The Key Man

Photo Writing Prompt used for Today

It was the first nice day of Easter break. We were playing kickball in the street when we noticed him. He was tall and lean with a rucksack slung across his back. He carried with him a bunch of keys on a loop that jingled as he walked down the street. We skipped and ran behind him as he walked.

“Hey, mister why you got all those keys?”

“hey, mister where you from?”

“Hey mister, what you got in your pack?”

“Hey mister”

He never spoke a word, just kept walking like he was on a mission. We decided to follow at a safe distance. He was a stranger after all. He walked through town and out past the church to the graveyard. On the far edge of the graveyard was a gravestone with the name long gone. The grave was surrounded by an ornate wrought iron fence that was always locked. He unlocked the little iron gate with one of the many keys he had. We were in awe, we had never seen anyone go in there in all our lives. We hid behind a tree and watched as he put down his pack and took out a knife.

“Do you think he’s a killer? Marni whispered getting closer to me.

“Maybe he’s the boogie man that comes to snatch little kids that follow their big brothers around all the time” I whispered back menacingly.

Tears welled up in Marni’s eyes but she dared not move or make a sound. She was terrified the boogie man would snatch her. I reached over and put my arm around her for a quick minute. I couldn’t let the guys see me hugging my little sister.

I heard the keys jangle and looked up to see him coming right toward us. I froze not knowing what to do. Marni held her breathe and so did Bobby and Pete. Maybe he really was a boogie man.

He stopped just a few feet away. Looked right in our direction, holding the knife in his hand. He slowly bent down at a bush and cut one single flower. He pricked his finger with a thorn and we all watched in silence as one small drop of red blood ran down the cut stem and into the dirt.

He went back and laid the rose on the gravestone along with a little white rock from his pocket and held his hands up to the sky. Just then a flock of crows decided to settle in the tree we were hiding behind. Cawing and rustling trying their best to give away our hiding space.

“stupid crows” Marni breathed “go tell it to the devil”

“damn right,” Bobby said a little too loud thrusting his fist up at the crows.

The key man turned and this time he saw us.