Hey everyone one remember that new thing I did with the blog last week well I'm doing it again this week. I was able to get another story done in time two have Story Time back to back weeks and I hope everyone enjoys this story as much or more than last weeks. So open up the box and take a look inside!
Story Box:
So this story takes place in the same universe as last weeks story. My current plan is to get around ten stories that take place in this universe and attempt to get the collection published. With that being said I present to you all, To The Grave.
To The Grave
by Adam Bach
I walk into The Rosetta, a little
dive bar on the west end of town, I take a seat at the bar and signal to the
bartender. I order a whiskey, take a sip and set it down. I look at my watch,
7:05 PM. I glance up at the television and there is a baseball game on the
screen. Tampa is on top of New York but I really can’t muster up the interest.
I down the rest of my whiskey and order another, making sure to ask for the
Irish whiskey this time and not that Tennessee shit. I look at my watch again,
“He’s late.”
A rather young looking man with a
messenger bag walks into the bar. He has short brown hair and is of average
height and weight. You would never notice this man if you weren’t expecting
him. He walks up to me and annoyingly asks, “Excuse me are you the ancestor of
Arlo Jenkins I’m here to meet?” I take a swig of my whiskey before I reply,
“Yes.” He takes a seat at the bar and orders a light beer. He opens his bag and
pulls out a notebook and a pen. He places them on the bar and turns to me,
“Hello I’m Jason Ray.” He has his hand out, clearly looking for a handshake. I
glance over at him and take another swig of whiskey. Jason awkwardly retracts
his hand and starts his spiel, “I’m doing a story on Civil War figures for The Daily Historian, so I’m here to listen
to any stories or facts you want to share about your ancestor.” I glance up at
the television again; Tampa is still on top headed into the 9th. I
finish off my whiskey and place the glass on the bar. I finally turn and make
eye contact with the reporter, “Get ready to write.” Jason grabs his pen and
notebook. I order another whiskey and clear my throat.
“Captain Arlo Jenkins was a grizzly
man, with tangled black hair, and a beard that was starting to grey. The
Captain had fought proudly for the Confederate Army during the days of the
American Civil War. The War took its toll on Capt. Jenkins, and to say he came
out unscathed would be a foolish comment. The Captain lost the use of his left
eye during the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863, when rocky debris from a cannon
shot struck his face. He walked with a limp due to a bayonet wound on his right
leg he received in a battle during 1864. Arlo quickly earned a reputation among
the other Greycoats as the top marksmen in the Confederate Army, and was made a
member of the Confederate Secret Service. He was a man used to death, even
before his days in the War. He and his wife Prudence had many children. They
had their first child, Elise, in 1851. Henry was born in 1852, but passed away
two months later. They would birth two more boys in ’53 and ’55, but neither
would live past the age of four. Then, in March of 1856, Prudence gave birth to
their fourth boy. They would name him Edward. Edward was the first child of
Arlo and Prudence’s that shared her blonde hair and blue eyes. Prudence would
pass away three years later in 1859, devastating Arlo. Any good that was left
in the Memphis man’s heart died along with her.”
Jason interrupts my tale to order
another beer. I glance around the bar, and notice the decreased number of
people. The game must have ended. Jason reviews his notes and asks, “What were
his other two sons’ names?” I pause for a moment, “Arthur, and I believe Caleb.”
Jason reviews a bit more, “What did Prudence die of?” I finish my third whiskey
and smirk, “Dysentery.” I order another whiskey and turn to Jason, “May I get
back to the story so I can get out of here?” Jason flips the page on his notebook,
“Yes, please do.” I rub my eyes trying to remember my place. I let out a sigh
and continue.
“After the War in 1865, Arlo
returned to his Memphis home where his daughter Elise, now 14, and son Edward,
now 9 were under the care of his sister Elizabeth and her son Noah, who was 11.
He returned a dark, drunken man with a dastardly secret. After a nightmarish
year with his family, Arlo decided he would share his deep dark secret with his
son and nephew. Captain Arlo Jenkins, in the year 1864, became close friends
with a man who was friendly to the Confederate cause. This man was a renowned
stage actor by the name of John Wilkes Booth. Arlo told the boys that he
contracted Booth to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln a year later in 1865.
Noah was full of rage at what his Uncle had just told him, but knew he couldn’t
do anything about it. That is, until August of 1866, when the Captain finally
snapped. Arlo, after an argument with Elizabeth, brutally beat her to death
with a log. His son Edward tried to calm him down, but was permanently silenced
with one sharp blow from the log. He then turned his sights to his daughter
Elise. Capt. Jenkins gave her a hard shot to the head, breaking the neck of his
daughter. He then dropped the log and started unclasping his trousers. The sick
man was about to defile the daughter he just murdered. The sound of a rifle
echoed through the house. Arlo looked down and saw the blood start to stain the
front of his shirt. Arlo slowly turned around to find Noah aiming a rifle right
at him. The grizzled old man stared at the boy for a moment. He dropped to his
knees and a smile crossed his face and he said, “Nice shootin’ boy.” Arlo fell
to his face as the last breath of air escaped his mouth. He was finally
escaping all the death that had surrounded him.”
Jason finished writing in his
notebook, “Holy shit! This is the best story I’ve gotten so far.” Jason starts
laughing to himself, and it makes me sick. This kid doesn’t understand the path
that he’s going down. I look down at the bar and see my untouched fourth shot
of whiskey. I down the whiskey and grab my wallet. I hear Jason talking to
himself, but I don’t care enough to focus on what he’s saying. I thumb through
a couple of bills and pull them from my wallet. I place them on the bar and
turn to the kid, “I got your drinks too.” He looks up at me, “Thanks!” I get up
from the bar and start to head towards the door. Jason gets up and quickly
catches up with me, “I’m sorry, I forgot to get your name for the source.” I
place my hat on my head, “The name is Noah Jenkins.” I walk out the door as
Jason stood there frozen by my words. I would never see Jason Ray again.
I pull up to the cemetery as my
headlights break through the darkness. I switch off the car and grab a light out
of the glove compartment. I get out of my car and start to make my way towards
the back part of the graveyard. As I walk by all of the people that have been
laid to rest, I contemplate what I’m going to say. I get to the final row and
walk to the far right end. I stop in front of the third to last gravestone in
the row and I shine the light on the name, “Here lies Arlo Jenkins, may he rest
in pain.” I switch off the light and walk up to the tombstone, I close my eyes
and take a deep breath. When I open my eyes, I’m no longer in the cemetery. I’m
standing in the middle of a dark tunnel. I start to walk forward, and as I do
torches on both sides of the tunnel light up. At the end of the tunnel I reach
a big metal door with a golden dog head knocker in the middle of it. I knock
twice and the door opens.
I walk through the door, which leads
into a large room with a throne in the middle. As I approach, I hear the sound
of several dogs barking. I take another step and a flash of black darts at me.
The next thing I know, I’m on the ground and a three-headed dog is drowning me
as it licks my face. A deep voice calls off the attack, “Cerberus, enough!”
After the mutt retreats to his master, I return to my feet and wipe my face
with a sleeve. I approach the man on the throne, “I know we don’t get along
very well, but I met someone tonight that you should keep an eye on.” The man
in the chair looks up at me with his red eyes and smiles, “You’ve done an
excellent job, and although it’s been nice to see you down here again, you
really must be going. We will catch up another time.” I turn and start to head
towards the tunnel, but as I reach the door, I stop for a moment, “It was good
to see you too…Father.” I walk out the door and back into the tunnel. The red
eyed man looks on as Noah leaves the throne room. He stands and walks over to a
door on the far side of the room and peers into the window. Inside the room,
Captain Arlo Jenkins is suspended by chains. The red eyed man can see Arlo’s
mouth moving but doesn’t care to hear what he was saying. A light turns on in
the room revealing a cannon aimed straight at Arlo. The cannon’s fuse is lit, and
the red eyed man can see Arlo furiously attempting to escape his chains, but to
no avail. The cannon fires and makes direct impact with the Captain, blowing
him to pieces. Moments later the room resets as if nothing ever happened, and
the process starts again. The red eyed man turns around and walks over to a
fireplace. He stares into the fire. The reflection of the flames on his eyes
gives the appearance of burning embers and the red eyed man smiles.
The End
Final Thoughts:
Hey everyone so the other day on the Facebook page I did a post to see if anyone had any ideas on either Top 10 lists or other topics that you want me to address on a future blog. I'm always open to suggestions so please don't hesitate to ask. I really hope everyone enjoyed my story from last week Turn Off The Light! and that you enjoyed To The Grave this week.
As always you guys can reach me on the blog's Facebook page,
www.facebook.com/insidetheboxwithadambach, or on Twitter (@acbach27) or by email (acbach27@gmail.com).
Everyone Have A Great Weekend!!
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