This story is a work of FICTION. The events described are my own invention. Any similarities to actual events or persons are strictly coincidental. The author retains the copyright, and any other rights, to this original story. You may not publish it or any part of it without my explicit authorization.
This story was supposed to come out last Halloween but as often happens, I got sidetracked. It's a two part story, I've posted both parts and I hope you'll enjoy it.
Comments are always welcome at: hailcaesar2011@hotmail.com
The Saddleback Horror Part 1
When I first saw Saddleback Manor, I thought my parents had lost their minds, the place was a dump.
"You've got to be kidding me; this is where we're moving?" I scoffed.
"Oh Sterling, didn't I teach you never to judge a book by its cover? You have to think about what it will look like when it's finished," said Mom.
"Yeah, like a real shithole," I mumbled, sarcastically.
"I think its cool mommy, I can't wait," said Sammy, my 9 year old brother.
"You thought the Haunted House at Disney World was cool too, you wanna live there?" I asked.
"Shut up Sterling," Sammy retorted and stuck out his tongue.
"Come on Sterling, where's your sense of adventure? Sure, it needs a lot of work, but this place has tons of potential," said dad.
"Whatever," I rolled my eyes and went back to my iPod.
The truth of the matter was, I didn't want to move anywhere, let alone here. It was late April, in a month it would be summer and I'd turn 15. I liked where we lived, granted Concord wasn't New York City but at least it was a town. This place was only 12 miles from our current house but as far as I was concerned, it was the middle of nowhere. The grounds didn't inspire much confidence either, it was 150 acres of overgrown fields, woods, and river, with a barn that looked like a light wind would turn it to dust and a dilapidated manor house, built in 1760, that looked like the set of a horror movie.
My parents said that they'd always dreamed of raising Sammy and me in the country, but I didn't buy that, we were moving because of my mom's obsession with horses. She was crazy about them, she'd competed in the Olympics and even won a gold medal in dressage, a kind of ballet in which a rider runs her horse through a series of predetermined movements from memory, or as mom calls it, the highest expression of horse training. My parents bought Saddleback Manor in order to turn it into a world class equestrian center, they envisioned the place being like some English country estate where the elite could send their children to commune with they're equally spoiled animals. Mom would teach dressage and equestrian events to the privileged, breed horses and, she hoped, get a spot as a host on the New England Polo circuit.
I'd always been an athletic kid, I swam, played soccer, lacrosse and baseball, but I'd never given a damn about horses; that is until my mom took me to a polo match. I fell in love, it was the perfect meeting of man and animal, working together to score goals, I started playing when I was 12. The nice thing about moving to the country, the one bright spot I saw, was that we wouldn't have to stable our horses anymore and I'd be able to ride Archer, my Thoroughbred stallion, anytime I wanted.
I had six months to complain about the move, the house and the property weren't really livable as they were, so my parents sunk a fortune into fixing the place up. When the time came, I hated to admit it but the place was beautiful. The house had been renovated and expanded, the barn had been completely demolished and a new one, with stables for 30 horses, had been built in its place. The overgrown fields had been cleared; there was a new training paddock, an indoor practice arena and a new competition field for polo. I didn't ask, because I knew they wouldn't tell me anyway, but my parents probably spent everything they'd inherited when my mother's father passed away.
It took us two days to move and another week to settle in, but by the time we were done, I had gotten into the spirit of things and began to help out, rather than complain. Our moving coincided with the opening of the Saddleback Equestrian Center, mom had a full list of classes she was teaching and even though she'd hired a man to take care of the animals, I still had to pitch in. It wasn't much, sometimes I'd have to feed the horses or take them out for a run to stretch their legs, which was more fun than chore. I spent most of my stable time with Archer.
In addition to teaching and breeding, mom also rented out some of the stable space, one such space was taken up by Shadow, a polo pony that belonged to my teammate and boyfriend, Logan. That was the other thing I'd grown to like about horses, Logan loved them and anything that brought us closer was ok in my book. The first Saturday after we moved, Logan and his parents brought Shadow, and their horses Seamus and Sierra, to the manor to get them set up in their new home. I helped them get everything sorted out, then Logan and I set out on Archer and Shadow, to tour the property and give the horses a little exercise.
One hundred and fifty acres is a lot of property and Logan and I put the horses through their paces. Polo ponies have to be quick on their feet; we sprinted through the fields and then treated them to a rest by slowing our pace to a gentle trot as we moved into the woods. Mostly it was a time for us to be alone.
"So, is it as bad as you expected?" asked Logan.
"No, I hate to admit it but its pretty cool living here," I replied.
"I told you," Logan smiled.
Call me dramatic but if you ask me, his smile glows like the rays of a thousand suns. He's perfect, he has dark brown hair the color of rich chocolate, eyes as blue as the sky and skin like fresh cream. His features are delicate, without being fragile or feminine, from his finely crafted cheekbones to his narrow nose and chin. In my humble opinion, he's beauty personified.
"I know, you're always right," I grinned.
"I bet the horses like it out here," said Logan.
"Yeah, Archer seems happy, huh boy?" I addressed my mount, reaching out to stroke his ear.
"Hey, save some of that for me," said Logan, as he pulled alongside me.
"Ok, Logan likes it out here too, huh boy, don'tcha?" I giggled, as I reached out and scratched behind my boyfriend's ear.
"I just meant save some affection for me," he laughed.
"Oh please, like I'd ever run out," I scoffed, as I leaned forward and kissed him.
Logan smiled at me and then kissed me back. Our kisses are always slow at first; our lips pressed together for a moment our two, then pulled away for some embarrassed grinning. It usually takes us two or three of those shy kisses before the real making out begins. It's hard for us to get time to kiss, we can't do it at school, we can't do it at home, what with my nosey little brother and his nosey little sister around, so we steal moments like this, alone, in the woods where the horses don't care what we do. I was as close to Logan as I could get, my arm around him, rubbing gently up and down his back, while our tongues wrestled like a pair of playful puppies under a blanket. Our kissing grew more and more passionate but then; Logan saw something odd out of the corner of his eye.
"Sterling," said Logan.
"Hmm?" I grunted, while I kissed his elegant neck.
"Sterling, stop for a sec," Logan giggled.
"What, what is it?" I asked, sitting upright on Archer.
"What is that?" asked Logan, point to a grouping of rocks in the distance.
"They appear to be rocks," I smirked, "they don't call it the Granite State for nothing you know?"
"No," said Logan, rolling his eyes at me, "I mean look at how they're arranged."
"Oh, now I see it, they're arranged like, well, a bunch of rocks in the woods," I giggled, I didn't see what he thought was so interesting, so I went in for another kiss.
"Come on, I wanna check it out," said Logan, after enjoying our latest kiss.
"Ok, fine, let's go look at the rocks," I frowned, in mock hurt.
"It'll be fun," Logan grinned, then kissed me on the forehead.
He's always doing that and for some reason, it feels more intimate then when his tongue is in my mouth, more affectionate in some way. He shot me one of his perfect smiles and then I let go of him so we could pick up the reins.
"Come on Shadow, let's go boy," said Logan, with a click of his tongue, signaling his horse to move out.
Logan and Shadow set off with me and Archer on their heels. The rock formation wasn't far, maybe 30 feet away, but halfway there, Shadow came to a stop.
"Come on boy, let's go," said Logan, gently patting his horse on the neck.
But Shadow wouldn't move, he resisted every attempt Logan made to get him to walk. Logan dug his heals in and urged his mount forward but the horse just reared back and let out an unsettling snort. Horses are intuitive animals, that snort was a warning, a single that there was danger here. I looked around for the source of Shadow's concern, maybe a snake or a coyote, but I didn't see anything. I did notice that Archer wasn't willing to take another step either.
"Alright chickens, you wait here," said Logan, as he dismounted.
"Logan, wait," I cautioned, "the horses, something's spooking them."
"There was probably another animal out here, marking its territory or something," said Logan, "come on."
I reluctantly dismounted, took his outstretched hand and walked the rest of the way. I figured he was right, it was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, the air was fresh and clean, and fall had just started to turn the leaves, you couldn't ask for a better day. We walked the remaining distance and found that the rocks Logan had spotted; were definitely placed by people. There were ten of them, lined up perfectly in two parallel lines. There was paint on them but it was so old, so faded, that you couldn't make out any symbols or writing. As we examined the rocks, I noticed the spacing and instantly felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
"Logan, you know what this is?" I asked.
"No, it's strange that someone would place these stones this way, it almost looks like a..." he began.
"Graveyard?" I finished for him.
"Yeah," Logan agreed, standing up straight, "But why would there be something like that here?"
"It makes perfect sense, think about it. This land's been fought over for centuries. First the Indians fought each other over the fur trade, then you had the French and English settlers and the Revolutionary War, there are bodies all over this state," I reminded him.
Shadow snorted again and scratched his hoof in the dirt.
"Yeah, but there's nothing out here," said Logan.
"I know but, uh, it's making the horses nervous and it'll be getting dark soon, let's head back," I suggested.
"Alright, hey Sterling, look," said Logan, he'd taken a few steps toward me then stopped and pointed at the ground.
"Paw prints, probably a coyote, now we know why the horses are acting funny, they look fresh," I explained.
"Kinda big, aren't they?" asked Logan.
"Kinda, but nothing special, come on, let's go home," I retorted.
Logan agreed and we walked back to our horses, mounted up and headed back the way we came. We kept an easy pace but Shadow and Archer seemed anxious to get away from the makeshift graveyard.
"You were scared," Logan giggled.
"Was not," I retorted.
"You so were," he exclaimed.
"You're dreaming, I just don't like upsetting Archer and Shadow, I guess I just care about them more then you," I teased.
"Uh huh, whatever," Logan giggled again.
"Hey Logan, check that out, is that another rock formation?" I stated, pointing over his shoulder.
"Where?" he asked, turning to look.
We'd come to the edge of the tree line, where the woods meet the open pasture. While Logan looked over his shoulder, I clicked my tongue and with an enthusiastic "get up boy," sent Archer barreling towards the barn.
"So long sucker!" I exclaimed, as we left Logan and Shadow in the dust.
We ran the horses hard, Logan and Shadow chased us all the way back to the barn and only stopped when we reached the gravel path. We led both animals over to their trough and let them drink their weight in water, they'd earned it. While the horses drank, Logan and I quickly mucked out their stalls, laid down fresh hay and then led them back so we could brush them. When the grooming was finished, I grabbed some carrots out of the stable office and we treated the animals to their favorite delicacy. A short time later, Logan's parents arrived with my mom and dad, they'd also become friends, since we met, and had spent the afternoon up at the house, doing whatever it is grownups do.
"Did you boys have a good ride?" asked Mr. Baker, Logan's dad.
"It was cool, we found some rocks that might be some kind of old graveyard," Logan explained.
"Yeah it was pretty cool, but Logan got scared," I stated, giving my boyfriend a wink.
"Oh whatever, you were so scared," Logan teased back.
"Alright sweetie, we better get going," said Mrs. Baker, when she'd finished laughing at our banter.
"Ok, see you at school on Monday," said Logan, giving me a wave as he walked off with his parents.
We're out to our parents, we have to keep it secret from everyone else, but we felt that we should be free to be ourselves at home. I wanted to hug him and kiss him goodbye but neither of us was comfortable displaying affection in front of our parents. It wasn't that they'd be mad; our dads wouldn't care and our moms would just make it awkward with their "awwww's," and "how cutes'."
"I gotta get going to kid, so gimme a hug," said Dad.
"Do you have to?" I whined.
"I'm afraid so, I've got to be in court first thing in the morning," dad reminded me.
My dad's an attorney and for the last year he's been working on an important case in Boston. It sucked, he spent the week and even some weekends, in the city and came home when he could. My parents have a strong marriage and while they didn't like the separation, they understood it was temporary and made it work. It's hardest on Sammy, he misses daddy, so I've been trying not to treat him like such a pain. Mom and I walked dad over to his Range Rover, then watched him drive down the long driveway, until he was gone. After that, we cleaned up and went into town to pick Sammy up at his friend's house, then go out to dinner.
"Sterling honey, would you do me a favor?" asked mom, as we headed into Concord.
"Sure mom, what's up?" I replied.
"This graveyard thing that you and Logan found, don't mention it to Sammy, ok?"
"Oh, ok, but why?" I asked.
"I don't want him to have nightmares," said mom.
"Mom, he's 9," I scoffed.
"I know, but he's sensitive and unless you want him sleeping in your bed for the next month, you won't tell him," mom smiled.
"Right, what graveyard?" I replied.
The prospect of having Sammy in my bed for a month was a stiff deterrent. Not only would that put a damper on my nocturnal activity, you know, the one all 15 year old boys indulge in, but he also kicked like a mule and stole all the covers. Unlike most teenagers, I enjoy my family and I had a great time talking to mom and Sammy, over dinner. My little brother isn't so bad when he forgets to be a brat. It was late when we got home and I wanted to call Logan. I called him every night, or he called me, not like a couple of silly girls but just to say goodnight, the only problem was, I couldn't find my phone.
"Sterling, what are you doing?" asked mom.
She'd stuck her head in my room to tell me that she and Sammy were going to watch a movie, and found me trying to rip the place apart.
"I can't find my phone anywhere," I explained.
"Did you look in the car?" she asked.
"No, but I didn't take it with me when we left for dinner," I replied.
"What about the stables, did you leave it there after you and Logan went ridding?"
"I don't think so, I never take my phone ridding, it defeats the purpose," I stated.
"It does?" asked mom.
"Come on mom, I like the peace and quiet when I ride," I reminded here.
"Well, it's obviously not here, why don't you check down there before you start pulling up the floorboards," mom smiled.
I was sure I wouldn't find my phone in the stable but I went to look anyway. It was dark but the moon was full and provided me with all the light I needed to cross from the yard down to the stable, along the well worn path. When I reached the stable, I flipped on the overhead lights and immediately spotted my cell phone, sitting atop one of the pillars next to Archer's stall.
"That's weird," I said to myself.
I walked over and grabbed my phone, then stopped to stroke Archer's muzzle.
"Hey boy, did you take my phone, huh, where you making long distance calls?"
Archer greeted me with a low, guttural nicker, that's another horse signal, it's their way of saying, "hey it's good to see you buddy, gimme some love." I scratched under Archer's chin and let him rub his cheek against my face, until I heard a strange sound. It was like a pair of horses had run through the stable at a full gallop. I spun around but there was nothing there. I stood quietly and the night was dead calm, there wasn't even a cricket chirping.
"Great, now I'm hearing things," I said, turning back to Archer.
That's when I heard the distinct sound of a laughing child.
"Sammy, is that you?"I called out to the night.
Nothing. No response, just a gentle rush of wind wafting through the barn.
"Sammy you better not be messing with me, you little shit," I shouted.
There was still no response. I turned my attention back to my horse, then decided to call it a night. I was just turning to leave when I heard the strange sounds again, first the galloping and then the child's laugh.
"Alright, that's it Sammy, you better run back to mom cause I'm going to kick your ass," I bellowed.
I love my little brother, and I'd never really hurt him but the stable was spooky enough at night, without him trying to pull a fast one on me. I ran out of the stable, expecting to find Sammy with one of the horses, but he was nowhere to be found. Instead, I was greeted by the headlights of Mr. Moody's truck. He's my mom's hired hand and he jumped down with his dog, Two-by-four. Mr. Moody calls his dog that because he says it's dumb as a post.
"Whoa son, where's the fire?" asked Mr. Moody.
"I heard a noise, I think someone let one of the horses out," I replied.
"Who would be out here this time of night?" asked Mr. Moody.
"I don't know, I thought maybe Sammy," I explained.
"Well, let's take a look," said Mr. Moody.
I could have kicked myself, I was so eager to catch Sammy that I hadn't bothered to look in the stalls. I followed Mr. Moody back into the stables and together, we did a visual inspection, all present and accounted for.
"Maybe it was your ears playing tricks on you," Mr. Moody offered.
"Yeah, something," I replied, but I knew what I heard.
I said goodnight to Mr. Moody then went back to the house, I found my mom and Sammy on the couch, Sammy in his pajamas.
"Hey sweetie, did you find your phone?" asked mom.
"Yeah, yeah it was down there," I replied.
"I told you," mom retorted.
"Yeah, you told me," I agreed, "hey Sammy, you weren't down by the stables a few minutes ago, where you?"
"Are you crazy, it's scary out there," Sammy shuddered.
"Is something wrong Sterling?" asked mom.
"No, I just thought I heard something is all."
"Maybe it was Mr. Moody?" said mom.
"Yeah, he drove up when I was leaving, I guess I'm just hearing things," I replied, "forget about it."
"Ok, well, we're just about to start our movie if you want to join us," said mom.
I sat next to my mom and found myself resting my head against her shoulder, letting her stroke my hair. I hadn't done that since I was pretty little, the truth of the matter was, I was freaked out by what happened in the stables. I know I heard horses running and I know I heard a little boy's laughter. After the movie, I went straight to bed, it was still early for a Saturday night but I started to think maybe my ears really had been playing tricks on me or maybe I was coming down with something. Either way, I was sure I'd feel better after a good night's sleep.
I thought I'd feel better the next day and I did, in fact, as the week went on, I totally forgot about the incident in the barn. It was easy to put it behind me, I was busy, I had school, swimming practice and then most evenings, I'd take Sammy for a ride. Crackerjack was technically Sammy's horse but we took him to most of my polo matches, I rode him occasionally, when Archer needed a rest. A week after the incident, Logan was back and we spent another afternoon, in the woods, with Archer and Shadow. This time we avoided the makeshift graveyard and had a great time. We spent the entire day exploring the grounds and returned just as the sun was going down.
Mom had a couple of students in that day and as part of their training, they got stuck mucking out all the stalls, which was a relief for Logan and I, our animals stalls were already clean when we bedded them down for the night. We always groom our horses after a ride, I brushed Archer down, making sure to remove any stickers or burrs from his coat. When I was done, I locked his stall and went over to Logan and Shadow. Logan was bent over, cleaning Shadow's hooves, we were each wearing a pair of tight ridding pants with our English ridding boots, and I couldn't help but notice how cute Logan's butt looked in his. I leaned against the doorjamb and just watched him for a moment.
"See something you like?" asked Logan, grinning over his shoulder, once he sensed my presence.
"Just admiring the view," I grinned.
Logan took a couple of seconds to finish working on Shadow, then he put his supplies back in his bucket and walked over to me. We were alone in the barn so I put my arms around him and he rested his head on my shoulder. We've been together for about a year, which is a long time when you're 15, but we were taking things slowly. We were just as horny as any other guys our age but we were also a little nervous, we didn't have anyone to tell us what it would be like to lose our virginity and, call us old fashioned, we liked the place we were at. We enjoyed the intimacy of moments like this, just being able to hold each other, feel each other's hearts beating in our chests. Times like this were special.
After a few moments, Logan looked up and kissed me. It sent an electric shock through my body and for a moment, when the lights flickered and went out, I thought the shock had passed through me and into the building itself.
"Wow, what a kiss," I giggled in the dark.
"I didn't know I had it in me," Logan quipped.
The lights flickered again and we resumed our kissing. Less than a minute later, the lights went out a third time. This time, we continued kissing, who cared if the lights were out? Our lips were locked, our tongues were enjoying one of their familiar wrestling matches and then, I heard it, a boy's laughter. This time I knew I wasn't hearing things, Logan heard it too.
"Is that Sammy?" asked Logan.
"No," I whispered.
"Then who do you think..." Logan began.
"Shhh," I admonished, "I want to see if it does it again.
"It?" said Logan.
I nodded quietly and we waited there, in the dark, arms around each other. The barn felt still, even the horses had stopped stirring and then, we heard it again.
"That's a little kids laugh, Sammy is that you?" Logan called out to the dark.
There was no answer, just another brief bolt of laughter.
"Ok, that's creeping me out," said Logan.
"Yeah, let's go back to the house," I agreed.
We started to walk out of the stable but before we reached the end of the long line of stalls, the lights flickered back to life and we both about jumped out of our skins. Mr. Moody stood directly in our path.
"Jesus Christ," I shouted, "you scared the shit out of us!"
"Sorry about that guys," Mr. Moody laughed, "I was out in the paddock and I saw the lights going on and off, thought I'd check it out."
"Oh, did you hear anything?" asked Logan.
"No, can't say as I did," said Mr. Moody.
Two-by-four, his trusty dog was at his side and I couldn't help but notice he seemed nervous. The dog kept acting funny, whining and trying to hide behind Mr. Moody's legs; it was almost like the reaction Shadow and Archer had when we found the graveyard.
"Was that you guys messing with the lights?" asked Mr. Moody.
"No, they kept flickering, I think maybe there is a short in the wiring," I stated.
"Maybe, it's a new building, tell your maw I'll check it out in the morning," said Mr. Moody.
I assured him I'd let my mom know what had happened, then Logan and I returned to the house. Mom was in the kitchen when we walked in to get some water.
"Hey guys, did you have a good ride?" said mom.
"Yeah mom but the lights in the barn were flickering," I explained.
"Again? Must be a faulty wire, I'll let Mr. Moody know in the morning," said mom.
"Again?" I asked.
"Yes, I was down there with the girls this morning and they kept going off and on," said mom.
"Weird, anyway, Mr. Moody already knows," I explained, "he was coming in from the paddock while we were closing up so I told him about it. He said he'd take a look at it in the morning."
"Ok, thanks sweetie," said mom, then she leaned over and kissed me on the cheek and ruffled my hair, Logan's too.
I started to leave the kitchen, to head up to my room, but then a thought crossed my mind.
"Hey mom, have you noticed anything else, I don't know, funny out there?" I asked.
"Like what, Sterling?" said mom.
"Like strange noises."
"No, I can't say that I have, did something happen down there?" asked mom.
"No, we just thought we heard something but it was probably the wind," said Logan.
"Ok, well I hope you're hungry, dinner will be in five minutes, I made pot roast," said mom.
"Cool, we'll go wash up and drag Sammy down," I replied.
I didn't get a chance to ask Logan why he'd been so quick to end our conversation with mom. Sammy was heading to the bathroom to wash his hands so the three of us cleaned up and headed down to dinner. Logan seemed a little subdued through dinner and most of the night. I was glad he was sleeping over and I hoped he'd open up a little at bedtime, when we were alone. When the time came, we stripped down to our t-shirts and undies, then climbed into bed. At first, we were each on our own side, very prim and proper, but after a few minutes, Logan laughed and snuggled up close, putting his arms around me.
"What are you thinking about?" I asked, once he was settled against me.
Logan had begun to absentmindedly stroke my short blond hair, just above the ear. It was another of his intimate gestures. He was so comfortable with me that he knew he could touch me without having to ask or offer an explanation. The hair thing was something he did when he was deep in thought.
"Hmmm?" said Logan.
"What are you thinking about?"
"Just about earlier, down in the barn," said Logan, "it was a little spooky wasn't it?"
"Yeah, a little, it happened to me last week," I admitted.
"Really?" said Logan.
"Yeah, I was down there looking for my cell phone and I thought Sammy was playing games with me, I kept hearing a little boy laughing."
"You don't think it's, you know, a ghost, do you?" said Logan.
"Nah, I'm sure there is some logical reason, maybe the wind carried some neighbor's voice," I rationalized.
"Sterling, your nearest neighbor is half a mile away," Logan reminded me.
"Ok, well, maybe it was the gas, maybe it was making us hallucinate," I stated.
"Gas, what gas?" asked Logan.
"You know, from the horses, the methane," I explained.
"Methane, Sterling, are you blaming it on horseshit?" Logan giggled.
"Honestly, I don't know what it was," I chuckled, "but I'm sure it wasn't the boogeyman."
"Yeah, I guess it is a little silly," said Logan, then he kissed me.
"That's a much better use of our time," I replied, then kissed him back.
We made out for at least an hour before either of us thought about sleeping. The incidents we experienced were easy to forget, they were few and far between and we simply chalked them up as some sort of fluke. September turned into October and nothing strange happened. Sammy and I both had school and one of mom's dressage horses, Morning Glory, had developed a case of colic, it was a busy time at Saddleback Manor.
Another nice thing about October, dad was back. He took two weeks off to do some father son bonding with Sammy and me. He came to a couple of my swim meets, took Sammy ridding, we even managed to go down to the city and take in a Patriot's game with Logan and his dad. Sadly the time past quickly and dad was getting ready for another week in Boston. The Friday before he left, he and mom went into town for dinner, on one of their date nights. Sammy was sleeping over at a friend's house and Logan was spending the night with me.
It was perfect; Logan and I had the house to ourselves for the evening. I made us dinner, hardly even burning it, then we built a fire and snuggled on the living room sofa. Fall is my favorite time to be a New Englander, by mid-October the trees are on fire with their bright falling leaves and the air takes on a chill, a hint at the winter to come. Logan and I were curled up on the couch, kissing and touching, exploring each other's bodies, when we were startled by a horses whinny.
"What's that?" asked Logan.
"Oh, it's just the monitor my mom put in the stable, you know, Morning Glory's been sick and she's keeping tabs on her," I explained.
"Oh, cool," said Logan, as he put his hand on the back of my neck and drew me close to him.
We were just about to kiss again when the hair on the back of my neck stood up, there was a low humming coming from the monitor. I didn't recognize the tune but it was definitely a man's voice. I pulled back from Logan and sat up straight, listening intently to the hum.
"What's the matter?" asked Logan.
"Don't you hear that?" I asked.
"Yeah, Mr. Moody's humming, so?" said Logan.
"Mr. Moody went to the Catholic Church for bingo night, he's not here," I explained.
"Maybe it's your dad?" said Logan.
"They aren't supposed to be back for a few hours and you know my dad, he doesn't screw around with the horses, he's helpless with them," I rationalized.
"Right, so what are we going to do?" said Logan.
"Check it out of course," I replied, while putting my shoes back on.
"Shouldn't we call the cops or something?" asked Logan.
"It's probably some idiot who wandered onto the property," I explained.
I took Logan's hand and lead him towards the door. Before we left the house, I stopped at the coat closet and pulled out a bat, which I handed to Logan, and grabbed my lacrosse stick.
"What's this for?" said Logan.
"Just in case."
"In case of what?" said Logan, nervously.
"I don't know, I just don't want to be out there without something to defend ourselves with," I stated.
"Sterling, I don't know, maybe we should just call someone," said Logan.
"It'll be ok, we're just being safe rather than sorry," I explained, then took his hand in mine, "come on."
We walked down to the stable, hand in hand, and crept up to the door. I stuck my head in and looked around but couldn't see much in the dark. I flipped the light switch and found the alley between the stalls to be empty. Logan came in behind me and together we searched each stall but found nothing but horses. The strange thing was Morning Glory, who is a sweet and gentle mare, seemed twitchy.
"Hey girl, what's the matter?" I asked, stroking her muzzle.
She's a horse, obviously she wasn't going to answer me but as I explained, horses are intuitive animals and I thought she might give me some signal as to what was bothering her.
"Logan can you go grab a bucket of water?" I asked, "We'll give her some fresh water then go back up to the house."
"Sure, be right back," said Logan, as he put down his bat and hustled out to the hose.
"I sorry you don't feel good, girl, but we'll get you some nice clean water and let you get some rest," I said, trying to sooth the horse.
Logan was back in a flash, we put the water in Morning Glory's trough and were about to leave, when the lights went out and the stable door slammed shut with a force so strong it shook the rafters. Logan dropped the water bucket, then threw his arms around my waist and held on with a death grip. I held him just as tight and we stood there, trembling in the darkness.
"W-what was that?" Logan spluttered.
"I don't know, the wind?"
"There wasn't any wind when I went to get the water," said Logan.
"Maybe it picked up when you came back?" I replied.
"Even if it did, isn't that a 500 pound door?" said Logan, "it would take more than a breeze to do that."
"I know but..." I began.
My sentence was interrupted by Morning Glory. She was snorting and pawing at the hay on the floor of her stall, she sensed danger. Before we could interpret Morning Glory's warning, laughter filled the room. It was the same tittering child's laughter we'd heard before, only there, in the dark it took on a sinister tone, it was almost...evil.
"What the fuck was that?" said Logan.
I knew he was scared, he rarely swore and never used the "F" word. He wasn't alone, I was terrified, it felt like my heart had jumped into my throat.
"I don't know," I whispered.
"I wanna go back to the house," said Logan.
"Me too, me too," I stuttered.
We held on to each other for dear life, it made our movement slow but we weren't about to let go. When we were about 5 feet from the door, the lights flashed to life, the door blew open and the laugh returned. We turned to look behind us and there, in the corner, for the briefest of flashes was the figure of a hulking black dog.
"Run!" shouted Logan.
He grabbed my hand and sprinted for the door, we ran flat out, we didn't stop until we ran head on into my parents SUV. Mom and dad were just pulling up as we burst through the door.
"Sterling, Logan, what's going on out here?" asked mom, as she got out of the passenger seat.
"Stable, lights, g-ghost, some kind of animal," I spluttered.
It had been a short sprint but I'd been holding my breath while Logan and I walked down the line of stalls, not to mention I was terrified. I stood there, doubled over, hands on my knees, desperate to catch my breath.
"What are you talking about?" asked dad, as he joined us.
"Something in the barn," said Logan, "we heard humming and came to check it out, the lights went out and there was laughing and we saw, I don't know, something."
As Logan was explaining what happened, Mr. Moody pulled up and parked his truck. He couldn't help but notice the state of Logan and I, and walked over to see what was going on.
"Everything alright, Mrs. Thomas?" said Mr. Moody.
"Everything's fine, these two just had a scare," mom replied.
"Scare?" I exclaimed, "There's something in there, we saw it!"
"Oh," said Mr. Moody, almost to himself.
"Sterling, this is nonsense, you're a big boy, there's no such thing as ghosts, you know better than that," dad chastised.
"What about the, I don't know, whatever it was, some kind of dog or something?" I shot back.
"Mr. Moody, would you please go check on the horses?" said mom.
"Oh, uh, yeah, sure thing ma'am," he replied.
I stood there, trying to catch my breath, my heart pounding like a drum, but I couldn't help but notice Mr. Moody's reaction. He didn't want to go into that barn, he was hesitant, I could tell by the way he'd answered my mom and he took his time going into the barn. When he did come back, he shook his head.
"All clear, I didn't see anything out of place," said Mr. Moody.
"Thank you Ed, that'll be all for the night," said Dad.
"Come on Sterling, let's go back inside," said Logan.
He'd resigned himself to the fact that my parents didn't want to hear what we had to say. They were rational people, of course they didn't believe in ghosts, I know because that's what I would have said until five minutes ago. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it either, but I had seen it, I knew that tonight's events, and those that had taken place before, weren't just some fluke, some, thing, was causing them.
That night, Logan and I lie in bed, we tried talking about what had happened but neither of us had any explanation for what had happened or what we'd seen. In the end, we held each other tight and didn't fall asleep until the wee hours of the morning. Logan had to leave shortly after breakfast the next morning. When his dad came to pick him up, he did something strange, there, in front of our parents; he threw his arms around my neck and hugged me tighter than he ever had before. He squeezed me so tight that he nearly knocked the wind out of me.
"Be careful, ok?" said Logan.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine," I smiled.
"Seriously, just, I don't know, keep your eyes open, ok?"
"I will Logan, I'll be ok, I promise," I said, seriously.
He got in the car but he looked over his shoulder the entire way down the driveway. I watched him until he was a dot on the horizon, then set about trying to convince my parents of what I saw. It was a fruitless effort. Dad is a total skeptic, he didn't want to hear anything I had to say and he assured me that it was all just a figment of my imagination. Mom wasn't much better, she thinks of her horses as her other children and she was concerned about Morning Glory. Every time I brought up the night before, she dismissed it.
With nothing better to do, I went down to the stable to saddle Archer. It was broad daylight and I wasn't afraid, nothing weird had happened before nightfall. As I was getting Archer's saddle, I noticed something strange. There, in the corner where we'd seen the ghost dog, there was dirt on the floor, in the dirt, there were footprints. Paw prints to be precise, like those of a large dog. I felt my pulse quicken, it hadn't been a figment of my imagination, Logan and I hadn't fallen victim to group hysteria, it was real.
I saddled Archer and walked him around the barn, I found more prints in the mud outside then mounted my horse and followed them as far as I could. It was hard work, the trail came and went and occasionally got lost in fallen leaves. Eventually we reached the edge of the polo field that skirted the forest. I stopped there, I didn't need to go further, I knew what lie in those woods and while I'd never been afraid out there before, I didn't want to be alone there now. Whatever had been in our barn that night and left its tracks behind, had been in the ancient graveyard the day Logan and I had discovered it.
I raced back to the barn, finally, I had proof, something I could point out to my parents, something they couldn't chalk up to an over active imagination. I put Archer back in his stall, quickly tossed in some fresh hay and then went back up to the house.
"Ok, so there was a dog in the barn, Sterling, we're living in the country now, it was probably a stray dog from a nearby farm or maybe a fox or something," said Dad.
So much for my proof. I'd never felt so disheartened in my life, here I was telling my parents the truth and they didn't want to hear it. Sure, I could see their point, it sounded like bullshit, but I've never been superstitious before, why couldn't they trust me? I went to bed that night, feeling very disappointed in my parents. The next day was Sunday and after dinner, dad had to say good bye again. He hugged and kissed mom and Sammy, then asked me to walk him to his car.
"There is no such thing as ghosts, Sterling," said dad.
"Yeah, so you've said," I grumped.
"Son, I know you saw something, I believe you but I'm sure there is a rational explanation for it. It was probably a dog, or some other kind of animal, and I'm sure it was just as scared of you, as you were of it. Dead people don't hang around to play pranks on the living," said Dad.
"But dad, it happened three times and..." I whined.
"I know, you've told me all about it and you need to think about it rationally. What makes more sense, the lights came on and there was an animal there, that startled you and Logan, or the barn is haunted?" said Dad.
"Well, it sounds different when you put it like that," I stated.
"Good," said Dad, evidently he thought my statement meant that I agreed with him, "Sterling you're the man of the house while I'm gone. The case I'm working on is terribly important, a lot of people are counting on me, can I count on you?"
"What do you mean?"
"The only way I can spend so much time in Boston is because I know you're here, looking after your mom and Sammy for me. I'm relying on you to take care of them while I'm gone," he explained.
"Yeah dad, I understand, you can count on me. I'll be fine, you're probably right, it was just some weird thing that happened, I'll be ok and I'll look after mom and Sammy," I agreed.
"Good boy," said Dad, with a warm hug, "I love you and I'll see you in a few weeks."
"Bye dad, I love you too."
Over the next week, I put ghosts out of my mind. It wasn't hard to do, as with each of the previous incidents, things returned to normal and I found plenty of opportunities to otherwise occupy my time. Morning Glory was still sick and with mom so busy taking care of her, I picked up some of the slack by taking care of Sammy. Sure he got on my nerves but Sammy can be a lot of fun when he wants to be. I took him out to ride but he was still too little to handle the grooming afterwards, which left me to tend to Archer and Crackerjack. One afternoon, I was sitting on a stool, cleaning Crackerjacks hooves, when I heard it, a little boy's laughter. I froze, the hair on the back of my neck stood up and I had to force myself to sit up and look for the source. I breathed a sigh of relief, then laughed at myself, Sammy was out front playing with Two-by-four and the pair were having a grand time.
Saturday was a big night. It was Halloween and Logan's family was throwing a huge party at school. We attend a private school in Concord and though we went home every night, most of the students are boarders. Every year, Logan's parents put on a huge costume bash in the dining hall. I was excited because after the party, I was spending the night at Logan's house and something told me it was going to be special. We'd been progressing in our relationship and I had a feeling that we were on the verge of taking another step.
Mom and Sammy were also going to be staying in town. My mom's friend Leslie's husband was going to be out of town, leaving her with her twins, Sean and Patrick. The boys were the same age as Sammy and the mother's decided that it would be more fun for all considered, if they went trick or treating in a group. After that mom and Sammy would be staying over.
Mom dropped me off at school at 5:00pm, in my baseball uniform. I said a quick goodbye, grabbed my backpack and took off. I'd never seen the dining hall so well decorated before, it looked like a scene out of a Harry Potter movie. I quickly stashed my backpack and looked for Logan, who I found by the punch bowl, dressed as a vampire.
"Hi," Logan smiled brightly, as he handed me a cup of punch, "you wore your baseball uniform, again."
I wasn't really the creative type, when it came to costumes; I'd worn the same thing last year.
"It was either this or I was going to wear my school uniform and come as a zombie school boy," I smiled.
"And you say you're not creative, that would have been cool," said Logan, then he leaned close, so no one else would hear, "I like this though, your butt looks so cute in those tight pants."
I laughed out loud, nearly spitting out my punch, which is exactly what Logan wanted.
"Come on," I said, rolling my eyes, "let's go have some fun."
It was a great party, we all had so much fun, but to tell you the truth, the details are kind of sketchy. I enjoyed myself but the events that took place that night, eclipsed anything I'd ever experienced before.
It was late when we got to Logan's so we went straight up to his bedroom and started getting ready for bed. I put my backpack down, then sat on the edge of his bed and took off my shoes. When I stood up to unbutton my pants, Logan tackled me down on the bed and started kissing me all over my face.
"What's gotten into you?" I giggled.
"I love you Sterling," said Logan, then he went back to planting kisses all over my face and neck.
"I love you too," I giggled, his kisses tickled, I'd never seen him act like this before.
"I want you Sterling," Logan whispered into my ear, then gently sunk his teeth into my earlobe.
"I want you to Logan, would you quit squirming around and let me get a kiss in?" I mock pouted.
Logan came to an abrupt halt and looked deep into my eyes, he brushed the blond hair from my forehead, the expression on his face frozen in thought.
"What's gotten into you tonight?" I asked, breaking the silence.
"I want you," said Logan.
"I want you to," I replied.
"No, you don't understand, I want you," Logan repeated, then reached down and groped me through my baseball pants.
"Oh, that," I smiled, as the realization dawned on me, "are you sure?"
"You're so beautiful, so sweet, so kind. I love you more than anything and I can't think of anyone I would ever want to be with more then you," Logan confessed.
"Wow, Logan, thank you for that," I stated, I knew he loved me but he'd never said it like that before.
"And I know you feel the same way about me, don't you?" Logan grinned.
"I do, you know I do, it's just that..." I sighed.
"What's the matter?" asked Logan, he wasn't angry, more concerned.
"I do love you more than anything and I do want to be with you, it's just, well, what if I hurt you?" I blushed.
"Sterling, I've seen it, it's not THAT big," Logan giggled.
"I know that," I said, I was well aware of my average size, "it's just that we've never done it before and I'd die if I hurt you."
Logan tilted my chin up, bringing my eyes back to his.
"Hey, you won't hurt me," said Logan.
"Yeah but what if..."
"Sterling, you won't hurt me," Logan smiled.
He's so beautiful, his smile was so radiant and reassuring. I put my arms around his waist, he flashed another smile and then brought his lips to mine. There was no playful pecking this time, his lips rested against mine like soft pillows, our mouths parted and we felt each other's breath. Logan's tongue lapped at my lips, then pulled back, as though he were tempting me, drawing my tongue into his mouth. I was quick to oblige him, my tongue gliding past his lips and into the warm confines beyond.
We started shedding clothes, Logan's delicate hands found the buttons of my jersey and made short work off it. He opened my pants and lie on top of me, his hand rubbing me through my underwear while my hands ran up and down his back. I brought my hands around front and opened his pants, then slid them back around so I could rub his perky little rump. Logan broke our kiss then sat up, straddling my body. He quickly unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it on the floor, then wiggled out of his pants, leaving him in his socks and undies. He was wearing black briefs rather than his usual white, that's when I realized that he'd planned this, he was trying to be sexy for me. Ha, as if he had to try.
I pulled him back against me then rolled on top of him, shedding my jersey as I went. I slipped between Logan's legs and he wrapped one around my waist. I stroked his leg and hip while we kissed, then he used his foot to push my pants down. I had to struggle to get my pants the rest of the way off. As a baseball player, I've always worn my socks pulled up over my uniform pants, you know, like you're supposed to. In this situation it made it impossible to get them off my legs.
"God damn it," I swore, as I hopped from one foot to the next, shedding my socks and finally my pants.
"Come here you," Logan giggled and beckoned me with his finger.
I jumped on top of him and we kissed just as passionately as before. Our arms were wrapped tight around each other, pressing our chests together while our crotches rubbed alongside each other, separated by nothing but a few millimeters of cotton. We shed our underwear without much effort, then Logan put his legs over my shoulders. I felt the head of my cock pressing at his opening, my eyes locked on his.
"Sterling, I'm ready," he smiled.
I pushed my hips forward, and was met by resistance from Logan's tightly puckered anus. I pushed harder and then without warning, the dam broke and I felt my head pop inside of him.
"MMMMM," Logan groaned.
"Are you ok, does it hurt, do you want me to pull out?" I rambled.
"Shhh," said Logan, putting his hand on my cheek, "I'm ok, don't stop."
Despite his insistence that he was fine, I proceeded with caution. I felt every bit of it, his insides wrapped around me like a velvety vice, squeezing intense pleasure from my sensitive member. Logan continued to moan softly and eventually I felt my pelvic bone pressed against his bottom. We held that position for a moment then he urged me on. I pulled back and thrust in, slowly and deliberately, both of us groaning in pleasure.
Neither of us lasted long. I felt Logan tense, he let out a high pitched whimper, tightened his buttocks and then I felt something warm on my tummy. When his bottom gripped me like that, I lost it, I began to fill him with my seed and let out my own satisfied whimper as I collapsed against him. We held each other, panting for breath, Logan gently stroking my back.
"Wow," Logan breathed, after a moments rest.
"You liked it?" I asked, moving my body off of his for comforts sake.
"It was incredible, I love you Sterling," said Logan, as he planted a soft, tender kiss on my lips.
"I love you to," I smiled, and brushed my hand across his cheek, "and I can't wait for you to try it."
"Really, you want me to do it to you to?" Logan asked, somewhat surprised.
"Of course I do," I replied.
"Cool, I just figured that between the two of us, I'd end up the bottom," said Logan.
"Baby, we're partners, that means give and take, you know?" I asked.
"Of course, I forgot that my man was so enlightened," Logan grinned.
We both giggled then wrapped our arms tight around each other. We didn't bother getting dressed; I just remember drifting off to sleep with Logan's head on my chest, his fingers slowly stroking my tummy. I woke first the next morning and just lie there, looking at his face. You're probably tired of me saying how perfect he is but I can't help it, Logan is my angel.
Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to enjoy the quiet morning. Mom may have been willing to spend a night away from her horses but with Morning Glory still sick, I knew she'd be there to pick me up right after breakfast. When Logan woke, we showered together then dressed and joined his family in the kitchen. Mrs. Baker made us pancakes and just as I was finishing, I heard my mom's horn honking from the street. I said good bye to the Bakers and thanked them for their hospitality, then Logan walked me to the front door.
"So," Logan blushed and bounced on the balls of his feet.
"So," I replied.
Logan threw his arms around me and hugged me tight, then kissed me on the cheek.
"Awwww, that's adorable," said Mrs. Baker, as she came into the foyer.
"MOM!" Logan exclaimed.
"Sorry sweetheart, I wasn't spying, Sterling forgot his backpack," Mrs. Baker grinned, as she handed me the forgotten bag.
"Uh, thanks Mrs. Baker," I blushed.
"Good bye, Sterling," she smiled and walked out.
"Sorry about that," said Logan.
"It's no big deal, I don't think she cared. Besides, I don't care who knows I love you," I smiled and kissed him, then I walked out into the cold of a late fall morning.
I trotted out to the car with a big grin on my face and a spring in my step. I climbed into the back seat, then leaned forward and kissed mom on the cheek and ruffled Sammy's hair.
"Morning mom, morning Sammy," I greeted them brightly.
"You messed up my hair," Sammy grumbled, he's awfully neat for a 9 year old.
"Sorry midget," I smiled.
"You're awfully perky for 8:30 on a Saturday morning," mom observed, "did you have a good time with Logan?"
"Sure," I giggled.
Mom looked at me in the rearview mirror, I just blushed and looked out the window. I thought I caught her smile out of the corner of my eye. Twenty minutes later, we were back at Saddleback Manor. Mom went straight into the barn and I took Sammy inside, to put our things away. No sooner had I walked into my room, my cell rang and mom asked me to come feed the horses. Morning Glory's condition had gotten worse and she needed mom's attention. I didn't mind helping out, I was still on cloud nine from the night before, and Sammy offered to give me a hand so the work went quickly. When we were done, it was such a beautiful day that I saddled Archer and Crackerjack, had Sammy grab some snacks from the kitchen, then spent the afternoon ridding with my little brother.