The Horror in Smithville - Part EIGHT

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[caption id="attachment_2489" align="aligncenter" width="500"] The Horror in Smithville\[/caption]

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Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Just as promised, I have worked through the night, and most of this morning, to make sure I was able to publish the much anticipated (and slightly tardy) Part EIGHT – ‘The Horror in Smithville’! You know, My Dear Readers, I am really glad that I didn’t promise any particular; plot twists, character changes, plot lines or story lines prior to writing.

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“Why?” You may ask. Why, is because something happened as soon as I sat down at the keyboard. Something wonderful! You see, I couldn’t sleep last night, so about 2AM I turned on my computer and sat down to write. No sooner than I had picked up the story, where I had left the boys off, than the story took over my writing and they boys took the story! Yes, I was the person behind the keyboard, but it was the boys that took over the story and lead me by the nose.

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I really had not anticipated many of the events that transpire in the following pages. There is one whole scene that just appeared out of nothing! I had never thought about this scene, played out any of the dialogue prior to writing, or even imagined the scene it all took place in. One whole scene, out of thin air… out of the ether.

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Now, without further adieu I give you this week’s episode of ‘The Horror in Smithville’… ENJOY!

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Part Eight

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As Timmy went out to the barn, to milk the cows, Archer grabbed a basket and went to the chicken coup to rather eggs for breakfast. Archer liked gathering eggs for Mrs. Marref because when he brought them into the kitchen Mrs. Marref always asked Archer ‘What kind of eggs do you want for breakfast, this morning, Archer?’ With three men in the house, her asking him that question before any of the other men, made him feel very special indeed. Usually he would answer Mrs. Marref with ‘Sunny side up, with the yolks just runny enough to stick to my bread, but not runny enough they run off my plate!’

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Mrs. Marref always laughed at his answer; however, today Archer wanted the biggest pile of scrambled eggs she could make. Last night’s nocturnal adventure had left Archer starved and with a big yen for scrambled eggs. Archer had reached the chicken coup, and was gathering eggs, when his mind began to wander. Archer was very concerned with what he had seen on Timmy’s left hand, just before they left to do their chores. Timmy’s left hand was the one a zombie-wolf had taken a bite out of, during their battle in the dream world.

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Right before Timmy had put on his gloves, Archer spied the bite with the normal red irritation at the bite but a strange blackish color radiating out from the bite. They both had been moving so fast, to get their chores done in time for breakfast, that Archer didn’t have time to discuss what he saw… with Timmy. Archer had never seen blackish veins radiating out from any kind of inju7ry, before this day. He was almost sure that it had something to do with the source of the injury. With basket full of fresh eggs, Archer head into the kitchen to tell Mrs. Marref that he wanted scrambled eggs for breakfast, today.

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Timmy had noticed as soon as he woke up, the bite… and the blackish veins radiating out from the bite. Timmy had been bitten by; snakes, spiders, horses, and even goats. He had never seen blackish veins radiate out from a bite or wound. The reason for this was apparent, zombie-wolves were bound to carry some darkish poison not found in animals of this world. With a doctor visit out of the question, the real quandary remaining was just how to treat this wound. Timmy had planned to put some hydrogen peroxide, bandages, and triple antibiotic ointment in his backpack while getting ready for school.

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Regular first aid treatment might not cure the blackish veins, but it certainly wouldn’t hurt. Unfortunately for Timmy his father was in the barn, while he was milking the cows. That meant he had to keep his gloves on, while milking, for fear his father might walk over and see the other-worldly nature to the bite on his hand. The gloves made milking difficult enough, but the shooting burning pain was making milking nearly impossible. Timmy just redoubled his efforts with his right hand, and hurried to finish the milking in record time.

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As Timmy was walking towards the house, fresh milk in hand, Archer was head out of the house. Evidently Archer had completed his chore in the chicken coup early. Now they had the horses to brush down, and due to the drop in temperatures and the snow, the horses would need their blankets. Timmy signaled for Archer to come and help him carry the milk into the house. Archer came running up to Timmy with a worried look on his face, he spoke as soon as he was beside Timmy;

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“Hey Timmy… You ok? You look flushed. I saw the black marks on your hands…. Have you ever had that happen, before?”

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Timmy saw Archer speaking, his lips were moving, but for the life of him Timmy couldn’t hear or understand a single word he said. His vision blurred, his knees buckled and his hand started to let go of the milk buckets. Archer must have seen it in Timmy’s eyes, because just as Timmy lost his grip he grabbed the buckets from Timmy. Saving the family’s loss of spilt milk that freezing cold snowy morning. Archer guided Timmy into the kitchen, set the milk buckets down on the counter, and asked Mrs marref ‘how long before breakfast is ready to eat?’

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Mrs. Marref responded it would be about twenty to thirty minutes, to which Archer said he and Timmy would go and clean up for breakfast. Grabbing Timmy by his right arm, Archer guided him into the boy’s bathroom and shut the door behind them. As soon as the door was closed, and locked, behind them Archer pulled Timmy’s shirt off and started splashing Timmy’s face with hot water. Archer made the water as hot as he could, without risking scalding his face. That is all he needed, having to explain burns on Timmy’s face along with the freaky blackish veins running from the obvious dog bite on his hand. Archer was about two heart beats from genuine concern for Timmy’s health, when Timmy came to and shouted at Archer;

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“What the heck, Archer? Are you trying to burn my face off? Turn down the hot water before you burn me, k?”

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Even though it was his angry voice, for Archer it was good to hear Timmy speak. Archer wet a wash cloth and handed it to Timmy.

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“Wash off your face, Tim. Then… we need to do something about your left hand. That bite on your hand is obviously not normal. You have any ideas how we are going to conceal the bite… and those freakish black veins… at least until we get to school?”

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Timmy nodded, without speaking, he acknowledged he had a plan, then went back to washing his face in the sink. Archer went ahead and got ready to get into the shower. He ran the shower, until the water ran steamy hot, then took off his clothes and got into the shower. The steaming hot shower felt great on Archer’s tired, sore, and scratched up body. Until the hot water hit his body, Archer wasn’t fully aware of just how much of a beating he had taken during their nocturnal adventure. Archer washed his hair, then his face, and then as he was lathering up his body when he heard Timmy ask him a question.

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“Archer, how much longer you going to hog the shower, huh? (Timmy laughed, under his breath, and Archer knew he was just messing with him) You know, there are other guys that need to get clean before school, today sometime!”

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Archer laughed at that one and started rinsing off.

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“Step outside for a few, OK Timmy. I need to dry off, then the shower is all yous, k?”

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Timmy stepped out of the bathroom and into his bedroom, a move he would soon regret. The moment Timmy stepped into his bedroom, he knew something was wrong. It was freezing cold outside, that meant the heater was on inside. Why,, then, was he seeing his breath? No sooner had Timmy’s mind ventured to answer his quandary, than Timmy felt a bony hand on his right shoulder. He dared not to turn around and look, without looking he knew who was in his bedroom with him, and it sure as heck wasn’t Archer!

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A chill went up Timmy’s spine, then back down. He could feel his frigid breath on his right ear and he could smell his breath, sharp like fetid flesh and moldy. Timmy wasn’t about to turn around… not yet at least. Somehow ‘The Tall Man’ had found his way back to Timmy’s room. Timmy guessed he had been in there… waiting while he and Archer had been finishing up their chores. There just had to be a way to get away from ‘The Tall Man’ it was just a matter of how! Just as Timmy was wracking his brain with potential courses of actions… it spoke. His voice rumbled so deep, it made the walls of his bedroom treble and shake.

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“So, Timmy, you thought you could get away from me that easy, eh? Looks like you guessed wrong, doesn’t it? You and your little friend Archer… where is Archer? You thought you two could get away from me in the forest, right? WRONG!”

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Not only did the walls shake when he said that word, Timmy felt his insides shake that time.

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“I am not done with you, Timmy. Not done having fun with you or your klittle arrow shooting friend… not done by a long shot!’

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Archer just had to be done in the shower, by now. Maybe… just maybe if Archer came in… like, right now! It might break the hold ‘The Tall Man’ had on me. Timmy thought to himself. His hand ached something fierce! It throbbed and ached and burned all at the same time… where was Archer?

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“No, Timmy Marref, I am not done having fun with you two… there are many more games to play… and loose! You didn’t think I could find you, again, so soon? Did you? My, My dear little Timmy Marref, he has no idea just what he is up against, does he? We are going to spend many more nights together, Dear Timmy Marref. And, IF you loose? You and your little friend Archer… You will be spending the rest of eternity with me!”

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OK! THAT sent a major chill through his entire body. From head to feet, from fingers to toes, Timmy felt a deep chill all through his body. He wondered if he would ever feel warm, again. Just then, just as Timmy was resigning himself to a lifetime of chills, he heard it. The door knob, right behind Timmy’s back, turned… then jiggled. It was Archer! YES! About time, my stalwart friend! Now, get in here and chase this spooky freak out of my room!

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Archer had finished up getting ready for school. Hair, brushed. Teeth, brushed. Body, clean. Now, all that was left was eating some of Mrs. Marref’s wondrous scrambled eggs, and he and Timmy were off to school. Leaving the terrifying events of last night, far behind. It felt good to have the image of zombie-wolves slowly fading from his memory. Even the memory of the towering fright, ‘The Tall Man’ was slowly, but surely, leaving his head.

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Soon Archer’s head would be filled with; spelling words, math problems, and history dates and names. All much preferred to the sight of their math teacher’s body being torn asunder. A chill came of Archer, from his head to his feet… Something was wrong! Archer put down the brush, his hair was fine, made a quick exit from the bathroom and made a bee line to Timmy’s bedroom door. Before he could put his hand on the door knob a familiar voice wafted up from the kitchen. Carried on the smells of a wonderful breakfast, he heard Mrs. Marref’s voice call out to him…

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‘Archer is that you just now getting out of the bathroom? Tell Timmy to double-time his bathroom visit. Breakfast is nearly done, and I refuse to watch my boys as the eat cold scrambled eggs!”

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OK… freaky! Just how Mrs. Marref did that, he will never know, but he answered her;

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“Yes, Mrs. Marref, it’s me Archer. I will get Timmy in to the bathroom post-haste. I will make sure we are both down before you can say Rumplestiltskin!”

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He could heard Mrs. Marref laughing at what he said all the way up the stairs. Archer headed to Timmy’s bedroom, he had a very bad feeling. AS Archer grabbed the door knob, another chill run up, then down, his spine. He grabbed the knob, and turned. First, the door knob was freezing cold! Second, the knob refused to budge. Try as he might, Archer could not get the door knob to turn and allow him into Timmy’s room! He drew close to the door and whispered to Timmy inside.

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“ Timmy! It’s me, Archer… Let me in!” Just as Archer had spoken, he heard Timmy groan from inside the room. What was happening in there… Who was in the room with Timmy. Just as soon as Archer had wondered who… he knew exactly who was in the room with Timmy.

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Timmy felt ‘The Tall Man’ move right up against his right ear, as he whispered to Timmy.

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“You think you have it all figured out, don’t you? Thought you would loose me in the forest, and that would be that, right? WRONG! Now I can find you both anytime I want… One of my fury little friends took a bite out of your left hand, right Timmy?”

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As ‘The Tall Man’ spoke those words, as if by que, Timmy’s left hand suddenly burned and ached. His hand became the center of his universe, there was nothing else, as the pain increased in waves. Timmy fell to his knees and let out a pained groan.

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“What the heck do you want? Why torture me here… in my room? If you are ‘all powerful’ why come here and pick on me now?”

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No sooner had the words left Timmy’s mouth, than the pain doubled causing Timmy to moan, then groan again. Why was ‘The Tall Man’ causing him all this pain? Why was he visiting him in his room, again? What the heck was his reason? ‘The Tall Man’ lowered himself down beside Timmy as he sat on the floor of his bedroom. Timmy could feel his cold clammy skin against his right check. He smelled…. Like an arm of leg just after you take a cast off… that rancid icky smell of dead and dying flesh. Then ‘The Tall Man’ spoke, again.

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“WHY?! Why am I brings waves of pain to your hand? To prove something to you, Timmy. Now that one of my children has bitten you, I can find you anywhere. Reach out and cause you pain anywhere… anytime! You have seen the black veins, in your hand, correct? They will grow and grow, going further and further up your hand to your arm. Up your arm to your chest. Then…. Once in your chest these black fingers of pain will wrap around your heart! You think you are feeling pain, now?! (He laughed loudly in Timmy’s right ear, it was almost deafening) That is nothing compared to the pain you will feel when my fingers reach your heart!”

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Timmy was getting lightheaded… dizzy. His back to the door, he could hear Archer as he struggled to get into the bedroom. Good old Archer, fighting to get at my side, even knowing that ‘The Tall Man’ is at my side torturing me this moment. Now, that is a true friend. Timmy was fading out now, the waves of pain just too much for him to bear. Darkness was closing in, on Timmy, when “The Tall Man’ spoke his last.

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“I will leave you now, Timmy. Leave you and your little friend alone… until TONIGHT! I will see you, tonight, Timmy. You and Archer will be visiting me, tonight. So, come prepared for more fun and games. OK?”

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As darkness was taking Timmy down, he heard ‘The Tall Man’s’ laughter in his ears, then he was gone. The next thing Timmy knew was Archer pushing the door into the room, dragging Timmy’s limp body behind. He felt Archer sit down on the floor beside him, and grab his tortured hand in his. Then Timmy let the waves of pain and darkness take him.

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The very first thing Archer noticed, upon entering the room, was the terrible chill. The heating was working fine in the rest of the house, yet Timmy’s bedroom was as cold as a meat locker. The very next thing Archer noticed, was the smell. The room was filled with a noxious smell, like that of dead or dying flesh. It made Archer’s stomach do cartwheels. Archer sat there, holding Timmy’s limp and near lifeless body, wondering just how he was going to get him into the bathroom… then the shower. He really hoped Timmy awoke before he had to get him ready for the shower!

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Timmy was walking down the stairs, from his bedroom down into the living room. Archer was at his side, and as he rounded the corner into the living he saw it. A Christmas tree?! Yes, it was a Christmas tree and he and Archer were about half their height… It was Christmas about four years ago, and Timmy and Archer were eight. They both took up residence at the foot of the Christmas tree, and waited for Timmy’s father to come down the stairs and hand out… presents!

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As Timmy sat there, at the foot of his Christmas tree from four years ago, something was different. Timmy so wanted to just sit and enjoy the company of Archer, at eight, and shake presents in anticipation of opening the gifts he and Archer enjoyed for years to come, yet something was wrong. Timmy scanned to whole living room, from the stairwell to the left, to the entrance to the kitchen, to the right… hang on… right before the archway leading to the kitchen… something was there… in the corner. Something dark… and tall was… standing in the darkened corner leading to the kitchen. Why didn’t anyone else see it?

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Timmy got up from his post, at the foot of the Christmas tree, and slowly made his way over to the entrance to the kitchen. As he walked… he could have sworn… he saw a shimmer. Like something dressed in shadows… shifting its weight on its legs. A chill went up Timmy’s spine, then back down it… again? Archer was calling out to Timmy, beckoning him to rejoin him in his vigil at the Christmas tree. “Your father will be here any moment, come back over… we’re going to open presents!”

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It was Archer’s voice… it sounded like Archer… but something was wrong. Something was wrong about all of this… memory? Timmy had made his way over to the corner… the corner beside the entrance leading to the kitchen. Hang on… WHY? Why was there a corner here? There never had been, before. As Timmy made the final few steps, approaching the shimmering corner by the kitchen. Timmy was struck by two things. First, there was a terrible smell coming from the shimmering corner by the kitchen. What was that smell? It smelled like rotted ground beef in a garbage can.

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The next thing that Timmy noticed was… the cold! With every step closer to the shimmering corner leading to the kitchen, the temperature in the room dropped by several degrees. Now that he was standing, almost, right beside the shimmering corner, the air was so cold that his breath was making little clouds of smoke. This was very odd. The heating was working in the rest of the house. His room was warm. The stairs were warm. Over by the Christmas tree, where Archer still sat vigil, was warm. However, the closer he got to the stinking shimmering corner, the colder it felt. SO cold… it made Timmy shiver.

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Timmy was now standing right beside the shimmering stinking corner, and he thought he could make out a form. A tall dark and stinking form stood in the corner leading to the kitchen. Suddenly, it came to Timmy! What was standing in the freezing stinking shimmering corner by the kitchen, that was never there before. It was ‘The Tall Man’! Just as Timmy realized who was watching, the whole room faded into darkness. ‘The Tall Man’ laughed a deep and gravely laugh that shook in Timmy’s bones.

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“Little Timmy remembering a fun-filled Christmas with Family and friends? (Laughing more and more) Nope, not going to happen little Timmy! Now, go BACK! Back to your room. Back to your pain… and fear… and doubt!”

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‘The Tall Man’ reached up and tweaked Timmy’s nose between two fingers, knocking Timmy back on his heels and down to sitting. He tweaked his nose so hard that it knocked Timmy on to his butt… and back to our world.

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Timmy’s body shook and convulsed in Archer’s arms. He sat straight up like a steel bar had been shoved into his back. Sat straight up and gasped! Gasped like he had been deprived of air in his lungs for several moments. When Timmy, finally, caught his breath he turned his face up to Archer and spoke.

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“What the heck just happened, Archer?” Timmy pulled himself out of Archer’s grasp and sat up on his own. Timmy shivered, then he remembered.

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“Archer, did you see HIM? He was here, right here in my room… ‘The Tall man’… was right HERE!”

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Now Archer had a chill run up his spine, then back down again. Archer sat there and took in what Timmy went on to tell him. Tell him how ‘The Tall Man’ had been in the room. How he had told Timmy the bite, on his hand, would reach and grip his heart. Listened as Timmy spun the tale of the adventure he had, it what seemed to be hours, but was only a matter of minutes. Then, then Archer spoke.

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“OK, Timmy, I am thoroughly freaked out… and it seems that no place is safe. Yet, you haven’t had a shower... yet… and you really need to take a shower. Next, your Mom told me, ten minutes ago, that breakfast would be ready in must a few minutes. Finally? The bus will be at your front gate in about thirty minutes! You can tell me more about what happened… during homeroom… Now you need to get showered, dressed for school and downstairs and get some food into you… I have a feeling we are going to need all the energy we can get from a full meal!”

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With that Timmy got his school clothes together, headed into the bathroom and took a quick shower. Archer sat in the bedroom, waiting, for Timmy to get out so they can go down and eat breakfast. Archer had a bad feeling about the coming day. If the two worlds continued to overlap… If ‘The Tall Man’ was able to appear anywhere he wanted in this world? Where could they find safety? Just as Timmy came back into the room ready to head down for breakfast, it occurred to Archer. Archer realized… They needed HELP!

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If he and Timmy were going to weather this… journey. They were going to need someone to help. Thing of it was? Archer knew… Knew that if they told anyone they would end up in the county hospital. Archer didn’t think Timmy had thought ahead this far, yet. Archer would keep this realization to himself, for the time being. But, soon soon, he would have to tell Timmy what he had already realized.

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They both headed down the stairs to enjoy one of Mrs. Marref’s infamous breakfast feasts. Yet, today… today it just didn’t feel the same. Oh, Archer ate his full of; scrambled eggs, fresh biscuits, pancakes and syrup and orange juice. By the time they had eaten their fill, the sound of the horn on the bus sounded outside the front door.

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Timmy and Archer scooped up their school books and finished homework and ran fro the front door. Ran into the cold and the snow. Ran to meet the destiny that awaited them… at school.

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END Part Eight!

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That brings us to the end of this week’s episode, My Dear Readers. Next week (I think) we will end up at the school. Spend a day in classes with the boys, and there might be a bully… and an all new character. However, like I told you in the introduction… I simply cannot promise you anything. For, just as soon as I promise something… I will go to the keyboard and the boys will take over and I have no control over the story.

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I hope that everyone enjoyed today’s tale. I look forward to writing and sharing more and more of the adventures of the boys; Timmy and Archer. I hope to see you here, tomorrow, for a yet unwritten article. Until then….

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Adieu!

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Thank YOU!

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http://www.ebay.com/usr/enzomatrixlt

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[caption id="attachment_2866" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Danny Hanning of The Other Shoe - May 6th, 2014[/caption]

The Horror in Smithville - Part Five

[caption id="attachment_2489" align="aligncenter" width="500"] The Horror in Smithville - Part Five[/caption]

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Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. Today is Thursday so that means it is time for another episode of ‘The Horror in Smithville’. This brings us up to the Fifth episode of this thrilling piece of homespun literature. Now, if you have not read the previous four episodes? I strongly suggest that you go back, and do just that, read the previous four episodes.

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Today, I am going to do something a little different with this episode. Looking back, at Part Four, I realized that (in my haste to publish) I left out a very important scene. That will happen with an episodic story which is written then published on-the-fly as this one… is. Therefore, I have taken the liberty to backtrack about a half a page. So, the first couple of paragraphs… just might seem familiar.

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Familiar because you would have read… some… part… of what you are reading, last week. However, I strongly suggest that you go ahead and read it… over again. Reason? There is a very important… moment… meeting that takes place, today, that should have last week. That’s right, today’s revision includes an all new character. Having said, you will want this first impression of this… critical character.

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Now, with that said and done, I leave you with ‘Part Five – The Horror in Smithville’.

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ENJOY!

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Part Five

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Standing there, Timmy felt a cool breeze passing under the door. Now, he knew that he and Archer had kept the window in his bedroom closed. As hard as it was raining, outside, an open window would have drenched the bed and sleeping bag. He leaned over to the right, slightly, looking at the space between the bottom of the door and the sill below. Sure enough, there was a light on in the room. It was lighter that what his ‘Adventures of Princess Nadia’ nightlight created, too. Timmy screwed up his courage, wrapped his hand around the doorknob, and turned the knob.

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As Timmy opened the door, air whooshed out and bathed him in a cold breeze. Just as the breeze blew past Timmy another chill ran up, and then back down, his spine. Timmy didn’t think he had hair on his back, yet, but it sure felt like someone’s hair was standing up on the back of his neck. Timmy leaned into the room, not stepping in, just enough to look around the door into his bedroom. First he saw that, yes, the overhead light was on in the room. Panning from the far left of the room, to the right, he next saw that, yes, the window was somehow open. His glance next feel in the space between his bed and Archer’s sleeping bag.

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At first, he thought that it was just a shadow in the room. The curtain, with the help of the breeze, causing a shadow to form… somehow. That or perhaps the curtain flew up and blocked his view. Then it formed in his vision. Like black smoke condensing and taking form, right before his eyes. It was tall! I mean really really TALL. This was the kind of tall where the person actually has to stoop over in order for him to walk in a door, or pass through a doorway. The blackness formed more clearly and Timmy saw that the figure had a black hat, on his head.

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It was one of those stovepipe hats, like what President Lincoln wore. There was dark curly hair protruding out form beneath the black… felt or what was this material. Timmy kept trying to get the hat in focus, but the hat was not cooperating. It was as if the hat, itself, kept forming and unforming. Or, the material that the hat was made from was… moving. This realization sent another chill right through Timmy. It was as if the blood in his veins had turned into ice water. His blood was replaced with ice water at the sight of this… man?

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Timmy’s eyes moved down the figure’s frame, from his head down to his shoulders. Timmy was sure that, whatever he was wearing was deep black. Again, his clothes just kept… changing? Moving? It was almost as if this person was dressed in shadows and only his height and width could be seen clearly. Just as Timmy’s eyes were making their way down his frame… Timmy could have sworn he heard… laughter. He looked back up, towards the figure’s head. His (yes, Timmy was sure from the cut of the jacket and the hat on its head, whatever this was… it was a male) shoulder’s, Timmy could clearly see, his shoulders were bobbing up and down. Just like when a person is laughing, like, really hard or deep.

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Then, Timmy heard the laugh. It wasn’t so much a ha-ha laugh. It was deeper and had a gravel-ish quality. Like small rocks… gravel, or bones bouncing in a hollow stone, box. The laugh part… echoed. Timmy had a small-ish room, and the walls were mostly covered with posters. There wasn’t an echo, in his room, that he had ever heard. Yet this Tall Man had a course and deep laughs that echoed in Timmy’s tiny room. Now Timmy’s icy blood was moving rapidly through his veins.

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His arms and face, exposed to the cold air coming in through the window, were chilled to the bone. His breath formed small clouds, when he let his breath out. The man was, still, laughing… almost silent. Then Timmy could have sworn he heard him… speak. It was only one word. His back was squarely facing Timmy and the word spoken between bouts of ominous laughter. The ‘Tall Man’ did not turn to speak. He did not say his name, nor did his hands make any movement. All Timmy, thought, he heard was one word.

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“Beware.”

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The word, spoken in a raspy yet deep and rumbling, voice. This ‘Tall Man’ had an almost ‘Caretaker’ appearance. Like the man that comes to pick up the body of a loved one, when they pass away. The gravely laughter, the raspy and deep rumbling voice. The clothing, and hat, that seemed to be made of shadows and smoke. Timmy was trying his best to focus… and remember. Rememberall of these characteristics when the man… Well, the “Tall Man’. When ‘The Tall Man’ just began to turn intosmoke.

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Slowly the breeze coming in through the window swirled smoke around the ‘Tall Man’… as he became undone. First went his ‘Stovepipe’ hat, into wisps of black smoke and then out the window. Then went his curly locks of deep dark hair, into wisps of smoke… then out the window went this dark smudgy smoke. Then his shoulders, slowly caught up in the breeze, they turned into wisps of black smoke. Wisps of black, dark, smoke that went lofting out the bedroom window. Then his chest and torso dissipated, slowly turning from solid form into wisps of black smoke, too, leaving out the window.

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Finally, his waist and legs and… yes, black boots? (Timmy couldn’t really tell… they could have been boots… or they could have been… hooves) Theyall shifted, dissipated, and then turned into wisps of black smoke lofted out of the bedroom. Out of the bedroom and out through the open bedroom window. When the last wisp of black smoke made its way, out the bedroom window, the window… slowly… closed.

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All by itself, without a single sound, it closed. Timmy was shaking from his head to his toes. He was so chilled… and frightened, that his teeth were chattering, too. Then, just as soon as the window shut? The light, in the room, went out. All by itself. Just then Timmy felt something pushing him. Something was pushing against his chest. First lightly, then with greater force it pushed Timmy out of his bedroom doorway. Then, to his amazement, the door… too, shut. All by itself. A shudder went up and down Timmy’s spine.

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“Archer, what did you see, just now?”

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Much to Archer’s confusion, Timmy turned around and shut the bedroom door behind him. Archer thought that they were headed into the bedroom, and quickly too so they didn’t get caught! When Timmy turned around Archer was struck by two things; first Timmy was as white as a sheet. Second, Timmy was shaking from his head to his toes! Just as soon as Archer had processed that information, Timmy asked the strangest question. ‘What did you see…?”

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All Archer had seen was Timmy open the bedroom door, stand in the doorway for a few seconds, and turn his head from left to right. Archer had figured that Timmy was just checking the room to see if one of his parents had gone into the room… or something. It took Archer by complete surprise when Timmy closed the bedroom door, turned around and asked his silly question. So, Archer decided he was going to getTimmy into the bedroom. Then Timmy could ask all the silly and/or crazy questions he wanted. Archer responded firmly;

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“Timmy, I didn’t see anything… now be quiet… open the door… and let’s get inside your bedroom before one of you parents catches us out here and grounds us BOTH!”

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Not sure if it was the firmness of his voice, or the words he chose, Timmy seemed to snap out of his daze, some. He turned around and opened the door to the bedroom. Again, Timmy looked around, before stepping into the room. Yet, this time Timmy actually went into the bedroom. Archer was right on Timmy’s heels, as he went into the bedroom, and he closed the door silently behind them both. With their backs to the door, they both slid down the door and sat on the floor. Archer was the first to speak.

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“Timmy… WHAT happened to you? You are as white as your sheets… You are shaking ALL over… and you look frozen!”

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Archer reaches over and carefully touches Timmy’s closest arm to him, his right arm. It is cold to the touch. He reaches over Timmy and touches his left arm. It, too, is cold to the touch… and they both have goose bumps on them, too. Archer gently puts his fingers under Timmy’s chin, slowly turning his face towards Archer. Sure enough, Timmy’s pupils are as big as dinner plates. Something scared the punk out of Timmy, and that wasn’t easy from what Archer knew. Cold skin on both arms, goose bumps on both, shaking all over and eyes the size of dinner plates. If Archer hadn’t known better he would think that Timmy had seen a ghost!

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Archer sat there, in complete silence, and waited for Timmy to; speak, laugh, cry, yell, do something. They had been sitting there for, about, five minutes when Archer let out one of his infamous burps. Archer was so good at burping; he was the very first of his grade to actually speak in burps. This time, he didn’t say anything but it must have been just enough of perfectly timed. Just as soon as the burp quit resounding in Archer’s gut, Timmy began to laugh.

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Archer quickly joined in, and before either of them realized it, they were laughing and rolling on the carpet. Suddenly Timmy put his hand over his mouth and the other over Archer’s mouth. Then, for the first time since they came up the stairs, Timmy spoke.

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“Archer, now I want you to be completely truthful… OK? Don’t, like, lie to make me feel better or anything. I can count on you to do that, right?”

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Timmy knew the answer to that question even before asking, but Archer answered anyway.

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“Of course, Timmy, you know that I would never lie to you. Not even to spare your feelings… not for any reason. Timmy… you look like you just saw a ghost or something. You have goose bumps, you arms… both of them, are cold as ice and your eyes are as big as dinner plates. Whatever happened, when you stuck your head into the bedroom, you can talk to me… ask me questions… anything!”

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Timmy was very comforted by Archer’s words. As well, he felt comforted by one thing he did say. Archer said that his arms were cold! Timmy looked up at the window. Right now, it was closed… tight. But, had they remained closed, while they were in the kitchen… while they are blueberry cobbler and while they made their way back up stairs and into the room? How the heck did his arms, both of them, get cold? This was turning into a mystery… and nothing more kept these two boys up, late at night, like a mystery.

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“Archer, when we came up the stairs, did you… at any point… see light under my door? At any time, since we left the room, coming down the stairs, or coming back up did you see any more light than what is thrown off by my ‘The Adventures of Princess Nadia” nightlight?”

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Archer and Timmy were both going to be teenagers in a matter of months. You would think that having a nightlight would be… something Archer would kid Timmy about. Thing of it was? Both Timmy and Archer loved ‘The Adventures of Princess Nadia’… the books… the movies that it was not only ‘OK’ to have a nightlight based on the stories, it was considered cool.

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“No, Timmy, there was no light from anywhere once we got up the stairs. I looked hard under your door… and under your parents. I was scared to death… that whatever was going on with you… we were going to get busted. Glad that you stayed quiet. Timmy.”

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Timmy spoke

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“It wasn’t easy Archer… not easy at all. Archer, I am going to tell you… what happened, when I opened the door. Now, no matter what you think… you have to know I am telling you the truth. I saw what I saw… “

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After the ‘nightmare’ they both just sharedArcher’s mind was open to pretty much any tale Timmy could tell. For whatever reason, every since he and Timmy had decided to make going to this Haunted House such a major priority, things got weird. It was time to get up off the floor, before Timmy explained what had happened.

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“OK, Timmy, but first let’s get up off the floor. You have a better chance of warming up sitting in bed.”

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Then they both got up and got in bed. Timmy stopped Archer from getting into the sleeping bad saying;

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“Hey, Archer, why don’t you sit up here, with me, for a few minutes? That way when we talk, I can actually see that you have a face.”

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Archer laughed, climbed up in Timmy’s bed, and put his bathrobe over his feet to keep them warm. He looked up at Timmy and thought… ‘It’s really nice to see his face, again. It’s really nice to have a face, again.’

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They both just sat there, looking at one another, for a couple of minutes. Timmy got under his sheets and blankets, to keep them warm. The lightening struck, and the room filled with a wash of white light. Both boys began to count.

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“One Mississippi… Two Mississippi… Three Mississippi…” Thunder breaks their count. Then Archer speaks.

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‘Funny, the storm seems to be kind of parked over town. It hasn’t moved in more than an hour, has it?”

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Archer was right and Timmy though he knew why the storm hadn’t moved. The storm had brought something with it, or… something had brought the storm to town with… it! The time had come for Timmy to tell Archer everything he had seen… and heard standing in the doorway. One of two things would happen; Archer would think Timmy was just spinning a yarn to try and scare him, or Archer would believe Timmy and end up as frightened. Timmy honestly thought Archer would believe him. There was no reason for Timmy to lie, and Archer had felt his freezing arms right after. Well, here goes nothing!

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Timmy started by telling Archer that he saw the light on in his room, from under the door. He explained why he left Archer standing in the hallway; he didn’t know why the light was on in his room. Archer sat hanging on Timmy’s every word. Timmy explained how, when he opened the door, it appeared to him the overhead light was on. The room was freezing, the window was open and the curtain was flapping in the cold breeze.

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Then Timmy told Archer how he had thought he saw… a shadow. How the shadow had taken form, like smoke forming into a person. Then Timmy described ‘The Tall Man’ to Archer. Explained how the stovepipe hat… seemed to be constantly moving. How this ‘man’ was somehow clothed in shadows and difficult to see. Archer intently listened, as he pulled his knees up close to his chest, wrapping his bathrobe around him tightly. Now, Timmy described the laughter. How deep and gravely it sounded, like rocks or bones shifting in a stone… box.

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Now Timmy could see that it was Archer’s eyes, that were as big as dinner plates, and Timmy saw it clearly. Best to just tell the rest and let it be done. Timmy explained how The Tall Man’s laughter faded into a rumbling warning. The single word, “Beware”, which was spoken. Then, Timmy did his best to explain how a more than six foot tall man, just disappeared into wisps of smoke. How the smoke drifted out the open window. How the window shut, all on its own. Last, he told Archer how it felt like someone had pushed him out of his own bedroom, shutting the door in front of him.

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When Timmy had finished explaining… telling his tale to Archer, they both just sat there on the bed. Sat there, for what felt like forever, not saying a single word to each other. There silence as broken by another flash of light that filled the room with an eerie glow. Before either could acknowledge the lightning flash, Crack! The sound of a thunderclap filled the room, and both boys jumped nearly out of their skins. As the light in the room faded, back to normal, their eyes met.

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Both were shaking, and it was not from the cold, either. Timmy pulled his sheets and blanket up tight around his neck, and motioned for Archer to climb up beside him. This was no normal circumstance, so Archer put bravado aside, and climbed in the bed and under the sheets and blanket. He grabbed one of Timmy’s pillows, from behind his head. Timmy hardly noticed, and just turned to fix his remaining pillow so he could sit up in bed.

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They both sat there, speechless, for some time. Timmy got out of the bed, opened a drawer and pulled out another blanket. He threw the blanket over both of them, and got back into the bed. They both shifted and sorted out the sheets and blankets, till they both were comfortable… and completely covered. Then, Archer was the first to say something, but his speech was halted and he sounded nervous… even scared.

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“Timmy, I am really glad that it was you and not me that saw The Tall Man. I have no idea why I couldn’t see what was happening. Except that maybe I wasn’t meant to see…yet.”

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Archer took a moment to gather his thoughts. As they both sat there, again, the room filled with sickly light from the lightening. They both started counting; “One Mississippi… Two Mississippi… Three Mississippi… Four Mississippi… Five Mississippi Their counting stopped by a clap, then rumble, of passing thunder. The storm, finally, was moving away from the house. Without saying so, both boys hoped that as the storm passed, so would their bad dreams. Timmy was the first to speak, this time.

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“Look, Archer, its… like, ok… if you don’t sleep on the floor… tonight. It will be a lot warmer, in the bed. I’m still chilled from… well, from standing in the doorway with the window… open.”

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It was with those last few words that the memory of… what happened, earlier, flooded back for both the boys. Neither, really, wanted to be totally alone. In the back of both their minds was the fear that, when they fell back asleep, they would return to a nightmare world. They hadn’t faced the first one alone. They didn’t want to face… another one alone. Archer responded.

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“Yeah, no problem, Timmy. I don’t mind not sleeping on the floor… for sure.”

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They both, kind of, laughed under their breath. Then, at the same time, they sighed. Just then, they both went to speak, at the same time.

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(In stereo, at first…)

“If I start to…” Now only Archer spoke “If one of us seems to be having a nightmare?”

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Timmy finished the sentence

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“The other will wake him up… right?”

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They both nodded at each other, and relaxed. They both visibly relaxed for the first time since they had come back up the stairs. The storm was moving off. It was only about midnight. They had the rest of the night to get some sleep. It was Timmy that spoke first, this time.

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“Good night, Archer. Don’t let the bedbugs bite!”

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They both laughed, then Archer told Timmy ‘Goodnight’. They pulled their sheets and blankets up around their faces, and hoped they would just fall asleep.

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No sooner had Timmy closed his eyes, when he felt an unnerving feeling. He started feeling the strange but familiar… pulling at his feet! Timmy panicked and tried to kick his feet, loose. He tried to fight with the sheets, pull them back, and kick them off, something! Something to signal Archer, lying right beside him, that he was not going off to a quite sleep. No, Timmy could feel it. Timmy was getting pulled someplace he did not want to be.

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Suddenly Timmy was surrounded by darkness, but he wasn’t wet. Wherever Timmy was headed, at least he wasn’t going to be drowning. ‘Count your blessings.’ Timmy thought to himself, as he worked to open his eyes. He felt his eyes open, but he could not see anything for the pervasive darkness. He opened his mouth, and he breathed! What ever was in store, Timmy thought to himself, at least I can breathe. He reached up his hands to his face.

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He touched his face with his hands. He had eyes. He had a nose. He opened his mouth, and tried to speak. Nothing came out, but he could open his mouth. Timmy was greatly relieved. He had a whole face. Timmy signed deeply, and strained to see if he could see anything. You ever wish for something…, like, really hard… Only to seriously regret it just as soon as it happens? Timmy now knew that feeling.

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As Timmy looked around, straining to see, the world around him began to come into focus. The regret soon followed because… Timmy soon realized he was standing… in a graveyard!

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Well, My Dear Readers, that brings us to the end of Part Five of ‘The Horror in Smithville’ here at The Other Shoe. Today, you met… ‘The Tall Man’. This is the meeting that I had forgotten when I wrote the last of Part Four. With last week’s episode… corrected and today’s episode done. Now we can move forward, next week, with more of the story to unfold.

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I hope that everyone has enjoyed our adventure, today. I hope that you remember to ‘Share’! I just love to see your ‘Likes’, yet it is your ‘Shares’ that get more My Dear Readers coming to visit and read. We leave with Timmy standing in a graveyard, Archer nowhere to be seen. Nobody knows what is going to happen, next. Not even me!

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I look forward to spinning even more of this tale, just for you My Dear Readers. So, drop on by next week on Thursday for more of ‘The Horror in Smithville’. Well, drop by anytime and take some time away from the daily grind and read. Again, thanks for dropping by and I do really hope that you enjoyed today’s episode.

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Thank You!

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