All of my writing is fiction, and the stories and characters are products of my imagination. They were created for my fun and, hopefully, your enjoyment. Some of the events in the stories are not particularly condoned nor encouraged by the author but are there to create and enhance the story of the imaginary characters and their lives. Comments are always encouraged and carefully reviewed. All characters within the story that need to be are 18 years of age or older. I hope you enjoy! And take a second to vote and comment.
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High school had been a boring time for me since I spent most of my time concentrating on my studies. If I was going to go to college, it would require scholarships and maybe working to get through, as my parents certainly didn't have the money to pay the horrendous tuitions that were required now. My grandfather talked of going to Ohio State in the fifties and sixties, and his tuition was ninety dollars per quarter or two hundred and seventy dollars a year. He'd work during the summer and earn enough to pay for tuition and books and have spending money left over. Times had changed now, for sure. Current tuition is approximately twelve thousand dollars per year, or forty-four times what it had been.
My grades had been excellent, and the scholarships had come, but I still worked off and on to supplement the costs, sneaking by without my parents having to sacrifice to help me along. I was now working on my master's in mechanical engineering, postponing most of what would have been the normal part of my life until that was complete.
I'd dated a couple of girls in high school, but the more we became involved, the more time it required, and that didn't mesh well with the time required for my studies. So, I decided to dismiss that part of my life for the present and push it into the future when the studies were complete, I had a good job, and there was more time available. Even in college, I'd had girls flirt with me, I think hoping I'd take an interest in them, but to no avail. I was committed and resolute. Nothing would deter me.
I had finally applied for and been accepted for the ideal job for a struggling college student. It was a night security guard at a huge cemetery that had experienced trouble with vandals and thieves and needed someone to monitor the cameras they'd installed and report any problems. It made getting enough sleep a problem, but it left much time for studies. And I usually managed to grab a couple of naps during the night, using the alarm on my phone to keep them from extending more than an hour or so. It was working well.
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"You're early, Tony. What's up?"
"I'm not always late." That was technically true, always being the keyword.
"Yes, you are. So what happened tonight?"
I shrugged. "I was hungry, and it woke me up, I guess. I've got to remember to eat before I go to sleep."
"Yeah, heaven forbid that I get to go home on time."
"I agreed to lock all the gates so you could sit here on your ass and watch TV."
"Lots of TVs to watch in here," Lou said with a laugh.
It was true. Since Blessed Rest Cemetery began having trouble with stolen headstones (smaller ones) and general vandalism (larger ones), a large group of security cameras had been installed in key areas, and monitors in the small office that had been turned into the security center, something that hadn't been necessary in the past. The office was in a corner of the original cemetery building and smelled of age, neglect, and disrepair despite the wonderful electronics that now filled every corner of the room
During the day, there was lots of activity on the grounds that gave security plenty to watch. At night, when I was on duty, there was usually nothing to see on the monitors, although, every couple of weeks, someone would be spotted, and the golf cart with the very bright spotlight would spring into action, usually causing the intruder to flee.
Being there for the boring night was an advantage right now because I had plenty of time to study since I was working on my master's degree in mechanical engineering. There were lots of sleepy classroom sessions, but so far, I was doing okay. Plus, without the money from the job, there'd be no master's degree.
I used the golf cart to visit each of the four gates, closing and locking them before I headed back to the office. The place was huge, so it took nearly thirty minutes just to visit the four gates and lock them.
I was amazed at the number of large trees and thick shrubbery that was present since the only cemetery I visited where a grandparent was interned was bare with only an occasional tree, I'm sure to facilitate mowing.
Once back in the office, I checked all the monitors in the dwindling twilight and didn't see anything unusual, so I entered that into the computer. Later, when it was completely dark and the few street lights were on, the picture would be dim and difficult to decipher. Plus, now that the thieves and vandals knew there were security cameras, they were much less likely to appear.
I settled in with my textbook, making careful notes for my design project. My professor was a consultant for multiple helicopter companies, and I was designing a rotor lift test stand. It was guaranteed to get me an A in the course, which would be helpful for my GPA.
About an hour later, I checked the monitors again and thought I saw some movement on one of the mid-cemetery cameras. I watched for a couple of minutes and was sure I saw something...or someone prowling amidst the stones. They appeared to be dressed in all black, which naturally drew my attention. Thieves and vandals didn't like to be seen.
The golf cart sprang into action, but I didn't use the spotlight. The vague figure I'd seen looked small, and my first impression was that it was a girl. I discarded that as totally illogical as what small girl would be trying to steal a gravestone or even vandalize one.
I stopped the cart short of where I'd seen the movement and looked around, hoping to spot more movement. I was a weaponless security guard unless you considered the big flashlight I carried a weapon. I moved as silently as possible, hoping against hope that there'd be nothing there.
"Who's there," I called, trying to sound bold and decisive when I really wasn't.
"Oh!" A high-pitched squeal from behind a large stone.
"Come out where I can see you." I switched on my flashlight/weapon.
"I'm not doing anything," she said, stepping out to where I could see her.
The bright light revealed a small young woman dressed in black and, admittedly, looking very harmless. I adjusted the beam so that it cast a soft light on the scene. Bareheaded, she had short and very black hair, pale blue eyes, and, amazingly, a band of freckles across her face just below her eyes.
"You're not supposed to be here, you know. The cemetery is closed for the night."
"I could tell that from the locked gates. But that's when I like to be here when there's no one to bother me."
So, I guess I was bothering her, but that was my job.
"So, did you stay here from earlier, before the gates were locked?"
"Oh, no. I never come during the daylight."
An obvious question came to mind. "So, how did you get in?"
She just smiled, and it was clear she wasn't going to answer the question.
"You need to leave," I said as firmly as I could. But even as I said that, her look and her soft voice caused me to want to learn more.
"Why? I'm not hurting anything."
"Well, it's just the rules. No one is allowed in here after the gates are locked."
"And you're here to enforce the rules, right?"
"Exactly." The smile on her face told me she wasn't afraid of me.
"Isn't it boring being here all by yourself with nothing to do but probably watch some security monitors that are showing you that nothing is happening?"
"It showed me something tonight. You."
She chuckled and smiled, both having a nearly unexplainable allure, helped by the fact that the face I was seeing was very, well, cute.
"I wish it hadn't because it's interrupted both of our evenings."
"That's what it's meant to do."
"Shine the light so I can see your face better," she said somewhat firmly.
I did it before realizing that she was giving me an order, not what was supposed to happen.
"The sound of your voice told me you weren't an old man, and your face tells me even more. If I had to guess, I'd say that you're a college student working here to help pay tuition, damn those student loans, right? And the boring night gives you time to study."
I squinted at her, moving the light so she couldn't see my face any longer.
