by BobA. Troutt
*****
Giggle Book Two
The House on Dark Hollow Road
Boom sounded the thunder; flash streaked the lightning. The rain fell hard as it beat down on the van as Bobo drove through the storm. He struggled to keep the van on the road. Bubba, who had driven all night and day, snored as he slept in the passenger’s seat.
Bobo and Bubba were good friends. They were on vacation, traveling across country. Bobo was tall and slinky; he was a little clumsy at times. He had long, blond, straight hair, with a shadow of a beard. He loved to wear baggy pants, a t-shirt and a ball cap that he wore backwards. He would not be caught without his black and white, high-top tennis shoes. Bubba was tall and slim. He had wavy black hair, a small mustache and wore wire rim glasses. He also loved to wear baggy pants, t-shirts and tennis shoes.
As the storm raged on, Bobo wondered what to do. He tried to wake Bubba, but he couldn’t. I have to do something, he thought, but what? Then unexpectedly, he came to a fork in the road. He stopped at the fork in the road and wondered if he should go left or right.
“Let’s see,” said Bobo. “Which way should I go? I know, I’ll flip a coin. Heads, I’ll go to the right and tails, I’ll go to the left.”
He carefully placed the coin on his thumb. He started to flip the coin into the air, but he dropped it.
“Oh, no!” he yelled. “I’ve lost it.”
He reached into his pocket for another coin, but his pocket was empty.
“What am I going to do now?” he mumbled.
He searched the van, but couldn’t find the coin. Boom went the thunder as the lightning flashed right in front of the van.
“Geez, that was close,” cried Bobo. “I’ve got to get out of here.”
He put the van in gear, punched down on the gas pedal and took the road to the left. When the lightning flashed again, it lit up the road sign; he was on Dark Hollow Road. There wasn’t a house anywhere in sight. Bobo drove on for miles and miles. It was hard for him to drive in the pouring rain and gusting winds. Suddenly, he saw a house up ahead. Should I stop? he thought. What should I do? All of a sudden Bobo slammed on the brakes; it sent the van into a skid. Finally, the van slid to a stop, waking Bubba.
“Bobo, what on earth are you doing?” yelled Bubba. “What is it?” Where are we?”
They both looked out the windshield and then at each other. The road had been washed out. Bobo tried to explain to Bubba what happened. He told him about the fork in the road and the decision he had to make. But, he had no idea where they were. All he knew was they were on Dark Hollow Road.
“It’s too far to go back to the fork in the road,” said Bubba. “Besides, the storm is too bad. Let’s run up to that house and see if anyone is at home.”
“Maybe we can stay there the rest of the night!” suggested Bobo.
“That’s a good idea. Let’s go for it,” shouted Bubba.
They jumped out of the van and raced to the house. The thunder roared and the lightning flashed as they approached the old house; it appeared to be abandoned. It was an old two story farmhouse. Some of the windows had been broken out, part of the roof had collapsed and the yard had grown up with weeds. The house was surrounded by an old fence that leaned almost to the ground.
“Look!” yelled Bobo. “I think I see a light on in the house.”
“You’re just imagining things,” cried Bubba. “No one lives here. It’s probably just the reflection from the lightning.”
Bobo looked again and the light was gone.
“I guess you’re right, Bubba,” he replied.
When they jumped upon the porch, it snapped and popped under their feet. Then suddenly, a mighty gust of wind blew across the porch and forced the door open. Cautiously, they stuck their heads in.
“Hello,” they called, “anyone home?”
All was quiet throughout the house; no one answered.
“We’ll spend the rest of the night here,” said Bubba. “Tomorrow we’ll head back to the fork in the road.”
They carefully looked around; there were a few pieces of furniture covered with sheets, dust and cobwebs. The house was filled with a musty odor and the repeated dripping from the leaking roof.
“I’m still tired and sleepy; I want to finish my nap,” said Bubba. “I’m going to sleep in the chair.”
“Okay,” replied Bobo. “I’ll sleep over here on the couch.”
Bubba went over and stretched out in the chair. It wasn’t long before he was asleep. Bobo lay on the couch and tried to go to sleep. The house was silent except for Bubba’s snoring. Suddenly, water started dripping on Bobo’s head. He turned this way and that. Unfortunately, no matter which way he turned, the dripping water still hit him. Bobo jumped to his feet and moved to another place; but, it dripped there to. Drip, drip, drip echoed throughout the old house. Finally, Bobo was able to find a place away from the leaks. Now, I can get some sleep, he thought. Bobo slowly closed his heavy eyes to get some sleep when he heard, tick-tock, tick-tock. He looked across the room at the grandfather clock. It had no face but it had two large eyes that appeared to be looking at him. He leaped to his feet and screamed, waking Bubba.
“What is it?” cried Bubba. “What is wrong?”
Bobo tried to explain to Bubba about the eyes on the grandfather clock. Bubba looked at the clock but didn’t see any eyes.
“It’s just your imagination, Bobo,” explained Bubba. “That’s all.”
“But, Bubba, I saw two large eyes,” cried Bobo. “I’m telling the truth, just like I saw the light on in the house when we first got here.”
“Come on, Bobo, it’s been a long night. Let’s get some rest. It will be morning soon.”
“But, Bubba, don’t you believe me?”
“Sure,” laughed Bubba as he fell back to sleep.
It wasn’t’ long before Bubba was sound to sleep. Bobo lay with his eyes wide open, looking around, when he heard footsteps upstairs. It sounded like someone was walking back and forth across the floor. Also, there was a loud screeching sound. Shakily, Bobo quietly got up and eased up the staircase. When he got halfway up the staircase, his foot fell through one of the steps.
“Ouch,” he quietly yelled under his breath.
He removed his foot and continued up the staircase. The stairs creaked and popped as he snuck up the staircase. When he reached the top of the staircase, he quickly turned to look around.
“Ouch!” he yelled when he hit his head on a low rafter.
Holding his head, he looked across the room. He saw three sets of eyes staring at him. Suddenly, the shutters banged against the window; it startled him. When the shutters banged again, the eyes quickly came toward him with a screechy and fluttery sound. The eyes quickly disappeared in the darkness.
Bobo screamed, “Ayiee,” as he turned and tumbled down the steps.
“What was that?” yelled Bubba as he awoke from the noise.
Bubba’s eyes searched the room to see where the racket was coming from. Bubba looked at the bottom of the staircase and saw Bobo lying on the floor, twisted and tangled in a ball. Bobo got up and tried to tell Bubba what had happened, but Bubba was not interested. He was tired of Bobo waking him up.
“Bobo, have you been walking in your sleep?” asked Bubba. “Go to bed!” Bubba demanded.
Carefully, Bubba eased back in his chair, closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. Bobo tried to go back to sleep, but the noise from the storm made it hard for him to close his eyes. The whole house was haunted with eerie sounds and Bubba’s snoring. The lightning flashed and ripped through the darkness of the old house. Bobo shook and trembled as he looked around the darkened room. He saw a large shadow with little eyes and a long tail sitting on the mantle above the fireplace. Bobo covered his head with his cover. The lightning flashed again and the thunder roared. Bobo slowly peeped out from under the cover to try to figure out what it was, b
ut the shadow was gone.
“Bub…ba is right,” mumbled Bobo. “It’s just my imagination, that’s all.”
The shutters continued to bang against the window upstairs; Bobo could still hear the fluttering and screeching sounds coming from upstairs. Bobo jumped up and tried to laugh it off. It’s just me, thought Bobo. I’ve got to get some sleep. I can barely hold my eyes open. The storm had begun to ease up so Bobo lay back down. He still couldn’t sleep because Bubba’s snoring echoed throughout the house and kept him awake. He twisted, turned, tossed and tumbled trying to go to sleep but he couldn’t. The storm had let up and Bubba had turned over on his side; all was quiet. Now for some sleep, thought Bobo. Just when he was about to close his eyes, he saw three sets of eyes, on the back of the couch, looking at him through the darkness.
He screamed, “Ayieee,” and jerked the cover over his head.
From under the cover, Bobo heard a fluttering sound and an awful screeching sound. Bobo never looked out from under the cover again. Finally, he fell asleep.
Slowly, Bubba turned over, stretched and yawned.
“Oh, me!” he said. “It’s time to get up.”
He got up and looked around the room. Bobo was still asleep, the sun was shining and it had stopped raining.
“It’s time to get up, Bobo,” shouted Bubba. “It’s a beautiful day and we have to get going.”
Bobo sit up and mumbled, “The house on Dark Hollow Road,” then he lay back down.
“Come on, Bobo. We don’t have all day,” urged Bubba. “We need to get back on the road.”
Bobo slowly got up and with his eyes half open, he stumbled to the van. When Bubba started out the door, he was suddenly startled by what he saw. An owl was roosting in the grandfather clock. He heard some more owls upstairs, flying around and screeching. Huh, thought Bubba. There is a family of owls living in this old house. Bubba closed the door of the old house, climbed into the van and drove off. Bobo slept in the passenger’s seat as Bubba drove on.
*****
Giggle Book One
Bobby A. Troutt is a southern writer who writes a variety of short stories and children’s books.
