Summer Scare

My formative years were spent exploring the back ways and by ways of the foothills which surrounded our cul-de-sac. Each day would find us heading off with lunch bags urged on by the thrill of discovery. Our greatest find was made in the summer of ’72 when we stumbled upon and overgrown piece of property. Which to our surprise hid a virtual treasure trove of abandoned buildings a preteen boys idea of the perfect playground. Within minutes we had by silent ascent chosen our summer hideaway.

The disheveled building, were in various stages of decomposition. Broken windows revealed little to the outside world. A pair of buildings listed towards each other, a pair of friendly drunks stumbling their way home on a Saturday night. Some stood with a quiet sense of dignity unwilling or unable to acknowledge how far they had fallen since their hey day. Most were gray and weathered reflecting their age and the sad state of their affairs.

When we stumbled across the main entrance we found the look to be apropos as the ruins we were exploring were the remains of a once thriving convalescent hospital.

Several buildings were two or three stories high perfect stand ins for military installations when war games were on the day’s agenda. Our skirmishes were similar to capture the flag. Dividing ourselves into two teams, each team would choose a building for their headquarters. Simply put the object was to sneak into the opposing teams building stealing their flag while simultaneously protecting your own.

One afternoon while enmeshed in the middle of a titanic struggle a stairway was discovered leading down rather than up. Electricity was but a distant memory and the stairs appeared to fade into nothing. Flashlights were not part of our regular inventory and though none of us said it aloud we were a bit intimidated by what appeared to be the entrance to the cellar.

For a several days stairs like most bad dreams were ignored and our battles continued unabated. Before long though the inevitable and exploring the basement became the price to be paid by the losing team.

As it turned out the skull team of which I was member lost and we were face with the prospect of exploring the unknown or sneaking home with our tales between our legs. Somewhat reluctantly, with our friends egging us on and knowing we would never live it down we accepted our fate flashlights in hand and descended into the waiting darkness.

We tentatively explored for ten or fifteen minutes failing to discover anything more earth shattering than dust, dust and you guessed it more dust. The basement consisted for the most part of offices and laboratories. Also, ancient equipment used for reasons now lost to history and furniture broken and scattered about the floor becoming nothing more than clerical bones.

Or so we thought.

As these things tend to happen just as we were ready to throw in the towel and climb back into the glorious sunlight we had the misfortune to stumble across a second set of stairs continuing ever downward into the darkness. In silent agreement we descended the stairs until our passage was blocked by a closed door preventing further forward movement. There was a cracked and faded sign clinging with tenacity to the door. When with our shirtsleeves we managed to remove most of the dust and cobwebs we found that it read simply “Morgue Entrance.”

Our first instinct without a doubt was to turn run for fear of what we might find on the other side. Boys will be boys though and before fear could kick in we goaded each other into continuing. We passed through the door only to find ourselves in a long, mildew smelling hallway. Several doors opened off the hall and we found more empty offices and one room that resembled an operating theater.

A sign on the far wall directed us to the morgue, which of course, was behind the very last door at the end of the hall. We slowly moved forward with trepidation until we could see through the shadows that the door to the morgue was propped open. Our flashlights played along the corridor, leaving ghoulish shadow puppets to mark their passage until by unspoken agreement they came to rest on the floor in front of the morgue door.

Our silence grew so deep that you could have heard an angel sneeze on the head of a pin.

Before our unbelieving eyes was what appeared to be a white shoe, not an abandoned shoe mind you; no its owner seemed to have further use for it as it contained a foot and a white stockinged leg. Three hearts leapt into three throats leaving three boys feeling as if their chest were on the verge of exploding. In perfect unison we turned and ran screaming from the building.

Of course at first our friends did not believe us at first. When we finally convinced them they through super powers or hypnosis managed to convince us to show them the LEG. Together we with a great deal of hesitation made our way back down into the darkness. We found the door had remained as we left it. We pointed out the shoe and its contents but as you may have already guessed, well enough would never be left alone. Dares began flying fast and furious around the room until someone drew the short straw taking the challenge of opening the door.

Two flashlights like six shooters clutched in trembling hands he nervously but steadily approached his fate. Finding a discarded cane and using it to keep some distance between himself and the door, he reached out and shoved it open.

Standing still as a statue he seemed to lose himself in the moment than without warning he released an earth-shattering scream. Needing no further encouragement we broke ranks surpassing all existing land speed records in our escape. When we were firmly back in the suns embrace we fell panting to the ground.

As we continued to gather our wits and prepare for the usual round of bragging we realized one of our members had failed to escape. Our friend who was left with the task of opening the door was nowhere to be found.

However before we went could fall into full panic mode he appeared in the doorway laughing his ass off. In his hand he held our "leg" which as it turned out was nothing more than a prosthetic leg left behind by the dearly departed.


Summer scare is a repost from April 2004.