The Boy Who Was It by Michael Dahl

Author:Michael Dahl [Dahl, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fiction; Stone Arch Books; Michael Dahl's Really Scary Stories; JUV018000; JUVENILE FICTION / Horror; JUV058000; JUVENILE FICTION / Paranormal; JUV038000; JUVENILE FICTION / Short Stories; 9781496537768; 9781474728102; 9781474728140; 9781496537720
Publisher: Capstone
Published: 2020-01-30T00:00:00+00:00

HELLO DARKNESS

The three girls heard the whimper of the puppies echoing inside the long, dark pipe. They stood at the edge of the park farthest away from the playground and the parking lot. The ground dropped off here and sloped down to a river shimmering in the October sunlight.

“How did they get in there?” asked Caroline.

“Puppies are curious,” said Ray. “They probably just wandered in there, and now they’re afraid to come out.”

“Why would they be afraid?” asked Megan. “If they wandered in, they can wander back out.”

The round mouth of the drainpipe poked out

of the grassy hillside. The rest of the steel tube traveled horizontally through the ground, back toward the parking lot and the storm drains.

“Maybe something chased them in there,” Caroline suggested.

“I think they’re just afraid of the dark,” said Ray. She squatted down and peered into the mouth of the tunnel for what must have been the tenth time. “It’s really dark in there.”

The whimpers grew louder, sadder.

“Poor little things,” said Caroline for what also must have been the tenth time.

“Well, we either do something or call for help,” said Megan. “What’s it going to be?”

Ray stared hard at the mouth of the pipe. “I could crawl in there,” she said.

The other two girls exchanged glances. “Are you crazy?” said Megan. “It’s dark in there!”

“I’m not afraid of the dark,” said Ray.

Caroline shuddered. “I don’t like closed-in places,” she said. “I’d panic if I climbed in there.”

“Let’s go get help,” said Megan.

“If we do that, we might be too late,” said Ray.

Ray looked down at her jeans and decided she didn’t care if they got dirty or not. “Caroline,” she said, “go grab that rope we saw over by the tennis court. You can use it to help me get back out.”

Without a word, Caroline dashed toward the other end of the park. Megan bent over and looked at the pipe. “You don’t know how far in they are,” she said.

Ray smiled. “It can’t be too far. We can still hear them,” she said.

Caroline quickly returned with the rope. “When I find them, I’ll put them in my backpack,” said Ray. “Then you two can pull me out.” The girl dropped to her knees. “I’ll call for you when I’m ready.”

Ray shrugged off her backpack and held it in her hand. “It might be too narrow in there to take it off,” she said. Taking a deep breath, Ray turned to the pipe. She squirmed inside. “Wish me luck,” came her muffled voice from inside. Her legs quickly disappeared from sight. Before long, the other girls couldn’t see the soles of her shoes anymore. The tunnel was too dark.

Both Caroline and Megan were worried about their friend’s decision.

After a couple of minutes, Caroline knelt down and yelled, “Are you okay?”

A voice echoed back. “I’m fine. I think I’m getting closer.”

The sound of the puppies had died down. Megan and Caroline could hear only a rustling sound that they assumed was their friend.

In a few minutes, Megan called into the pipe.

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