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I wasn't sure what to think when Bode told us there was a woman stuck in the well. I mean, I would have believed it to be true if he hadn't added the fact she wasn't dead but very much alive and kicking.
"Bode, are you sure it wasn't just a neighbor playing a trick on you?" I snorted as the whole family headed toward the old-battered well house. Kinsey and Tyler exchanged incredulous looks as mom shook her head at the whole stupidity of it all. Uncle Duncan was surpassingly the most unlikely to believe something like that to be true. He's lived here for years, after all. I think he would know if someone was in the well at this point.
"No! It was a girl! A real girl! I swear!" he exclaimed eagerly as we inched closer to the iron-wrought gates.
Mom went to open them when she found they wouldn't budge. I propped myself up again one of the side barred windows, but I was too big to even come close to getting inside. I wouldn't deny my interest was highly piqued by the mysterious well—there might not be a woman inside, but there very well could be treasure. . .or human bones.
"The doors are locked, do you have a key?" Mom asked Duncan, but he shook his head and shrugged.
"We'll, I haven't seen it in years. There's no reason to go in there, though, like I said," Duncan confirmed with a mildly more firm tone, "the wells just contaminated with sea water. And it stinks really bad like rotten fish and mold. I wouldn't try to bother."
I quipped a brow at Tyler as he peered through the bars beside me. As far as I could tell, it was empty aside from old dusty crates and a few shovels and sacks.
"There's no one in there," Tyler said, sticking his hands in his vest pockets.
Bode shook his head profusely, "I heard a voice! I swear!"
Kinsey snorted, "Maybe you just heard an echo."
But Bode seemed more invigorated by this answer then discouraged, "Yeah, that's what she said! She said she was my echo!"
"Hey, listen now bud," Mom began with a highly worried voice and kneeled down to meet his eye level, "that's not a safe place to play. The roof is old and might collapse any minute."
"Yeah, it's probably full of bats and tetness, so if you go near it, I'll beat your ass," Tyler promised him with a raised brow. I gave him a hard look, rolling my eyes.
Idiot.
"I know what I heard! I'm not lying!" Bode pressed, his face screwed into a frown.
I sighed, "Look, Bode, we aren't saying you're lying. We're just saying that it's been a long day and we're all really tired."
"Your sister is right. Why don't we just go back inside and I'll order us some pizza. Sound good?" Mom suggested with a smile as she ushered him away from the unstable building.
