THE DEAF BOY HEARD IT ALL (BOYXBOY)

SOUNDS GOOD (1)

What does laughter sound like? The uncontrollable kind that makes a person tilt their head back with their mouth hanging open, and their eyes shining with the purest kind of joy? What does it sound like when the laughter is so great they are left clenching their stomachs while bending over? An unrelenting joy, a pure happiness.

I wanted to know.

What does that sounds like?

I was playing in the woods in the back of my house. This area was considered a part of our property as well, though normally, I never came back here without my sister or one of the adults in the house keeping a watchful eye on me.

But today, I chased after my ball.

It seemed unnatural the way the ball continued to roll deeper and deeper into the woods. It stayed the same distance in front of me, no matter if I ran or walked.

I started to wonder how far I had gone, and wondered how much farther I would have to go.

The trees started to move closer together, cutting off the light from the sun. Looking up, I could only see a few rays. They seemed to stay on the ball like someone had turned a spotlight on and were following the blue Thor ball like a hawk.

Where the woods always this dark? Always this creepy?

I could hear the sounds of the woods around me. The buzz of insects, the chirps of birds, the rustle of leaves. The soft crunch my shoes made as they stepped over dead branches.

Biting my lip, I wondered if I should go back and get an adult to help me. But if I turn around now, I would never find my new ball again.

Harlow's new boyfriend, Jude, had bought me the ball for my birthday. I wasn't a fan of Thor but I did like the pretty blue color that the ball was. My mother always said I had to be thankful, and respectful, of my elders. She said that Jude didn't have to get me anything, but he had.

I should be happy for that and I was. I loved my new ball, and I wasn't going to part with it so soon.

The ball rolled into a clearing, breaking through the last line of trees shortly before I did. The sun seemed almost blinding after being in the dark woods for so long. It rolled on until it came to a stop at the base of a well.

My heart picked up when I saw the well.

There was nothing extraordinary about the well. It was made of gray stone just like any other well seen in pictures. There was no pully system of bucket and rope here, and rumor was the well had ran dry years ago.

The one strange thing about this well was the chains that wrapped around it. Thick iron rusting chains twisted around the base, and netted over the lip of the well's mouth.

This was the well my father was always warning me to stay away from. The number one rule in our house being, "the well is dangerous and you're to never go near it, Gunner," father would say.

All the grass near the well was brown and dead. There were no birds to be heard in this part of the forest, as if even the animals knew not to get too close. I've never actually seen the well before. I just knew it was somewhere on our property.

Father would never tell me where it was, he'd just remind me to stay away from it.

I flicked my tongue out, wetting my lips, as I looked at the ball. I wanted it, and I had followed it all the way out here. Going home without it seemed like a waste. But the well was dangerous, and honestly, it looked scary.