The Barn

James examined the old barn carefully. He was cautious, because it was both dark and dangerous. From the outside, it appeared ready to topple, but it had looked that way for as long as he could remember. From the inside, through the stream of his flashlight, he could see the broken boards and exposed nails. Still, he slowly stepped into the cavernous structure.

He had always been curious about the old barn. He passed it daily on his way to, and from, school. Even though it was quite a distance from the road, it piqued his interest. According to his father, the property was long ago abandoned and the locals weren’t quite sure who owned the land. James had been admonished not to trespass on the rundown property. Now that he had finally turned twelve, he thought it was time he explored the mystery.

He walked deliberately. Debris littered the ground and he knew if he hurt himself here, there would be trouble at home. Occasionally, he tossed toss a rock in front of him in order to scare off any creature that may be living in here. So far, nothing had reacted. As he moved deeper into the barn, he began to shiver. The wind picked up as the temperature dropped. He stopped and briefly switched off his light. It was eerily silent. James’ senses heightened but he could hear and see absolutely nothing. This didn’t make sense as moonlight should be apparent through the many holes of the dilapidated building. Even though the wind pushed him back, it was completely silent. He turned his light back on. So far, he had walked less than 30 feet into the barn. He could now see his breath. He knew he had to leave. Something bad happened here.
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