A Thousand Paper Cranes
By Reiko Anne Nguyen
Date: July 28, 2009
Summary: Benny never thought he'd find another adventure quite like pickling the beast. Little did he know that freshman year would prove to be anything but ordinary. Varsity hazing trials, dead bodies, and town secrets are bound to be revealed.
Chapter 6: Another Squints Tale
"My grandfather was police chief back then, and
he told my dad, who told me, that a girl from the school
disappeared, and her body was never found..."
The first day of school had finally ended, and already Benny couldn't wait for the summer to arrive. Not only did the entire student bodyknow him as the idiot who got chased by a giant dog, but he also managed to collect a variety of new enemies. Something told him that keeping a low profile would be near impossible.
"So, this Mr. Mertle guy. What's he really like?" Janie asked Benny as they exited school grounds with Ham and Kenny in tow.
"Mr. Mertle's harmless," Benny answered Janie's question. "And so is Hercules. You've got nothin' to worry about, Janie."
"I didn't say I was worried."
Benny gave her a playful smirk. "You didn't have to say anything. I know you've always been kind of a panty waist—"
"Have not!"
"Have too!" Benny mimicked her. "You used to be scared of everything!"
"Can you blame me? Squints' stories were shockingly convincing."
"Convincing? I think you were just gullible. Remember when you spent a whole summer rubbing yourself with garlic? And all 'cause someone told you that old Mad Phelps was a vampire? Phew! You smelled so bad, people were convulsing around you."
Janie huffed in annoyance. "You're never going to let me live with that, are you? And if memory serves me right, YOU were the one who told me that rumor!"
Benny laughed again as Janie shoved him away from her side. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry about that, Janie. And don't worry about Mr. Mertle. He's totally harmless. And blind."
"Blind? You didn't tell me that!"
"Yeah, well, he was blinded by a stray ball that hit him when he was in the Negro Leagues. The guy spent twenty-seven years in the valley with no one but his line of dogs as company."
Janie nodded her head in understanding, suddenly sympathizing with the man she had feared since she was a small child. "I guess it's a good thing that he has you and the boys to talk to every week, right?"
"That's right," Benny said as he smiled and sloppily dropped an arm around Janie, pulling her closer to whisper in her ear. "Just be cool when you see him, okay? And besides, I'll be right here when you need me. By your side. Would I let something bad happen to you?"
Benny felt Janie shiver against his body, and he wondered if she felt cold.
"I trust you," she laughed a little too nervously. "With your brawn, right?"
Benny smiled in satisfaction at her response, and the two of them silently made their way towards James Mertle's home. When they arrived, they were greeted by the rest of the sandlot boys, who sat excitedly around a cluttered table.
It was strange not being in the same classes as all the other sandlot boys. Timmy, Bertram, Squints, and Yeah-Yeah were still in the 8th grade, and were probably enjoying their reign in the school now that Benny, Ham, and Kenny were gone. Smalls had skipped a grade, and so Tommy entered the 6th grade alone.
"Come join our circle, boys," Mr. Mertle said without turning his face away from the table. "We were just in the middle of talking about next week's first day of school when…" He stopped in mid-sentence and snapped his head towards the doorway, as if he were looking around, and then began to sniff. Even Hercules, that large mastiff that sat at his foot, lifted his nose in the air.
"Don't you kids have any manners?" Mr. Mertle said with a sly smile. "There's a lady in the room. Someone give her your seat."
Benny laughed under his breath as he watched the boys instantly spring up and clumsily offer Janie their seats—a gesture they definitely would not have cared to do had someone as admirable as Mr. Mertle not ordered them to.
"Mr. Mertle," Benny addressed the older man as he gently put his hands on Janie's shoulders. "This right here is—"
"Jane Reynolds, am I right?"
"You know me?" Janie asked curiously, although she was more curious about how he recognized her presence.
Mr. Mertle chuckled as he tried to face Janie. "I may not have been around a lady in a while, but I can still remember the fresh smell of powder and—" he sniffed the air in front of Janie. "Sweet pea?"
"Close," Janie said kindly. "It's freesia, sir." Mr. Mertle's face dropped at Janie's correction. He began to say something, but stopped and remained silent. At first, Benny thought Mr. Mertle was upset that he had made a mistake, but quickly shrugged it off as Mr. Mertle forced a smile and began chuckling.
"Well, you don't stink. That's the only scent I need in order to recognize the presence of a girl, especially with these smelly boys around." Benny laughed under his breath again as he watched a couple of the boys pull up their collars and sniff themselves. Mr. Mertle laughed too, as if he knew what was happening around him.
"As I was saying," he continued. "I've actually been wondering when Benny would bring you over. That boy talks about you more than he talks about baseball. Can't tell which one he loves more."
Benny turned red at Mr. Mertle's revealing piece of information, while some of the younger boys snickered under their breaths. He turned to Janie, who looked up at him with teasing eyes.
"I should hope he'd prioritize me more. After all, I was the one who introduced him to baseball."
Mr. Mertle chuckled again, but Benny had a gut feeling the man was feigning it, as if he were not enjoying himself. He thought hard, but couldn't seem to find a reason why Mr. Mertle would feel that way.
"So, ah, about school," Benny began as he tried to move the subject away from Janie. "High school sucks, yeah?"
"I'll bet," Squints whispered. "Did you hear about the ghost that haunts your baseball field?"
The boys groaned as Squints prepared to launch yet another tale about one of the town's mysteries.
"Squints, man," Yeah-yeah whined. "Not another one of your dumb stories. The last time we listened to you, we ended up wasting our time trying to get a baseball we could have easily asked Mr. Mertle to get for us."
Squints waved his arms in the air as he tried to quiet everyone down. "I'm serious about this one, you guys! Legend has it that the ghost of a teenage girl haunts the high school pitcher's mound. My grandfather was police chief back in the 20s. He told my dad, who told me, that a girl from the school was waiting for her fiance to show up. Rumor had it that they were supposed to run away that night and get married."
"Sounds bogus," Bertram snorted. But Squints shushed him and continued with his story.
"The girl's fiance showed up that night, but she was nowhere to be seen. Some say she just ran away by herself. Some say she was kidnapped. Either way, she disappeared, and her body was never found."
"Classic," Benny muttered. "Tragic love story turns sour as one of them disappears and never returns. It's typical."
"It's true." Squints said sternly. "If you don't believe me, go down the hill behind the baseball field. There's a monument dedicated to her. She really did disappear! Some people think she was kidnapped by hippies and sold to a freak circus where they mutilated her body and put her on display."
The boys cringed at the images that appeared in their minds as they thought of hippies taking captive a beautiful and innocent teenager. Benny and Janie, on the other hand, looked at each other and rolled their eyes. Hippies, or beatniks, were nearly nonexistent before the sixties. If anything, the story must have sprouted from Mrs. Palledorous' dislike towards the strange and freethinking social group.
"I'm telling you," Squints pushed further. "It's a true story. You know what my grandpa thought, though? He believed that the girl's fiance had something to do with her disappearance. Apparently, he was a pretty fishy character. He was—"
"HEY!" Mr. Mertle roared, causing Squints to immediately shut his mouth. "What kind of perverse game are you playing, boy?"
The room grew silent as shock became evident in the boys' faces.
"I'm—I'm not perverted," Squints said meekly. Benny would have laughed at the remark, had he not been so thrown off by Mr. Mertle's behavior. It wasn't like him to suddenly get angry.
"You need to stop making up such foolish stories, kid. Remember what happened the last time you started spouting nonsense? Sayin' I was some sort of grouch with a child-eating dog, didn't ya?"
Squints' eyes widened in embarrassment as he nodded his head slowly. "I—I gotta go," he said as he stood up from his seat and ran towards the back door.
"Yeah, yeah, I gotta go too."
"Me too, it's getting late. Let's go, Tommy."
Benny watched as all the boys filed out of the room, obviously afraid to stay any longer. The only ones that remained with him were Janie and Smalls—both of whom sat on the corner of their chairs, tilting away from Mr. Mertle.
Silence continued to fill the atmosphere as Benny looked at the older man. He looked as if his anger had subsided, but another emotion filled his face. He looked shaken, as if he had actually seen a ghost.
"Mr. Mertle," Benny said softly, afraid the man would suddenly throw another vicious comment. Instead, Mr. Mertle took a deep breath and stood up.
"I'm sorry for my outburst. Apologize to Squints and the rest of the boys for me, will you?"
Benny could only nod his head as Mr. Mertle pointed to the door.
"Now if you don't mind, I need some time for myself. Benny, son, you'll give your mom my regards, yes? And Ms. Reynolds, it was a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I hope my behavior today hasn't frightened you into never visiting again." Janie only patted Mr. Mertle's shoulder, unsure of how to respond appropriately, and followed Benny and Smalls out the door.
"Is Mr. Mertle always so…moody?" Janie asked as she and Benny walked home.
"No," Benny said as he replayed the events that had taken place in Mr. Mertle's house. "I've never seen him snap like that."
"Maybe he's just having a bad day like you are," Janie contemplated. But Benny remained silent, taking time to think for himself.
"Hey Janie? What are freesias?"
Janie shrugged. "They're flowers. I'm not sure what they look like, but they smell pretty good."
Benny paused in confusion. "I thought you liked lilies? And roses when you're sick. And daisies when you're sad."
Janie smiled as she linked her arm around Benny's. "It's amazing how well you know me."
"Please. I've only been your best friend since the first grade. What don't I know about you?"
Disclaimer: "The Sandlot" was written and directed by David M. Evans. I do not own anything related to the movie other than this fan written fiction and the original characters I have created through my own imagination. I assure you that this piece of work does not make any profits, nor will it be published in the future. Copyright infringement is not intended.