Gloria Rutherford grabbed her broom off the side porch and began sweeping the small pile of brown leaves out of the corner. She stared up at the clear blue sky. Fall was a beautiful time of year to live in West Michigan. The changing seasons and cool fall days were something Gloria would never, ever tire of.
But today there was no time to reflect on how much she was enjoying the new season. She was trying to get ready for her much-anticipated company. Her grandsons Tyler and Ryan were coming for the weekend. The fact that they hadn’t been over in quite some time and that her daughter Jill seemed overly-anxious about the visit made Gloria wonder if perhaps they would be a little too hard to handle…
She swept the last few leaves from the porch and shuffled over to prop the broom in the corner when something caught her eye. The tall weeds next to the edge of the barn were swaying back and forth, as if blowing in the wind or being moved by an unseen force. Which was more than a little odd considering there wasn’t even the slightest of breezes.
She took a step down as her eyes wandered to the small set of doors on the far side of the barn. The door wasn’t completely shut. It was open a good six inches.
Gloria was certain she hadn’t left the door open. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d actually used the side door. She grabbed her cell phone off the chair, shoved it into her back pocket and began walking in the direction of the barn. The boulder she used to keep the door closed had been rolled back. She side-stepped the boulder and pushed the door open, just far enough to stick her head inside. She stood there for a brief moment waiting for her eyes to adjust to the dim interior when she heard a faint creaking sound coming from inside, as if someone was stepping on a wooden floor. The only wooden floor in the barn was the loft.
She grabbed the shovel by the door, pushed the door open a little wider and squeezed through the narrow opening. Another hollow creak was followed by a distinct ping, as if a coin or small metal object had been dropped on the cement floor.
Gloria took a tentative step inside. “Hello?” She strained her ears. A second small creak echoed from the direction of loft. She took another step forward. “Who’s there?” She paused. A third creak closely followed the second. This one was even louder.
She stopped in her tracks. The thought of someone being inside the barn with her freaked her out. It was at that precise moment she began to have second thoughts about confronting a potential intruder.
Tires crunching on the gravel saved her from having to decide the best plan of action. She whirled around in time to catch a glimpse of her daughter’s familiar blue Buick as it pulled into the drive.
Gloria cast a wary glance down the long center, past the milking parlor in the direction of the loft before turning back. She quickly pulled the door shut and rolled the boulder back to its original spot.
By the time Gloria made it across the yard, the boys were already out of the car and barreling towards their beloved Grams. She wrapped them in a warm hug as she stared over the tops of their heads at her daughter, Jill.
After a quick hug, the boys took off in the direction of what used to be the pumpkin patch. Jill followed her mother inside the house, carrying the boys’ backpacks as she went. She dropped them in the spare bedroom and made her way back out into the kitchen. “I hope they aren’t too much of a handful,” she fretted.
Gloria put her arm around her daughter’s shoulders. “Now don’t you worry about them one little bit. Go. Have a good time. We’ll be just fine,” she reassured her.
Moments later, Gloria watched as Jill’s car pull out of the driveway. She turned around just in time to see Ryan bash one of the pumpkins on a nearby rock. He grabbed a handful of slimy pumpkin guts in his fist and then smashed them in his older brother’s face. Tyler didn’t take too kindly to the gooey globs of seeds and slime clinging to his forehead and hair. He grabbed Ryan by the back of the neck and shoved his younger brother’s face into what was left of the rotting pumpkin.
Gloria darted across the uneven garden as fast as her sneakers would allow, but it was too late. By the time she reached the battling boys, both were covered in the stringy, stinky substance. Tyler warily watched as his Grandmother approached. He leaned over to wrap a sticky arm around her when she took a small step back. “If you so much as lay a single finger on me with that goop,” she warned, “I’ll tie you to that big oak tree over there and leave you out here overnight.”
Tyler’s eyes widened in horror at the thought of being left outside all night by himself. He instantly dropped his arm to his side.
Gloria stuck a hand on her hip and pointed in the direction of the house. “Now get in that house and wash up,” she commanded. “Both of you!”
The boys lowered their heads and shuffled towards the door. When Grams used that tone, they knew she meant business.
She slowly followed them inside. The uneasy feeling someone was in the barn returned as she cast a wary glance over her shoulder.
The Story Continues…Click Here To Download Book 2 (Grandkids Gone Wild) Now
