My body instantly froze up, and I couldn't move a muscle. It felt as if a snake had suddenly wrapped its long slithery body tightly around my frame and wouldn't let go. My eyes darted from side to side. Slowly I turned around, eyes shut tight. I was too afraid to see what was standing behind me. I slowly opened one eye, and then the other. I blinked a couple of times, just in case I was not seeing things clearly. There was nothing there.
"Ha ha ha," Andrew laughed from behind me.
I turned back to face him. I could feel the blood slowly boil from deep within me, and I felt like throwing my notebook at his head. "You jerk!" I held my book back in my arm, ready to throw it at him, but decided against doing it.
"You should have seen your face! It was like something out of a horror movie when the character knows they are about to die." He slapped his leg as he continued to laugh at me.
I was so angry with him that I turned back towards the insect exhibits without saying anything, and stormed off towards the entrance. Before he could get a word in, I had already disappeared through the doors and into the exhibit.
A million different eyes from a thousand different bugs and insects fell on me as I made my way around the different displays. I had a sick feeling that each and every one of them wanted to make me their dinner. I shivered as I locked eyes with a huge spider that sat up against the window of its glass enclosure. I was very thankful that each bug and insect was held captive in a glass box just like that spider. I continued to walk around the room, stopping only for a moment at each display to write down notes of what was on the other side of the glass. I couldn't help but smile, knowing that my summer was going to be saved. I threw my arm up into the air and pumped my fist around. The pen I was holding slipped from my clenched fist and fell to the floor, and the insect inside the container scurried backwards into one of the many bushes in its enclosure.
"Sorry," I said to it, even though I knew it had no idea what I was saying. I got down onto my hands and knees to pick my pen back up off the ground.
"What'ssss the matter?" a voice asked from behind me.
My heart skipped a beat as I froze in my crouched position. The voice sounded exactly like the voice of the man that had discovered us in the museum yesterday. Panic swept over my body like a blanket, and I did not know what to do. My eyes scanned the ground, and then I saw my pen. I picked it up in my left hand and held it in there like a weapon. I sure hoped that I did not need to use it. I slowly stood back up and turned to face the person who just asked the question. I let out a whoosh of air as the feeling of panic slipped off my body and onto the ground. Even though this person looked similar in size to the person with the hairy face that I saw last night, this old man had a neat hair cut, and a dark grey beard. All the hair on his head was in all the right places.
"Uh, nothing sir," I said. "I'm just here writing notes. I have a test next week on bugs, and I really need to study for it. I figured what better way to do so than come here."
The old man cocked his head to the side and eyed me carefully, as if trying to decide on something. "Wait. Were you here yesterday?"
The panic blanket that had just fallen off me moments ago suddenly wrapped itself back around me, and my heart started to race at a million miles an hour. Maybe it was him! I couldn't believe it. I took a few steps backwards until my back hit a glass enclosure. There was nowhere for me to go.
The old man stepped closer towards me. "Yes, I remember now. You were one of those kids that came on that field trip with your class. I thought I recognised you."
Goodbye panic blanket. "Oh, yeah…" was that escaped my throat. I was too shaken to say anything else.
"Well I hope you have enough notes jotted down in that notebook of yours. I wouldn't want you to come back here again in your own time to study for a test."
"I think I have enough for now."
"Good, because we close in five minutes."
I peered down at the watch on my wrist. It read eight fifty-five. I couldn't believe I was in here for such a long time. It only felt like I was in here for five minutes. I really hoped that I had enough notes for the test. More importantly, I hope Andrew had enough notes from his time in the plants and nature section too. There was no way I was going to spend my vacation at school!
"I guess I will get going now," I said to the man. He stepped aside and held out his arm, and I quickly moved passed him and out of the exhibit and into the foyer. Andrew was standing there with his hands on his hips.
"Dude! Where have you been? I have been waiting here for the last twenty minutes." Andrew tapped his foot repeatedly against the cold hard floor.
"Sorry, I totally lost track of the time. I think we should get out of here."
"You think? I have been waiting to do just that. Let's go kid."
As we made our way towards the exit, I felt a shape pain in the back of my neck, as if someone was burning it. I slapped at it and turned back, and stopped dead in my tracks. That man who I just met in the bugs exhibit was standing in the centre of the foyer were Andrew and I had just stood moments ago, and he was looking directly at me. His eyes were dark, and his stare was evil. For some strange reason, I could not turn away, and I started to feel dizzy. I started to walk back towards him when a hand came flying down on my shoulder, breaking our lock. I looked over my shoulder and at Andrew's hand and then at his face..
"Hey, come on kid, let's go!"
I shook my head and looked back to where the man was standing, but he was gone. Goosebumps ran up and down my arms as I turned and quickly followed Andrew out into the night.
I prayed that that would be the last time I saw that man ever again. Sadly, it wasn't.