Jason

Jason

unfinished

2 April 1997

26 years old

Jason trotted across the field, his backpack thumping behind him. The day was warm and sunny, and the tall grasses smacked sharply against the legs of his jeans. He hummed a shapeless melody, keeping time with a pair of objects he held in his hands--they made a harsh, flat sound, not altogether unpleasant to his ears.

When he reached his destination, Jason settled himself down on the edge of a jacket spread on the ground.

"It's about time you got here," said a voice beside him.

"Shut up, Kate." He held out the two long, flat objects. "Here. Look what I found."

Kate took them up, turning them over in her hands. "What are they?" She peered intently at one of them.

"I dunno. I found them in the Dumpster." He ran a finger over the side of one of the bones. "See how they curve like that? I think they're rib bones. Must be from a cow. Human ribs aren't this big."

Kate's pert little nose wrinkled in distaste. Jason like it when she did that, but wouldn't admit it for all the tea in China--not even to himself. "Yuck!" She thrust the ribs toward Jason and dropped them in his lap. "That's gross!"

"No, it's not... Look, you can still see some of the blood and meat sticking to this one..."

"Jason, quit it! That's gross!" Kate stood up, dusting herself off. "Get up, now. We've got to get things ready for the others." She stooped and tugged at her jacket, prompting Jason to move.

He stood and tucked his treasure into the pocket of his jeans. "Beat you the Tree!" He bellowed a war cry and took off down the well-worn path to their clubhouse.

"Never!" Kate shrieked, and ran down the path after him, laughing in childish glee.

* * *

Jason rapped the hammer three times on the overturned apple crate that served as the clubhouse podium. "I hereby call the Pinetree Secret Society to order." He paused a moment, while his friends, Kevin, Allison and Pete, stopped talking. Kate sat to the left of him, taking notes. Our first order of business is to collect the dollar-dues." He reached into the front pocket of his jeans and fished out a crumpled dollar bill, dropping it into the rusty coffee can. One by one, the other four members of the Pinetree Secret Society rose to deposit their dues into the can.

Jason then counted the collection. "Kate, take note. We now have $65.37. That should be enough to paint the clubhouse." He looked around the shed, squinting at the dark corners. "So, what color do you guys want to paint it?"

Allison spoke first. "How about pink?" Pink was her favorite color, but the boys felt differently.

"Not!" Pete protested emphatically.

Jason shook his head. "No, it should be a color we all like."

"I like green," suggested Kate. "It could be, like, forest green, so the clubhouse would blend in with the trees. It would be like camouflage, so no one could really see it right away."

Jason agreed. But, in truth, he agreed with almost anything Kate liked.

So did Kevin, for that matter. "I like it," he said. "But I think there should be more than that, though. Like for the door, and maybe the roof."

"Yeah!" said Pete, warming to the idea. "We could paint the door black, like a cave. And the corners brown, like the trees. And the roof could be blue, for the sky...!" His eyes glittered excitedly.

Jason and Kate looked at each other. "I don't think we have enough money for all of that," she stated. "What if we got one color for the outside, and another color for the inside?"

"Oh, I know!" said Kevin. "We could do the outside green, with a white door. Then do the inside white, with a green door, and a green floor." He smiled proudly when the others agreed.

"If we need extra help, I could ask my Grandpa," Pete offered. "He always helps me out, when I ask."

Jason smiled. "It's decided, then." He knocked the hammer twice to finalize the decision. "Kate, did you get all that down?"

Kate finished scribbling before she spoke. “‘Green and white paint, and brushes. Pete's grandfather to help.' Pete, do you think your grandfather could take us to the hardware store to get it?"

"I'll ask him tonight. He'll do it, I know he will. I'll call Jason as soon as I know, and he can call you guys to tell you when."

"Okay," Jason answered. "See if he'll take us tomorrow morning, so we can get started after lunch." He paused, picking at a splinter in the apple crate. "There's something else I want to do this summer." The group looked at each other, wonderingly. “I think it's time to explore the old McCabe place." He saw Kate's pensive expression. "I know how you feel about that place, Kate, but I really want to do this. I've been thinking about it for a really long time, and I'm telling you that place practically calls to me. I know it does to you, Kate, you told me yourself. I just think we have to do it."

"That place has been locked up longer than we've been alive," Kevin pointed out. "And we know it's locked up pretty tight. We should be able to find a mouse-hole somewhere, though. No place is without its mouse-hole, that's what my dad always says. I think it's safe to assume that Audrey won't be back, if she isn't dead already. I'll bet there's some cool stuff in there we can bring back to the clubhouse."

Jason gave them a moment to get used to the idea. "So, we'll vote. We'll take a secret ballot." He tore five sheets of paper from his notebook and passed them to his friends with an assortment of pens and pencils. "Remember," he said. "Truth counts and majority rules." He wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but he'd heard it on TV, once, and thought it sounded good.

When each had cast the vote, Jason collected the papers and handed them to Kate. "Count 'em, Kate."

They waited a tense moment. "Three for and two against." She sighed.

Jason smiled in triumph, and the boys whooped in delight. "That settles it, then. We'll meet here Friday morning, at 9:30. Whoever doesn't want to go doesn't have to." He looked pointedly at Kate.

Kate smiled weakly, and looked to Allison, who had gone disturbingly pale. She doesn't want to go, either, she thought. I wonder what she knows? I wonder if she'll chicken out? I wonder if I will?

* * *

Jason paced the perimeter of his room, thinking about Kate. He hoped she would go to the McCabe house, Friday morning, but he knew she thought it haunted. He thought so, too; that's why he wanted to explore the old place. Kate had confided to him that she'd heard voices coming from the house. Yelling, and screaming. But the house was deserted. It had been for many years. Since their parents were kids.

He stopped pacing a moment, eyeing his bed. He took a few running steps, then leaped into the air, grunting as he landed on the mattress. He loved that moment of freedom, suspended in the air; and that moment of admitted folly just before he hit the mattress. Sometimes, he pretended he was a skydiver, splaying his arms and legs, willing his body to hang in the air between ceiling and bed, between sky and ground. But, as always, gravity dragged him back to earth and the reality of his room.

Moving slightly to facilitate his reach, Jason groped beneath the bed and pulled his backpack up to his pillow. Reaching inside, he retrieved the rib bones he'd found earlier in the day. He rolled onto his back and turned his treasure this way and that, clacking them against each other, listening to the harsh noise they made. He thought he'd like to be a skydiver when he grew up. Or maybe a pilot. He wasn't sure which. He wondered if he could be both--a skydiving pilot. A career path definitely worth thinking about.

The phone rang, the sound carrying from the kitchen to his room. The ringer on his extension was broken, and he listened for his mother's voice to call up the stairs. "Jason, telephone!"

"Got it, Mom!" He picked up his extension. "Hello?"

"Hi, Jason. It's me, Pete."

"Hey... Why do you sound all out of breath?"

"I just ran home from Grandpa’s house." Jason listened while Peter noisily swallowed some liquid. "He said he'd do it, Jase. He said he'll drive us to the hardware store."

"Wow, that's great!"

"Yeah." Peter belched loudly. "I told him what we were planning to do, so he said he'd take us. He said for you guys to meet at my house 10:00 tomorrow morning, and he'll pick us all up here, so we can be at the store as soon as it opens."

"Okay. Why don't you call Allison, and I'll call Kate and Kevin to let them know. 10:00 your house, right?"

"Yup!"

"Great. See you then, Pete. And thanks!"

Jason hung up the phone and smiled. Then he dialed Kate to tell her the news. This project was beginning well. If only the exploration of the McCabe house would prove as fruitful.

* * *

Kate sat on the sofa watching television when her mother called into the family room. "Katie, you have a guest."

"Who is it, Mom?"

"It looks like Kevin. He's coming up the drive."

Kate sighed. Her mother, the perennial window watcher. She walked to the front door and opened it to find her friend with his fist in the air, poised to knock.

"Hey, that's pretty good. How'd you do that?"           

"My mom saw you in the driveway, and saw fit to warn me." She smiled and stepped aside. "C'mon in." As Kevin crossed the threshold, she stopped him, pointing at his shoes. "You have to take those off, though, or my mom will have a screaming fit."

Kevin laughed. "I sure wouldn't want to see that."

"It's not a pretty sight." Kate turned and led him up the stairs. "Mom, we're going up to my room!"

"Okay, sweetheart," her mother's voice floated from the kitchen. "Keep the door open!"

Kate rolled her eyes and brought Kevin up to her room, kicking the door closed behind them. She jumped onto her bed, feet dangling over the edge, not quite touching the floor. Kevin took the desk chair, turning it around to straddle it, and rested his elbows across the back. A lock of blond hair fell across his brow. He flicked it away with a toss of his head. Kate looked into his eyes, and smiled.

Kevin felt his face color. "What?"

"People are right..."

"What about?"

"That we could pass as twins."

"Twins?" Kevin sounded doubtful.

"Yeah, twins," she explained. "You know. Not twin twins. Brother-sister twins. The fraternal kind." She hopped off the bed and led him to the mirror. "C'mere, look." They stood side by side. "See? Blond hair, blue eyes... We're even almost the same height." She scrutinized their reflection. "You're a little taller. Allison said we'd make a good couple."

Two spots of red showed vividly on his cheeks. "She said that?"

"Yeah. Silly, isn't it?"

He swallowed. "Yeah. Silly."

Kate moved away from the mirror and stood at the window. The tinkling of a child's bicycle bell floated toward her on a soft, early summer breeze, and the silence between she and Kevin grew. She reached into her nightstand and drew out a deck of cards. "Wanna play War?"

"Sure," Kevin shrugged.

They sat on the bed and Kate dealt out the cards. They played quietly. Mine. Mine. Mine, each mumbled softly, as a hand was won. When Kevin finally declared war, the phone rang. Kat reached out and picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

"Hi, Katie!"

"You know, I really hate it when you call me that." But she smiled at the old joke.

"Sure, you do," Jason teased. Then he heard Kevin's voice in the background. Mine. "Who'd with you?"

"Hm? Oh. Kevin's here. We were just playing war." War, Kevin declared again, as if on cue.

Jason was not pleased. "What's he doing there?"

"What do you mean? He just dropped by."

"Oh, right. Well, look," Jason began. He couldn't seem to keep the petulance out of his voice. "Pete's grandfather is going to pick us up at ten o'clock tomorrow morning, at Pete's house. Are you coming with us?"

"Of course I am. What a stupid question. What's wrong with you, anyway?"

"Nothing's wrong with me..." The tension hung thick between them. "I guess I won't have to call Kevin, since he's already there with you."

"So? Do you have a problem with that?"

"NO."

"Well, I don't want to talk to you when you’re like this. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Fine."

"Kate hung up the phone and looked at Kevin helplessly. “That was Jason, in case you were wondering." She told him where they were to meet that next morning.

"What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know." She paused a moment. "He was in a funk. I think he's just jealous."

Kevin was suddenly wary. "Why would he be jealous?"

"Because you're here," she said quietly.

He swallowed, suddenly very uncomfortable. "Look, maybe I better go."

"You don't have to. You just got here."

But Kevin insisted. He stood and opened the bedroom door. "I'll see you tomorrow," He said, and skittered down the stairs and out the door.

Kate rose and moved again to the window. She sighed, watching him ride his bike down the street.

* * *

The members of the Pinetree Secret Society milled about on Peter's lawn, waiting for Grandpa Henry to arrive and take them to the hardware store. There was an air of excitement surrounding them. They'd never done anything so ambitious before. So...adult. The very idea charged a frisson of excitement within them. Jason caught sight of Kate standing beside Allison, and approached her cautiously. Kate regarded him sardonically. "Well, I hope you're in a better mood today."

Jason shuffled his feet and stuffed his hands in the front pockets of his jeans. "Sorry..." He was disgusted with himself for sounding sulky, and kicked at a dandelion head.

Kate looked at him a little longer, before her expression softened. She really did find it difficult to stay mad at him. They'd been friends for so long that if Kate had a brother, she suspected she'd feel for him the way she felt for Jason. Kind of. Jason made her feel, well, complicated. She sighed and pushed the thought out of her head. "That's okay." She smiled slightly. "You were probably just cranky or something. Nothing a good night's sleep didn't cure, huh?"

He winced. "Yeah. Something like that."

At that moment, Peter, who'd been standing watch at the end of the driveway, began jumping up and down, frantically waving his pudgy, already dirty hands. "He's here, you guys! He's coming!" He turned to the group as they gathered forward. "C'mon guys, let's go. Grandpa Henry's here!"

Peter's grandfather pulled into the driveway with astonishing speed, braked suddenly and shifted into park. "Who's all here that wants a ride to the store?"

The kids mumbled a little and shuffled their feet, not sure what to make of the grizzled old man before them. Not sure that he would get them to their destination in one piece.

Grandpa Henry eyeballed them individually, his gaze finally resting on Jason. "And who all here is in charge of this hoopla?"

Jason stepped forward solemnly. "I am, sir."

"Sire? Who're you calling me sir, young man?" He fixed Jason with a stern gaze. "It's Grandpa Henry to you, kiddo. Got that?" He looked at the group now crowded behind Jason. "And the same goes for the rest of ya's!" His eyes twinkled and he threw Jason a conspiratorial wink. "What say you let me hold onto that cash for ya, while you all have yourselves a look-see at the paints, and when you make your decision, I'll hand it right over to ya?"

Jason stared wide-eyed at the old man, not sure of his footing in this new territory. "Umm..." he began. "No, thanks. I think I can hold onto the money myself just fine. Thanks anyway."

Grandpa Henry bellowed hearty laughter and reached out to ruffle the boy's hair. "Atta boy. You hold onto your own. You got that? And don't let no one take what's rightfully yours. No on." His gaze slipped briefly to Kate, before he looked to the rest of the group. "Well, what're you all standing around for? Pile in!" Three climbed into the back seat. Peter possessively claimed shotgun, while Allison sat next to him, pressing herself against the passenger door. She was blushing furiously.

When they got back from the hardware store, they spread their booty before them in the tall grass beside the old shed. Two gallons of paint, one green one white; paint thinner--more to clean themselves with, Grandpa insisted, than their supplies, which they would likely just pitch in the garbage; a tarp; and enough brushes and rollers to go around. Grandpa Henry surveyed the array of supplies. He clapped his hands, rubbed them together. "All right, folks, first things first. What's the game plan?"

Jason told him the color scheme they'd agreed upon.

"Okay, so three of you hie yourselves together and tackle the interior. You other two, stay here with me to do the outside. I'll help ya's with the hard parts."

After hauling everything stashed within the clubhouse out into the grass--they were surprised they had so much. More, really, than any of them had suspected: Sleeping bags, flashlight, candles and matches, battery-powered lanterns without the batteries, apple crate galore to use as chairs, table, old books and magazines, and a stale half-eaten, long-forgotten bag of Oreo cookies, and a portable radio/cassette player. Allison turned on the radio, and the six set about painting the Pinetree Secret Society clubhouse.

By mid-afternoon, when the job was done, they all crashed in the tall grass, gazing up at the patterns of light and shadow among the leaves of the trees. Occasional questions from around the group floated lazily in Grandpa Henry's direction.

"How long do you think it'll take the paint to dry?"

"Oh, about a day."

"Do you think it'll rain?"

"Nah."

"Do you think our stuff'll be okay out here, overnight?"

At this, Pete's grandfather craned his neck around, solemnly regarding the haphazard pile of the shed's innards. "Yuh. I think it’ll be just fine where it lies."

"But what if it rains?"

"It won't rain, my old bones tell me that outright. But if it's rain you're worried about, why don't you's pull that tarp on over that heap of yours. That should take care of matters."

Eager to please his grandfather, Peter jumped up and started pulling the paint-spattered tarp over their belongings. Kate got up to help.

"Do you know anything about the old McCabe place?" Jason asked Grandpa Henry.

Henry's expression sobered. "Too much, boy. More than the likes of you youngsters ought to know." His eyes narrowed and peered deeply into Jason's with sudden understanding. "You ought not to worry yourself about such things, lad. You'll want to stay as far away from that place as you can. I wouldn't come any closer to that old place than this here clubhouse of yours. He looked closely at Jason, his eyes boring into the boy's conscience. "You got that, son?"

Jason cleared his throat and shuffled his feet, shoving his suddenly sweaty hands into his pockets--the very picture of guilt. It seemed the world had grayed around him, blocking everything but the old man's intense stare. "Y-yes sir," was all he managed to stammer.

Henry held the boy's gaze a moment longer before nodding once and backing away. He grumbled to himself with the knowledge that, in the light of a new day, the boy would not heed his warning. Hell, he doubted the boy would pay heed beyond a few moments. Henry saw trouble ahead. And this his old bones knew as well as they knew the weather. He was suddenly tired, and ready to leave this place.

The old man clapped his hands. "What say we get this mess cleaned up and head for home? I'm sure your mothers are wonderin' where you've been the day long."

With those words, the crew began to pick up their mess. When they were satisfied that all had been done that could, the members of the Pinetree Secret Society headed down the hill toward Grandpa Henry's car. While most of them clustered around Pete's grandfather, now enthralled by his presence and his endless dialogue, Jason and Kate lagged behind, pursuing a dialogue of their own.

"You're still going tomorrow, aren't you?"

Jason hesitated before answering. "Yes, I am, Kate."

Kate stared at him, incredulously. "After Grandpa Henry told you not to, you're still going to go down there. I don't believe you. You're insane."

"Well, deal with it, 'cause I'm going there tomorrow morning, and you can't stop me," he whispered fiercely. "You're still welcome to join me, if you want, but I'm not going to be waiting around for some girl to make up her mind because she's too scared to go. Come or don't. Just shut up about it. God, Kate, sometimes you really sound like my mom."

Kate sighed and let Jason walk ahead to join the rest of their friends. Her mind was already made up. It had been from the first. She just didn't know whether it was a good decision or not. But she did know that, if Jason was going, then she should go, too. That's what being friends meant, didn't it? She just hoped she wouldn't be sorry for it, in the long run.