Don't be cruel..*hides*
The Marl pit
“Take yez babby sister with ye!” Grady’s mom called, her Irish accent thick and shrill. Grady grunted and looked down at his sister Sadie’s bright, shining face. He shot her an ugly grimace. Her smile faltered a little around the edges, but she quickly recovered, sticking her tongue out at him and bounding off to get her coat.
Sadie was five years old and Grady was seven years her senior. He hated her. His mother was always forcing him to take her along when he went out to play. As if having your little sister tagging along all the time wasn’t bad enough, they were always being stopped on the street by passing locals pinching their cheeks and saying how cute they were. They both had pretty red curls, bright green eyes and the palest skin you ever saw, dusted with freckles. The worst part was when they were asked their names. Grady would sigh and look down at his feet. “I’m Grady and this is my little sister Sadie,” he would say. That would be followed by the infuriating “Aw’s,” and “How adorable! Rhyming names!” that he loathed. Sadie, of course, would just eat it up, smiling with her cute little dimples and gleaming eyes. Grady, on the other hand would just glare, grab his sister by the arm, and stomp off, fuming.
Today, he thought, it will all change. He gave Sadie a wide, malicious smile as she skipped up to him with her little pink coat on and a new pink ribbon in her hair to match. He grumbled under his breath as he turned to open the door when he heard his mother’s voice behind him. “Be good Grady. You know old Rawhead and Bloody Bones gets bad little children.” Grady just snorted, rolled his eyes, grabbed Sadie by the arm and dragged her out the door after him, dismissing his mother’s warning.
Bloody bones is just a silly old story to keep kids in line he thought as they stepped out into the crisp, November air. Sadie pulled her arm free of her brother’s grasp and giggled. “Old Rawhead will have you for sure,” she chirped, and danced her way down the path to the park. Grady stared after her a few moments before he slowly followed, dragging his feet in the dirt as he went.
They spent the afternoon playing at the park, Sadie bouncing her little yellow ball with about eight other little girls huddled around her and Grady swinging quietly by himself. Soon, Grady realized the light was fading and it would soon be dark. He gazed out over the now empty playground in search of his sister. When he didn’t see her he gave a low, frustrated growl and got off of his swing to look for her. He finally caught sight of her across the field on the opposite side of the playground kicking her ball all alone. He sluggishly made his way over to her. She didn’t notice him so he snuck up behind her and kicked the ball as hard as he could. Sadie wailed as she watched her ball soar deep into the woods like a tiny shooting star. When it disappeared into the wood’s depths she spun on him, tears welling up in her eyes. He just laughed at her and at that, she sprang off into the forest to retrieve her lost toy. Grady let out another harsh laugh and trotted after her.
By the time he found her sitting in the dirt with her knees drawn up and her face in her hands by the marl pit deep in the forest, what little light was left was blocked out by the dense evergreens. There was only a pale gleam where the trees parted around the marl pit. When Grady walked over to his sister, she slowly looked up at him. Her face was red and streaked from crying, and her big emerald eyes were puffy and shining with fresh tears. “I hate you,” she whimpered. Wrapping her arms around her legs and laying her forehead on her knees, she began to sob.
“Where is your ball?” Grady asked. Sadie pointed to the slimy, stinking, muck of the marl pit without even lifting her head. A small smile formed on his lips as he spotted the ball floating in the center of the disgusting sludge. “Go get a stick and fish it out,” he said with a quiet chuckle. Sadie sniffled, stood up shakily wiping her nose on the sleeve of her now dirty pink coat and picked up the longest stick she could carry. She scooted to the very edge of the marl pit and gently prodded the ball, only managing to push it further away. As she did this, Grady silently inched up behind, and pushed her in. He laughed so hard he fell on to his back clutching his stomach. When he got up to pull her out, she was gone. He searched the surface frantically. “Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Sadie!” he screamed. “I just meant to scare her,” he said as he turned his back on the pit, covering his eyes. “I just wanted her to stop following me all the time! I didn’t mean to. Oh God!” he sobbed.
As he cried he felt something cold and slimy latch onto his ankle. He looked down to see long, boney, grey fingers covered in marl wrapped around his left ankle. He pivoted and looked into the pit. What he saw froze him. He couldn’t scream or struggle. Grady just stared. A man’s head appeared out of the muck. It had long, stringy black hair that was plastered to a grey skinned face. The skin stretched tight over it’s protruding cheek bones. Grady couldn’t breath as it’s dead black eyes met his own and the creature’s thin grey lips parted in a wide smile showing green and black rotted teeth.
When Grady could finally think he whispered, “Rawhead and Bloody Bones.” As he said this, he shut his eyes tight shaking his head frantically, wishing it not so. At this, Bloody Bones let out a sickening laugh and Grady gave an ear-piercing scream as he was dragged down into the vile pit.
When people finally came in search of the two lost children, Sadie and Grady, all they found was Sadie’s little yellow ball bobbing in the nauseating slime of the marl pit.
“Take yez babby sister with ye!” Grady’s mom called, her Irish accent thick and shrill. Grady grunted and looked down at his sister Sadie’s bright, shining face. He shot her an ugly grimace. Her smile faltered a little around the edges, but she quickly recovered, sticking her tongue out at him and bounding off to get her coat.
Sadie was five years old and Grady was seven years her senior. He hated her. His mother was always forcing him to take her along when he went out to play. As if having your little sister tagging along all the time wasn’t bad enough, they were always being stopped on the street by passing locals pinching their cheeks and saying how cute they were. They both had pretty red curls, bright green eyes and the palest skin you ever saw, dusted with freckles. The worst part was when they were asked their names. Grady would sigh and look down at his feet. “I’m Grady and this is my little sister Sadie,” he would say. That would be followed by the infuriating “Aw’s,” and “How adorable! Rhyming names!” that he loathed. Sadie, of course, would just eat it up, smiling with her cute little dimples and gleaming eyes. Grady, on the other hand would just glare, grab his sister by the arm, and stomp off, fuming.
Today, he thought, it will all change. He gave Sadie a wide, malicious smile as she skipped up to him with her little pink coat on and a new pink ribbon in her hair to match. He grumbled under his breath as he turned to open the door when he heard his mother’s voice behind him. “Be good Grady. You know old Rawhead and Bloody Bones gets bad little children.” Grady just snorted, rolled his eyes, grabbed Sadie by the arm and dragged her out the door after him, dismissing his mother’s warning.
Bloody bones is just a silly old story to keep kids in line he thought as they stepped out into the crisp, November air. Sadie pulled her arm free of her brother’s grasp and giggled. “Old Rawhead will have you for sure,” she chirped, and danced her way down the path to the park. Grady stared after her a few moments before he slowly followed, dragging his feet in the dirt as he went.
They spent the afternoon playing at the park, Sadie bouncing her little yellow ball with about eight other little girls huddled around her and Grady swinging quietly by himself. Soon, Grady realized the light was fading and it would soon be dark. He gazed out over the now empty playground in search of his sister. When he didn’t see her he gave a low, frustrated growl and got off of his swing to look for her. He finally caught sight of her across the field on the opposite side of the playground kicking her ball all alone. He sluggishly made his way over to her. She didn’t notice him so he snuck up behind her and kicked the ball as hard as he could. Sadie wailed as she watched her ball soar deep into the woods like a tiny shooting star. When it disappeared into the wood’s depths she spun on him, tears welling up in her eyes. He just laughed at her and at that, she sprang off into the forest to retrieve her lost toy. Grady let out another harsh laugh and trotted after her.
By the time he found her sitting in the dirt with her knees drawn up and her face in her hands by the marl pit deep in the forest, what little light was left was blocked out by the dense evergreens. There was only a pale gleam where the trees parted around the marl pit. When Grady walked over to his sister, she slowly looked up at him. Her face was red and streaked from crying, and her big emerald eyes were puffy and shining with fresh tears. “I hate you,” she whimpered. Wrapping her arms around her legs and laying her forehead on her knees, she began to sob.
“Where is your ball?” Grady asked. Sadie pointed to the slimy, stinking, muck of the marl pit without even lifting her head. A small smile formed on his lips as he spotted the ball floating in the center of the disgusting sludge. “Go get a stick and fish it out,” he said with a quiet chuckle. Sadie sniffled, stood up shakily wiping her nose on the sleeve of her now dirty pink coat and picked up the longest stick she could carry. She scooted to the very edge of the marl pit and gently prodded the ball, only managing to push it further away. As she did this, Grady silently inched up behind, and pushed her in. He laughed so hard he fell on to his back clutching his stomach. When he got up to pull her out, she was gone. He searched the surface frantically. “Oh my God! Oh my God! Oh my God! Sadie!” he screamed. “I just meant to scare her,” he said as he turned his back on the pit, covering his eyes. “I just wanted her to stop following me all the time! I didn’t mean to. Oh God!” he sobbed.
As he cried he felt something cold and slimy latch onto his ankle. He looked down to see long, boney, grey fingers covered in marl wrapped around his left ankle. He pivoted and looked into the pit. What he saw froze him. He couldn’t scream or struggle. Grady just stared. A man’s head appeared out of the muck. It had long, stringy black hair that was plastered to a grey skinned face. The skin stretched tight over it’s protruding cheek bones. Grady couldn’t breath as it’s dead black eyes met his own and the creature’s thin grey lips parted in a wide smile showing green and black rotted teeth.
When Grady could finally think he whispered, “Rawhead and Bloody Bones.” As he said this, he shut his eyes tight shaking his head frantically, wishing it not so. At this, Bloody Bones let out a sickening laugh and Grady gave an ear-piercing scream as he was dragged down into the vile pit.
When people finally came in search of the two lost children, Sadie and Grady, all they found was Sadie’s little yellow ball bobbing in the nauseating slime of the marl pit.