Read Me, Rate Me, Don't Hate Me

The Possessed What? 9-19-02

A story I wrote for English class in high school.


I didn't know they could do that with string. It was glued snugly into the shape of Edgar Allan Poe's head. The head was placed on the top of a red Ford truck. Everybody laughed and pointed as it drove by but I didn't. Everytime sunshine glinted off Poe's little beady marble eyes, I shivered. Everytime his painted lips smiled at me, I frowned in fear. Everytime his hideous face caught me unawares, I felt a new terrified feeling coming on. I couldn't place my finger on what was making me feel this way. I mean, it was only a head made of string, right? Well, actually, wrong!

I have kept a diary all my life. In almost every entry, I have written about how the people I'm really close to behave. I looked back and read what I had written about my friend, Terrie. I had noticed a change in her. All she ever talked about was that head. At first, she thought it was the most disgusting thing she had ever seen. Now she wanted to make one of her own. I couldn't express my thoughts about how she had changed because everyone else seemed to have changed that way also. All the people of my small town walked around as though in a daze. Their eyes had a strange glaze over them and they hardly ever talked. The town always used to be bursting with life. Old and young gossiped over fences and burgers at the local burger joint. Children ran and played in each other's yards. Parents and young couples walked through the park at dusk, hand in hand, love in their eyes. Now, no gossip, the red rubber balls are left forgotten in empty yards, no evening strolls in the park. None of this would have ever bothered me if my friend hadn't gotten involved. Walking through town was like walking through the land of the brain-dead. All of those thoughts rushed out of my mind whenever that truck would drive by. The strange thing about that truck is that nobody knew who the driver was. The window were dark and the light could never penetrate it. In truth, I know that this sounds mental but, I think that the truck is following me, calling to me in the middle of the night, and laughing at me whenever it drives by. Mocking my intelligence, purposelly trying to drive me mad. At night, I cry myself to sleep because I'm all alone in this lonely town with no one to turn to.

I met Mary Spencer at school on Monday. We were the only ones there. I was standing outside with her, waiting for someone to open the doors. After awhile, we began to talk.
"So, are you new here?" I asked, trying to start a conversation that I was positive wasn't going to get anywhere.
"Yeah. My family and I just moved here a few days ago. It came sort of as a shock to my brother and me." She replied.
I stared at her in shocked surprise and she looked sort of scared. "I'm sorry." I told her after seeing her expression. "It's just that I haven't heard anyone in this town say more than two words at a time."
"Same here." She said, relaxing slowly.
"It is such a relief to see that some else, besides me, can actually think." I said with much relief.
"I know what you mean. My brother and I have felt the same way ever since we came here." She smiled and looked toward the school.
I was about to ask how old her brother was when I felt some hands slip around my neck. I screamed. The hands immediately released my neck.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you like that." A deep masculine voice said from behind me.
Mary looked at me for a minute and then said, "That's my brother, Don."
I turned around and stared into the greenest eyes I have ever seen. I looked down quickly and turned to face Mary.
"I walked around the school a couple of times but no one else is here. I think school is closed for today." He looked around. Suddenly, his eyes clouded over.
I followed his gaze. There, stopped on a nearby dirt mound, was Poe. I gasped. The truck slowly inched forward. All of us stepped back. As if we used mental-telepathy, we all started to run. I quickly glanced behind me. Edgar was chasing us. While I was looking behind me, I tripped on a large rock. The world went black around me.

When I came to I was in a cramped room. I sat up quickly and screamed. A hand immediately covered my mouth.
"Be quiet. He's right outside. He has Mary." Don whispered in my ear.
Suddenly, a loud noise was heard and light flooded the dark room. Don stood in front of me, trying to block the evil creature from touching me. An arm lifted him up and threw him against the wall. The creature lifted me up and carried me outside into the brilliant sunlight. I was pushed into the truck next to Mary's unconscious form. Don was pushed in beside me. I heard a door slam and a loud laugh that would forever stay in my now broken heart.

I woke up in a hospital bed. I slowly rose to my feet. I imagined all of it. I'll bet I just tripped and subconsciously dreamt it all up. I opened the shade and looked down to the street below. A scream escaped my mouth. Doctors and nurses came and overpowered me but I still saw the truck. The head was waiting for me below. I still heard the laughter. The hideously maddening laughter.