The Canavar

Chapter 4: Swings Like a Girl

An hour later the three boys were still tossing around a baseball when Kristen stomped across the field toward Shawn. Johnny had been afraid she would vanish like the other two kids he had heard about and was relieved she had returned. He ran across to where she stood in front of Shawn.

But Johnny stopped short when Kristen screwed up her face and whipped out a hand that swept across Shawn's jaw. His head turned sideways from the loud slap, and then his hand went up to his jaw.

"You swing like a girl," Dan chuckled from behind her.

Kristen spun around and threw a punch that landed square on Dan's nose. He stumbled backward onto the grass, and his hands went up to his nose. Blood trickled down and onto his hands.

"You're crazy," Dan yelled up at her.

"What was that for?" Shawn rubbed his cheek.

"There's no freaking house down there, and you know it," Kristen yelled back.

"I swear it was there," Johnny said, backing away so she didn't hit him too.

"Yeah, right!" Kristen was so angry she practically foamed at the mouth. "Get a good laugh in from your stupid prank? Well, I sure as heck didn't find it funny." She spun and stomped off in the direction of her car.

"What did she mean there's no house?" Dan asked.

"Holy baloney. I guess it's just like with the sign," Johnny replied. "Sometimes it's there, and sometimes it's not."

"How can that be?" Dan asked.

Johnny and Shawn turned and stared at Dan.

"Shoot! It really is freaking haunted," Dan exclaimed.

Johnny turned toward Kristen and trotted after her. She was in her car in the driver's seat by the time he caught up with her. Tears ran down her cheeks.

Johnny stared through the open passenger side window.

"Go away," she sobbed. "Just go away, will you?"

He sighed as he stared at her. "I'm sorry about your sister."

Kristen continued to quietly cry.

"We didn't lie to you though. I swear it. Everything really happened just like we said it did."

She turned and looked him in the eye.

Johnny stared back. "Drive us down there."

"Why?"

"So we can all take another look at the place together. I swear we never lied to you."

She blinked and raised the back of her hand to wipe her cheek. Then she waved at the passenger seat. "Get in."

Johnny turned and waved Shawn and Dan over, and all three piled into Kristen's car.

A short while later, they jumped out of at the site of the ruins. The sign at the edge of the island had again disappeared, but Johnny was just glad to still be in one piece. Kristen drove fast and had run a stop sign. Johnny didn't think she even saw it. Not at all the way his mother drove.

"On my grandmother's grave, I swear it was right there." Shawn pointed to the spot where they had seen the house. He trotted out to the spot and stared at the ground.

"So you're telling me there was a house here, and now it's gone." Kristen stared at Shawn.

"We all saw it," Johnny said. "More of a shack than a real house, but it was right there where Shawn's standing now."