To Wish Impossible Things

Chapter 3

"Help Me," the boy struggled to say. The boy, well, teenager, was completely covered in dirt and mud. His hair and face were caked with it and it was impossible to make out any of his features. His clothes were basically rags, and he was missing his shoes. "Help me," the boy begged again.

I nodded and tossed the bat aside and closed the door to undo the deadbolt. He was still there when I reopened the door. Calmly, I placed a hand on his shoulder and led him inside and out of the rain.

"Come on," I say gently as I try not to scare him anymore than he was.

I bring him into the hallway and close the door behind him. The boy was shivering, and his teeth were chattering so hard that I thought they might break. Water was rolling off him and pooling on the hardwood floor.

"What happened?" I asked him.

"I-I-I don't kn-know," he struggled to say. "I w-w-woke up in a b-b-b-box underground. I-I-I-I don't know h-how I go-got there."

"Shh it's okay," I try to sooth him as he says he was buried alive. "Let's get you cleaned up, okay?"

The boy nods as I led him to the bathroom. I flip on the lights and he cringed at the brightness. Once he regains his composure he looks around in confusion.

"What Is that?" he asks as he pointed to the shower.

"A shower," I tell him, but he looks even more confused. Has he never seen a shower? "It's a bath. You see, water goes out of the faucet up there and it cleans you."

"Don't you have a tub?" he asked. "No," I say slowly as I reach in the shower and pull out a few bottles to show him. "This is shampoo. You put it in your hair and you wash it like that. This is body wash. Put this on a cloth and wash your body with it. Understand?"

"Yes," he nodded. "How does that...shower thing work?"

"I'll Turn it on for you. If it gets too hot, turn this dial, if it's too cold turn this one," I explain as I turn the knob and water shoots out from the top. The boy jumps back in shock. "See. It's okay. I'll get you some clean clothes okay? Can you tell me your name? Is there someone I can call?"

"Calvin," he says. "Calvin Gilbert."

My heart drops when he says his name. Did I hear him right? It must have been a coincidence that his name is the same as they guy on the gravestone.

"I have to find someone," he said suddenly, throwing me off guard.

"Get your bath first. I'll be out here," I say slowly as I turned around and walked out the bathroom, closing the door behind me.

This has to be some kind of joke. What are the odds of some guy showing up with the exact same name as a dead guy I talk to? Did the kids from school find this outband are tricking me? It was impossible for someone to come back from the dead.

Right?

I turned back and looked at the closed door. Calvin was behind there, well, if that was his real name. I know I said I wished he were alive, but I didn't actually think it would have happened.

Before I could think, I took a chair from the dining room and placed it against the door so he couldn't get out. This needs to be a prank, and I was going to prove it. I grabbed a pair of my shoes that were by the front door and shoved them on. It was still raining out, but I didn't care. At this point I began to feel numb, so I grabbed a flashlight off the table and ran out of the house and into the woods.

Water lashed at me as I ran past tree after tree. It was slippery out and I kept losing my footing, but I was on a mission. I'd be damned if I let a little rain slow me down. Rain slid down my bare arms as I ran. It gave me motivation to haul my ass there as quickly as possible.