The Marble - 1. Chapter 1

The Marble

Mayfield is not a remarkable place. Its one noteworthy feature stands in an old cemetery on the outskirts of the town. Amidst the ordinary tombstones is a beautifully sculpted marble angel over the grave of a boy who died at the age of fourteen. The angel has a determined but kind expression on his face as he looks off into the distance. His hands are strangely cupped as if he were trying to catch something. Only the oldest Mayfield residents know that the angel was actually releasing something. When the tombstone was first put up the angel was holding a delicately carved dove. The bird's feet were just barely touching the angel's fingertips. Its wings were spread as if ready to fly. At some point the bird made his escape. No one remembers what happened to the bird but the inscription is still clear after many decades of harsh weather. It reads "Here lies Robert Stevens, beloved brother son and friend."

Robert was born in in Mayfield to middle class parents. They lived on a suburban street between two other family homes. One of them belonged to a couple with a young son about Robby's age. The boys did not pay much attention to each other util one day Robby took a sack of shiny sparkling marbles into the yard. The other boy came to admire them and Robby showed him the whole collection. By the end of the week the two boys were friends. After a month Robby gave his friend his favorite marble. It was a big marble with gold swirls that sparkled and glowed like fire when it was held up to the sun.

As the years went by the boys' friendship grew. By the time the boys were in high school a rumor started to spread that their relationship had developed into something more than a friendship. The rumor did not get a chance to spread far. Robby became sick in his second year of high school. The disease progressed quickly and he died with his family and best friend by his side. The funeral followed a few days later. The tombstone was added to the grave a year after the burial. It had cost Robby's parent several month’s wages and was shipped in from out of state. The family gathered for a small ceremony the day the statue was installed. Robby's best friend was not there. He came alone a few days later wanting to say his final goodbye in private.

He knelt at the foot of the grave and said a prayer. Then he stood up and looked at the angel. He took the marble Robby had given him years ago out of his pocket. He held it up to the sun one last time and then carefully placed it in the angel's cupped hands. His hand lingered for a moment on the cool stone hand and he whispered, "I love you, Robby Stevens."

Robby's friend lived for many decades after. He died a grandfather and his tombstone stands only a few feet from the angel. Ten years later the cemetery was filled to capacity and the residents of Mayfield started taking their dead to a neighboring town. Over the years the old cemetery has stood undisturbed. The angel keeps his post while his hands fill with snow every winter and hatch baby birds in the spring.

A few decades after Robby's friend was buried, a new family moved in to town. There were three children in the family and the youngest child was a ten year old named Joe. Joe was excited to be in new surroundings. While his family was still unpacking from the move, Joe was already on his bike exploring the neighborhood. He soon made friends with the neighborhood children and his classmates at his new school. To Joe the house seemed like a mansion after living in a small apartment all his life.

Everything was going well for Joe until one Saturday morning. He woke up before everyone else and looked out the window. The sun was just coming up and the sky was clear. He smiled. After nearly two weeks of cloudy weather, they would have a nice sunny day. Not wanting to miss any of it he got up and dressed himself. As the sun spread its golden rays over the neighborhood Joe got on his bike. None of his neighbors were up yet and the streets were quiet. He rode quickly until he reached a street he had not yet explored. He slowed his pace a little and looked around. At first he was passing houses but as he traveled farther down the road the distance between the houses became greater and finally there were no more houses. The pavement became rough and trees populated the sides of the street.

Joe was about to turn around when he saw an old gate a short distance ahead. He walked his bike over to it and gave the gate a gentle push. The gate groaned and squeaked as it swung open. Joe soon realized that he had found an old cemetery. He was not a superstitious boy and he liked the old fashioned grave markers. He parked his bike and walked in. As he walked he read the inscriptions and wondered about the people who were buried there. As he pushed his way through some overgrown bushes he was startled to see someone else in the cemetery. He stopped in his track and then realized that he was looking at a statue.

He walked up to the angel and looked into his handsome face. Then he noticed the angel's cupped hands. They were too high up for Joe to see if anything was inside so he reached up and felt around. He pulled out a hand full of nesting material and some old bird droppings. He immediately dropped the mess. As he wiped his hands on the sides of his pants he saw something role out of the pile. It was and old glass marble. He picked it up and it glittered and sparkled with the warm light of the sun. He instantly knew he wanted it. A strange warm sensation came over him as if the marble was more than a cold glass orb.

Joe looked at the marble and then at the grave. He briefly wondered if the marble was supposed to stay with the grave. He saw the dates on the grave stone and decided that after so many years there was no way to tell and it probably did not matter anymore. He put the marble in his pocket and went on with his walk through the cemetery.

On his way home he met a few of his friends and forgot about the angel and the marble. By the time he got home his family was up and someone had been motivated enough to make pancakes. His siblings were arguing and his parents were ignoring them as well as they could. Joe took his place in the familiar chaos.

The day was as pleasant as Joe had expected but the following night would be restless. As soon as the house became still Joe began to doze off. At first his dreams were normal. He dreamed about playing baseball in the local park. As he walked up to the plate he heard a whisper. Thinking it was the catcher he turned around but the catcher was not there. In his place was the angel from the cemetery but the whisper he heard was not coming from the angel. It was coming from under the angel. It was coming from the grave that was now imbedded in the baseball diamond.

Joe woke with a start. He sat up in bed breathing hard. For a moment he thought he heard the whispering. As he listened closely he could not hear it anymore. After sitting on his bed for a few minutes he decided to go to the bathroom. When he came back he saw something moving across his bedroom floor. He quickly grabbed a shoe from the floor and turned on the lights. He took a step towards the offending insect. Then he realized that the object was not an insect at all. It was the marble he had picked up earlier that day.

He picked it up assuming it had rolled out of his pants pocket and had fallen on the floor. His pants were draped over a chair so anything that was in a pocket could have easily fallen out. Joe put the marble on his night stand and went back to sleep. His dreams continued to be interrupted by images of the cemetery and he woke several times thinking he heard something.

The next day he was tired. No one paid much attention to his lack of energy and Joe tried to enjoy a second sunny day. The beautiful weather continued until sunset and then the clouds rolled in. The sky turned a blood red and then faded to shades of purple and dark blue. It soon started to rain. By the time Joe was in bed a storm had come in. Joe lay in bed watching the lightning bolts dance in the distance. He always liked storms. They seemed so mysterious and powerful. When he watched lightning he felt like some of that power was his.

On this night however he felt a twinge of fear. He was not sure what he feared but he recognized the sensation of being watched. He tried to ignore it and listen to the rain but once the lightning had passed and the rain slowed to a drizzle he began to hear sounds inside the house. There were shuffling noises that seemed to be coming from inside his room. He even thought he heard someone whispering.

Joe did not sleep much that night. The next morning he had dark circles under is eyes that his mother immediately noticed. She asked if the storm had kept him awake and Joe told her that it had. He instinctively did not want to tell anyone that he was hearing strange noises. It was bad enough when his older brother teased him about being scared of the storm the morning after.

Staying awake in school was not easy and he was exhausted by the time he got home. Rather than riding his bike that afternoon he took a nap. It was the first undisturbed sleep had had in two days. That night, he once again heard noises in his bedroom. At one point he thought he saw something move in a corner of his room.

By the end of the week his mother was becoming convinced that he was getting sick and made him spend Saturday in the house while she cooked chicken soup for him. He was tired enough to enjoy the quiet day but he knew that he would not want to spend every weekend like this. On Sunday he begged his parents to let him go out and ride his bike. They let him. It was fun to get out of the house and see his friends but he returned home at lunch time and took a long nap on the couch after eating.

By Sunday evening he was feeling alright but he was dreading going to bed. As he went to his room he saw his older sister sitting on her bed. She was sending a message on her phone with one hand and mindlessly applying makeup with the other. As she dabbed the skin under her eyes Joe had an idea.

"Hey sis," he said trying to sound friendly.

"Hey," she said, "Are you going to bed?"

"Yeah."

"What's going on with you? Mom and Dad keep saying you're not sleeping right or something."

"I don't know...just waking up a lot."

There was a pause and Joe took a couple steps into her room. "What does all that stuff do?" he asked pointing to the makeup.

She gave him a strange look but she did answer his question. "That's my lipstick. This is to give my eyelids color. It makes my eyes look bigger. That is to cover up zits, moles, and other gross things, and that one is for under my eyes so I don't look like a zombie."

"That's cool, but you don't look like a zombie even without the eye thingy."

"Uh, thanks," she laughed.

Then their father arrived at the door. "OK, bedtime kids."

They both groaned and started to get ready for bed while their father turned his attention to Joe's older brother.

That night the nightmares continued. Joe saw himself in the cemetery and this time he was not alone. Another boy was there. He was slightly taller than Joe and a few years older. He kept following Joe reaching his hands out as if he wanted to touch Joe. Joe spent the whole night trying to get away. At one point he woke up in the middle of the night and heard something very close to him call his name. He looked around the empty room. Not knowing what to do he turned on the lamp on his nightstand. He picked up the marble he had left by his bed a few days ago. As he turned it over in his hand he immediately felt calmer. Eventually he went back to sleep.

He woke again a few hours later to the sound of footsteps approaching. He lay petrified at he heard them approach his bed. They reached the bed and stopped. Joe jumped out of bed and turned around to see his attacker. To his relief it was his father.

"Are you alright?" asked his father.

"Fine, dad. You just woke me up. That's all."

"Sorry. I just came to turn the light off."

Joe went back to bed. His father covered him with the blankets and wished him a good night. He switched off the light and left. Joe wanted to tell his father what was happening but he was afraid that his father would think he was crazy. No one in their family believed in the paranormal. The world was made up of logical rational things you could see and touch. There was no such thing as a ghost or a curse and anyone who heard voices of saw things was just mentally ill.

Joe could not sleep the rest of the night. Something kept whispering his name and Joe covered his head with a blanket hoping it would go away. Finally when the sun came up he sat by the window thankful for the pink light that spread across the clouds.

He once again struggled to stay awake during his classes at school. After school he went to the grocery store where he often stopped for candy. He picked up the usual candy bars and then he went to the small makeup section. He had seen his sister shopping there before. He quickly found the product that she used under her eyes. When he went to pay for the items the cashier gave him a strange look.

"Its for my friend's sister. She's all out and won't leave the house."

The cashier seemed to buy the story. Joe hid the makeup in his backpack and left.

His first application of the makeup was only somewhat successful. His parents seemed to be convinced but one of his friends at school noticed the edge of the painted area and asked him what he had on his face. He said it was dirt and remedied the problem as soon as he had a chance.

As the weeks went by he developed strategies for dealing with his haunted bedroom. He took to napping in the afternoon and then staying up late. He made a point of showing his parents that he was working on homework at night. His mother was still slightly concerned about his sleeping habits but his father convinced her it was just normal teenage behavior. He was eleven now.

He still heard noises and saw shadows walking past his door at night but having music on helped and the homework was a welcome distraction. He got in the habit of watching videos on the internet after he finished his homework. He would usually manage to get a few hours of sleep early in the morning. He convinced his parents to let him drink coffee in the morning and that helped with his attention span at school.

While he managed to look alright the sleep deprivation started to take its tole on him. He was not his usual energetic self and had become depressed. His nightmares were becoming more vivid and one of the shadows that had been walking past his bedroom door would now stand at the foot of his bed. Through almost closed eyes Joe could see that the apparition was a boy only a few years older than him. This was terrifying but worst of all was the dark shadow that now hid in the corners of Joe's room.

It was so dark and any light that fell on it simply got lost inside the man shaped void. The shadow did not have a face but Joe could feel it watching him. It grew bigger and stronger as the weeks went by and if felt increasingly evil. At first it lurked in the closet and the corners of his room but over time it grew bolder and came closer. Joe could hardly bear the terror that the shadow induced. The dead boy seemed almost normal by comparison.

One night when Joe thought he could not stand it any more he finally gathered all his courage and asked the dead boy what he wanted.

"I want my marble," answered the apparition and dissolved into thin air.

Joe finally realized what he had to do. It seemed simple. He would just take the marble with him to school and return it to the grave after his classes. The following morning he picked up the marble from his night stand. He held it up and it sparkled in the morning light. It looked friendly and warm. Despite all the misery that had come with it, the marble made him smile. When he looked at it he felt an illogical optimism as if the marble were permeated with some kind of hope and joy normally beyond his reach. For a moment he was sure that all his problems would be solved some day soon. Then he put it in his pocket and continued getting ready for school.

At the end of the school day Joe was ready to go to the cemetery. As he approached his bicycle, he saw the school's meanest student watching him. The boy had never bothered Joe before so Joe just avoided making eye contact and continue towards his bike. As he passed the boy, he thought he was safe. Then Joe felt a terrible pain in the back of his head. He fell on the ground and for a moment felt dizzy and disoriented. He touched the back of his head and it felt warm and wet.

A small crowd started to gather around him as he got to his feet. Joe soon found out that the other boy had hit him in the head with a thick heavy binder. The corner had dug into his scalp which was now bleeding. Joe spent the next half hour in the nurses office and then had to go to the doctor's office for stitches.

He found out the following day that he had been attacked for flirting with the popular girl at school. Joe had talked to her but he had not been flirting. He had not even noticed how pretty she was. As the day went on he realized that he had been so wrapped up in what was going on at home that much of what his friends at school were doing had eluded his notice. Everyone seemed to have a "crush" on someone else. The girls had developed curves and the boy’s voices had deepened.

As he pondered these changes Joe felt very alone. Everyone else was falling in love and going to parties while he was trying to deal with a dead guy in his home who only Joe seemed to see.

On his way home from school he decided to go to the cemetery and if someone hit him with a book he would just get up and keep going. Luckily no one paid any attention to him. He rode his bike to the cemetery and pushed on the gate. It was winter now and it was cold. It looked like it would snow any minute and the sun was already low in the sky. It was gloomy and dark in the cemetery. It felt like all the tombstones were watching him. As he pushed his way through overgrown damp bushes he saw a figure in the distance. He remembered the angel but it seemed like the angel should have been farther away. Once he pushed his way through the branches Joe realized why. The figure was the same dark figure that had shown itself to him in his bedroom. Joe stood frozen for a moment and then turned and ran.

As he rode his bike home he felt defeated. In a few short months he had gone from being one of the most popular kids at school to being the weird kid who sees things. He tried to keep a brave face as he entered his home. His mother gave him a short lecture on being home on time for dinner and then sent him to wash up. He went upstairs to the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked sick despite the now expert makeup job under his eyes. He took a few deep breaths and looked away.

Somehow he survived dinner with the family and managed to do his homework. Finally when all was quiet in the house he heard the familiar noises in his room. He tried to ignore them. He turned on his computer and put his headphones over his ears. As he waited for the computer to start up he held the marble in his hand. As it rolled over his palm Joe felt hope as if any moment something new and exiting would reveal itself but this time it was laced with shame. He remembered running from the cemetery. He wondered what his family would think if they new.

As soon as the laptop booted Joe looked up a pop video online and watched it intently. He wanted to block out anything that may have shown itself to him. He also wanted to see if he would have any reaction to the beautiful young pop star in the video. All the other boys seemed to love her but he felt nothing. He looked up another video and another. None of the girls impressed him. His doctor had told him that everything seemed to be developing normally at his last check up but this did not feel normal at all.

When the last video ended he tried to think of what he would find attractive and boys kept coming to his mind. He looked back at the computer screen and clicked on another video link. He watched the girl sing and dance. Then a young man joined her for a duet. Joe felt his body react and immediately closed the laptop. He put his hands over his face and whispered, "No, no, no."

He had heard about boys who liked other boys but it was not openly discussed. It was the sort of thing schoolboys laughed at in the bathroom when no one was watching. The things he had heard were scary and he had no way of knowing if any of them were true. He found himself on the verge of crying but managed not to. His father had always said that big boys don't cry. He did not want to add another failure to what already seemed like a long list of shortcomings. He took a deep breath and took his hands away from his face.

He saw the dead boy standing at the foot of his bed. Joe was already so terrified that the presence of a ghost did not make as much of an impression as it could have. Joe looked the dead boy in the eye and said, "I tried to take it back but the dark shadow wouldn't let me."

A look of disappointment spread over the ghost's face. Joe felt terrible and could not hold the tears back any more. With tears rolling down his face he whispered, "I'm sorry."

The ghost faded away and Joe was left in his room sobbing into his pillow. As he cried he could feel the dark shadow approaching. It got cold in the room and he could feel the evil presence descending over him. He was sure he was going to die but he must have passed out from terror. He woke up a few hours later in an empty room. It was already morning but the sun would not come up for a few more hours.

Joe looked out the window. His neighbor's Christmas lights were glowing cheerfully. Joe turned on a lamp and decided to study. Anything was better than trying to sleep in the scary room. He thought about taking the marble back to the cemetery but did not have the courage. The black shadow had been particularly aggressive that night and Joe did not want to provoke it. At the same time he did not want to have anything to do with the cursed marble no matter how good it felt in his hand. His life had become too much of a freak show. He thought about throwing it away or flushing it down the toilet but it felt like the wrong thing to do. Unable to concentrate on his schoolwork he decided to put the marble in the attic.

He quietly scaled the stairs to the attic. They creaked a little under his feet but not enough to wake anyone. He had the marble in one hand and a flashlight in the other. Looking around the space he found a spot near the chimney and placed the marble on a board.

The following night Joe lay in bed and listened he could hear footsteps in the attic but the boy never appeared in his room. Just as he was getting comfortable Joe became aware of the dark evil presence. He had previously assumed that the dark figure was somehow linked to the dead boy but now he realized that the dark shadow was more interested in him than the dead boy. The shadow swept over him and the air suddenly felt heavy and it became hard to breathe. Joe gasped and struggled to get up but some unseen force made it impossible. Joe fought with all his strength until he could not fight anymore. His body went limp and he fell unconscious.

After that night, the dark figure would abuse him mercilessly. It would hover over him at night, growl, and nearly suffocate him with its putrid breath. Day brought relief from the shadow figure but life at school became more difficult. He had at been a straight A student when he moved to Mayfield. Now he was struggling just to pass his classes. He had alienated all his friends and his attraction to boys made life even more awkward. He dreaded gym class, especially the end when everyone would shower together. He tried not to look at anyone but it was difficult not to when he was surrounded by naked bodies. At night he felt as if the shadow could read his mind and knew about all his insecurities. It never said anything but it seamed intent on punishing him for something.

When winter break came Joe was partly relieved. He could get away from all the social awkwardness at school but being at home was not much better. Christmas came and went. Joe smiled through his exhaustion. He survived the holiday rather than enjoyed it. On New Years Day Joe was sleeping in a recliner when he heard his parents calling him and his siblings. When they were all together his parents announced that his father had a great job opportunity in a bigger city and it was likely that they would move.

"What do you think kids?" asked their father.

They asked a few questions but no one minded. It seemed that even though the other children had not seen ghosts they had grown to dislike the house and were happy to move. Joe was elated at the thought that he might be able to separate himself from all that had made his life a nightmare. The move was still six months away but at least he knew that there was hope.

When the school year ended the family was ready to move. Joe was sick with a cold. He had been catching them frequently since the haunting had started. He sneezed his way through the packing and loading phase. Then when the family got into the car and pulled out of the driveway, he finally relaxed. He slept most of the day. When they stopped for the night at a motel Joe felt the old nervousness return. Would the dark shadow be there when he went to bed?

He had been questioning his sanity for months. Between the things that only he was seeing and his attraction to other boys it seemed to him that he might be losing his mind. He was happy to share a room with his siblings. Since they never saw anything, maybe he would not see anything either.

He still had a few nightmares but there was no one shuffling around the attic. For a moment he thought he saw the dark shadow outside the window but he was not sure. The rest of the night passed quietly. The following day Joe began to feel more like himself. He actually enjoyed the road trip. When they arrived at their new home the next day everyone was excited. The new house was bigger and more modern. It had a big yard and a swimming pool. If felt spacious and safe.

It did not take the family long to settle in and over the next few months Joe got used to his new school. The high school was bigger than his old school and it was easier to blend in than it had been in Mayfield. Joe never regained the popularity he had enjoyed as a young child but that did not bother him. He made a few casual friends and although he never had the courage to ask anyone out he got used to liking other boys.

The years passed quickly and the awkward teenager grew into a quiet and handsome young man. The ghost in the attic was long forgotten. The dark figure which had once terrorized him still made the occasional appearance but it kept to dark corners like the ethereal remains of a bad dream.

After finishing school, Joe found work at an insurance company and was quickly promoted to manager. He had a small but nice apartment and was happy. After two years as a manager Joe was approached by his supervisor with an offer he could not refuse. The company was opening a small office in another town and needed someone to manage it. If Joe agreed to be the new manager he would nearly double his salary and his pension.

"So what's the catch?" asked Joe half joking.

"You would have to move to a smaller town. Its a charming location but it's not the big city," answered his supervisor.

"Where is it?"

"Its East of here, about two hours by plane. Its a really nice town called Mayfield," she explained.

"Mayfield? I grew up there," Joe said.

The following month Joe was moving into his new residence. It was a cute three bedroom house in a quiet suburban neighborhood. Joe arranged his things as well as he could but the contents of his apartment left a few rooms completely empty. He found it hard to sleep his first night in his new home. It seemed too quiet. He found himself waking up and wondering why the city had suddenly gone silent and dark.

On Saturday morning Joe walked outside into his yard. He had a nice lawn and a big tree in front of his home. He looked at them for a few minutes and then decided to go for a walk. The street was mostly empty. When he was a child he would love to go outside on Saturday mornings and play with the neighborhood children. Now the children were indoors playing video games.

Joe walked for half an hour without thinking about where he was going. By accident or maybe due to some half forgotten childhood memory, he found himself in his old neighborhood. He walked down his old street and eventually stopped in front of his old house. He stood by the curb and stared. The old tree in the yard was covered in colorful leaves. A few of them had fallen on the thick carpet of grass under the tree. The house had been painted a cream color with a deep red trim.

Joe started to remember his childhood when a man on a bicycle stopped next to him.

"Are you looking for something?" asked the stranger.

"Oh no," answered Joe, "I used to live in this house as a kid."

"Really?"

"Yeah, my family lived here until I was fourteen. I just moved back to Mayfield so I'm checking out my old neighborhood. The house looks almost the same. Except that someone had the decency to paint over that horrible brown color."

"I've done a little work on it. I got a great deal on it three years ago but it was a fixer upper. Do you want to see the inside?"

"Yeah, I would," answered Joe actually looking at the other man for the first time, "I'm Joe by the way."

"I'm Chris," answered the proud homeowner.

As they walked through the house Chris showed Joe all the improvements he had made. There were new hardwood floors and double paned windows. The upstairs fiberglass shower had been replaced with a tile mosaic complete with two shower heads. The Master bedroom now had a larger window and a walk-in closet.

The most recent addition to the home was the backyard deck. As the two men stood on it looking out at a perfectly manicured lawn Joe was amazed at how much Chris had been able to do with the house in only three years.

"For the first year all I did on weekends was work on the place but I pretty much have things the way I want them, not that I mean to criticize your childhood home. I just wanted to make it work for me."

"It looks awesome," said Joe, "mission accomplished."

"I still want to redo the attic though. It could be a great storage space," mused Chris.

As he spoke Joe watched him and for just a second he thought he saw a hint of fear cross Chris's face. Then he was happily looking out on his yard. For a few moments they just stood there quietly. Joe found his eyes drawn to Chris. He had never seen such flawless skin on a grown man before. His hazel eyes took on the warm glow of the morning sun. Joe followed Chris's features with his eyes.

There was something magical about the way his old scary house had been transformed. Joe was not sure if he was drawn to the house or its new owner but he felt like he could stay there forever.

"Maybe I can help you with your attic project," suggested Joe.

"Really?" asked Chris understandably surprised.

"Yeah, I'm new in town and my weekends are free."

"In that case, let me show you what you're signing up for. Its OK if you change your mind," said Chris leading the way inside.

They walked into the upstairs hallway. The trap door leading to the attic was hidden inside the hall closet. As they entered the dim space Joe felt a twinge of fear. He remembered how he used to hear noises in the attic when he was a boy. The trapdoor opened with a squeak and the folding stairs descended. Chris and Joe walked into the attic and Joe was once again reminded of his childhood fears. He remembered hiding the marble in the attic and felt ashamed. He should have returned it to the cemetery.

As the two men walked in, Chris pointed out how they could lay plywood down and nail it to the beams below.

"It's a lot of dusty work," concluded Chris, "and I'll probably have to rent a truck or have the wood delivered."

"I have a truck. I could bring it over and we can go to the hardware store," offered Joe still feeling strangely drawn to his old home.

An hour later they were driving to Chris's home with a load of plywood. They parked the truck and began unloading. It took them a while to move all the wood into the attic and then they went back to the store for more wood. They repeated the procedure several times until it started getting dark outside. Joe would have kept going into the evening but Chris stopped Joe and insisted they quit for the day.

Chris ordered a pizza for dinner and pulled some cold beer from the refrigerator. They sat down in the kitchen to wait for the delivery.

"So did you like it here when you lived here?" asked Chris.

"Yeah, it was a nice neighborhood. There were lots of kids on this street. It was nice."

"How about the house?"

Joe shrugged his shoulders and thought for a moment. "I guess it was alright. It looks much better now."

"It's still a creaky old place," said Chris.

Joe was about to ask him what he meant but the pizza arrived before he could say anything. By the time they settled back down they had change the subject. They soon realized that they shared taste in music and movies. Also they both loved hiking and bike rides. By the time it got dark outside they had exchanged phone numbers and were already planning to get together the following weekend.

"Are you sure you won't need any help with that attic," Joe asked.

"I think I'll be fine now that all the boards are up there," answered Chris with what Joe thought was a forced smile.

"Alright. If you need anything just give me a call, " Joe said as he somewhat reluctantly walked towards the door.

Just as he was about to leave he thought he heard a sound above him. He looked up at the ceiling.

"Its just the house settling," said Chris also looking up.

They wished each other a good night and Joe went home.

As he got ready for bed, Joe could not stop thinking about Chris. His time in the city had made him feel better about liking men but being back in Mayfield brought back old anxieties. He wondered how people in this neighborhood might react if they knew what he was. He wondered how Chris might react. He was never good at guessing people's orientation. Statistically there was a nine in ten chance Chris was straight.

Then Joe's mind drifted back to the house. The creaking noise he heard overhead had reminded him of his childhood and the scary noises that had kept him up at night. He was sure that most of his childhood experiences must have been his imagination and yet they had felt so real. He took comfort in the fact that Chris did not seem to mind the sounds. As Joe's mind drifted from thought to thought he fell asleep. He dreamed of his old neighborhood in the city and people he knew, for the first few hours. Then something woke him up. He lay awake and listened for a moment. It was dead quiet in his room. He looked at his alarm clock and saw that it was three in the morning. Sleepily he walked to the bathroom.

As he was returning he thought he saw something move in a corner of the room and he was filled with dread. The dark shadow had not shown itself in several years but Joe was sure that it was with him now. Unable to sleep he turned on the television for a while. There was not much on and Joe eventually fell asleep.

The next day Joe tried to arrange things in his home a little bit better than he had done previously. He considered buying some furniture but he was not sure what he wanted to do with the empty rooms. He did not even know where the nearest furniture store was. As he was considering possible uses for his two extra bedrooms Joe heard his phone ring. It was Chris calling to thank him again for all the help.

"So I was thinking, since you're new in town, maybe I could help you get settled. I'm sure you have some unpacking to do and I could use a break from my dusty attic."

"Actually I'm done unpacking but I could use some advice on what to do with a couple empty rooms. I was thinking I could make one a guest room. I haven't really decided what I want to do with the other one. I probably need to get some furniture."

Within half an hour Joe and Chris were together once again. They decided to work on one room at a time. Joe decided that he wanted the bedroom next to his to be the guest room and the room at the end of the hall could be an office or exercise room or maybe a combination of both. They decided to furnish the guest room first and then Joe could figure out exactly what he wanted to do with the other room later.

They spent a few hours driving to various stores in the area and found a bed and night table for the room. As they were about to leave one of the stores Chris spotted a couch on sale and talked Joe into getting it. His living room in the city did not have room for a couch so he had only chairs there.

After they arrived at Joe's home and put the couch in its proper place in front of the television. Joe sat down on the couch.

"This is nice!"

"I told you," said Chris smiling.

As Joe looked up at him he noticed that Chris had dark circles under his eyes. Joe was sure he hadn't seen them the day before.

"Are you alright?" asked Joe motioning to his own eyes, "You look tired."

"Oh, that. I have allergies. You know, from the dust."

"Oh, right," answered Joe, "I get those too sometimes."

"So you want to assemble the furniture?"

They spent a few hours putting the bed and nightstand together and then settled in front of the television to relax. They were going to watch only one movie but ended up spending most of the evening together. Chris asked Joe to tell him about his childhood in Mayfield and Joe told him about it carefully omitting anything creepy. At the end of the night Chris seemed reluctant to leave and for a second Joe thought he saw a fear in Chris's eyes.

The following day Joe reported to his new Job. The new insurance company office was just getting set up. The space was furnished and the computers were in place and connected to the Ethernet cables but they were still not able to go on the internet. Joe spent most of the day on the phone with the ISP trying to figure out what was going on. Eventually he was able to muddle through reconfiguring a network switch and everything started working.

On Tuesday the rest of the employees arrived and sorted out their workspaces. On Wednesday the phone system went down and on Thursday the ventilation system started blowing hot air nonstop for no understandable reason. By Friday all the problems had been resolved and Joe locked up the office that afternoon knowing that they would be ready for customers on Monday. Joe left for the weekend with a sense that everything was under control.

On Saturday Joe met Chris and they went for a long hike. The hills surrounding Mayfield were beautiful. The trees that lined the trail were covered with colorful leaves and a gentle breeze was making them rustle softly. The sun felt warm but the air was cool. As they climbed to the top of a hill they could see Mayfield stretched out below. They stood there for a few minutes looking at the neat network of streets and enjoying the gentle breeze.

After a few minutes Joe looked over at Chris and was surprised at how tired he looked. Joe wanted to believe that it was just a case of allergies but something made him doubt that explanation. The look on Chris's face reminded Joe of the years he had spent putting makeup under his eyes just so his parents would not suspect anything was wrong. Joe wanted to ask Chris about it but he knew he would not get an honest answer. Instead he asked how the attic project was coming along.

"It’s going a little slower than I planned but that's OK. I really needed to get out of the house. I only have to nail down some boards so it should be done soon."

"Let me help you. It will go faster with two of us and you won't have to suffer from the allergies so long."

"Allergies?" asked Chris.

"Yeah, you said you had allergies because of the dust," Joe reminded him.

"Oh yeah, it's such a chronic thing. I forgot."

After lunch they went up to the attic. It felt strange to Joe, like they were not alone. He shuddered a little thinking about the time he had placed the marble up there and all the noises that he had heard as a child. He was relieved when Chris brought up a radio and turned on some music. They began nailing down boards. The music helped with the oppressive atmosphere but it was still uncomfortable. They tried to work quickly moving in opposite directions. By the time Joe reached the wall he was sweating and breathing hard. He stood up and stretched with his hammer still in his hand. He accidentally caught the hammer on a vent and the grate fell off with a loud clatter. Joe picked it up. He turned it over in his hands trying to figure out which way to put it back. Chris had heard the noise and came over just in time to hear Joe say, "Top or bottom?"

"Excuse me? What did you say?" asked Chris.

As he replaced the grate, Joe realized what he had said and started laughing. Chris joined him. The laughter eventually gave way to an awkward silence. Chris was the first to speak.

"So your..."

"Yeah."

"That's cool. Me too."

After another awkward moment Joe asked if Chris was done with his side of the floor. He was and so they picked up the hammers, nails, and the radio and descended the stairs. Chris closed the trap door while Joe reached for the closet door. He turned the knob but the door would not open. He pushed harder but it would not open.

"Hey, is there some trick to opening the door?" asked Joe.

"No. Just turn the knob."

"I can't get it open."

"Here let me try."

They shifted around in the dark but the door would not open. Meanwhile they could hear something moving in the attic. Neither one of them said anything. They knew there was no one up there and yet they could hear footsteps. After what felt like an eternity the footsteps stopped directly above them and the closet door finally opened. They stepped out into the hallway. Both of them were out of breath. Joe could feel beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

Chris took a deep breath and said, "I have to fix that door knob," seeing the nervous look on Joe's face he added, "I already spent too much of my life in the closet."

Joe smiled and they went down stairs. Chris decided to make some coffee. As he set up the coffee maker Joe leaned against the door frame. He casually glanced at the living room and felt his blood run cold. The dark figure which had stalked him for most of his life was standing in the living room. It was watching him. Joe closed his eyes tight for a second and when he opened them the figure was gone. Over the years he had convinced himself that the dark shadow was just a figment of his imagination but that did not make it any less terrifying.

For the rest of the afternoon Joe and Chris tried to relax but it was not easy. They talked about the weather and sports and watched some television. Nothing entirely erased the memory of being trapped in the dark closet. When it was time for Joe to go home he was almost afraid of being alone. He wondered if Chris felt the same way.

"Are you going to be alright?" asked Joe.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I don't know. It was kind of creepy in that closet."

"Its just an old house. I'll be fine," answered Chris giving him a reassuring smile.

As Joe drove home he could not stop thinking about the dark shadow he saw in Chris's living room. He felt guilty leaving Chris alone even though he was sure that the dark shadow was not real. As he drove the short distance to his home he thought he saw something dark at the side of the road. He was not sure if it was the shadow but it sent a shiver up his spine.

That night he had a hard time falling asleep. When he finally was able to sleep he was plagued by vivid nightmares. He saw himself standing in the corner of Chris's bedroom. Chris was sleeping. At first Joe wondered what he was doing there. Then he saw the dark shadow approach Chris's bed. It stretched itself over Chris and reached for him. Joe tried to scream but nothing came out. For the first time he saw the dark figure's eyes. They glowed like hot coals. They were looking at Chris, and then the shadow opened its mouth. It was full of long sharp fang-like teeth. Joe watched it sink its teeth into Chris's neck. Joe tried to move but he was frozen in place. He fought with all his might and finally woke up.

He was out of breath and his heart was pounding in his chest. He put his hands over his face and gasped for air telling himself it was only a dream. Not able to sleep he turned on his computer and found an article to read. After an hour he was able to go back to sleep but woke a few hours later from another nightmare. He was sweaty and panicked and was relieved to see it getting light outside. He got up and started doing some chores. As he did laundry and raked leaves he could not stop thinking about Chris. As soon as it was nine o'clock he picked up the phone.

Chris was awake and sounded happy. It was a pleasant surprise for Joe who had half convinced himself that some monster had killed Chris in the night.

"How are you?" asked Joe.

"I'm fine. How are you?"

"Fine," answered Joe, "I was wondering, if you want to do something tonight."

"Yeah, sounds good."

So they arranged to meet for dinner that afternoon. Joe could hardly think of anything else for the rest of the day. When the evening came they took Joe's truck to the restaurant and enjoyed a relaxing dinner together. Then Joe suggested they see a movie. Joe enjoyed the film but Chris fell asleep almost immediately. He awoke only when the lights came on and then spent half the ride home apologizing for falling asleep.

Joe slept better that night. On Monday morning he felt quite happy and was beginning to think that his concerns about Chris were unfounded. Maybe he just had a bad case of allergies. Joe called him on Wednesday and he seemed fine. They decided to see each other again on Friday night. Since neither one of them felt like doing much at the end of a long workweek, they decided to just hang out at Joe's house.

When Chris arrived he looked more tired than before. Joe gave him a hug and found that he was cold. It was a cool night but not cold enough to leave someone so chilled. As Joe let go of him Chris winced in pain.

"What's wrong?" asked Joe.

"Nothing. I just overworked a muscle," answered Chris.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," answered Chris.

Joe did not believe him but he did not press. Later that night they sat down in the living room to watch a TV show. Joe sat on one of the chairs and Chris sat on the couch. By the time the show was halfway over Chris had fallen asleep and was slumped over one of the armrests. Joe got up quietly to get a glass of water.

As he returned from the kitchen he looked at Chris and saw that his long sleeved t-shirt was pulled up slightly on the back and something white was showing from under it. Joe put down his glass and gently pulled up the shirt a little more. The white object was a piece of gauze. In one spot the blood had soaked all the way through. Joe pulled the shirt up a little more and saw a series of healing wounds all over his back. Some looked like deep scratches others were unmistakable bite marks.

Joe pulled on the tape holding the gauze in place. As it lifted up is revealed a fresh bite mark. The jagged piranha like teeth had gone deep into the muscle. Joe could see red blood still seeping out. He gently put the gauze back in its place and repositioned the tape that was holding it. As he tried to understand what he had seen, Chris awoke. He took one look at Joe and pulled his shirt back over his back. He jumped off the couch and took a few steps away.

Looking at Joe with a mixture of anger and fear in his face he demanded, "What are you doing?"

"I saw the gauze and...what happened to you?"

"Nothing. I'm clumsy. I got a few scratches working around the house," answered Chris as the look of fear in his face intensified.

Chris began to back away towards the door. Joe grabbed one of his wrists and Chris grimaced in pain. He was trembling and his breathing was becoming uneven. Joe pulled up Chris's sleeve and was immediately horror struck by the sight of more gruesome bite marks.

"Chris, what did this?" Joe gasped.

"I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want you to think I was crazy. There's something in my house."

"What do you mean? Like an animal?"

"No," he answered covering his face with his free hand, "Its..hard to explain."

"Try," insisted Joe still holding on to Chris's hand.

"I got a really good deal on my house and at first I thought it was just a fixer upper. Then I started hearing noises in the attic. I went up there to check what was going on but I couldn't find anything. The insulation looked bad so I decided to change it out. It took me a while but the house was feeling warmer at night. The noises never stopped. It sounded like someone was walking around up there. Then things changed. The night after I was done with the insulation I woke up with some one in my bedroom. Then he disappeared. I thought it was just a dream but then it kept happening every night. Sometimes I saw him even before I fell asleep just pacing or watching me.

I started sleeping with the TV on. That helped. He was still there but I didn't feel so afraid. I thought it was just my imagination and that it was just stress at work. My boss really hates me but he can't afford to fire me right now."

Chris freed himself from Joe's hold and went back to the couch.

"Why does he hate you?" asked Joe suspecting that Chris might be having a hard time staying awake at work.

"He hates gay people. He didn't hire me and wants to get rid of me but I get a lot done and my department is completely understaffed."

"So what bit you?"

"A few weeks before I met you I noticed that the guy I was seeing in my room was starting to avoid me. I thought things were getting better but then I saw what was scaring him away. It was this horrible black shadow figure. It was creepy but it didn't seem to be after me so I tied to ignore it. It didn't show itself often so I assumed it would just go away. I started to really sleep at night. I didn't see anything for a couple weeks. I thought it was gone until one night I saw the black figure hanging over my bed. It had been a really bad week at work so I thought I was just stressed. I couldn't sleep so I went to the kitchen and got a glass of wine.

The next few days nothing happened. Then I met you. As soon as I asked you about your life in the house things went crazy. The dark figure attacked me. It scratched me and there was blood everywhere. I thought I was losing my mind.

I don't sleep in the bedroom any more. I don't sleep much anymore. The dark thing didn't attack me as much when I was awake."

"Why didn't you stay somewhere else?"

"I don't have that many friends in town and they have their own families. Besides, what would I tell them? I can't afford to rent anything because something is wrong with the electrical system and the power bill is like ten times what it should be."

"You're staying here tonight."

"Thanks." Chris said quietly staring at the ground. Then he looked up at Joe and asked, "Am I crazy? Is this all in my head?"

"No. No, I didn't tell you everything about my childhood. I was so used to hiding what was going on and thinking I was nuts. After so many years it just seemed like a bad dream."

"So you've seen these things."

"Yeah, but they didn't attack me. I mean it was scary as hell but it never got physical. I'm sorry. If I knew it was anything but my imagination I would have told you."

That night Chris stayed in the guest room. They went to bed late. Chris fell asleep right away but Joe could not sleep. He felt guilty and worried about Chris. As he lay in the darkness Joe kept watching the corners of his room half expecting to see the dark shadow. When he finally fell asleep he was restless. His dreams were full of apparitions, graveyards, and distant vague memories he would have liked to forget. He woke up just before sunrise and thought he saw a shadow slipping out of his room and into the hallway.

He got out of bed and walked down the hall. The shadow was not there and Joe was not sure if it had been there at all. He looked into the guest room and was relieved to see Chris sleeping peacefully. Joe went back to bed.

They got up late that day. The situation did not look quite so dire in the light of the morning sun. They decided to go back to Chris's house that morning.

"This stuff doesn't attack in the daytime, right?" asked Joe.

"No. I guess not," answered Chris.

"So we'll go over there and you can get anything you need and take care of whatever you need to take care of. Then we'll come back here and try to figure things out."

"OK," Chris agreed.

Neither of them was looking forward to the visit but they went right after breakfast. As they opened the door both took a deep breath as if they were about to cross the threshold of some forbidden world. Inside the house looked fine. It was perfectly still. They walked in and Chris began gathering his things. After five minutes they were about to leave. Chris went upstairs one last time to make sure that he had closed an open window.

As he came down the stairs Joe saw him fall as if he were pushed by an unseen hand. It was like watching a scene out of a horror movie. Chris fell down the stairs hitting his head on the handrail and landed at the bottom of the staircase. Joe rushed to his side.

"Chris, are you OK?" he asked.

The question went unanswered. For one horrible moment Joe thought that Chris might be dead. Then Joe saw him take a breath. He tried to wake him, but Chris was not responding. Joe called for an ambulance.

Once the paramedics arrived Chris woke up. He was taken to the hospital and he was diagnosed with a concussion. An MRI revealed no significant injuries but the doctor decided to keep him in the hospital overnight in case the injury caused some swelling. Joe stayed with Chris for most of the day and then went back to Chris's house to lock the door.

He walked up to the door and was about to put the key in the lock when he heard the phone ring inside. He hesitated for a moment and decided to answer it in case it was one of Chris's friends.

"Hello."

"Hello, is this Joe?" asked a voice that sounded ominous and cold.

"Yes," answered Joe surprised that someone would be calling for him.

"I'm sorry. This is Doctor Brown from County Medical. I'm afraid I have some bad news for you. Your friend has suffered of a massive brain hemorrhage."

"Is he going to be alright?" asked Joe feeling like the ground was slipping out from under him.

"I'm sorry. We were not able to save him."

The blood rushed out of Joe's head. He sat on the floor. He heard the doctor ask about Chris's next of kin and he heard himself answer that he did not know them. After he put down the phone he sat on the floor looking at the empty silent house.

"What do you want?" he screamed.

Then he realized that he already knew the answer. He had to return the marble he had stolen years ago so that no one else would have to suffer for his mistake. He knew that the marble should be in the attic. He went to the spot where he remembered putting the marble but it was not there. Joe realized that the plywood that he and Chris had put in might have covered it. He began tearing up the boards and shaking the insulation frantically. The marble was nowhere to be found. Joe stood over the mess he had made nearly in tears when he saw a spot where the plasterboard of the ceiling did not lay flush against a wall. The gap was just big enough for the marble to fall through.

He went down to the floor below and began inspecting the ceiling. Eventually he found the gap. It was in the far corner of Chris's closet. Joe searched the closet and found the marble. He put it in his pocket. As he turned to leave the closet, the door started to close. Something wanted to stop him. He kicked the door open and ran down the stairs to the first floor and then out the front door. He locked it and ran to his truck.

He drove toward the abandoned cemetery. As the paved road gave way to dirt he slowed down. When he approached the cemetery he saw the dark figure standing in the road. He remembered his encounter with the figure many years earlier and it made him angry. He aimed his truck at the dark shadow and pushed the gas pedal to the floor. The truck kicked up a cloud of dust and went right through the apparition. Joe did not look back.

He pulled over at the cemetery gate. Walking in to the cemetery brought back memories and made him think of Chris. He walked up to the angel who still kept his watch after so many years. Joe looked down at the inscription and asked the deceased, "Was it worth it? Did you really need to take an innocent life?"

Joe raised the marble to place it in the angel's cupped hands. The gold specks inside the marble caught the rays of the now setting sun. It glowed a warm gold color. Joe placed it in the stone hands as the sun set. He held his hand over the stone one for a second and with a heavy heart whispered, "I'll miss you, Chris."

In that instant it felt like all hope and happiness were now entombed in the angel's hands. The night that followed was long and cold. Joe sat in his house with the television on but he was not watching. He was not looking for the shadow either. He did not care about anything any more. He had finally met someone special and before anything could happen Chris was gone. Joe felt like the universe was playing a dirty trick on him. The hours went by with the wind howling in the eaves as if echoing his sorrow. It felt like the morning would never come.

At some point in the night Joe fell asleep. He dreamed about meeting Chris for the first time. He woke up shortly after to the sound of rain. It made him feel more lonely and sad than ever. He tried to sleep again but continued to wake periodically. At eight o'clock he gave up on sleeping and got out of bed. He looked outside at the dark heavy clouds and the weeping sky. Eventually he went to the kitchen and made some coffee. He poured himself a cup and did not bother to sweeten it. The bitter taste suited his mood.

He heard his phone ring. For a moment he ignored it but it continued to ring so finally he picked it up. He was greeted by a familiar voice.

"Did I wake you?" it asked.

"No, but how..." he did not know how to finish the question.

"The doctor told me I can go home. Can you pick me up?"

Joe hesitated and then decided not to question what he was hearing. "Yeah. Yeah, I'll leave right now."

He drove to the hospital thinking that it was a cruel joke and that he would arrive to find Chris dead. He parked his truck in the visitors parking area and went up to the second floor of the hospital. He went to Chris's room and found it empty just as he had feared. He turned around to leave and was met by a nurse who instructed him to wait. Then a few moments later Chris walked in with another nurse. Joe could not believe his eyes. He stared at Chris until Chris asked him if he was alright.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Great. I'm so glad you're alright."

"You look like you saw a ghost."

"I'll tell you all about it when we get home," answered Joe with a hint of a smile.

On the way to Joe's home Joe told Chris everything that had happened.

"I can't believe someone would call and say that I was dead," said Chris, "Are you sure it was from the hospital?"

"No, it probably wasn't," admitted Joe.

There was a long pause. Then Joe asked, "Did they treat those bites? What did you tell them?"

"I told them I have my boyfriend bite me and that it feels good," answered Chris.

"What?!"

"Its better than telling them my house is haunted."

"Yeah, I guess."

There was a short pause as they pulled into the driveway of Joe's house. Then Chris started laughing.

"What's so funny?" asked Joe.

"You should have seen their faces when I told them about the bites. I told them they should try it some time."

"You didn't!" said Joe as he opened the front door to the house.

"Yeah," said Chris laughing again.

As they walked into the living room the clouds parted and the room filled with warm sunlight.

"Its so good to hear you laugh," said Joe.

They stood in front of the big living room window looking at each other. In the light Chris's eyes took on the familiar warm golden glow. He looked happy and well. It reminded Joe of the day they first met.

As they stood in the morning sunlight, the dark figure watched them from a corner of the room. Slowly it crept forward. Trying to enter the sunlit realm.

Neither Joe nor Chris saw it. They were lost in each other's gaze. As they embraced the shadow retreated and with every happy minute they spent together it grew more faint and translucent. When they separated Joe took a look at Chris's exposed forearm. The wounds were healing quickly. In a few weeks they would be nothing more than a bad memory.

"That looks so much better," whispered Joe.

Their faces were only a few inches apart as they looked at the fading scars. Neither one noticed the shadow making one last attempt to enter the light. It lunged at them. They both looked up at each other. As they kissed the shadow finally forced it's way into the light and disappeared. Chris and Joe would never have to look at it again. The sun had risen for them and the haunting was over.