Disclaimer: This idea was taken from "The Man Without A Face" and partly also from "Pay It Forward." I don't own the plot, but these specific characters are mine. Thank you all, thoughtful readers, for even glancing at it! I hope that you aren't disappointed =).
~~
"No one knows his name, and no one knows where he came from. Actually I heard my parents talking, and they said that his mum abandoned him when he was a baby and just let him float down the river…until a bear saved him or something. Just like in The Jungle Book. Only he's evil and he helps the animals and feeds them little babies at night! That's why no one likes it when anyone goes out after dark, 'cause that's when the Mutant comes. I swear he ate our dog."
James O'Leary frowned. "I thought he ran away."
The storyteller rolled his eyes. "No! Moron. The Mutant got him. Sometimes I hear poor Sparky whimpering in the night…all the way from the island," with those dramatic words, Eddie Bower pointed the long flashlight towards the barely visible strip of land. It was small, and not even a mile off the coast of Glacier, New Hampshire. Blue Smoke Island.
"But didn't the animals raise him or something? Why'd he take your dog?" my little sister, Samantha, piped up bravely from behind me.
Eddie shot a glare at her, then at me. "Tom, why'd you have to bring your little sister?"
I sighed, and glared at her too, more to get Eddie to stop glaring at me. "I had to, or she would have told my mom." Samantha caught me sneaking out the door, and swore to get me grounded for the rest of my life if I didn't bring her along. At this point I wasn't really sure what was worse.
"Yeah, fine." Eddie cleared his throat, took a moment to figure out where he was, and then continued. "So anyway, the Mutant lives across the lake. He's lived there for years. No one really knows how old he is. In fact, they think he might actually be a vampire, and not actually be old. 'Cause I've asked the oldest people in this town, and they've always remembered that house being there."
During the day it was barely visible, above the trees, and had dark stones and shutters that never opened. It was practically a mansion, towering over the water as a dark, shadowy castle-looking thing. The top of it was pointed, and disappeared beneath the trees. There were only two windows, in the entire area of the house that was seen from any part of Glacier. At this time of night I could barely see the island, let alone the house…
I was so preoccupied that I forgot Eddie was still talking… "…And it's always dark, and always quiet…"
James actually dared to interrupt again. "But you heard your dog…"
Eddie's glare was burning this time. "If you're not going to shut up, then go home. I'm trying to tell Tom what he needs to know in order to get back alive."
I didn't see how any of this information was useful to me, but I didn't say anything.
James shut up.
Eddie paused, then just handed me the flashlight. "I think that's about it, anyway. Ok, Tom, this is what you need to do." Eddie put his hand on my shoulder, turned me to the island, and pointed to the very dim outline of a shore. "Go there, turn on the flashlight so we see you, then you have to go through the trees, TOUCH the Mutant's door, and shine your flashlight so it lights up the trees. If it's far back enough we'll know you did it. But for further proof, steal the doorknocker."
Samantha gasped. "Tom! Are you crazy? Mom'll kill you! Don't do it!"
I ignored her, and took the flashlight, but the last part caught me off guard. "The doorknocker? How would I steal a doorknocker?"
"Well, they're all screwed in the door, right? I mean…it's not like the Mutant needs one… I brought a couple screwdrivers in case one doesn't fit." Eddie took off his backpack and handed it to me.
I put it over my shoulder with reluctance. Shining the light wasn't so bad; I didn't like the idea of standing on the Mutant's front porch long enough to unscrew his doorknocker. "Will you guys actually wait here that long?"
James looked uneasy, and so did the few other people that came with us.
Eddie shrugged. "Maybe until we see the light. You can show me the doorknocker tomorrow if I'm not here."
Great.
"Tom! Tom, I want to go home! Please can we go home?"
"Um…" I looked at Samantha, and then at James. "Could you maybe, er, take her home?"
"Yeah, sure." James looked relieved at being able to go home himself.
I tossed the backpack in the small boat-the one that belonged to my uncle-before actually getting in myself. Even though I acted perfectly calm, I was terrified, but I couldn't turn down this dare… I would never hear the end of it. Eddie would tell everyone in town until they all heard everything, and then I'd be grounded anyway when it got around to my mom…
The others stood on the end of the dock, and they all stared at me as if I were dead already. Especially Samantha, who kept whimpering, "Please, Tom, don't…"
I didn't want to admit it, but my hands shook as I took the oars.
"Good luck." Eddie's smile was glowering the one dock light, and he others stood in shadow behind him.
"Thanks," I replied, flatly.
I turned on the flashlight and stuck it in the bottom of the boat, and then took the oars again. As steadily as possible, I untied the rope, and pushed away from the safety of the dock.
I was very careful not to look back. For a while I was still inside the circle of light, but after a few minutes I could barely see anymore. The lights of the town were behind me, and the only comfort was that the shoreline was a little easier to see, once my eyes started to adjust. It was a long way to row, despite how close it looked, but my arms never ached. My uncle took me out fishing all the time, and always made me take the oars, so I was used to it. He always says that he has some kind of heart condition…but I'm pretty sure that that's a lie, 'cause it's pretty lame. He laughs so loud and hard that he would have died a long time ago.
The quiet was what really started to bother me, but when I tried whistling to myself it just sounded creepy…so I stopped. At the wrong time I kept thinking of Jaws, even though there aren't many sharks in this lake, except for small ones that somehow make their way upstream during the fish migration. Then I started tapping my foot, trying to keep myself distracted, but the thought of a huge, killer shark butting his head on my boat made me stop. So then I just listened to the swish-swish of the oars. I hoped Samantha made it home, I hoped that she didn't wake up my mom. If my mom found out, it wasn't just about being grounded. She's kind of over-protective. I think it's 'cause my dad left when I was younger, and she's always afraid to lose us, too. That's what my uncle always says anyway, and has this funny look when he says it. No one knows where my dad went, not even my uncle, and he's his brother! Sometimes I wish that Samantha didn't know where I went, but I guess I can't take it for much granted.
The sudden lurch of the boat hitting the shore startled me. For the first time since I pushed off, I looked back at the dock. The light was visible, and so were a few more on the hill and in the city, but nothing else. I picked up the flashlight, carefully got out of the boat, and then pulled it up on the land some…near a few trees. Well. Step one fulfilled. I was on the island. I turned the flashlight off, then on again, and pointed it towards the dock, twirling it around as the first signal. I saw a few faint, tiny lights appear under the dock light, and figured it to be their flashlights. At least they were still there…
I turned and started walking through the trees, unhurriedly, and debated whether it would be better to leave the flashlight on or off. I didn't want the Mutant to see it, but I didn't know my way… My finger wavered in front of the button before I slowly turned it off, and everything around me enveloped in darkness. The skinny trees were even impossible to see until I nearly ran into one. Why wasn't there a moon out tonight? Why'd it have to be cloudy? Without anyone around to see me, I didn't see anything wrong with being afraid. My heart pounded so loudly in the darkness that I was afraid that the Mutant would hear it. Do Mutants even sleep? Maybe he was hanging upside-down in one of these trees, waiting to land on me and suck my blood and eat me and-
I turned the flashlight on.
The house loomed before me, and I hesitated a few hundred feet from the door. Up close it looked even more dungeon-like, and huge. How could one person live in there? I looked up at it, then at the few tower-looking things on the side. If I shone the light from here, it might look like I was near the door… but no, the doorknocker. I had to unscrew the doorknocker. With a sigh, I took the backpack off my shoulder, unzipped it, and fished around for the first screwdriver.
I could see the very vague outline of a door, and I fearfully inched towards it. The little sound I made seemed magnified now that I was so close, and I struggled to muffle the crunching leaves beneath my feet... I didn't dare to look over my shoulder, or think about what could be over my shoulder… It took a few minutes of this slow progress for me to realize that the door didn't seem to be getting any closer.
In a sudden burst of courage I ran towards it, and only slowed when I reached the pavement of the walkway. It was only a few feet now. I closed the final distance faster than before, and found that I had started holding the screwdriver as a weapon…
I reached out a shaky hand, poked the door, and then shone the flashlight in the trees above me. I didn't even hear the door open.
I felt something knock me down from behind, and I fell flat on the pavement. My first instinct was to yell, but a dog barking drowned it out. I spun around on my back, just in time to see a big, dark shadow jump on top of me. It was heavy and nearly as big as I was. Stunned, I raised my hands and pushed, in a vain attempt to get it off. Panic rose once I realized I couldn't, and whatever dog that was around there too just kept barking. The only conscious, real thought I remember having was that it could be Eddie's dog… The thing on top of me made a horrible noise low in it's throat, somewhere between a growl and a snarl. It's breath smelled, and all I saw were rows of white teeth, illuminated by the flashlight. I yelled again, too afraid to move, and began to think that this was the end…this was it…I was about to become the Mutant's appetizer…another rumor in town, and all the smart library people will say I drowned or something stupid like that…
I heard someone talking, but it seemed far-off. I kept my eyes shut tight, but…felt the thing get off me, and only after that did I actually look…
The light from inside the house and the light from my flashlight allowed me to see, at least a little. I saw a big, darker shape leaning over the dog, and petting its head affectionately. The dog…was that what had been on me? It was more like a wolf, actually, with rugged but clean-looking fur and a dopey smile that had ONCE been a threatening mouth of razorblades. It must have been what was barking, too…that made sense… The man didn't act like he had seen me. I knew it was a man, 'cause he was a lot taller than that dog, and I heard him talking to it. It took me a minute to figure out that it wasn't in English…
I backed up on my hands, doing the crabwalk, and the man straightened.
Maybe now was a good time to…explain. "I, uh, I…I was…you see, I was…um…lost…and…"
The maybe Mutant finally turned to look at me, and I started with surprise at the sight of a black mask that covered his entire face. I had been expecting something worse, but still, that was weird. There was a hood that covered his head; maybe the rumor about the snakes in his hair was true… I froze, again, and found that I couldn't even stammer anymore.
The masked Mutant spoke, quietly, but in a harsh way that I knew had some threat to it. "What are you doing here?"
The voice demanded the truth, but I mustered every ounce of will I had against it. "…I got lost?"
Great, Tom. That was convincing.
He approached me, and moved in a really odd way that I'd associate with a ghost or whatever…and I saw as he came closer that he was dressed all in black, or something dark. It was hard to tell. That wasn't too surprising either. I saw that he was actually wearing some kind of cape, too, and I remembered what Eddie said about vampires. Getting more than a little afraid, I tried to make myself back away, but I was still frozen.
The masked Mutant stopped in front of me, and glared down with eyes of stone… I swear that they glowed, too… "And you brought your flashlight, boat, and screwdrivers with you. Do you have a name?"
"Um…yeah…" He looked at me, waiting, and I stammered even more. "Oh, well, uh, it's...um…it's Tom…" I grimaced. FAKE name, Tom! Should have given him a fake name! Eddie would probably have faced him without even WINCING.
…Somehow, though, I couldn't picture anyone doing that…
The Mutant laughed, but it was so creepy I wouldn't even call it a laugh... "Are you sure about that?"
"Uh…yes, sir…" It seemed fitting to call him sir, my own replies sounded very small and mousy.
The Mutant's eyes didn't move from mine, and I shuddered. His voice was grave, and chilling. "And are you going to come back here, Tom?"
NO! "N-no, sir…" As if he actually needed to ask me that!
He nodded, looked away, and finally stepped back. "Good. You have exactly five minutes to be off this island."
I released my breath, relieved to be alive and still be sitting there and breathing and that he wasn't looking at me anymore…
The Mutant's voice broke through my thoughts. "I would hurry if I were you, you have four minutes and 34 seconds left." He looked at me again, as I was jumping to my feet, and his eyes made me stop. The non-laugh was in his voice again. "Delilah doesn't bite until I order her to."
I paused, and then managed to turn and take off running through the trees. I expected the Mutant to chase me, or the Mutant's "dog" to chase me. In fact, they might have been, only I reached the water before they caught up. I pushed the boat off the shore, jumped in at the same time, and only my feet got wet. I grabbed the oars, and frantically started rowing towards the dock light. The dim ones that used to be there were gone; the others must have gone home.
I didn't look back, and I didn't relax until I had reached the dock, tied the boat, and run nearly all the way home.
I forgot completely about the doorknocker…and Eddie's backpack…
But I didn't sleep that night.
~~
"No one knows his name, and no one knows where he came from. Actually I heard my parents talking, and they said that his mum abandoned him when he was a baby and just let him float down the river…until a bear saved him or something. Just like in The Jungle Book. Only he's evil and he helps the animals and feeds them little babies at night! That's why no one likes it when anyone goes out after dark, 'cause that's when the Mutant comes. I swear he ate our dog."
James O'Leary frowned. "I thought he ran away."
The storyteller rolled his eyes. "No! Moron. The Mutant got him. Sometimes I hear poor Sparky whimpering in the night…all the way from the island," with those dramatic words, Eddie Bower pointed the long flashlight towards the barely visible strip of land. It was small, and not even a mile off the coast of Glacier, New Hampshire. Blue Smoke Island.
"But didn't the animals raise him or something? Why'd he take your dog?" my little sister, Samantha, piped up bravely from behind me.
Eddie shot a glare at her, then at me. "Tom, why'd you have to bring your little sister?"
I sighed, and glared at her too, more to get Eddie to stop glaring at me. "I had to, or she would have told my mom." Samantha caught me sneaking out the door, and swore to get me grounded for the rest of my life if I didn't bring her along. At this point I wasn't really sure what was worse.
"Yeah, fine." Eddie cleared his throat, took a moment to figure out where he was, and then continued. "So anyway, the Mutant lives across the lake. He's lived there for years. No one really knows how old he is. In fact, they think he might actually be a vampire, and not actually be old. 'Cause I've asked the oldest people in this town, and they've always remembered that house being there."
During the day it was barely visible, above the trees, and had dark stones and shutters that never opened. It was practically a mansion, towering over the water as a dark, shadowy castle-looking thing. The top of it was pointed, and disappeared beneath the trees. There were only two windows, in the entire area of the house that was seen from any part of Glacier. At this time of night I could barely see the island, let alone the house…
I was so preoccupied that I forgot Eddie was still talking… "…And it's always dark, and always quiet…"
James actually dared to interrupt again. "But you heard your dog…"
Eddie's glare was burning this time. "If you're not going to shut up, then go home. I'm trying to tell Tom what he needs to know in order to get back alive."
I didn't see how any of this information was useful to me, but I didn't say anything.
James shut up.
Eddie paused, then just handed me the flashlight. "I think that's about it, anyway. Ok, Tom, this is what you need to do." Eddie put his hand on my shoulder, turned me to the island, and pointed to the very dim outline of a shore. "Go there, turn on the flashlight so we see you, then you have to go through the trees, TOUCH the Mutant's door, and shine your flashlight so it lights up the trees. If it's far back enough we'll know you did it. But for further proof, steal the doorknocker."
Samantha gasped. "Tom! Are you crazy? Mom'll kill you! Don't do it!"
I ignored her, and took the flashlight, but the last part caught me off guard. "The doorknocker? How would I steal a doorknocker?"
"Well, they're all screwed in the door, right? I mean…it's not like the Mutant needs one… I brought a couple screwdrivers in case one doesn't fit." Eddie took off his backpack and handed it to me.
I put it over my shoulder with reluctance. Shining the light wasn't so bad; I didn't like the idea of standing on the Mutant's front porch long enough to unscrew his doorknocker. "Will you guys actually wait here that long?"
James looked uneasy, and so did the few other people that came with us.
Eddie shrugged. "Maybe until we see the light. You can show me the doorknocker tomorrow if I'm not here."
Great.
"Tom! Tom, I want to go home! Please can we go home?"
"Um…" I looked at Samantha, and then at James. "Could you maybe, er, take her home?"
"Yeah, sure." James looked relieved at being able to go home himself.
I tossed the backpack in the small boat-the one that belonged to my uncle-before actually getting in myself. Even though I acted perfectly calm, I was terrified, but I couldn't turn down this dare… I would never hear the end of it. Eddie would tell everyone in town until they all heard everything, and then I'd be grounded anyway when it got around to my mom…
The others stood on the end of the dock, and they all stared at me as if I were dead already. Especially Samantha, who kept whimpering, "Please, Tom, don't…"
I didn't want to admit it, but my hands shook as I took the oars.
"Good luck." Eddie's smile was glowering the one dock light, and he others stood in shadow behind him.
"Thanks," I replied, flatly.
I turned on the flashlight and stuck it in the bottom of the boat, and then took the oars again. As steadily as possible, I untied the rope, and pushed away from the safety of the dock.
I was very careful not to look back. For a while I was still inside the circle of light, but after a few minutes I could barely see anymore. The lights of the town were behind me, and the only comfort was that the shoreline was a little easier to see, once my eyes started to adjust. It was a long way to row, despite how close it looked, but my arms never ached. My uncle took me out fishing all the time, and always made me take the oars, so I was used to it. He always says that he has some kind of heart condition…but I'm pretty sure that that's a lie, 'cause it's pretty lame. He laughs so loud and hard that he would have died a long time ago.
The quiet was what really started to bother me, but when I tried whistling to myself it just sounded creepy…so I stopped. At the wrong time I kept thinking of Jaws, even though there aren't many sharks in this lake, except for small ones that somehow make their way upstream during the fish migration. Then I started tapping my foot, trying to keep myself distracted, but the thought of a huge, killer shark butting his head on my boat made me stop. So then I just listened to the swish-swish of the oars. I hoped Samantha made it home, I hoped that she didn't wake up my mom. If my mom found out, it wasn't just about being grounded. She's kind of over-protective. I think it's 'cause my dad left when I was younger, and she's always afraid to lose us, too. That's what my uncle always says anyway, and has this funny look when he says it. No one knows where my dad went, not even my uncle, and he's his brother! Sometimes I wish that Samantha didn't know where I went, but I guess I can't take it for much granted.
The sudden lurch of the boat hitting the shore startled me. For the first time since I pushed off, I looked back at the dock. The light was visible, and so were a few more on the hill and in the city, but nothing else. I picked up the flashlight, carefully got out of the boat, and then pulled it up on the land some…near a few trees. Well. Step one fulfilled. I was on the island. I turned the flashlight off, then on again, and pointed it towards the dock, twirling it around as the first signal. I saw a few faint, tiny lights appear under the dock light, and figured it to be their flashlights. At least they were still there…
I turned and started walking through the trees, unhurriedly, and debated whether it would be better to leave the flashlight on or off. I didn't want the Mutant to see it, but I didn't know my way… My finger wavered in front of the button before I slowly turned it off, and everything around me enveloped in darkness. The skinny trees were even impossible to see until I nearly ran into one. Why wasn't there a moon out tonight? Why'd it have to be cloudy? Without anyone around to see me, I didn't see anything wrong with being afraid. My heart pounded so loudly in the darkness that I was afraid that the Mutant would hear it. Do Mutants even sleep? Maybe he was hanging upside-down in one of these trees, waiting to land on me and suck my blood and eat me and-
I turned the flashlight on.
The house loomed before me, and I hesitated a few hundred feet from the door. Up close it looked even more dungeon-like, and huge. How could one person live in there? I looked up at it, then at the few tower-looking things on the side. If I shone the light from here, it might look like I was near the door… but no, the doorknocker. I had to unscrew the doorknocker. With a sigh, I took the backpack off my shoulder, unzipped it, and fished around for the first screwdriver.
I could see the very vague outline of a door, and I fearfully inched towards it. The little sound I made seemed magnified now that I was so close, and I struggled to muffle the crunching leaves beneath my feet... I didn't dare to look over my shoulder, or think about what could be over my shoulder… It took a few minutes of this slow progress for me to realize that the door didn't seem to be getting any closer.
In a sudden burst of courage I ran towards it, and only slowed when I reached the pavement of the walkway. It was only a few feet now. I closed the final distance faster than before, and found that I had started holding the screwdriver as a weapon…
I reached out a shaky hand, poked the door, and then shone the flashlight in the trees above me. I didn't even hear the door open.
I felt something knock me down from behind, and I fell flat on the pavement. My first instinct was to yell, but a dog barking drowned it out. I spun around on my back, just in time to see a big, dark shadow jump on top of me. It was heavy and nearly as big as I was. Stunned, I raised my hands and pushed, in a vain attempt to get it off. Panic rose once I realized I couldn't, and whatever dog that was around there too just kept barking. The only conscious, real thought I remember having was that it could be Eddie's dog… The thing on top of me made a horrible noise low in it's throat, somewhere between a growl and a snarl. It's breath smelled, and all I saw were rows of white teeth, illuminated by the flashlight. I yelled again, too afraid to move, and began to think that this was the end…this was it…I was about to become the Mutant's appetizer…another rumor in town, and all the smart library people will say I drowned or something stupid like that…
I heard someone talking, but it seemed far-off. I kept my eyes shut tight, but…felt the thing get off me, and only after that did I actually look…
The light from inside the house and the light from my flashlight allowed me to see, at least a little. I saw a big, darker shape leaning over the dog, and petting its head affectionately. The dog…was that what had been on me? It was more like a wolf, actually, with rugged but clean-looking fur and a dopey smile that had ONCE been a threatening mouth of razorblades. It must have been what was barking, too…that made sense… The man didn't act like he had seen me. I knew it was a man, 'cause he was a lot taller than that dog, and I heard him talking to it. It took me a minute to figure out that it wasn't in English…
I backed up on my hands, doing the crabwalk, and the man straightened.
Maybe now was a good time to…explain. "I, uh, I…I was…you see, I was…um…lost…and…"
The maybe Mutant finally turned to look at me, and I started with surprise at the sight of a black mask that covered his entire face. I had been expecting something worse, but still, that was weird. There was a hood that covered his head; maybe the rumor about the snakes in his hair was true… I froze, again, and found that I couldn't even stammer anymore.
The masked Mutant spoke, quietly, but in a harsh way that I knew had some threat to it. "What are you doing here?"
The voice demanded the truth, but I mustered every ounce of will I had against it. "…I got lost?"
Great, Tom. That was convincing.
He approached me, and moved in a really odd way that I'd associate with a ghost or whatever…and I saw as he came closer that he was dressed all in black, or something dark. It was hard to tell. That wasn't too surprising either. I saw that he was actually wearing some kind of cape, too, and I remembered what Eddie said about vampires. Getting more than a little afraid, I tried to make myself back away, but I was still frozen.
The masked Mutant stopped in front of me, and glared down with eyes of stone… I swear that they glowed, too… "And you brought your flashlight, boat, and screwdrivers with you. Do you have a name?"
"Um…yeah…" He looked at me, waiting, and I stammered even more. "Oh, well, uh, it's...um…it's Tom…" I grimaced. FAKE name, Tom! Should have given him a fake name! Eddie would probably have faced him without even WINCING.
…Somehow, though, I couldn't picture anyone doing that…
The Mutant laughed, but it was so creepy I wouldn't even call it a laugh... "Are you sure about that?"
"Uh…yes, sir…" It seemed fitting to call him sir, my own replies sounded very small and mousy.
The Mutant's eyes didn't move from mine, and I shuddered. His voice was grave, and chilling. "And are you going to come back here, Tom?"
NO! "N-no, sir…" As if he actually needed to ask me that!
He nodded, looked away, and finally stepped back. "Good. You have exactly five minutes to be off this island."
I released my breath, relieved to be alive and still be sitting there and breathing and that he wasn't looking at me anymore…
The Mutant's voice broke through my thoughts. "I would hurry if I were you, you have four minutes and 34 seconds left." He looked at me again, as I was jumping to my feet, and his eyes made me stop. The non-laugh was in his voice again. "Delilah doesn't bite until I order her to."
I paused, and then managed to turn and take off running through the trees. I expected the Mutant to chase me, or the Mutant's "dog" to chase me. In fact, they might have been, only I reached the water before they caught up. I pushed the boat off the shore, jumped in at the same time, and only my feet got wet. I grabbed the oars, and frantically started rowing towards the dock light. The dim ones that used to be there were gone; the others must have gone home.
I didn't look back, and I didn't relax until I had reached the dock, tied the boat, and run nearly all the way home.
I forgot completely about the doorknocker…and Eddie's backpack…
But I didn't sleep that night.