The Graveyard Girl

Chapter 8: Exploring at Night

Vermon found it very hard to sleep that night. The gargoyle statue played through her mind and kept her from sleeping. She sat up and looked toward her window. In her mind, perhaps the gargoyle was a sign. If not, it could be something worse. Around 11 PM, after Jacqueline had fallen asleep, Vermon slipped out into the night yet again. Her mother's warnings weren't a threat to her and she did not fear them.

With her flashlight in hand, Vermon walked down the streets, past the stores, past the old church, and into the town's graveyard. The cold air thickened around her as she entered, making her wish she had bought a coat instead of a jacket. She stopped and looked at the graves. So many souls buried underneath. So many lives taken too soon. And for what? Vermon would wonder. What was the point? To the left of her was a simple grave covered in moss and cobwebs. The gravestone read: Toby Wilson. 1965-200. Vermon set her flashlight on the ground and touched the dirt Toby lied under.

"Hello?" Vermon said.

"Who's there?"

"Vermon,"

"Weird name. Do I know you?"

"No. But I can speak to the dead."

Silence. "Are you there?" she asked.

"Go away," he said.

Weird. Vermon sat up and frowned. 'What a rude man," she said aloud. She then moved on to another grave that was shadowed by an angel statue. This one read: Olivia Peters. 1821-1836

"Hello?" Vermon said.

"Hello, Vermon."

"Wow!" Vermon said with a smile. "You know my name. How?"

"I was a fortune tell, and I predicted you a long time ago."

"Wow."

"And I'm glad I'm able to warn you now, Vermon."

"Warn me?" she asked. "Why? Warn me of what?"

"If you don't stop talking to the dead, there will be dire consequences," Olivia said. Right after she said that, a heavy breeze blew against Vermon's face, making it hard to breathe. She turned the other way until the wind stopped hitting her face. She removed her hand off of the dirt. A noise followed after the wind stopped, startling Vermon. It sounded like someone had scraped their sharp nails against one of the tombstones. It lasted for a few seconds, then stopped.

She turned and faced the directions the sounds. Something in the graveyard was moving. Too afraid to shine her flashlight at the shadowy thing, she turned around and attempted to leave. She stopped in her tracks when she heard a strange voice call her name. She turned around and shone her flashlight ahead of her. 

Standing completely out-of-place, swaying its arms the same way a person would wave at themselves when hot, was the gargoyle statue. Before Vermon could react, she felt a presence behind her. She could feel the hot air on her neck as if someone stood behind her breathing. She slowly turned her head around, positive someone was behind her.

Nothing.

 She quickly turned back towards the gargoyle, but it was gone. As she shone her flashlight around, she could see that the gargoyle sat in the same position it was when she first saw it, facing the sky. Vermon took a deep breath, then walked towards the gargoyle statue, curious for answers to the question she held.