Cemetery Guard

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"Imagination stuff!" I thought, some people have a very active, but unhealthy creativity, unlike others, who are simpler in that sense, but at the same time they don't stop thinking about a lot of different things.

Working in a cemetery as a caretaker, maybe it is not the best job in the world; believe me, I have been in this job for twelve years and sometimes your imagination makes you believe things. Your senses adhere to what you think you see, and you begin to perceive sounds, smells, shapes, colors, even situations that you don't know if you have dreamed them or if it was simply because of the fatigue of a heavy night.

For quite some time, I was the only one of my colleagues who accepted the night shift; since I am not afraid of the living or the dead, and I can face any situation that is within my reach, but I feel that this work has already bored me, therefore, I have wanted to ask for resignation several times.

However, like a thunderous sound of a sudden explosion, this idea changed thanks to a new colleague.

Günther was a young man who had just turned twenty-one years old. He was an introverted, cordial, but mostly very quiet boy. He was 1.76 meters tall; a little shorter than me. He had a broad face and a stocky medium build. From the first day I saw him, I got the impression that he was no good for this job: "Is that going to be my relief after my shift is over?" I would say to my supervisor, and he would only reply with a slight smile holding a cigarette with his lips.

The guy seemed like a good person; in fact, he took that job so he could help his family, it was the only job that came his way and he couldn't afford to turn it down. I didn't think Günther would be good for the job, as I realized that the boy was very attached to his supernatural beliefs, and that whatever he thought he saw in the cemetery at night, he would take it as a spiritual manifestation, but in the end I was wrong.

The boy sure knew how to do the job well. He finished his shift normally; without any complaint or scandal, and he stayed that way for several months, until, one night; which is the one I am going to relate below, something happened that had a strong impact on him.

It was already midnight; it was past twelve o'clock. My shift was already over, so I was left waiting for Günther to relieve me. While I was sitting on a stone bench, I heard a loud scream. I stood up suddenly and my eyes were like saucers.

"Help, please!" I heard perfectly in the distance. I ran toward the source of that voice until I came upon a hole half uncovered by a broken board.

"Günther, is that you?" I asked, peering into the hole.

"Mr. Glass, thank goodness! I think I twisted my ankle." He replied. The hole was so dark I couldn't make out any material form.

"Hold on, I'll be right back, I'm going to look to get you out there!" I assured him.

"No, wait! Here on the side of the wall are some stairs, just extend one of your legs down and you can reach it."

"What do you say, boy?"

"Trust me, Mr. Glass, I can feel them with my hand. Please don't leave me alone, it's too dark!" pleaded Günther.

"It's okay, boy, just calm down. I'll trust you. I'm going to start down."

I extended my leg down as Günther instructed until I could feel a protruding, solid bulge.

"What the hell...?" I vociferated in surprise as I climbed down the hole on a mysterious ladder.

I reached the bottom and could feel Günther's body.

"Good grief, it's pitch black in here!" I asserted.

"Yes, I can't see anything."

"How did you fall in here?" I asked the boy as I lifted him off the ground.

"Well, I was walking to where you always wait for me to relieve you, when all of a sudden, I saw a light emanating from under that old board; the one you always warned me not to go near, but when I saw that light, I was like hypnotized and went near it until my vision blurred. The last thing I remember, I was lying here with a broken ankle."

"Damn! I must get you to a doctor right now before I..." My words froze. A yellow glow began to emanate behind us leaving us petrified.

"Mr. Glass, do you see what I see? That's the light I saw earlier."

"Yes, boy, I can see it..." I whispered. Even though it was only light, the beauty of its hues seemed to control us.

We peered into the glow and I could make out an entrance. I grabbed the handle and pulled the door. Surprised, we glimpsed before us a large golden diamond with multiple sparkles emanating from it, it was so beautiful I just wanted to pick it up and take it home.

Günther approached first and stretched out his arm toward the beautiful gem. Suddenly, a grotesque, bony hand with long, gnarled fingers emanated from the diamond and grabbed Günther by the arm and began to pull him toward the crystal. The beautiful diamond slowly began to lose its luster. Günther was just screaming desperately trying to free himself. I reacted and helped the boy, managing to free him from the trap. We ran to the stairs, climbed quickly until we were finally outside.

The huge hand chased us outside and almost caught Günther again, but I was faster and took what was left of the old board and used it to hit the monstrous hand. It seemed to be stunned and backed up to the bottom of the hole.

"Quick, boy, get up and help me with this!" I ordered the boy. I grabbed a couple of shovels that were there and we began to cover the hole with dirt.

Günther was crying non-stop. I was worried about the boy's condition, but at the same time I couldn't leave that hole like that with that creature there. Finally, we managed to cover it up. Günther sat at the foot of a tree, his head down and his hands resting on his face.

"Boy, are you all right?" I asked. "You have to go to a doctor about your ankle, remember?"

He reacted, after all he had been through and the scare he had just experienced, he had forgotten about his broken ankle.

"What was that?" he asked with a crack in his voice.

"I don't know, kid, but I hope with this thing we've done I'll never come out of there again. You go on home now, I'll cover your shift, don't worry."

"Thank you, Mr. Glass, you are so brave, how I wish I was like you." He asserted with a bit of a devious smile.

"Easy, don't worry about it. Come, I'll walk you to the entrance and sort out who can take you home."

Things that happen in a cemetery can sometimes mean nothing, after that night, those kinds of thoughts were removed from my mind. Two days after what happened, I learned that Günther had resigned. In this world you have to be brave and keep a steady head to face the living and the dead, and other unknown things, which are above us.

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THE END

The logos and title image were taken from freepng and the separators were created by me in PowerPoint.