Ghoul

missing all of the sudden. That doesn't mean it' s a serial killer. Where do you get this stuff? I wasn 't thinking about serial killers and monsters when I was twelve. I was busy playing football.'

That's because you didn't get clobbered every time you played, Timmy thought to himself.

And you didn' t live next door to a monster or down the road from one, either. The bad people aren 't just in my comics. They're in the real world, too. Elizabeth returned with two fresh mugs of coffee for Randy and herself. Then she sat back down in the rocking chair.

'That was Brenda,' she told her husband. 'She and Larry are going to do the same thing with their kids.'

Nodding, Randy sipped coffee.

'Do what with us?' Timmy didn't like the sound of thiswhatever it was.

'Well,' his mother said, picking up where Randy had left off, 'the reason your father stayed home this morning was because we wanted to talk to you about this. We' ve discussed it, and came to a decision. Your father and I think it might be best if you stick close to home for the next few days. You too, Doug.'

'But it's summer,' Timmy said. 'We've got stuff to do. Important stuff. We're not babies. We can watch out for ourselves.'

'Even still,' Elizabeth insisted, 'you're not to go anywhere by yourself from now onuntil the police find out what' s happened. No going off to the woods or the dump or the pond, and no riding down to the newsstand, either.'

'But I've got to go to the newsstand every Wednesday, or I'll miss the new comics.'

'You've got enough comics,' Randy said. 'Won't hurt you to miss a few. You should save your money, anyway. In four more years you' re going to want a car and ' Timmy cut him off. 'If I miss the new issues, then I'll have gaps in my collection, and won't find out what happens next.'

'I'm not going to argue with you, Timmy. We've all been under a strain lately sincewell, since Grandpa's death, and I've tried to take it easy on you. But don' t fight me on this.'

'It isn't fair.' Timmy crossed his arms over his chest and sank back into the cushions.

'Why should we be punished just because some other people are missing?'

'You're not being punished,' Elizabeth said. 'We're just worried about your safety, is all. We're worried, about youboth of you. I bet Doug' s mother will say the same thing. Try to see it our way. It 's for your own good.'

Timmy stifled a laugh. There was his old friend, his invisible accomplice, U'rown Goode, making another appearance.

'I've got to ride my bike past Bowman's Woods to get here,' Doug said. 'What should I do?'

'Well,' ElizaBeth said, 'for the time being, maybe your mom can drive you over here when you want to visit?'

'I don't think so, Mrs. Graco. My mom doesn't leave the house much.'

'Oh. Well, maybe Timmy's father can pick you up and take you back.'

'Wait a second,' Randy said. 'I've got to work.'

'Well then, you can make special trips when you're home.' Randy started to protest, but Timmy cut him off again.

'This sucks.'

'Language,' his mother warned.

'Well,' Timmy said, 'it does suck. Our whole summer is ruined because of Ronny, Jason, and Steve.'

'Timothy Edward Graco!' Elizabeth's voice boomed across the living room. 'Those boys are missing, and Lord only knows what' s happened to them. You should try to be a little more understanding and sympathetic.

We raised you better than that.'

'Sorry,' he said, feeling anything but.

'You should be.'

He forged ahead. 'Well, what about Barry? Can we still hang out at his house? He's right over the hill, and we only have to go through our backyard to get there.'

'You can still play with Barry,' Randy said. 'But no further until we say otherwise. I mean it.'

'And we can help him work in the cemetery?'

Randy sighed. 'Yes, as long as you're not by yourself. But no further. Understand me?'

'Yes, sir.'

'Doug? How about you?'

'Yes, Mr. Graco. You don't have to worry about me. If some sick perv tries to snatch me, I'll kick him in the balls and run!'

Elizabeth gasped. Randy struggled to suppress his laughter. A moment later, all four of them started laughing. Privately, Timmy wondered why he got hollered at for saying

'sucks' but Doug could get away with 'balls.' But he didn 't ask. It was good to hear Doug laughing, especially after last night.

'What do you boys want for breakfast,' Elizabeth asked when she'd regained her composure.

'There's Count Chocula or Trix, or oatmeal.'

Both boys made a face at the mention of oatmeal.

'Or, I guess I could make pancakes.'

'Pancakes,' Doug said. 'Yes, please. That would be great. Can you put blueberries in them, too?'

She smiled. 'I think we can do that. It just so happens I bought some at the store this week.'

'Awesome.'

Timmy raised his hand without much enthusiasm. 'Me too, I guess. With bacon.'

'That makes three of us,' Randy said. 'With eggs.' While she cooked, Timmy and Doug watched The Transformers while Randy got ready for work. They ate, and Timmy listened to his parents talk without really hearing them, and his mother ' s blueberry pancakes, usually his favorite, had no taste. The new set of rules and boundaries really chafed at him. Sure, unbeknownst to his parents, they still had the Dugout to play in, but that somehow wasn ' t enough. The most desirable horizons were the ones you were forbidden to reach, and the thrill of exploration was what lay beyond those known borders. He thought about Doug ' s map, useless for all intents and purposes now. The blank space all around the edges would stay blank now. Doug chatted with Randy and Elizabeth, and ate three helpings of pancakes. Timmy sulked. He tried very hard to ignore the fact that his best friend' s mom was having sex with him, and that people were missing, probably abducted by some serial killer, and that his summer vacation was not turning out to be a vacation at all, but a prison sentence. It was like one of the storm clouds from the previous night had settled over him, dark and foreboding.

It felt like he was in a tunnel and the walls were closing in. He shivered.

After breakfast, Randy left for work and the boys went outside to play. They grew bored after an hour and decided to go to Barry's house and see what he was doingafter assuring Elizabeth that they ' d stray no farther and come straight home when they were done. They left their bikes behind, and doing so filled them both with sadness. What good was a BMX

with mag wheels and thick tires and racing stripes if you couldn ' t ride it anywhere and show it off? It was like Batman without a Batmobile or Han Solo without a Millennium Falcon.

As they trudged through the backyard and up the hill toward Barry' s, Timmy picked up a stick, left over from the storm, and in a fit of anger snapped it in half and tossed the pieces aside.

'So much for going tubing. This bites. This whole summer just keeps getting worse and worse.'

'Could be much worse,' Doug said. He was still wearing Randy's old shirt, and had put on his jeans from the day before, along with a pair of Timmy's socks.

'How could it be any worse?'

'The police could be trying to find out who beat Catcher, instead.'

'True. I guess they've got more important things to worry about now.'

'Or it could be us that was missing.'

'Yeah…'

'I just hope Ronny and those guys are okay,' Doug said. 'I'm a little worried about what could have happened to them.'

Timmy stopped walking. 'Are you crazy?'

'What? I'm concerned, is all.'

'Doug, how can you say that? Are you forgetting about everything they' ve done to you?