'I still have it, actually. In my room.'
Now it was Katie's turn to blush. 'Well, I meant it then and I still do. I like you, Timmy.' They both stood silently, staring into each other's eyes.
'So,' Timmy stuttered, 'does this mean we're going together?' Now it was Katie's turn to blush. 'If you want to.'
'I'd like that.'
'I'd like it, too.'
Timmy wanted to kiss her, and it seemed like Katie was waiting for him to. She looked at him expectantly; her face turned upward, lips slightly parted. But he couldn 't bring himself to do it. Pat Kemp would have done it in a heartbeat, so why couldn't he?
An image of Pat's corpsewhat had remained of itflashed through his mind, and Timmy scowled. Katie noticed it and asked what was wrong.
'I'm sorry,' he said. 'For a second there, I was just thinking about Pat. And your sister.'
'Yeah.' Katie nodded. 'I've been trying not to. Being with you helps.'
'Good. I'm glad.'
And he was. He was glad being with him helped her, and he was glad to just be with her. Ecstatic. What had started out as the worst day of his life since his grandfather 's death was now turning into something specialsomething he'd longed for for quite a while. They strolled on together, hand in hand, and easier with one another than they' d been before. Timmy picked a full, yellow dandelion and gave it to her. She clutched it to her chest and smiled.
'I'll keep it forever.'
'Well, not forever,' Timmy said. 'Nothing lasts forever.'
'Flowers do, if you press them in a book. My mom showed me how.'
'Cool.'
They continued on their way. Timmy wondered how much longer their parents and the police would be. He didn't want the day to end.
Katie looked up into the treetops. 'You know what's weird?'
'Hmm?'
'There aren't any birds around. I haven't seen or heard a single one since we left my parents. No squirrels, either.'
Timmy thought again of the cows in the field, and how they' d been reluctant to approach the border with the cemetery. Could they sense the cave somehow? Did they know the ground was weakening, and they avoided it? He ' d read in school about how some animals could predict earthquakes and tornadoes.
Maybe this was something similar.
They passed by a broken tombstone. It had fallen to the ground and cracked in half, its marred surface so worn with age that most of the writing was illegible. The only thing they could still make out on it was an odd symbol one half of it on each section of broken stone. Playing in the graveyard, Timmy had seen plenty of symbols on the stones before crosses and hands clasped in prayer and lambs and open bibles. But he' d never seen one like this. It looked like the sun, rising over a hill. In the middle of the sun were two crosses, one upright and the other upside down. The image, shattered as it was, filled him with dread, but he didn ' t understand why. Katie must have noticed it too, because she shivered against him.
'Never seen one like that before,' Timmy said. 'Wonder what it is?'
'It's ugly. I don't like it.'
'Why not?'
She shrugged. 'I don't know. I just don't. It makes me feel… weird.'
'Yeah,' he admitted. 'Me too.'
There was some faint writing carved directly beneath both halves of the symbol, barely discernible beneath the clinging green lichen. Timmy brushed the crumbling moss aside, pushed the two pieces of limestone together, and tried to read it.
I. N. I. R.
I.
SANCTUS SPIRITUS
I. N. I. R.
I.
'What's it mean?' he asked.
'How should I know?' Katie teased. 'You're a grade ahead of me. Have you studied Latin yet?'
'No. We don't get Latin. Just Spanish, French, and Germanand I' m not taking any of those. I just figured you might know, your dad being a preacher and everything. It looks religious.'
Katie studied the faded letters, tracing them with her fingers. 'INIRI… that's what's on the pulpit at the front of the church, right?'
Timmy nodded. 'I think so. Something like that. Do you know what it stands for?'
'No. I guess we learn that in catechism class, and we don't take that until we're fourteen. I wonder what knocked the tombstone over?'
'Oh, it happens a lot, especially in this section. They get old and fall over, or people push them.'
'People knock them over on purpose?' She sounded surprised. Timmy nodded. 'Sure. Ronny and those guys knocked a bunch over last Halloween. It took Barry' s old man a week to put them all back up again. Some of them couldn 't be fixed. The church had to pay for new ones.'
'Why didn't they make Ronny, Jason, and Steve pay?'
'Couldn't prove it was them, I guess. But we knew. They bragged about it one day when they cornered us while we were sledding. Anyway, these things fall over all the time. Could have been the way the ground's settling, too. Might have shifted and knocked it over.'
Then they heard Reverend Moore's voice, calling for Katie. They looked up and saw him at the top of the hill, near the utility shed. Timmy' s heart sank, knowing that their time together was at an end. Spotting the two of them, Katie 's father walked down the hill toward them. Immediately, Katie let go of Timmy' s hand. He felt an immediate longing for contact again, but restrained himself. He 'd already been in enough trouble today. He didn' t need Reverend Moore getting mad at him, as well.
'There you are,' the preacher said as he drew closer. He looked tired and beaten. His face was puffy and sweat poured off his forehead and cheeks. His thinning hair was plastered against his scalp. 'You ready to go, sweetheart? Your mom is in the car already. She 's pretty tired.'
'Yeah, I'm ready, I guess.' She glanced at Timmy and smiled. 'Thanks again, Timmy. For everything.'
He returned the smile, and tried to keep his feet on the ground.
'Yes, Timothy,' Reverend Moore said, sticking out his hand, 'thanks for taking care of my little girl. You're a fine boy. Your parents should be proud.' Timmy shook his hand, trying to keep a firm grip. 'Thanks, sir.' The preacher noticed the broken tombstone. 'Good Lord. That's the third stone I' ve seen like that today. Not to mention how the ground is sinking. Have you noticed it?' Timmy nodded. 'Yeah, it's happening all over the cemetery. We think there's a cave underneath.'
Reverend Moore arched his eyebrows. 'Really? Well, it wouldn't surprise me. This whole area is riddled with limestone. But I would think Mr. Smeltzer would have let the church board know. To be honest, I'm disappointed in the cemetery' s general appearance lately. After all, it's not only a place for our loved ones, but a reflection of the church, and of God himself.'
Timmy wasn't sure of how to respond, so he tried to look thoughtful and concerned. Laughing, Reverend Moore gripped his shoulder and squeezed. 'I' m sorry, Tim. These are matters for adults, not for you. There will be plenty of time to worry about things like this when you 're older.'
'Reverend Moore, can I ask you something before you leave?'
'Of course you can. What is it, son?'
Timmy pointed at the broken tombstone. 'Well, Katie and I were wondering what that meant. It's weird
