Jack whispered — “They look pretty old, seniors maybe.”
As the two figures got a little closer, the boys could make out two older kids wearing jeans and t-shirts. One was smoking and the other held a brown paper bag. Working their way around the far side of the pond, the older boys passed out of sight.
“C’mon, let’s get our stuff,” said Jack.
Nodding in agreement, the boys started down the rocks. Lack of shoes hadn’t seemed like much of an issue on the way up, but on the descent they were hampered by their bare feet.
“Jeez, get going!” ordered Stephen. He was slowed by Jack picking his way down.
Jack shook his left arm out of its sling so he could use both hands to assist his climb. He didn’t put much weight on the arm, but used it to steady his balance. In a couple of minutes Jack and Stephen had made it back to their shoes and packs, but Ben was lagging behind.
“Why are we running?” hissed Ben.
“Why not?” answered Stephen. “Should we just hang around and ask them what good they’re up to at the quarry?”
Ben caught up with them and asked in a normal tone of voice — “What are
“Just get your shoes on,” said Jack who was already tying his left boot.
Ben looked off to his right. “Hey guys,” he said.
The boys they had seen were emerging from around a rock.
The smoker was about six-foot two, and wore a black tee shirt that could have been comfortable if it were two sizes larger. Well-worn boots were mostly covered by his frayed jeans. A half-step behind, the guy with the brown paper bag was about as tall, but much thinner.
Smoker took a drag — “Hey. You guys seen a dog here?” he asked. Bag Man chuckled at the question.
“Nope, not today,” said Ben.
“You see one, let me know,” said Smoker. “We’ll be over there,” he pointed to the adjacent sand pit.
“Yeah, no problem,” replied Ben.
When Smoker and Bag Man had walked out of earshot, Ben gloated: “See, what were you guys freaking out about? They were nice enough.”
A shot rang out. Jack, Stephen, and Ben turned to see Smoker pointing a pistol at a target mounted to a rock.
“See? Target shooting,” Ben said.
“Just get your shoes on — let’s get out of here,” said Jack.
Smoker fired again, and the sound was followed by laughter. They could hear Smoker barking orders at Bag Man.
“Yeah, okay,” acquiesced Ben.
Denied their normal exit, the boys had to debate how to exit the quarry. They knew there must be a trail or road on the other side of the pond because the older kids had come from that direction. Stephen headed off and Jack and Ben followed. When they had reached the far side of the pond, they found a path that wound through some scattered brush and led to a dirt road.
“Let’s check the map,” said Stephen when they had reached the road. They moved a few dozen yards past the car they assumed belonged to Smoker and Bag Man. Jack bent over to dig the map from his bag and Ben looked down the road.
The map showed a dotted double line. They assumed it was the road.
Stephen suggested a route: “Looks like if we follow this for a while we can take the train-tracks back to the power lines.”
“Yeah, but that’s kinda far,” said Jack. “Maybe we should go back and try to find a way around those guys.”
“Stray bullets are not my bag,” said Stephen.
Ben was now back towards the car. “Hey guys,” he said. “Come here.”
They approached and saw what he was looking at. In the brush next to the car was a fly-covered dead dog. It was big, a labrador-cross, and it reeked.
“Oh man, I’m gonna hurl,” said Jack. “Is that the dog they were looking for?”
“I don’t think so,” said Ben as he pointed, “look.” Following his line, Stephen and Jack saw that the dog had several bullet-holes in its side.
“They shot it!” said Stephen. “Sick bastards.”
“Seriously, let’s get going,” said Jack.
They turned and headed down the road. Occasionally they heard a shot from the direction of the quarry. Before long a well-traveled path appeared on their left. A quick check of the map and they were confident that it would lead them back to the power lines.
The next morning they rose early and fixed their breakfast in the house so they could be ready to pounce on Jack’s dad. Eager to know the plan, the boys watched television and waited for him to come down the stairs. About nine o’clock, Jack’s dad descended.
“What are you guys doing inside on a day like this?” he asked.
“We’re waiting for you, dad,” said Jack. “We wanted to ask about the fireworks.”
“Well those aren’t until nine tonight. I think we have plenty of time to plan,” his dad replied.
“Yeah, but we just wanted to make sure,” said Jack.
“Okay, well how about this: we’ll go over to the fair at six, get some food there for dinner, and then we’ll go see the fireworks. Sound good?”
“Yeah, I guess,” said Jack. “Can we go over earlier than that though?”
“Sure. Five then?”
“Okay,” said Jack.
“Okay,” His dad continued through the living room and out to the kitchen.
“That went well,” said Stephen. “What now?”
“I don’t know,” said Jack. “Want to play games downstairs?”
Too excited to plan anything extensive, they boys killed time in the rec-room playing video games and watching television. The day was long and it seemed like a chore to have to wait for the evening’s entertainment. Jack’s mom passed through several times and suggested constructive activities that would help them pass the time, but the boys weren’t interested in any of them.
One hundred feet in the air the ride stopped. The boys were packed in, strapped down, and looking up to see the ground.
“Oh, I don’t think I can take another round,” said Ben.
They were on a ride called “Sky Master,” and in the front row. They had spun in big looping circles — faster and slower. The ride would occasionally stop when their car was at the top of the arc and upside-down.
“Seriously, tell that guy I have a hundred bucks if he’ll stop the ride,” pleaded Ben.
“They don’t take hundreds,” laughed Jack.
Ben laughed a bit and then cut himself off. “Don’t make me laugh, or you’ll both be wearing used hot dogs.”
“Gross!” said Stephen. “Who let this guy on?”
“Let me on?” yelled Ben. “You practically begged us to get in. This is your fault.”
Ben reached across Jack to get to Stephen.
Jack held up his hands. “Stop! Stop, it will be okay. I’m sure they just forgot about us,” he giggled. “They’ll be back in a couple of hours and then I’m sure they’ll let us down.”
“Real funny,” said Ben. “You just made the list, buddy.”
“List of what? Guys you’re going to date next?” asked Stephen. “Cuz you’re acting somewhat like a woman.”
The three of them laughed at that and then screamed in unison as the ride began to move again. When the “Sky Master” had finally come to rest, the boys piled out and veered off in separate directions. Ben doubled over and
