It was a cool October and my parents had just dropped me off at my aunt's house in a small town outside of Beaumont. My grandfather had turned for the worse. His illness was serious and he had been taken to the hospital. My parents were driving all lthe way to Mexico to see him. Although I begged to go with them, they said that with the severity of grandpa's illness, they might be gone for several days. I was disappointed and tried to make the best of the situation. My aunt was elderly and had no children. I was 15 years old and thought they should have left me alone at home. "I'm old enough to take care of myself," I grumbled. But I didn't argue with my parents. My father was already worried about his dad and both had a lot on their minds as they drove away.
What was I going to do here? It was Friday night. My aunt must have seen me sulk and suggested I walk to town. "There are things to do there and it's just a few blocks away. You might find some kids your age." After I settled in, I took her suggestion. The town was quaint and there was more activity but not much. I was curious and began to check out the town. The early evening was crisp and I headed past shops and toward the plaza. The park was pretty but except for some small kids playing soccer, and a few lovers walking by, there wasn't too much going on. I started to walk towards the football stadium. I could see the old building in the distance. Maybe there was a game going on. After several blocks, I noticed it had gotten dark. I had walked several blocks and I could hear the cadence of drums. "A football game!" The stadium stood on the hill like a giant. As I got closer, I could hear the roar of the crowd. It sounded like a packed stadium. The marching band in the stands played loudly. I could tell the game had already started. The crowds cheered wildly. Someone nudged me over my shoulder. I turned around saw a vendor, he smirked at me and walked away cockily. His muscles were big and taught. Except for the stadium lights, the surroundings were pretty dark. There weren't any street lights. But I was excited. It sounded like a good game and you could be around kids your age. I rushed toward the entrance. On the south side of the stadium at the top of the ramp, I saw a crevice. I peered my head inside.
Suddenly, without warning, the stadium lights shut off. The crowd went silent. I was standing at the stadium by myself in complete darkness! What happened? I looked around. There was no one there.
I couldn't have imagined the sounds or the lights. Where did everybody go? I couldn't have been hallucinating. I was completely bewildered. The very same vendor nudged me over my shoulder again. But this time, he seemed to be weak and tired. I stepped back to give him way. But then as he forced his fragile body forward, his head fell off. My shirt was all sprayed with blood. His head, trembled down the stairs. I screamed. Yes I screamed really bad. I almost had a heart attack. I had goosebumps. I was all pale. It was difficult to breath. I was almost unconscious then I realized I was supposed to run away from there. I hurried to the other end where the exit was. I bumped into a living barbie-doll. Her hair cascaded smoothly down her back, out lining her slim jawline. She wore a short red blouse and a tight pencil skirt, showing off her slim legs. Her entire look ended up with stilettos. Her face was caked up with makeup. My heart sank when she said "What's wrong?" And blood drained out of her mouth. She slipped her hand inside her pocket and pulled out a handful of roaches and spiders. She stuffed those creatures in her mouth and chewed. When she was finished, she stared at me and all of a sudden vomitted over my new pair of sneakers. I screamed and whailed. I jerked my head up in anger to scream at her, but she wasn't there. I ran screaming, with my hair, all messed and ponytail-ed up, slapping my cheeks as i ran. Something hit my feet and i fell. I could hear people oh-ing. Angry, sad and happy faces, all stared down at me. It was silence and peace until all of them screamed together! The scream echoed in my ears until i fainted. I woke up on a pavement. My mouth was dry. My shirt and shoes were clean. My hair was neatly tied up. I felt brainwashed. I reluctantly made my way back to my aunt's house. I told her I had gone into town to check the sights. "Auntie, was there a game at the stadium?" She looked at me funny. " Oh no. Ever since that terrible accident, several years ago, nobody's used the stadium." She explained It was a championship game and the football players from a neighboring town had won the game. But on the way back to their school, it stormed that night and the bus crashed near the bridge. "All the players were killed. As a matter of fact, tonight is the anniversary of that tragic event."
What had I experienced? Had I walked into another dimension? I clearly heard people cheering. There was definitely a football game going on. Or had I heard the ghosts of a football team that had returned to relive their last moments?
