9 - Chapter Three - The Darkness

Three
The Darkness

   Doug and Randy came slowly forward and sat next to Peter in front of the man. He had crossed his legs, rested his pitchfork across his them, and now stared at the three of them with his yellow eyes. Peter looked closer at them and could now see that they were not necessarily yellow. They were more like clear glass and the yellow color danced around like fire.
   “I was killed a year ago,” the man said. “By the darkness.”
   “What is the darkness?” Randy asked.
   The man looked at him with his dancing, yellow eyes for a moment and then said, “That’s a bit hard to explain. I think it would be better if I tell you why I died first. That’s really more important anyhow.”
   “Okay,” Randy said. “So, why did you die?”
   “Because,” the man said, “I killed someone else.” He looked down at his hands as they gripped the pitchfork handle. Peter looked at his hands, noticing that they were as blackened and leathery looking as his face had been. “I did not mean to.” The man looked back up. “But it was my fault. I ran over a child playing in the street. I had been drinking and was not paying attention. And she just ran out in front of me. By the time I even realized what had happened it was over.
   “I didn’t stay around. I drove off. I knew I was going to go to jail. I drove away, leaving the child’s mother holding her in the street. I just ran.
   “I drove fast, and was drunk, and ended up crashed my car into a tree. I left it and just kept running. I ran off into the forest. I have no idea what I planned on doing. I only knew that I was in big trouble and had to get away. I just kept running.
   “Then, I came across a pumpkin patch. Not this one…” he gestured to the pumpkins around them. “But a pumpkin patch very similar to this one.
   “I don’t know if I meant to or not, but I fell asleep in that pumpkin patch…well, or passed out there. The point is, I woke up the next morning in the pumpkin patch. I could hardly remember how I got there. At first I was just confused. Then I remembered killing the girl.”
   “I briefly considered going back and turning myself in, but then decided it was too late. I was on the run now. I decided I had to eat something and I couldn’t risk going into a town or city. And there I was, sitting in the middle of a pumpkin patch.
   “So…” he paused for a moment. “I picked a pumpkin.”
   “The moment I did, I knew something was wrong. Everything started shaking and the day started turning dark. And then a man came. He looked much like I do now —” The man held up one of his leather hands before them. “He told me that I had to mind the pumpkin patch now, that his time was over, and that a new keeper was to be anointed. He tried to give me his pitchfork, but I wouldn’t take it. Instead I tried to run. He yelled at me to stop — warned me to not leave the pumpkin patch without the pitchfork. I didn’t believe him.
   “I ran away from the pumpkin patch and through the forest. And then the darkness came for me.”

end of 9