TIMMY?
Nickie jumped up and held the lantern high over their heads. They
looked down into the clearing but for a long time the black night and
the screaming wind and rain obscured their vision. Skippy thought he
saw something moving but he wasn't sure.
Again a thin, piteous scream pierced the storm. _Nickie--Kid?_ Can't
you guys hear me? It's _me_--_Timmy_!"
"_Timmy!_" Skippy shouted. "What...."
"Listen," came the cry, "I wanta tell you guys ... that's why I come
back ... I'm hurt--I don't know how I found this place, honest!
Somethin' made my feet run this way so's I could tell you ... he's got
no heart ... he's...."
"We'll come down, Timmy--in front!" Skippy shouted. "Downstairs!"
"It won't do no good!" came the answer. "You can't get out unless he
leaves you--then beat it for your life!" There was a pause, then:
"Frost ... where's he?"
"He ain't here, Timmy!" Nickie cried, finding his voice. He swung the
lantern higher and then, for the first time, they could see the slight
form swaying down by the evergreen tree.
"I just come back to tell you." Timmy's voice was a heart-rending sob.
"He's what I told you ... it's a trick! He makes out somethin's wrong
with the car an' he makes me get behind the wheel n' tells me to step
on the gas an' come toward him. It's dark an' I see him standing there
up the road.... I don't know ... when I get most to him he jumps an'
it's a bridge.... I go right over in the car!" He groaned audibly.
"We gotta get out an' help you, Timmy!" Skippy cried.
"I'm goin' right away--you can't get out, you know you can't!" After a
pause, he cried: "Listen, it wasn't no accident--I hit my head on the
way down an' in the water when I come up I yelled an' I knew he was
standin' up on the bridge ... he wouldn't help me ... he just stood
waitin' for me to drown I But I didn't ... I grabbed a log an' pushed
myself up an' he didn't see me climb up...."
"Where's _he_?" Nickie called nervously.
"He was up there--on the bridge--when I sneaked away through the trees
... he acted like he was waitin' for a car to come along. I didn't meet
any ... anyhow, all I could think of was to come here an' tip you
off.... I was sick.... I slep' in the woods all day and ... I knew he
wouldn' be here--I knew he'd be lookin' in the lake for me....
_Listen!_"
The lantern swayed in Nickie's trembling hand. The light flickered and
sputtered with each fresh onslaught of the wind. Skippy held the top
bar and pressed his face into the opening, his heart beating like a
triphammer. There was a sound in the distance and the fear of what it
might be caused him to gulp with dismay.
"_It's a car!_" Timmy screamed. "A car!"
"What'd you come for, Timmy?" Nickie shouted frantically.
"_Run! Hide!_" Skippy was crying.
Timmy's slim form seemed to be swaying uncertainly. He took a few steps
nearer the great tree, acting as if he were bewildered.
Skippy no longer heard the sound and said so. Nickie agreed with him.
They cried down to Timmy to hurry--to run, but the boy looked up at
them vaguely and shrugged his shoulders mechanically.
"He's too sick--too hurt!" Skippy cried, pulling at Nickie's sleeve.
"He don't seem to move, he can't!"
The lantern seemed to be making a desperate effort to light up the
scene. Its rays struggled high over Nickie's head and shone down almost
brightly for a precious moment, down upon Timmy's upturned face.
He was smiling ... or did they imagine it? His regular features slowly
froze--froze into a horrified expression ... or were they imagining
that too? And that arm that stole out from behind the great
evergreen.... Suddenly, there was a muffled scream, a voice that
sounded like Timmy's.
Then the lantern light went out, leaving them in darkness.