It was perfect.
It couldn’t have been more perfect.
Shawn felt a giggle rising up in his throat and quickly covered his mouth so as not to let it escape. He had to be completely silent. Otherwise it would ruin everything.
It hadn’t been easy, of course. Constructing the coffin secretly in the basement. Only being able to hammer during that hour and a half between when he got home from school and his dad arrived home from work. Not to mention having to keep all the wood he salvaged hidden as he put it together.
Then there was Gus.
“I know you are up to something, Shawn,” Gus had pouted two weeks ago. “You never go straight home and do homework.”
But Shawn wouldn’t break. He had to keep Gus in the dark, otherwise it wouldn’t work.
Finally, the time had come. Halloween was here and he was about to pull the best prank a ten year old boy had ever pranked…maybe even better than an eleven or twelve year old!
Closing his eyes, Shawn smiled as he pictured what was going to happen in a matter of minutes.
His dad would come in, Gus right behind him since Henry had just picked him up to spend the night. He would try to turn on the lights, but it wouldn’t work because Shawn had flipped all the circuits.
Henry would call for him, but there would be no answer. In the silence, they would notice the soft, eerie music playing through the house.
Gus would probably start shaking like a baby.
His dad would rummage through the kitchen, looking for his flashlight – which of course wasn’t where it should be since Shawn had hidden it.
Henry would tell Gus to wait there as he made his way to the basement to look for his back-up flashlight. Gus, of course, wouldn’t want to be alone so he would stay right on Henry’s tail.
They would get to the basement door and notice that it was open. Slowly they would creep down, feeling a horrible sense of dread and fear.
Finally, they would reach the bottom and his dad would inch his way forward, trying to feel his way through the dark. Suddenly, he would bump into something hard and long. Reaching down, he would feel the rough, wooden surface. Working his way along the edge, he would lift the lid to the coffin inch by inch.
Shawn would jump up with a scream! His dad would faint and Gus would pee his pants.
It was going to be great!
Shawn opened his eyes and stifled another giggle. This was, seriously, the best prank ever. He strained his ears to see if he could hear anything. They should be back any minute now…
Any minute now…
Any minute…
…
Shawn’s smile began to fade. He didn’t have a watch, but it sure did feel like he’d been down there an awfully long time. What could be taking them so long? Maybe his dad had to arrest someone. Or maybe there was a long line of trick-or-treaters and they’d gotten stuck in traffic.
They’d be back any minute now...
Any minute now…
Any minute…
Now Shawn was beginning to worry. He had remembered to flip the circuits, hadn’t he? Of course he had. And the music was playing. He was certain of it. And he’d hidden the flashlight yesterday, so that wasn’t the problem
He was probably just getting anxious. Time went slow when you were excited for something.
And you were waiting…
In the dark…
In a basement…
In a coffin…
Alone…
Gulping, Shawn closed his eyes. He didn’t need to be afraid. They’d be here any minute now…
Any minute now…
Any minute…
…
Upstairs, Henry smiled at Gus. “More coco, Gus?”
“Sure, Mr. Spencer! Thanks!”
Henry smiled as he stood up and went back over to the stove, turning back on the kettle to boil more water. Gus looked from the candles that were illuminating the table to the basement door behind him.
“Mr. Spencer, how long are we going to leave him down there?”
“Till he learns that he can’t pull one over on us.” Henry moved back to the table and grabbed Gus’s empty mug. “And that hiding in a coffin is never a good idea. I’m sure it’s a lesson he’ll never forget.”