Next Chapter!
A Short Ride
Pietro followed Evan as they pedaled out of the development. Pietro watched as the tall maple trees seemed to pop up along the sides of the road, and the houses fade away.
"How far is it?" he asked Evan. They had been pedaling for a while now and the houses seemed to be a thing of the past now. They had been on an old back road for a few miles now.
"Just a little further!" Evan called as they turned into a private dirt road and came upon a huge cast iron gate.
"Whoa," Pietro breathed, staring past the gates at the long gravel driveway up to the enormous mansion. He pressed his face against the bars, staring in awe at the junglelike grounds. "What lives in there?" he asked, turning to Evan as his new friend climbed slowly up the iron gates.
"That's what we're going to find out," Evan assured him as he dropped to the other side of the gate. He gestured to Pietro and turned towards the house. "Come on, climb over."
Pietro chewed on the inside of his lip and looked around. The gates were covered in vines and moss and were getting rusty. The grounds were nearly overgrown with bushes and weeds. The mansion itself looked ready to fall down at any minute.
"Are you sure of this?" he asked nervously.
"Oh come on," Evan grumbled, unstrapping his and throwing it over the top of the gate. "The scary caretaker doesn't come till after dark, come on!"
Pietro gulped and grabbed onto the rusty bars. He hoisted himself up and swung his legs over the gate.
"Watch it!" Evan cautioned as Pietro dropped roughly to the ground on his side of the gate. He sat down quickly when he felt a bolt of pain shoot through his foot.
"Ouch, how do we get back?" he asked, rubbing his sore ankle.
"We climb back over," Evan stated simply, and he turned back to walk through the grounds and up the gravel driveway, swinging his arms and whistling softly.
Pietro grimaced and limped along after his new friend. The place looked spooky, especially since it was getting later in the day. The tall willow trees bordering the driveway looked sad and droopy in the failing light, the overgrown ferns tried to grab at your feet as you walked down the lane, and the dark green moss covering everything made it all the more scary.
"Are you sure we should be doing this?" he hissed as Evan bounded up the steps and reached for the old golden doorknocker. Pietro covered his ears as a loud, ominous "boom!" resounded across the grounds, due to his friend's exuberant pounding.
"What are you kids doing here?" a low, gravelly voice demanded and a short, burly man stepped out from behind the dilapidating wood porch.
"Run!" Evan cried, jumping off the porch and taking off down the driveway to the front gate.
Pietro wasn't as lucky, when he turned to run the caretaker grabbed him by the collar of his wind jacket and spun him around.
"I'd better not see you kids here again, bub," the man growled before shoving Pietro towards the gate. Pietro hit the gravel and got up running, not caring about his skinned knee.
A Short Ride
Pietro followed Evan as they pedaled out of the development. Pietro watched as the tall maple trees seemed to pop up along the sides of the road, and the houses fade away.
"How far is it?" he asked Evan. They had been pedaling for a while now and the houses seemed to be a thing of the past now. They had been on an old back road for a few miles now.
"Just a little further!" Evan called as they turned into a private dirt road and came upon a huge cast iron gate.
"Whoa," Pietro breathed, staring past the gates at the long gravel driveway up to the enormous mansion. He pressed his face against the bars, staring in awe at the junglelike grounds. "What lives in there?" he asked, turning to Evan as his new friend climbed slowly up the iron gates.
"That's what we're going to find out," Evan assured him as he dropped to the other side of the gate. He gestured to Pietro and turned towards the house. "Come on, climb over."
Pietro chewed on the inside of his lip and looked around. The gates were covered in vines and moss and were getting rusty. The grounds were nearly overgrown with bushes and weeds. The mansion itself looked ready to fall down at any minute.
"Are you sure of this?" he asked nervously.
"Oh come on," Evan grumbled, unstrapping his and throwing it over the top of the gate. "The scary caretaker doesn't come till after dark, come on!"
Pietro gulped and grabbed onto the rusty bars. He hoisted himself up and swung his legs over the gate.
"Watch it!" Evan cautioned as Pietro dropped roughly to the ground on his side of the gate. He sat down quickly when he felt a bolt of pain shoot through his foot.
"Ouch, how do we get back?" he asked, rubbing his sore ankle.
"We climb back over," Evan stated simply, and he turned back to walk through the grounds and up the gravel driveway, swinging his arms and whistling softly.
Pietro grimaced and limped along after his new friend. The place looked spooky, especially since it was getting later in the day. The tall willow trees bordering the driveway looked sad and droopy in the failing light, the overgrown ferns tried to grab at your feet as you walked down the lane, and the dark green moss covering everything made it all the more scary.
"Are you sure we should be doing this?" he hissed as Evan bounded up the steps and reached for the old golden doorknocker. Pietro covered his ears as a loud, ominous "boom!" resounded across the grounds, due to his friend's exuberant pounding.
"What are you kids doing here?" a low, gravelly voice demanded and a short, burly man stepped out from behind the dilapidating wood porch.
"Run!" Evan cried, jumping off the porch and taking off down the driveway to the front gate.
Pietro wasn't as lucky, when he turned to run the caretaker grabbed him by the collar of his wind jacket and spun him around.
"I'd better not see you kids here again, bub," the man growled before shoving Pietro towards the gate. Pietro hit the gravel and got up running, not caring about his skinned knee.