“Do you think Miss. K will give another pop quiz tomorrow?” Brian lamented. “She always gives us one on Fridays” His friend Sargent shot back. “Oh, maybe she’ll forget.” “Maybe she’ll get sick.” Piped the two back and forth. Sargent was always the one of the group who would joke around not really thinking too much before he spoke. They walked along the dirt road path. It looked to be a beautiful day for their fun activities planned, sitting on the dock landing, skipping rocks and fishing when the tide was right. The third of the trio Travis, did not meet his friends that day. The boys assumed he got caught up in his chores. He was the only boy in his household and his mother counted on him to do many things. It was calm so the boys decided to try for some Sailor’s Choice. They had some bait left over from Sargent’s freezer, but as the hours passed they weren’t having much luck. It was still fun though as Sargent was good at telling jokes. Even though Travis hadn’t arrived yet, Brian wasn’t sure he could wait, as it started to get late and he knew that his mother was baking his father’s favorite blueberry pie. She was always complaining about the lack of berries at this time of year in the northeast but she scored some yummy ones she said as he left. He wished he liked blueberries but he’d make sure his mom believed he did.

Sargent wasn’t thinking about home or blueberry pies. He was thinking about the story his grandfather told him, about the dock and the old fisherman because he could have sworn he just saw a shadow in the form of a man. As Sargent slept over his grandparent’s house one night, in the warmth of his bed, his grandfather told him the legend. Jonas Hawkins lived alone at Fisherman’s Landing, in a yellow house on a hill overlooking the dock. Every day he’d walk up and down the dock, check the air and then he’d drive out to deep-sea fish on his beloved boat, “The Trooper”. But one day came where he never arrived back home. Sargent’s grandfather had heard this story from his father and he said the saga captured the whole town. Some thought he was caught up in a terrible storm and the ocean swallowed him whole and many say you can still sometimes see “The Trooper” in the far out distance while sitting on the dock on foggy days. During the boy’s recent escapades, they all felt something eerie around them. The boys would dare each other to be the first one to enter old Hawkins’s house. The house had been abandoned for many years and was all boarded up. It would be quite dangerous to enter. No one had. Jonas was not only a fisherman but he was involved in the Culper Spy Ring during the American Revolution. He would spend days and nights in his underground study, writing special coded reports and letters that only specialized persons could read. It is said that there may be hidden treasures waiting to be found after all these years past. This was the main reason why the boys came down to Deadman’s Landing. They were much intrigued by the tales of the fisherman and the possibilities of finding treasure or secrets of some kind. They spoke about it at lunch almost every day.
“Sarge look! There’s that shadow again!” The boys looked around anxiously but also excitedly. They had often seen the shadow together. Brian whispered, “I wish Travis was here.” Then they heard a soft knocking sound. At first they thought it was the boats since there were several boats that the owners had not rescued yet from their summer slips. It then seemed to be coming from the yellow house or thereabouts. They were about 400 ft. away and wondered if the sound had anything to do with the shadow they had just witnessed. “Where is Travis?” asked Brian. “He’d say we were making this up.” Sargent added. As they looked at the house, they saw a flicker of light come from a lower level window. “Lets go check it out” Sargent, the braver of the two, suggested. Brian more reluctant but curious decided to go along. It was on the way home after all. The boys start their long walk to the old Hawkins Homestead. They were uneasy about getting too close. Everyone in town knew the story of Johnny Tuthill. It was told that he had only been playing hoop rolling on the front lawn when something scared him so terribly, that he fled screaming down the hill and ran straight off the pier. Thankfully his father, who had just moored their boat, saved him before he drowned. Johnny was never the same.

Night had almost fallen and you could hear The Great Horned and Barn Owl calling out to catch their first course of the evening. The cool fall breeze carried what sounded like a moan. It was hard to tell exactly what it was. As the boys got closer to the house it seemed that everything was alive with sound. The clanking of the boat masts behind them, the rocking of the wooden pier, the rustling of leaves, and the rattling of shutters on old Hawkins’s house overwhelmed the boys. The stories ingrained in their minds flashed images as they started to trip and run as if being towed to the house. They stopped at the big pine tree that stood a few feet away. They clung to the tree for safety and tried to catch their breath. It seemed that the light from the window was still on but the moaning had stopped. They had never seen a light on during their trips past the house and they were petrified but they curiously approached the porch. Magically the front door opened and even though they would argue about this for years, Brian thought he saw through the dusk, a hand disappearing from the doorknob.
The boys hadn’t uttered a word since they left the dock. They crept slowly up the porch stairs and through the entrance. “What’s that?” whispered Brian. The boys saw a lantern already lit sitting on a table covered in cobwebs and dust. Sargent reached for the lantern, as the door behind them slammed shut. They then saw a beam of light coming through the cracks of one of the four doors. “This must be the underground study,” Sargent said inaudibly, as the boys are barely able to breathe from anticipation and fear. Sargent carefully opened the creaking door and started to descend. “Right behind you” croaked Brian but they felt a sudden cold gust glide by. The boys turned as they heard the front door open again and close. They looked at each other for a brief moment when they heard a soft moan from down below. The boys froze. “Hello?” came out of Sargent’s mouth. “Sarge” a weak but familiar voice was heard. “Is that you Travis?” as the boys raced down the old rickety stairs to find their friend. “Why did you come here without us? How did you get in here? Did you see the open door too?” The boys excitedly talked at the same time. “I think I landed on my leg, let me see if I can get up.” Travis says. The boys helped their pal stand on his feet. “I saw the porch door open and thought you’d gone in without me. I was late; mother had me chopping a whole pile of wood from the birch that came down. I saw a door open and I must have missed a step somewhere fell down a couple steps. I was afraid to move my leg.” He grimaced as he tried to put weight on it. “We’ll get you home.” Sargent said as the boys supported their friend up the rickety steps, “You’re not gonna believe me but I feel like someone tried to get us here, to find you.” “What do you mean?” Travis said. Brian took a breath to speak but was cut off by the sound of footsteps coming from upstairs. The boys all started to breath heavily as they pause in their tracks. The footsteps approached the stair entrance. A dark figure appeared at the door. “J-o-n-a-s H-a-w-k-i-n-s”, Sargent whispered. “YES AND WHY ARE YOU IN MY HOUSE!” Travis and Sargent’s hearts sank but Brian knew the sound of his father’s voice and breathed a sigh of relief. “Father, Travis is hurt!” “We were coming home and we…” The boys walked side by side and continued their story as Brian’s father carried Travis out to his truck. “Come on boys, Sargent sit next to Travis and Brian you can sit up with me and finish the story.” The truck headed towards St. Mary’s Hospital as Brian’s father handed his phone to Sargent. “Call Travis’ mother for him, hopefully she can meet us at the hospital. We waited for you son but your mother was worried so she sent me off to find you. My favorite blueberry pie is sitting at home waiting for me. Maybe we can all enjoy it together tomorrow and perhaps Jonas can join us as well.” Brian looked in the side mirror back towards the giant hill and the gloomy house and wondered if their shadowy helper was looking back at them.