It was particularly warm and bright outside for fall.
Summer lingered in the air, the smell of fresh cut grass would soon be replaced by the smell of fireplaces and an earlier nightfall. Gus could hear the distant voices of the other children, the screams and squeals of the girls being chased by the boys, everyone still giddy from excitement of the new playground in the park. Like they only get let loose once a year or something.
Childish, he thought…Gus always thought of himself as more grown up than all the other “kids.” He was just 11 years old, but just couldn’t seem to relate to the other kids his age. He would watch them sometimes, observing them, just to make sure that he didn’t behave as dumb and childish as them. He liked to be by himself a lot. Some kids thought he was strange, but he was liked at a distance by most of them. Gus found, once again, he was bored and decided to wander off down one of the many paths that led from the park. Not something his Mom would approve of, but he was already in trouble for one of his wandering stunts from last week…so off he went again.
Gus loved the long and winding paths and all the never-ending trails of discovery within them…ever since he could remember. He headed down one of his favorite trails. Blinded by the sun cracking through the trees…he closed his eyes for a moment, listening now to just the sounds of his shoes crunching the dirt beneath them. He found himself reflecting back to that one summer day, way back when he was a mere 8 years old. His mind drifted into the lessons he had learned that day, memories so vivid it gave him a little shiver.
That was the summer he had stayed with his Grandparents, who lived just a block away from him, while his parents were off on vacation. A summer he would not soon forget…
He had gotten lost in the forest of trees behind their house, following a trail of course. He had walked for what seemed like many miles to an 8 year old…until a house appeared through the trees. It looked so very old and creepy, like no one had lived there for years.
He walked closer to the decrepit old house and climbed the creaky old stairs, up to the porch. It made a lot of noise…for sure if someone was in there, they’d hear him. There were cobwebs all over, yet for some reason he had this weird feeling someone had recently been there. Never minding that feeling, he went to the window and peered through the cracked glass. There were candles everywhere, broken cupboards, and a small kitchen with an aging chair and table set.
Curiosity got the best of Gus; he had to see more. He went to the side of the house and peeked through the window. There was an old rocking chair set up in front of the fireplace; it had an old quilt lying across it. He continued to scan the room for a moment. Wait!What was that he saw? There was a trunk sitting next to the chair. No way. That was too much for Gus, he was going to pass out from anxiety if he didn’t get in that house right now! Gus’s logic…that trunk was meant for him. Had to be, or why would it be there?
Ok, so how to get in? He looked around, sweating with anticipation. Maybe a stick? A rock? Yes…a big rock right through the window! Here goes. Gus threw the rock as hard as he could. The crash was so loud, he was sure his Mom heard it! No way, don’t be stupid…she’s miles away, remember? He kicked the glass out of his way, knocked the rest out of the window and climbed in. Not quite as graceful as he would have liked, it would take weeks to heal the bruise on his head. After he brushed off his clothes and felt to make sure his head was in one piece, he took a better look around.
The house was creepy all right. There were lots of old, dusty books lining the walls, containers and jars filled with dried foods and such in the kitchen. Probably witch potions for spells or something…Gus’s logic at work again. A big pile of wood next to what looked like a closet…there were probably spiders in it! Totally creeped out by the thought of spiders, he turned to zero in on the trunk.
Ah, yes…the whole reason he invited himself in.
He stood for a moment, staring at it…wondering if it was possible for the bump on his head to be both numb and hurting all at the same time. He moved slowly towards it, it got bigger as he got closer. A rat scurried across the floor, and Gus screamed out loud, jumping back a few feet. His heart pounded out of his chest and he began to cry. Not a real cry, just a quiet one…two, maybe three tears for the sake of releasing the fear. He approached again. He got two feet away…when suddenly he heard a car.
A car!
Oh my God!
It’s probably the man who lives here!
Big, he’s got to be big!
Wood…he chopped the wood in the corner!
Ax…there’s an ax here!
Dead…I’m so dead!
Hide…I have to hide!
Gus ran to the trunk and opened it. Oh, sure…it’s empty! All this for nothing! No time to think about all that…Gus climbed into the trunk. This is just great. The treasure hunt of his life, turns out to be the end of his life…he was sure of it!
After what must have been a decade…he heard footsteps. Big footsteps! Then, he heard the sound of a doorknob turning.
Hey! Why didn’t I think of that? What a concept…using the front door, this will be added to Gus’s logical list of options. The big man entered. Footsteps…big footsteps across the floor, add to it the crackle of glass. Oh no…the window! Then a voice broke his panic…”Gus…” it shouted. Grandpa! The fear of dying now appropriately replaced by the fear of how much trouble he was about to be in.
Maybe I could just stay in this stupid old trunk; Gus thought…nobody knows I’m in here. Then Grandpa shouted, “Gus…I know you’re in here…!” So much for that idea!
The mounting fear seemed to get caught in his throat, and he realized he had not breathed since Grandpa’s boots walked on the broken glass. A very noisy exhale gave him away. Grandpa’s boots walked faster and louder towards the trunk, and he opened it.
It’s over for me, was all Gus could think about on the way back to the house. Gus mowed a lot of lawns that summer. His Mom said it help pay for the window he broke…in the house that Gus later found out belonged to a Great Uncle that still lived there!
Apparently Great Uncle Gus was out chopping more wood with a big ax! Gus was nearing the end of his favorite trail, after having reminisced over his first really big lesson in life. He decided now, that he would call his favorite trail “Memory Lane”. Curiosity got the best of him that summer.
Sometimes he can still feel that bump on his head…and although he knows it has been gone a long time, he also knows that anytime he feels like curiosity is about to pull him in, that bump seems to reappear as a friendly reminder.
As the voices of the children still playing in the park grew closer, he realized he had walked the whole path and managed not to get in any trouble at all. Just then, his friend Billy came up to him and asked “Hey Gus, where are you going…?” Gus smiled at him and said “Home…” And then added “…to mow the lawn!”
