One of a Kind - Stanley Uris

10: Back to the Barrens

DERRY - July 10th, 1990

The Barrens was the original clubhouse for the Losers, but, for whatever reason, they stopped going there. It took a lot of convincing from Bill, but, at last, everyone decided to go down there. The thick, yellow grass waved in the breeze as I went down a faint trail led by Bill. Stanley looked completely and utterly afraid at going down there.

"Stan, I'll be here with you," I told him. I grasped his hand, and he took it tightly as if he would be taken away from us if he let go. That was when I looked him dead in the eye and said, "Whatever is so scary about the Barrens, know that you won't be here alone. And I'd die before I let anything happen to you. I promise."

Stanley looked back at me, his eyes glistening like he was going to cry, before he swallowed hard and nodded. It hurt me to see him upset like this, and it hurt even more that he wouldn't tell me what was haunting him. What was haunting ALL of them. When we got to the stream next to the sewers, Stanley started gently pulling me back. I nudged him forward with my shoulder, still holding his hand. His brown eyes filled with terror as he clawed at my arm saying, "Please, Y/n, I can't go by the sewers. I'm begging you." The desperation in his face made me give in, and I convinced the others to turn around and go away from the sewers.

Stan was still a little uneasy when we were going further downstream, and Mike put his arm around Stan's shoulder. Stan relaxed a little more, and I was relieved. As much as I liked him, I didn't know how to comfort him in this situation. We stopped beside the Barrens, where we stared at a small, pathetic-looking circle of logs and rocks. Stanley nervously touched his cheek, and that was the first time I noticed a thin, white scar going from his jawline to his scalp in the shape of a C. Wondering what could have happened, I opened my mouth to ask him, but was interrupted by Bill, who had taken his place in the middle of the rock-log circle.

"Alright, so h-h-huh-how are we g-going to r-r-rebuild this place?" Bill asked us. There was silence all around.

Finally, Richie raised his hand and said, "Why don't we just leave it? The Barrens..." He cast an uncertain look around him, as if something was watching us. Then he continued. "The Barrens are not the kind of place I want to hang out in."

Eddie, right next to him, nodded vigorously. "Ever since last year, I--," he stopped abruptly, as if noticing I was there for the first time. That was when I couldn't take it anymore. Everyone was hiding  something from me, everyone was sharing looks over my shoulder--

"Can someone PLEASE tell me what the HELL you guys whisper about all the time?" I snapped. "And also what's happening right now?" Bev stared at me with a look like pity in her eyes, before she told me a story about what had happened in Derry of 1989.

Apparently, something had been hibernating in Derry for 27 years in the sewers, and in '89, it woke up again, hungry for scared children. It takes the form of your greatest nightmare and keeps building the fear inside you until you're appetizing enough for the great beast. The Losers Club told me the forms it took for each of them; a clown named Pennywise for Richie and the rest of the club; Bill's dead brother, Georgie, who was a victim of the demon; a leper for Eddie; a mummy and a decapitated child for Ben; Beverly's father for poor Bev; the burning hands of his parents for Mike; and a creepy painted flute lady for Stanley. They told me how they defeated it, leaving it to starve in the sewers.

Stanley seemed to hate talking about his fear, but I held his hand tightly again and urged him gently to continue. After everyone had told me, I was beginning to feel uncomfortable myself. What if that thing came out of one of the sewer drains, hungrier than ever and looking to get vengeance on the seven kids that defeated him last year?

"Okay, let's get out of here," I said. "This is scary and.. disgusting, in a way." I wrinkled my nose as I thought about a clown lying probably dead among piles of sewage. After we explored the Barrens a bit (which hardly anyone enjoyed, mind you), we went back into town. I noticed a flyer that read in big print:

THE SUMMER FAIR!
FROM JULY 12-19

INCLUDES RIDES, SNACKS, GAMES, AND MORE!
ADMISSION IS $5 FOR EVERYONE
NO DISCOUNTS

I smiled and said, "Hey guys, check this out."