The Body Under The Bridge
Derek Muk
Derek Muk is an ECHS junior. He has written just one other story
in FM, "Revenge", in Vol. 1 No. 4. - Editor
Life in high school can get to be a pain in the neck. That's especially
true when you get back bad term papers, homework, and tests. But
another factor that contributes to this is the amount of idiotic,
bullyish people that wander around.
I know just the people that fit that description.
One day, after my second period English class, Brian Janson and
his fish-eyed friend, Al Matheson, popped in front of me.
"Hey doofus brain Paul, what's up?" asked Brian.
"Leave me alone." I replied and walked down the hallway.
Then Al grabbed hold on my arm and said, "Listen Paul. Listen
to the man." He pointed to Brian.
"Now listen good Paully boy. I know of this great myth that's
been spreadin' around the school. It's about a body under the
Stonewall Bridge, out near Castro."
"Shut up, and get outta my way."
"No, you listen to da man. You listen veeeerry goooood boy" said
Al. His big fish eyes were really ugly, so I turned away.
"Ahhh, forget it Al. Idiot's never gonna listen to us. C'mon,
let's tell Fred. He might listen." And with that they sprinted
out of the hallway.
I knew they were idiots with low SAT scores, trying to make a
habit of retelling old folklore. But as I realized it, I remembered
recalling something of a body, something similar to what they
had just said. Yet I couldn't quite remember the exact details.
Anyway, I disregarded the information and continued through a
normal school day.
It was not until my Algebra class that someone raised the subject
about the body again. It was strange.
Ken Douglas, a nerd ball, said he had heard about the body too.
"Who told you?" I asked.
"My mother."
"Your mother?"
"Yeah, just two weeks ago. Said some dead body was under the Stonewall
Bridge. Really gruesome stuff, eh?"
"Yeah, sounds like to me. Hey, you want to check it out?"
"I don't know. It might not be a good idea, I mean you know, looking
for something like that. It could be dangerous" he said with bulging
eyes looking through thick glasses.
"You really think so? Oh c'mon, it couldn't be more than a joke.
I know how to get to the bridge."
"Well, I guess so. But we better be careful. Hey, let's call on
some other guys, might lessen the fears" he said smiling.
"Okay, I guess so. I'm a little scared myself. It's just strange.
I mean about this body. I started hearing about it a week ago.
Then some dumb kids went around and widened rumors. Anyway, you're
right, let's call on some people."
He nodded and we continued class.
I know any intelligent person would have ignored the rumors that
were spreading around the school, but we decided to continue our
journey to the bridge.
The next day, after our last period, a group of us met at the
entrance of the boys' gym. Most of the kids Ken and I gathered
were conventional horror addict types, trying to find out about
the latest scare.
We've had a lot of those lately, scares. First there was a rumor
of a werewolf stalking the community, then a case of a vampire,
and one about someone's deceased grandfather haunting the neighborhood.
It's whacky. But this latest incident seemed different. I mean,
it had been gossiped a lot in school and outside of school (although
my parents never spoke of it).
Ken went to the top of the gym's steps and spoke aloud to everyone.
"Everybody, listen. We're gonna be leaving pretty soon. But before
that, I just want to tell you to be careful when you get near
the bridge. I don't know about you, but I'm kinda scared about
this. I want you guys to stick near me, cuz I'm not comin' home
alone."
"Don't worry Ken, it's probably nothing. There are a lot of creeps
out there who just spread these rumors. They're probably not true.
C'mon let's go." I said.
The six of us went past the church and onto Stonewall road. From
there on, we would have to walk in a straight line until we reached
a big oak tree. When we got there, we would keep going for another
half mile and then we would see the bridge.
It was almost five when we reached the oak tree and, by that time,
some of us were getting tired and scared.
"It's getting late. I better go home" said Joe Brown.
"No, c'mon, we're almost there, just past this tree," I said.
Joe, Laurie, Bill, and Dan nodded and so did Ken.
I tried to take my mind off the body but I couldn't. It would
always surface when I was unaware of it, clogging my consciousness.
"Hey Ken, whose body do you think it is?" I asked.
He shrugged and said, "I dunno. Could be anybody's. This is getting
scary. Hold onto my arm, will ya?" Ken said nervously.
"Sure" I said, and looped my right arm around his left.
Later, we could see the bridge from a mile away.
The two lane road was surrounded by many trees, which lead to
the narrow stony bridge. We couldn't really see under it either,
because there were massive clumps of leaves and trees covering
each side of it. But we could see the small river that streaked
under it. It flowed left, toward some lake, along the tiny rock
beds made by time.
Along the sidewalk, we neared the bridge. Ken and I hesitated
before it. Dan and the others followed.
We were silent, just standing there unsure of what to do.
I grew quite nervous in that time, sweating slowly, although the
sky was accompanied by no sun.
"Let's all look" I said. Everyone nodded. We walked along the
dirt path to the right of the sidewalk, trying to spot anything
peculiar. Nothing. I sighed with relief. Ken looked at me and
at the others smiling.
"I told you there was nothing," I said.
"Scared the hell out of me," Laurie said.
"Well, time to go," Ken said turning.
"Yeah, gettin' kinda dark," Dan said.
"I know. It's gonna be a long walk back. Hey guys, you didn't
really believe the rumor, did you?" I asked.
"I don't know. Might have been true. But we really can't say,
because we didn't really get a close look under the bridge," Ken
said.
And with that remark, everyone looked at each other quizzically.
"I'm not lookin' under there," Joe said.
"Everybody," I said. They nodded, and we went slowly, at one pace,
down the dirt slope to the small river. The leaves crackled as
we stepped through them. And, all at once, we noticed something
really strange. Moving in closer to the right side of the bridge,
you could feel a slight breeze coming under the bridge.
"C'mon, I don't see anything. Now, everyone. Let's walk through
it and come back up the road from the other side. Okay?" I asked.
"Okay," they said.
Walking under the bridge made me feel more confident to overtake
the myth. I noticed nothing strange except weird holes on the
dirt near the crackle of the river. Stones were set neatly as
if someone had been here. Then, looking closer, I noticed a sleeping
bag under some leaves. Then, a snore!
As soon as that snore came, we ran out of there so fast, we almost
tripped along the rocks lined up against the edge.
Then, taking a deep breathe, hands on our knees, we slowly snuck
a look. The leaves slid off the bag as the occupant got up.
It was an old man in his sixties sleeping there. He smiled at
us with his dirt-polished face and said, "Hey kids, how you doin'?
Just another bum trying to find a place to sleep."
Copyright 1987 by Derek Muk. Unauthorized duplication,
posting, or publication is strictly prohibited.
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