasn’t the freshness that he usually enjoyed when he came to the park. Andrew tried to ignore it and walked around some more. A thick fog had suddenly settled over the small park as if someone had turned on a switch. The air became thick, and Andrew strained to see. He wandered blindly around the playground, trying to discover something that looked familiar. The glowing moon had disappeared behind a passing cloud, leaving Andrew surrounded in a pit of complete blackness. He felt helpless. A chill ran up his spine and made every hair on his body stand on end. And it wasn’t just because he was cold.

The faint sound of wind broke the still silence. It howled in the night like a hungry wolf. Leaves were picked up and carried across the ground, rustling along the way.

Andrew strolled around the park slowly, taking every step with caution. Every time his foot hit the frozen ground, leaves crunched as they were smashed under his shoes. His heart was racing, and it felt like a giant bass drum getting louder and louder. All he wanted was his warm jacket. He walked on.

Without warning, the moon suddenly glared down on the foggy park like a giant flashlight. Every noise he had previously heard abruptly and unexpectedly stopped, and Andrew instantly froze on the spot, as if he were in a movie that had just been paused. The leaves ceased their rustling. What he laid his eyes upon at that very moment took his breath away. The pale, shimmering light given off by the full, silver moon reflected off of the immense eyes of a small owl, perched in a big, dried tree about twenty feet away. It’s big yellow eyes were hypnotizing. They glared at Andrew without twitching or blinking, as if the soundless creature was a statue. He could feel them gazing into his own eyes, looking past the outside and straight into his soul. Andrew’s mind was cleared of everything else. All he could see were those eyes. They held him there as if he were a puppet on a string. It was like his feet were glued to the ground. He just stood there and gazed at those vast, yellow eyes as round as the full moon. The gusts of wind, which were growing stronger and more forceful, didn’t even chill him.

Suddenly, Andrew heard a whisper. It was so small, like a shy mouse. It was raspy and light, almost unreal. The mysterious voice gently hissed, “Come.” The words rang in Andrew’s ears and sent chills to every bone in his body. He couldn’t grasp where it was coming from. It was as if the word was coming from every direction.

“Come,” the voice echoed again, light as air but as big as a mountain. Andrew was still frozen. The only thing he could feel was his heart beating out of his chest. His eyes were still glued on the hypnotising owl.

A third time, the voice whispered, “Come.”

Andrew didn’t know where it was coming from, but like a robot being controlled, he slowly lifted his right foot. It landed on the hard ground, smashing the crispy leaves with one solid crunch. It was one step closer to the mysterious, glowing eyes. Slowly he took another step. . . then another. . . then another.

Again the voice breathed, “Come.” Andrew was in a trance, not even thinking about the movement of his body. The leaves crumpled under his feet, but he couldn’t hear them. All he could hear was that quiet, hissing voice that roared in his ears. He slowly strolled closer to the mesmerizing eyes. He could not bring himself to look away, nor stop walking. Finally he stood no more than five feet away from the owl. He reached out and touched the prickly bark of the tree. It pierced his fingers, but Andrew could feel no pain. His eyes were still gripped on the small critter now perched just above him.

“COME!” The voice screeched in a harsh whisper. “COME! COME!”

Back out at the campfire, Matthew was starting to worry about Andrew. He knew that the park wasn’t very far away, and Andrew should’ve been back a while ago. He decided to go look for him. Maybe he’d crashed his bike or something.

Matthew grabbed a flashlight from inside his house, hopped onto his bike, and sped quickly to the park. His imagination, as well, was getting the best of him. He rode quickly. By the time he had reached the old and worn-down sign, he was out of breath. His heart was racing, and his palms were sweating. But it was not because he was hot. The pale light of the moon was overhead again, projecting shadows everywhere. Matthew’s hands were shaking. He switched on his flashlight, the sudden stream of light shocked his eyes as he quickly looked away and tried to adjust. He slowly waved the beam of light back and forth across the ground, trying to assure himself that nothing strange was really going on.

The sudden hoot of an owl made Matthew’s heart skip a beat. He frantically looked around, waving the flashlight, but saw nothing. After a few more minutes, Matthew spotted a small object lying on the ground. The ray of light coming from his hand reflected off of a small surface about the size of a quarter. Matthew quickly hurried over to investigate, looking cautiously around him all the while. It was a watch. He reached down to grasp the small device. He lightly ran his fingers over the smooth face of the watch, rubbing off the wet dirt that was clinging to it. It was Andrew’s watch. He’d just gotten it recently. Why was it here? He remembered Andrew liked it because it had a special light on it to illuminate the face, displaying the time. Matthew felt the sides of the watch with his clean finger. He found the button for the light and carefully pushed it. His heart stopped. The illuminated numbers staring back at Matthew read 12:00 am: midnight. Matthew instantly dropped the watch, shattering the glass, and ran.
Andrew Collins was never seen again.