Grave Rock: Cemetery Stones

Moving Back to Glenwood

Writing all this down after everything that happened is the first step. Eventually everything will come to light and end the darkness that swallowed my friends whole. Growing up you never think that some memories and some people are better left forgotten but it is the truth. I look back at everything that happened and moving back in with my parents was the start of it all. My parents were cool and gave me space but once you have lived on your own, it is hard to give that up. I wish I had stayed in the city even if it meant struggling.

The unexpected sort of hit me all at once. I lost my job and apartment all in the same month. My lease was ending but the rent was going up. I couldn't afford to stay there even with a job so it meant a reset. Going back home and trying to figure out my next move was all I could think to do. Time was a blur but it took about a month for things to begin to settle.

Glenwood was a quiet town full of all types of people and you wouldn't notice the size of it until you left there. A beautifully large collection of homes divided by poorly paved streets that had a lake in the center. I was lucky enough to have a friend help me get a job when I got back and I could even walk there. I didn't need a car in the city but the suburbs were different.

I would be working at the cafe inside 'Its A Book' bookstore. Missy Barrons was the manager of the entire place but the cafe ran on it's own little system. She offered me a management role but I wanted time to figure things out. I wasn't where I wanted to be both physically and mentally.

Missy was great and I had known her since third grade. She called me the Fart King back then but I also put a frog in her lunch box more than a few times. She was as tall as she was smart, which is to say very and she loved to read. A big fan of horror novels, Missy always claimed Stephen King was her favorite author. Her red hair and freckles reminded me of that little orphan cartoon. There aren't too many memories of her without her hair being perfectly curled.

The store used to be her grandmother's and now it was hers. They had since expanded and thus the new mini cafe. One day after work we decided to hit the mall and that was when we ran into Tye and Benji. The four of us used to hang out all the time in high school. I had thought Benji lived in Chicago but he recently moved back himself.

Benji Tanaka was now the gym teacher at our old junior high. He had always been fit but now he looked like he was carved from stone. As an adult he would stay with his grandparents in Japan during the summers and help around the house. Benji claimed that was why he stayed so fit but it only explained his perfect tan. I did a lot of housework and had a budding dad bod. Benji would catch the eye of people passing on the street.

Terence Marshall, who everyone called Tye, owned 'Tropical Subject'. It was a clothing and skate shop in the mall. His skateboarding skills only got better over the years. Now he owned his own little store that sold and fixed boards for a fair price. I forgot how breathtaking he was with his warm black skin and mesmerizingly dark eyes. lt was like old times hanging at the food court. Tye laughed and reminded us of the pranks we used to pull on the teachers.

There was this unspoken bond between us. Though we had drifted apart over the past ten years it felt like we had never stopped talking. The only people missing were Eden and Zoe. Eden Smith and Zoe Clark had dated since high school and now lived in Cherry Grove. Tye kept in contact with them and we all decided to meet up again. I was happy to see everyone but there was an odd thought in the back of my mind.

We had stopped talking for a reason. It had been so long and the group drifted it seemed in pieces. I kept in touch with Missy and Tye with Benji. It was like I had found an old sweater that had both good and bad memories. I wasn't sure it would fit me any longer but things changed a bit once we all got together.

Eden was just as bright and bubbly as she was as a child. She was now a pediatrician and loving it. Zoe had outgrown many things but band tshirts was not one of them. She was now a graphic designer and made merch for musicians or whoever was willing to pay. The two of them were still together and enjoying life. Eden's rich ebony skin seemed to sparkle when she spoke of Zoe.

Everything was great until Benji asked the question. "Do you still believe in ghosts?"

I hadn't really thought about it. I was so busy running Rainbow Place that I didn't really think about ghosts or that time way back when. Back when we were all just stupid juniors trying to impress the seniors. The night before and after we went to Elk Park Cemetery. I don't even remember if I answered the question.

Missy said she felt her store was haunted but also said it could be her grandmother watching over her. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I was suddenly aware of everyone around us. All the other people in the food court. It was as if they all started looking at us.

That feeling of heavy dread sunk in deep. My friends kept on talking but I did not hear them. I was lost in the white noise of fear and paranoia. It was a fog of dark thoughts unlocked by a single question.

Did I believe? Did what happen that night really happen? The people kept staring as I was flooded with the haunting feeling and itching memory of a night I had left years ago. It was an innocent question but these people and this place were the pieces to the puzzle I had left unfinished.

Was it just a bad night full of dumb decisions or was it a figment I longed to forget? The ghost of a moment that no longer existed continued to whisper in my ear. It wanted to be remembered. The static noise of the delusions grew louder.

I almost drowned in it until Tye pulled me out. His voice asking if I was ok was all I needed. It snapped me back to the moment. The six of us in the food court just like those moments years ago. He smiled that goofy smile and threw a chicken nugget at me.

Try as I might, those silent voices would echo out and awaken a well of memories I had forgotten. Not just the bad ones but the good ones too. They would all mix together into a mesh of old times and old feelings that would slowly untangle in my mind. The nightmares were just the start.