Graveyard Visit

It was a warm Saturday afternoon. Julia was sitting on the steps in front her house wondering what she could do to while away the rest of the daylight hours. She heard loud talking and laughter from children walking on the sidewalk. Soon she saw her school friends Susan, Mathew and Tony coming towards her.

“Aye Julia, what’re you doing?”

“Nothing. Just sitting here feeling bored.”

“Just now is Halloween. We should go by the cemetery tonight and see if there is anything scary there.”

“The cemetery? I’ve never heard anyone say the cemetery is haunted.”

“You never know what we might see. Plus, you don’t have anything better to do right?” said Mathew.

“Okay! Okay! I’ll go with you.”

The group of friends arranged to meet in front of Julia’s house at ten o’ clock that night. Although they walked with their flashlights, the light of the full moon was enough for them to see their way. The cemetery was a ten-minute walk from Julia’s house and next to the ocean. As they got closer to the cemetery, Julia’s heart started to pound in her chest. She had never been here at night.

The lights from the nearby roadway cast an eerie glow across the entire area. Julia grabbed Mathew’s hand as they picked their way along the dark pathways between the graves.

“Ah!” she let out a scream.

“Relax,” Mathew chided her. “It’s just wave crashing on the beach.”

“Stop being such a scardy cat, Jules,” Susan told her.

The foursome continued to walk through the cemetery.

“What’s that over there? I am sure I just saw it move.”

“It’s just a mound of dirt. Probably a new grave.”

Julia relaxed a little.

Suddenly out of the corner of her eye she saw a pair of bright, yellow eyes watching her. She grabbed Mathew’s hand again, this time digging her nails into his palm.

“Ouch!” Mathew yelled pulling his hand away. “What is it now?”

“Eyes…over there.”

Mathew looked in the direction that she was pointing but didn’t see anything.

Suddenly a shrill howl pierced the still night air. Both Julia and Susan screamed. Other voices joined in the chorus of sounds. The children felt the hairs at the back of their necks raise. They tried to rush out of the cemetery and ended up walking towards the sea. In the darkness they saw the outline of what looked like a body roll from the top of a grave and into the ocean, making a big splash as it hit the water.

“Let’s get out of here!” yelled Tony.

The boys raced down the pathway that would take them out of the cemetery. They did not even look back for the girls. Julia and Susan found them outside the cemetery gates panting and gasping for breath.

“Well look who are the scardy cats now!” Susan told them as soon as she was able to catch her breath.

“That place is scary,” said Tony.

“Yes! I kept expecting a skeleton to jump out at me.”

“Or a zombie to come out of a grave.”

“Let’s just go home,” Julia urged them. “I prefer to celebrate Halloween with chocolates and candy anyway.”