1-22-96
Initiation
by Ryan Holman
"So you want to be a Cardinal," a boy named Danny said that moonlit night in March.
"Well," Josie (or Jo, as she was sometimes called) said, speaking for all of them. "Yeah."
"First, you gotta take the initiation," said a snide girl whose name was Janet.
"Ok, bring it on," Josie's friend Ben said, braver than the rest.
"Hold on a sec," Josie's other friend Jake broke in. "How do we know you'll let us in after our 'initiation'?"
"It all depends on how you three do," piped up a girl everyone called Spike.
"Ok, we're in." Jake said defiantly.
"All right. Just sit tight while us Cardinals, er, decide what you're, uh, gonna have t' do. Er, we're only considering the girl-"
"Wait one minute, buster!" Jo broke in. "If I'm gonna be looked down on, then I'm outta here!" She started for the street.
"No way," Spike said, catching Josie's arm. "You just said you're in; ya can't turn back."
"Well, anyway, we, er, have your initiation," Danny said. "You gotta go up to Old Man Mowry's and-"
Suddenly he was met by a "WHAT!?" from Josie, Ben, Jake, and Janet.
"Old Man Mowry's is haunted!" Josie said.
"In addition," Danny said, ignoring Jo and sitting down on a crate, "ya gotta get my bright pink frisbee out of Old Man Mowry's attic. I lost it three years ago."
"Just for proof." Spike added.
"Now hold on," Jake said. "You're sayin' that we gotta go to the most haunted place on Mulberry Street, get beyond the rusty gates, get your stupid frisbee and make it back - alive?"
"Yeah," said Janet, finally regaining her voice.
"Bring it on." Ben repeated a third time. After working out what day and time they were to enter the house, the trio left the alley and went into the clear, warm night.
"Okay, here we are," Josie said, jumping off of her bike a few days later.
"Yup," Jake said. "The other Cardinals should be here soon." Ben gulped. "I wonder when we'll get out."
"I wonder if we'll get out," Josie muttered. This sure sounded less scary when they were in the alleyway.
The three were startled when Danny said, "So, you showed." The trio turned around. Danny hopped off his dirt bike. Josie could see that he wasn't alone. Spike and another boy were behind him.
"Yeah, we showed! We're gonna be Cardinals, not worms!" Jake said with a note of annoyance.
"Sheesh. Okay, okay. Don't have a cow. Ya got 24 hours. Meet us here. That 24 starts . . . Now!"
As the trio lunged forward, they heard the other boy yell, "Be back 2:00 tomorra, or ya don't get in!"
Inside the house, Josie immediately went for the stairs. Jake tackled her.
"What'd ya do that for!?" Josie spat.
"This place is haunted. Haunted houses are usually booby-trapped," Ben said. "That's why - Argh!" A crash followed.
"Ben!" Jake shouted, crouching near a hole in the floor. There was something weird about this hole, though. The edges were splintered, not carved. Ben had fallen through the floor!
Josie crouched beside Jake. "Do you hear me, Ben?"
Ben lay in a limp heap at the bottom of the hole. A moan arose from Ben's body. Jake moved closer to see Ben. Josie went to look for a rope to pull Ben out with. She found one when she mounted the ancient, frail steps. Then she ran back for all she was worth. Tying the rope about his waist, Jake watched Josie as she tied the rope to the banister. Josie nodded to him with an I-sure-hope-this-works look on her face. With that, Jake lowered himself down into the chasm. Jo gave some rope down to him as rope burn sent a hot sensation through her hands. The rope became taut. Jo called down to them.
"Can you reach the floor?"
A call came up. "'Fraid not, Jo. Lower me another six inches."
"I can't. The rope's really tight."
"Untie it and lower me." Jo did as she was told.
"Ow." Jo moaned softly, feeling the sting of rope burn. Eventually, the rope slid out of her hands, sliding along the floor, and into the chasm. "Oops." Josie said, peering after the rope as it fell.
"What'd ya do that for?" Jake screamed.
"Sorry." Josie called. "Toss me the rope."
Three hours later, the two gave up. "Look, you guys are in a basement. Search for a door."
"It's too late. We can't see a thing."
"Well, then, we'll wait."
"Okay. Well, we might as well camp here and get some shuteye." Jake said, curling up.
Long after Jake was asleep, Josie stayed up. She watched something out of the corner of her eye.
When she looked, nothing but darkness. Eventually, her eyes felt like lead and she thought she saw a stairwell in that blackness...wait a minute! She did see stairs! Aha! Jo lunged for a half-hidden staircase leading down. Through numerous cobwebs she raced, down to a huge door about the same level as the basement. She pulled on the knob. It came off in her hand. Josie ran a hand through her frizzy red hair in exasperation. She had to get Jake and Ben out! Jo banged on the door.
"Jake! Are you awake?"
"I am now!" came a sleepy reply.
"Sorry. Jake, I think I've found a way out."
"Well, get me and Ben outta here!"
"I can't. The door's stuck."
"Door!? What door!?"
"Follow my voice, Jake. I'm on the other side of it."
"It's pitch black down here except for a pinkish light-" Jo cut him off.
"Pinkish light!? What pinkish light!?"
"The one coming from the hole."
The two friends groaned as one word was uttered: "Dawn!"
"Jake, we only have seven hours left."
"I was thinking the same thing." Then a thought struck Jake's mind. "Jo," he said. "Go get the frisbee."
"What!?" sputtered Josie, "and leave you two here!? Are you crazy!?"
"I have an idea."
"Okay, if you say so." Josie bolted up the stairs.
After Jo's footsteps faded, Jake turned and looked for Ben's crumpled form. To his surprise, Ben wasn't there!
Josie came up the stairs, hearing only the pit-pat of her sneakers as they hit the rotting wood. Her eyes saw only what was in front of her as her footsteps echoed. Up two, three, four flights of stairs she ran, not even pausing when her shoelace came untied. Pit-pat-pit-pat-pit-pat . . . Faster and faster she dashed, towards a crumbling, winding stone staircase, half-hidden by a rusty metal door. Through the door she darted, picking up speed never catching her breath. Then there it was; the attic. The frisbee should be there, Josie thought, She sensed danger as she slowed down, fearful that she would smash into the door. It seemed, well, modern in this old house. Turning the knob, she pushed in, to be staring into a sparkling pair of sky blue eyes. But, peering closer, she saw it was only a mirror. Searching, all she found was a candle, and she lit it. A dim glow let Jo see a flash of bright pink. Upon peering closer, Josie found it was the very frisbee Danny had described yesterday. Under it was a book; Mowry's diary. Curiously, Jo sat on a box and began reading.
Meanwhile, Jake tried calling to see if Ben was there. "Ben! Ben, this isn't funny!" Continuing to call, he barely heard it when Josie's voice rang from the top of the chasm.
"Jake! I found the key!"
"Josie, that's great! If I were up there, I could kiss you!"
"You do, you die," Josie laughed. "Anyway, all you have to do is pull on the door when I unlock it."
"O.K.," Jake said, moving toward the door. Jake heard clicking as Josie fumbled with the lock. Finally
Josie barged through the door, sending Jake propelling backwards. Josie smiled at the sight of Jake's tousled blond hair covering his eyes.
"Where's Ben?" she asked, gazing into the blackness.
Jake stood up before saying, "Ben . . . disappeared."
"You're playing a joke on me," Josie said teasingly.
"I wish I were."
"Have you looked everywhere?"
"And...?"
"No way out, he just vanished."
"Oh no, poor Ben. . ." her voice trailed off. Jake gave her a hug. Ben had been their best friend.
Looking at his watch, he said, "It's 1:30. Let's get out of here." The two trudged up the lonely stairs, knowing that the Cardinals awaited.
Coming out of Old Man Mowry's, Josie and Jake came face to face with Danny, Spike and Janet.
"Did you get it?" Danny asked.
"Here," Jake said, throwing the frisbee across the street, into a cocker spaniel's mouth. "Fetch."
Danny and his friends went racing toward the cocker. With this chance, the duo jumped on their bikes and were gone.
* * *
Two days later, the friends had sodas at their favorite pizza place.
"So how did you know where the key was?" asked Jake.
"Old Man Mowry's diary," Josie said matter-of-factly. Jake nearly covered Jo in soda.
"WHAT!?"
"Old Man Mowry kept a diary. I read it." She paused for effect, "and it told me where the key was. What were you going to do with the frisbee?"
"Wedge it in the door and pry it open."
Now it was Jo's turn to come close to a spit-take. "Pardon?"
"Well, I got kind of desperate...couldn't've hurt to try..."
* * *
Twenty years later, they were walking in the park. "Ya know, I still wonder about Ben - you know, whatever happened to him," Jo said. No one has seen Ben since.