The Light in the Woods Read online

  CHAPTER 14

  Ray’s Backyard – Southold, New York,

  two weeks before Christmas 1944

  After he kissed his mother good night and bounced a few beams of light back and forth with Olive to make sure the lines of communication were open, Ray spent the first hours of the night guarding his window with both his hands wrapped around his flashlight. The quick waddle of a raccoon across his backyard was the only thing moving in the dark at this hour. Ray did not check the clock but figured he heard about a million clicks of the second hand as he listened to time chip away the night. Nothing was out there. No animal. No soldier. Not even a breeze. Not even a deer. Ray got to thinking. He was glad it was Olive that he told about the light and not his buddies at school. If the light never showed up again, Olive wouldn’t make fun of him or bring it back up years later like Ted. Olive would believe him if he said he saw a dinosaur in the woods. Or at least act like she did so that his feelings wouldn’t be hurt. She heard things a hundred times crazier from her brother, so if nothing came of it, she wouldn’t look at Ray differently.

  More ticks from the clock echoed in the room. Each one persuaded Ray to rest his cheek on the cold glass and draw his eyelids closer together. It wasn’t until he heard a loud snap that he jerked his head up and wiped off the fog his breath made on the windowpane. It sounded as if a large branch broke off a tree but there was no sound of it hitting other branches on the way down or the shaking thud when it hit the ground. Ray looked over at the ground for a horizontal shadow over the snow, then up into the branches in hopes of seeing it dangle from above. Nothing.

  Then another snap. A snap so loud it produced an echo. Something was out there. Ray ran to the other window and began turning on his flashing repeatedly in the direction of Olive’s bedroom. Her window remained dark. She must have fallen asleep. He flicked the switch on the light on and off as fast as he could until he heard another, even louder crack. Ray dropped to the floor and shut his light off. It sounded like treetops were snapping in half. He crawled back to the window and peeked over the sill. Now it was there. The white light. Bright and steady as if someone had planted a headlight on the top of a four-foot fence post in the center of the woods. He couldn’t tell where the light came from. Like before, it shone so bright it hid everything behind it in shadow. Everything ten feet in front of the light, however, was awash in its glow. Tree trunks, snow, branches, everything the light touched became outlined and visible in the darkness.

  Ray waited for the light to move. He held his breath in this throat so it wouldn’t fog up the window again. His heartbeat banged so loudly in his ears that he could no longer hear the clock ticking on the wall. Then movement. Not from the light but an animal. A buck casually walked through the light’s beam without a startle or fit. It stopped for a moment and ran its snout along the ground. It proceeded on its way until it left the light’s range. Then another buck walked across the light’s path in almost an identical fashion. It too poked at the snow, and then kept on its way out of the light’s path. Then another, much larger buck walked through the light. The rack on the stag was so large it turned back into darkness over the buck’s head. Ray’s mouth dropped open as one buck after another walked through the light. He counted seven. Whatever turned the light on did not bother or scare the animals. Rather, it seemed to draw them in, as if it were lighting a path for them through the woods. But it bothered and scared Ray. His teeth clenched together as tightly as his hands gripped the sill. He realized he would be of no use to his mother being as frightened as he was. He needed to tell her. If he couldn’t do anything about this, maybe she could. If ever there were a time to warn her, it would be now.

  He slowly stood up and backed away from the window. Ray thought if he kept his eyes affixed on the light, it wouldn’t move. Slowly and silently, Ray slid his feet backwards on the wood floor until he reached the door. As he carefully reached behind him for the doorknob the light began to shake back and forth like a metronome. Ray quickly abandoned his plan and darted back to the window and crouched low. The light stopped moving for only a moment, as if it were waiting for Ray to get back in his seat. Then, like a shot out of the flare gun, the orb flew up the air in a straight line through the branches and up towards the night sky. No sparks, no flame, just a pure ball of light soared in a straight line north until it cleared past the tops of the trees. Once it reached its maximum height it stopped momentarily. Then the light arced and slowly began to fall back down to earth with a streak trailing behind it like a ribbon. The light’s speed picked up pace until it reached the middle branches of the oaks. Without fading or flickering, it suddenly went out. Ray’s eyes followed the rate of speed which the light was falling and waited to hear it hit the ground. He stared at the floor of the woods but nothing landed. Maybe it got stuck in the tree, Ray thought. But as the light of the moon illuminated the woods, Ray saw nothing out of the ordinary. No light. No bucks. The trees stood peaceful and silent. The animals hidden. The birds asleep. Everything was just as peaceful as it was before the light turned on. Except for Ray.

  “Then it went way, way, way up like this,” Ray explained as he reached his arm high into the air over his head. He curved his hand and watched it come down slowly. “Then out.” He sliced his arms through the air like an umpire over a batter sliding safely into home plate. He plopped down on a wooden cafeteria chair and grabbed his milk. “I looked outside this morning for footprints. Nothing. I found nothing.” He took the last glug of his milk, then slammed it back on the cafeteria table in frustration.

  Olive stared at Ray as she chewed her peanut butter sandwich. Fear glued her elbows firmly to her side as she clamped down on the sides of bread. “What do you think it is?”

  “That’s the thing! I don’t…” Ray’s caught himself shouting and pulled his voice down to a whisper. “I don’t know. I just can’t figure it out. It looked like a firework when they first shoot it up into the sky. It had like a ribbon behind it.”

  “Like a tail? Jeez, I’m so sorry I missed it. I stayed awake as long as I could.”

  Ray shook his hand and dismissed it. “Don’t worry. It’s going to happen again. I just know it.”

  “What’s going to happen again? A kiss from your girlfriend?” mocked Ted as he walked up to the two. He puckered his lips and shut his eyes as he stood over Olive. Marty jumped next to Ted, waved his hands in the air and began to sing.

  “Ray and Ol-live sitting in a tree…”

  When Olive told Ray that her mother was picking her up after school to get new glasses from the doctor, Ray racked his brain all through their math lesson on how to tell Olive about what happened in the woods. Writing a note was out of the question as anyone who found it would think Ray was nuts. Recess wouldn’t work since Olive would be in the library and it was Ray’s turn to throw out the pitches in kickball. Lunch would be the only time. Ray thought if the two hid in the far corner, nobody would get wind of their conversation. Only it seemed the further they sat from everyone, the more they stuck out.

  “Quit it, will ya?” Ray said as he rubbed his forehead. “We’re just eating.” Olive carefully put down her sandwich and began to neatly fold it back into its wax paper.

  “So? What say you, four eyes?” Ted said as he straddled the chair next to Olive. He was as big sitting down as Marty was standing up. “Do you have a crush on Ray, here?”

  Olive gently put her sandwich back into her paper bag and looked at Raymond. Ray could feel the blood drain from his face. He asked Olive to sit with him and now she was being razzed for it. Ray also knew that Ted found any excuse to tease Olive because he had a crush on her. If Ted thought Olive liked Ray or the other way around, he would never hear the end of it.

  “I said, quit it Ted,” Ray ordered. “Or I’ll…” Ray let his sentence drift off, hoping the thin veil of the threat would work as he had no idea what he would do. He was so tired from not sleeping the night before
he couldn’t punch a pillow. Besides, Ted was the biggest kid in the fifth grade and at least a foot taller than Ray. Any fight started by Ray would be ended by Ted.

  “Or you’ll what?” Ted stood up and put his hands on his hips.

  “I’ll…” Ray could feel himself grasping. “I’ll…”

  Olive turned and yelled at Ted. “He’ll throw you bad pitches at kickball. Now go away!”

  Ted dropped his arms in a huff and looked back at Ray. “You wouldn’t, would you?”

  “If you keep bothering us I’ll throw every pitch at your knees.”

  Ted rubbed his chin in thought, then hit Marty on the arm. “Come on. Let’s leave these lovebirds alone.”

  Ray glared at the two as they slinked away from the table. He grabbed his empty milk carton and squashed it between his hands. “I’m sorry they are such jerks.”

  Olive shrugged as she took her sandwich back out of the bag and unwrapped it. “It’s alright. I just wish Ted didn’t like me so much.”

  CHAPTER 15

  The Woods Across the Street – Southold, New York, 1944

  Ray still fumed over Ted and Marty as he marched alone to Oscar’s place. He wasn’t sure why he felt so mad. Was it because they were teasing him, teasing Olive or that it was the second time Olive found the words that eluded him? He couldn’t think as fast as Olive or be as tough as Ted. Now he couldn’t sleep because he didn’t know who was in his backyard. And he was tired. He kicked up snow as he marched over the bridge and looked out over the bay. This thing that scared him at night might make him lose his friends. Or his mind. He couldn’t let it happen. He lost too much already.

  As he tramped up the hill with his hands shoved deep in his pockets for warmth, the tired feeling that fogged his head suddenly lifted. It took him a second to realize that he stopped walking. His eyes fixed on the truck parked on the edge of the road by the woods. He kept as still as possible. Something felt wrong. Very wrong. The truck was not parked by his home or Oscar’s. He’d seen the old pickup before but racked his head on where. His eyes drifted over the empty road and the row of trees. What was wrong? Why did every bone in his body feel like it wanted to leap out of his skin? A crow cawed above him from on top of a telephone pole. He watched the bird look around from the bay to Jacob’s Lane. The bird lifted its legs, then took off. It only traveled a short distance to the old tree stand where Olive and Ray hid from Fluffles. The crow cawed again. Then Ray remembered.

  Ray took off towards Oscar’s. His legs stretched wide to cover as much ground as he could. He knew why the truck looked out of place. They were hunters. They were in the woods. The idea of them putting the dead body of his buck in the back of the truck struck a chord of fear in Ray’s heart that he had only known once before. He never told Oscar, so he didn’t know if Oscar would even care but something in his head said he would. He had to at least try.

  Ray leapt up the front steps in one jump and barged into Oscar’s house without any knock or greeting. When he got into the living room he saw Oscar standing by Olive’s station holding new pots of paint. Oscar froze at the sight of Ray’s fear. Ray could only pant out words.

  “Hunters…” Ray heaved. “Hunters.” Ray pointed at the wall as he stared at Oscar. “Now. In the woods.”

  Oscar dropped the paint and ran after Ray, who was already out the door and running down the street. Ray turned to see the old man run into the cold without a coat, his old legs taking him as fast they could. When Ray darted from the road into the woods he heard Oscar call out.

  “Let them hear you, Raymond!” Oscar shouted. “They are hunting. Let them hear you!”

  Ray ran into the woods across the street from his house. This section of woods wasn’t in anyone’s backyard and was open to bow hunting. There was no road cutting through it, like Ships Drive. It was a thick section of woods that surrounded an old abandoned horseracing track. There weren’t as many paths as there were behind his house but whatever one he took he needed to stay on it. A deep ravine filled with prickers and thorn bushes ran through this section of the woods. His father used to dump grass clippings and yard brush down into this massive pit. Ray stopped running when he reached the edge of the ravine and waited for Oscar. Once he saw him huffing and puffing he pointed to the ravine. Oscar nodded, acknowledging the hole in the earth as he ran past Ray. Ray followed him as Oscar started to yell out.

  “Hup!” Oscar cried out in a deep voice. “Hup! Hup!” The words had force and vibrated through the trees.

  Ray joined in the cry. He didn’t know why this word seemed to work on the deer but now was not the time to question. Ray yelled as he ran. “Hup! Hup!”

  As they continued their shouts a wind began to pick up and stir, causing little whirlwinds of leaves to spiral in the air. Ray looked up at the treetops. None of them moved. The breeze seemed to come from the ground rather than the sky. The more Oscar cried out the word, the faster and harder the wind spun.

  “Hup!” Ray cried as a strong wind pressed his back and pushed him towards the edge of the woods. Then he heard the crunch of hooves beating on leaves. Ray looked around. Everything in the woods was moving. It was as if the ground woke up and wanted to shake everything off of it. Ray stopped and stared at the hurricane erupting from the earth. He momentarily forgot about the hunters until a massive beast darted past him and almost knocked him over. Ray looked around when he felt another animal fly past him on the other side. They were bucks. Huge ten-point bucks. Ray tried to steady himself when two more grazed him on either side. He turned around and saw four more charging at him. He dropped to his knees and put his hands over his head. He could feel the animals leap over him and land as they bolted towards the old racetrack.

  Ray scrambled to his feet and ran after the stags until the woods stopped and the race track began. There, twenty feet away from a hunting, stand stood Oscar, panting, with his hands on his knees. Once the bucks ran into the clearing Ray saw a man stand up on the deer stand, draw his bow and aim the arrow. The bucks were now in a small stretch of open field, in clear view of all the hunters. Ray cried out as loud as he could.

  “No! Stop!” The wind that spun around his legs seemed to pick up his voice and carry it in the opposite direction. Oscar, however, didn’t seem to have this problem. He squatted down and cried out in a voice that seemed to travel for miles.

  “HUZZAH!”

  Ray saw the line of deer reach the edge of the woods and jump into the trees. Then whatever whirlwind that spun on the ground seemed to lift into the trees and travel up towards the sky. The hunter released his bow. The wind took his arrow and sent it straight towards the ground. Ray ran into the field and only stopped once he heard one of the hunters begin to curse.

  “What do you think you’re doing, you old coot?” yelled the hunter in the tree stand at Oscar. Oscar sat on a tree stump, his hands shaking and out of breath. “That was my family’s dinner this winter.”

  “There…were…kids,” Oscar panted. “Kids…in the woods. You shouldn’t hunt where kids play.” Oscar pointed to Ray as he ran towards them, his fingers blue from the cold.

  Another hunter with a bow and quiver walked across the field towards Oscar. “What in the hell just happened?” he yelled.

  Oscar kept his head down, trying to catch his breath but didn’t answer. He didn’t say a word as the men barraged him with questions and insults. Ray stood silently next to him and put his hand on Oscar’s shoulder, letting him know he was by his side.

  CHAPTER 16

  Air Raid Drill — Southold, New York, 1944

  The sirens always cheered their own arrival. The warning’s low growl climbing to a constant high-pitched wail assaulted the ears and inserted fear into a human heart just as much as the sound of any low-flying plane. Ray unhooked the tie-back on the black fabric that his mother bundled on top of the windows and let the instant wall of darkness flap over the livi
ng room window. The menacing curtains did their job well, eradicated any light the moon tried to toss into the house. Being the son of an assistant air raid warden, he would be in more danger from his mother than a Japanese bomber if so much as a nightlight was seen during an air raid drill. Ray was left alone these nights. Before, during, and after the wails that screamed over the North Fork occurred, his mother would be hunkered down in the basement of the high school, feverously calling all sorts of people to check their whereabouts. But her first call was always to Raymond, making sure he was home and ordering him to blacken out the windows, triple check that the oven was turned off, and sit in the basement until the sirens stopped or he smelled horseradish. In that case, he was allowed to grab a flashlight and run for the hills.

  The siren screamed on as Ray finished covering the windows on the first floor and ran up the stairs to do the second. He remembered halfway upstairs he was doing it wrong. The upstairs should always be done first. Doing it second would insure that Ray would have to navigate a pitch black house or use his flashlight. He shrugged it off, figuring he knew the layout of the house as much as he knew the woods. He could walk through both backwards and blindfolded and still find his way to his dad’s workbench. Ray paused in front of his mother’s bedroom window and looked out into the woods. Nothing other than the siren’s scream was out there. No lights from the Van Dunsen’s or Jernick’s lampposts. No headlights from the Goldsmith’s Pierce Arrow or Christmas lights in their yard. No glow from a lamp hung over a dinner table or a reading chair. Just a wail in the night scaring all the light out of a town.

  Ray stepped back from his mother’s window when a flash caught the corner of his eye. He looked out the door and down the short hall to his bedroom. Another longer flash was coming through his bedroom window. Ray crouched low and scurried to his room. He looked up and saw the white flash appear again, only this time it came on and off in beats. One long flash, then two short. He ran to the window and looked at the Mott house. There, in the room directly across from his, came another white flash. When the light went out he saw the silhouette of a small girl. Olive was signaling to Ray.