The Waterhole

Ronnie was eight and Matt was nine. Two best friends that spent all their time together. As far as their mothers were concerned, they could have been brothers and it was always natural for them to be at one another's houses. They lived next door to one another and as luck would have it, each of their rooms were directly across from one another's, both upstairs on the third floor. Both boys also each had an older sister, Miranda and Tansy. Since the girls were older, almost teens, they couldn't stand to be around the boys and they also couldn't stand one another. They only spoke to each other if their parents were within hearing distance, in order to not get scolded. Miranda wasn't nearly as prissy as Tansy and could actually be found down at the swimming hole with her own friends on a hot day, swinging on the rope over the water.

The town was small but well developed, with good folks in a tight knit community. Main Street circled around a very small park with a statue of the towns founder in the middle of a fountain. Quaint, would usually be the opinion of anyone passing through town. The stores and businesses lined the wide street with parking in front of them. Of course there was more parking behind them as well and an ally that ran almost the entire length of the town. The town boasted of two law firms and a small paper, which Matt's father owned. Still, the town was a quiet and mostly uneventful place where folks waved to one another and knew all of their neighbors, and their business.
Many of the older folks that lived closest to the town, sat on their porches just to visit with folks walking past, it seemed to keep them satisfied and the town didn't have an Nursing Home, they didn't seem to need it.

The swimming hole was a small bayou surrounded by beaches and trees close to the water with branches that reached out over the water. An old fallen tree jutted out from the beach and made the perfect diving platform. Most days you could find the two boys here. Today the boys had been jumping off from it for awhile when Miranda showed up with her friends, telling them to get lost. The boys weren't ready to be done with their swimming yet and refused to go. Both of them standing their ground on the log, daring the older kids to knock them off. Of course, the girls did knock them off and took over the log, leaving the boys to swim to the beach and leave all of their hats and pocket belongings behind. Today this just didn't set too well with them and they decided to do something about it.

The boys had a hiding place in the woods underneath a tree, for things they found but didn't want to take home. A rope, some wire, balls that had been lost in the park. They kept them in a wooden box and covered it with tree limbs, in case someone should stumble across it. They headed up to where the box was located and looked through it to see if there was anything in it to help with their plan for revenge. "This stuff ain't no good Ronnie! What can we do with this?" Matt cried out in frustration. Matt knelt down and looked through it all again, then shook his head. He couldn't figure out anything that would work either. He looked at Ronnie and said, "I got an idea! Come on." Matt took off toward town with Ronnie close behind, both of them wearing only in their wet shorts and no shoes. When they got to the road, the pavement burned their feet so bad they had to step onto the grass. "Dang that hurt! Let's go home and get some shoes first." Matt suggested. "Yeah, I guess we better. I just don't want to take a chance on them leaving before we get back down there to pay 'em back!" Ronnie said.

Since they were in hurry they cut across Old Man Meltons yard. He was a stickler for keeping people off his grass. He tended it most everyday and watered it twice a day in the summer. He was the town showoff and liked to have the best looking yard in the neighborhood. He kept a sharp eye out for trespassers too. The boys slunk down as low as they could and still walk. They spied the old man in the front of the house on the porch and knew that he couldn't see them if they made the next 10 feet without being seen. Quickly they scooted across the lawn and stopped behind a flowering tree to check and see if they had been spotted. The way was clear and they took off running at top speed. They ran so hard their mouths were wide open and their wet shorts dropped even further down their non existent hips. Running full out and holding on to their shorts was a sight to see, as their mothers glanced up from their walk, to spot them skirting under the bushes into Ronnie's yard. They laughed at the sight of them, brown skinned and blond haired from the sun, and skinny as rails as they shot under the bushes between the houses.
The two mother's smiled a knowing smile, as they looked back to see if Mr. Melton had spotted them. They had been told many times not to use his yard as shortcut, but could see that today was a have to. The moms knew that they had started off with shirts and shoes on when they left this morning, no sight of them now though. They had seen this before and knew that someone had thrown them off the swimming hole. They did look down the street to see if anyone was chasing them. Not seeing anyone, they resumed their walk and left the boys to figure it out on their own, smiling at their ability to not get caught on Mr. Meltons grass.

Ronnie went to his house to get shoes and a shirt and Matt went to his. They came out of the house at the exact same time and met up on the sidewalk. "Hey Matt, I'm hungry. Let's get some lunch before we go back." Ronnie said. "Ok. Come on, my mom just got fresh bread." Matt offered. Heading into the house just as his mom came up the walk, Matt stopped and asked her what was for lunch. Smiling his mom answered, "Looks like clean shirts and shoes." The boys looked at each other wide eyed. They had been seen. The boys were mortified that they had been caught after all, thinking they had been as swift and stealthy as the wind and nobody could see them. Now this was a disappointment to them as they went into the house and sat at the table, waiting for the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches Matt's mother had offered to make.

After his mom had served the sandwiches and milk, she went down to the basement to do laundry. Matt looked at Ronnie and said, "We gotta be more careful going across his yard. Maybe we should go all the way around from now on." Ronnie looked at him and said, "Naw man. So what if we get caught, it's just grass!" Matt wasn't sure he wanted to find out what would happen if they did get caught though. He had a brand new bike out in the garage and he didn't want to take on a chance on being grounded from riding it, as his lips formed a thin line and he slowly shook his head. "What?" Ronnie asked. "Nothing." Matt answered, he didn't want to look like a baby to his best friend.

Taking two extra sandwiches and putting them in the backpack, they headed out and went down the street to a friends house. Now this friend was a man that wasn't quite old, but not nearly young either. He collected lots of things in his back yard and liked for the boys to come by and see his treasures. They were sure that today they could trade those sandwiches for something he had on hand. They had devised a plan while they ate lunch.
They would sneak down to the water hole late that evening and grease up the rope. It would have to be a grease that couldn't be seen on the rope. Then tomorrow when Miranda showed up, they would dare her to jump out the furthest into the water. They laughed and giggled at the thought of her sliding right off the rope into the shallow part of the water unable to hold onto the rope. Every time they pictured her falling, they doubled over in laughter and slapped each other on the back. They were quite proud that they had devised such a plan.

Reaching Stanley's house, they looked around and called out for him. He came around from the back yard and greeted them, "Hey there you two. Been wondering what 'chall been up to. Hot, hot today." He said shaking his head. The boys told him about their swimming hole dilemma and he laughed and said, "Come on, I got just what 'cha need."
Armed with a whole can of clear grease they headed back home to wait for Miranda to return. As soon as she was safely inside the house, they took off for the waterhole, sneaking down through the trees so no one would see them. There on the log were their shoes and shirts in a pile. At least they didn't throw them in the water to float away or to the bottom. Ronnie was the best climber of the two and headed up the rope as far as he thought Miranda could reach. Looking down at Matt, he stopped and said, " Now how do I get the grease up here?" Matt held the can in his hands and looked at it, turning it around as if to find the answer. He looked up at Ronnie and decided he could throw it up to him. "Here, catch!" He yelled up to him. Ronnie reached out for the can that was coming up to him. It almost reached him, but began it's descent before Ronnie could reach it. The rope wasn't easy to hold on to with one hand and it swayed back and fourth when he reached out for the can. Plop! The can hit the water and Matt jumped in to retrieve it quickly. Ronnie came down from his position on the rope and looked at the can.

"We need a way to carry the grease up there with us." Ronnie stated. Both boys stared at the can hoping for an easy answer to their problem. Neither of them had one and they decided to come back in the morning and try again. Maybe they would think of a better way later on. Later that night Matt flashed his flashlight over to Ronnie's window. That was the signal. Ronnie came to the open window. "Hey, we can put the grease in a plastic bag and it will fit in our pocket." Matt told him. Ronnie grinned and nodded, "I never thought of that! That'll work great. See ya in the morning."

At daylight both boys headed down to the waterhole, whispering as if someone would hear them. Just as they neared the path that wound itself around to the waterhole, they heard voices. Slowing down and crouching low, they peered over the branches. Sitting on the log, dangling their feet in the water, were the two town lawyers. Looking at each other in total surprise, both boys almost laughed out loud. Creeping back the same way they had come they walked slowly home, kicking at the dirt in frustration. It seemed the waterhole was getting crowded and they were the only two not able to use it. Feeling totally disappointed, they went in to get some breakfast, feeling hunger pangs gnawing at their tummy's now.

Sitting at the table scoffing down the bacon and eggs with jelly toast now, they began to feel better. Matt's mom looked over at them and smiled, "Boys, Miranda and I are going to the mall today. We won't be back in time for lunch, so you two will have to find your own lunch today, ok?" They looked at each other and then back at his mom and nodded. Their great plan was looking more like a bust as the day progressed. Heading up to Matt's room and laying across the beds with their heads buried in their hands, they groaned and moaned. "Now what?" Ronnie asked. Matt turned over on his back and stared at the ceiling. He did this on a regular basis, looking for answers, as if they might just be floating up there for him to see. He didn't answer Ronnie, just stared upward. Finally, Ronnie got up and said, "We gotta wait til tomorrow now. Hey, I wonder if those lawyers go down there much." This caught Matt's attention, "Yeah, I wonder if they were talking about some big case, you know?"

Ronnie was thoughtful, "We ought to sneak down there tomorrow morning and see if we can hear anything. Maybe there's some big case going on!" He looked at Matt for encouragement. Matt sat up on the bed and got to his knees, the bed shaking beneath him. His brain was beginning to go into overdrive now, "Let's go get the paper and see if there is anything in there. Maybe it's a murder case!"
They ran down the stairs, both flights of them and found the paper beside his dad's chair. "Where do you look for that kind of story?" Ronnie asked. Matt shook his head, "I don't know. Come on, let's go down to the paper and ask my dad."

Ronnie thought this was a great idea. They took the bikes and rode to town, parking them in front of the building. Heading inside they were greeted by everyone and told that Matt's dad was in his office. Sometimes he might be up the street at the Cafe'. He liked to hang out there and listen to all the things going on in the town, in case there might be a story to write. Turning the knob and opening the door just a little, Matt poked his head in, "Hi Dad."
His dad looked up from his desk and smiled at him, "Well, to what I owe this visit?"
Matt grinned, "We need to know how to read the paper." His dad looked at him and laughed, " The same way you read a book." "No, I mean..we need to know which part of the paper would have news about stuff..like..uh.a murder?" Matt stumbled over the words as he realized he didn't want to give away their secret.
His dad laughed again, "Well, usually that type of story would be on the front page or the next few pages. Son, why don't you just read through the whole paper and find the answers you are looking for?"
Matt smiled, "Yeah, I guess we can do that. Hey Dad, has there ever been a murder here in town?" His dad didn't smile at that question. "Why all the interest in this?" Matt squirmed and shuffled his feet with Ronnie staying close behind him. "Ah you know, just wondering." He said. "Bye Dad."

The boys shut the office door and headed toward the door to outside. Almost reaching it, they were stopped by the oldest person there. "Boys, you got a minute?" They stood still and waited, he probably wanted them to go get him a coffee or something. "I heard you asking about a murder here in town. How'd you hear about that?" The boys glanced at each other. "Naa, we didn't hear nothing." Matt said as he slipped quickly out the door with Ronnie almost on top of him. When they were clear of the paper Ronnie stopped his bike with a skid, "Maybe we shouldn't be asking any more questions." Matt looked at him and said, "Why not?" Ronnie shook his head, "I bet that's the reason those lawyers met down at the waterhole, so nobody could hear what they was talking about. Maybe it is a murder!"
Matt was thoughtful about this and they rode along toward home at slower pace thinking about their options.

They went out back when they got home and sat under the shade of the trees. "You know, I think my dad was right. We gotta read the paper to find out if there has been murder here." Matt finally said. Ronnie looked at him, "I got a better idea! Come on." He headed down the street and stopped in front of his aunt's house. "Mom says if Aunt Bet doesn't know it, it ain't happened. Let's go ask her." Aunt Bet was sitting on the porch in her rocker. "Well hello boys. This is a nice surprise. Sit down with me." She offered. " Would you boys like some cookies?" "No mam, we were just hoping you could answer a question for us. Seems like nobody else in town knows much about stuff around here. I figured you would know." Ronnie said, with a big smile. Aunt Bet grinned, I know pretty much everything that goes on in this town, for sure." She was quite proud of her knowledge of the townsfolk.

"Well, we just wanted to know if there had ever been a murder here in town." Ronnie said, leaning in close to her as if they could share a secret. "Oh yes! Why just the other day, down beyond the railroad tracks they found....now you boys are too young for this kind of talk. Let me get you those cookies!" She went in to the house shaking her head. Ronnie and Matt looked at each other with knowing smiles. They had tracked down the information without even reading the paper. Not wanting to hurt Aunt Bet's feelings they patiently waited for the cookies and lemonade she would bring out to the porch. But they were anxious to get back home now and read the paper for any information it had.

They found a spot in the paper that listed local offenses and listed the names of the offenders as well. Below this they found a one paragraph story about a body being found close to the tracks and it had not been identified. This was it! Ronnie jumped up from the floor where they had laid out the paper. "This is what they must have been talking about! He was murdered and thrown on the tracks." Matt was thoughtful and said, "They don't even know who it was." Ronnie was excited now, "We can start looking and find out who he was and solve the case!" Matt wasn't quite as eager, "I don't know..I never been over there to the tracks. My dad would kill me if I got caught too!"

It was a long hot ride over to the other side of town and they weren't familar with it. They had ridden through it in the car with their parents from time to time, but never paid any attention at all. It seemed to be kind of dirty and broken down. The houses were in need of attention, not at all like the freshly painted house on their own street. People were sitting in chairs outside and didn't seem at all friendly. Ronnie stopped his bike. "Now what?" Matt looked around and said, "I don't see anybody we could ask." On the corner there was a store. They went in and looked around for the drinks. Finding them, they each got a coke and took it to the counter to pay for it. "You boys ain't from around here. What 'cha doing down here?" Ronnie was no longer excited and pulled on Matt's shirt to get out of the store. For some reason, Matt decided to be brave and said, "We heard there was a guy that got killed and I was worried it might be my uncle. He rides the trains."

The skinny little man looked overtop of his glasses and bent down toward Matt, "Might be your uncle huh?" His nasally voice had gotten louder with this and Matt backed up into Ronnie. He shook his head in answer to the man's question, a little afraid now. The man leaned over the counter even further and said, "That old feller didn't ride no train, he ain't yore uncle neither! He lived here his whole life and had a heart attack while he was picking up bottles along the track. Now, what 'cha think about that?" His eyes had turned black and the menancing look scared the boys so bad they took off running. Hopping on their bikes they didn't stop until they reached the porch at Ronnie's house. Laying their bikes down and climbing the steps to the porch they sat in the chairs to cool off.
"Hey Matt, let's don't read the paper anymore, or listen to other folks conversations. I can't take it." Ronnie told him. "Me either! Let's go put that grease on the rope, that'll be enough for me. I don't want to go detectiveing ever again. And I don't want to go in that store, ever again!" Matt replied back to him.

After lunch they headed down to the water hole with full intentions of greasing up that rope. But once they got there they decided to swim and jump from the rope themselves. Laying across the log after a while Matt said, "You know, if we grease that rope, we can't use it either anymore." Ronnie looked at him and nodded, "Yeah, guess we better just wait til Miranda don't want to swim anymore. I heard my mom and yours talking and they said that it wouldn't be long til Miranda wouldn't want to do those things. She'll be a teenager." Matt got up and grabbed the rope, "Yeah, and we can still swing after she leaves." He swung out over the water and dropped in, holding his legs up with his arms to make a big splash.

Matt and Ronnie always came down to the waterhole whenever they had summer break, after they had gone off to college. Sitting on the log as grown young men, they talked and laughed about the summers of swinging on the rope and the summer they tried to be detectives.. for a moment!