The Dump
We reached the dump around half past one and slid down the bank. The dump was surrounded by a high wire fence, and there were signs saying that the dump was open between four and eight in the afternoon - no entry at any other time under any circumstances. We climbed over the fence and jumped down to the ground.
We went straight to the tap. While Vern and Teddy argued about who would go next, I looked round. There was always so much stuff in the dump that my eyes hurt just looking at it. All of America was there - all the stuff for which America had no further use. There were plenty of wild animals too, but not the kinds you see in Disney films or in children's zoos where they let you stroke the animals. The town dogs came here too. They used to attack each other over a piece of rotten meat, but they never attacked Milo Pressman, the manager of the dump, because Milo always had Chopper with him.
Chopper was the most feared and the least seen dog in Castle Rock. Rumours and stories had made him enormous, cruel and ugly. It was said that Milo had trained him to go for particular parts of the body. He could take an ear, an eye, a foot, a leg or... any part of the body. Even Teddy was afraid of Chopper.
There was no sign of Milo or Chopper today.
Chris and I watched Vern and Teddy at the tap. 'Teddy's crazy,' I said softly.
'I know it,' Chris said. 'He won't live to be twice the age he is now.'
'You remember that time in the tree?'
'Of course.'
The year before, Teddy and Chris had climbed a tall tree behind my house. Chris had stopped near the top because the rest of the branches looked dry and rotten. Teddy wanted to go on, and nothing Chris said made any difference. Teddy did it, though - he reached the top. But then the branch he was on broke and Teddy fell. Chris just managed to grab hold of Teddy's hair as he went past. Although his wrist hurt for a week afterwards, he held him until his feet found a branch to stand on. When they got down Chris was grey-faced and almost puking from fear. And Teddy was angry with him for pulling his hair!
'I dream about it sometimes,' Chris said. 'Except in the dream I miss him. I just grab a couple of hairs and Teddy goes screaming down through the branches to the ground. Strange, eh?'
'Right,' I said, and for a moment we looked in each other's eyes and saw some of the true things that made us friends.
After we had all had enough to drink and had thrown water at one another for a while, we sat in the shadow of the dump's only- tree.
'This is really a good time,' Vern said simply. He didn't mean just being here in the dump or going for a walk up the tracks. All that was only part of it. Everything was there and around us. We knew exactly who we were and exactly where we were going in life. It was great.
We sat under the tree until the shadows grew longer, and then we realized someone had to go and get some food.
'The dump opens at four,' Vern said. 'I don't want to be here when Milo and Chopper arrive.'
'OK,' I said. 'Odd man goes?'
'That's you, Gordie,' Chris said. 'You're odd all right.'
I grinned and gave them each a coin. 'Spin,' I said.
Four coins shone brightly as they turned in the sun. Four hands grabbed them from the air. Four flat slaps on four dirty wrists. We uncovered. Two heads and two tails. We spun again and this time all four of us had tails.
'Oh, Jesus, that's bad luck,' Vern said, not telling us anything we didn't know. Four heads meant really good luck, four tails the opposite.
'Nobody believes that garbage,' Teddy said. 'It's baby stuff. Come on, spin.'
This time the other three all had tails and I had heads. And I was suddenly frightened. They still had the bad luck. Then Teddy was laughing his crazy laugh and pointing at me, and the feeling disappeared.
'Go and get the food,' Teddy cried.
'Go on, Gordie,' said Chris. 'We'll wait by the tracks.'
'You guys had better not go on without me,' I said. And away I went.
I never had any friends later like the ones I had when I was twelve. Did you?
We reached the dump around half past one and slid down the bank. The dump was surrounded by a high wire fence, and there were signs saying that the dump was open between four and eight in the afternoon - no entry at any other time under any circumstances. We climbed over the fence and jumped down to the ground.
We went straight to the tap. While Vern and Teddy argued about who would go next, I looked round. There was always so much stuff in the dump that my eyes hurt just looking at it. All of America was there - all the stuff for which America had no further use. There were plenty of wild animals too, but not the kinds you see in Disney films or in children's zoos where they let you stroke the animals. The town dogs came here too. They used to attack each other over a piece of rotten meat, but they never attacked Milo Pressman, the manager of the dump, because Milo always had Chopper with him.
Chopper was the most feared and the least seen dog in Castle Rock. Rumours and stories had made him enormous, cruel and ugly. It was said that Milo had trained him to go for particular parts of the body. He could take an ear, an eye, a foot, a leg or... any part of the body. Even Teddy was afraid of Chopper.
There was no sign of Milo or Chopper today.
Chris and I watched Vern and Teddy at the tap. 'Teddy's crazy,' I said softly.
'I know it,' Chris said. 'He won't live to be twice the age he is now.'
'You remember that time in the tree?'
'Of course.'
The year before, Teddy and Chris had climbed a tall tree behind my house. Chris had stopped near the top because the rest of the branches looked dry and rotten. Teddy wanted to go on, and nothing Chris said made any difference. Teddy did it, though - he reached the top. But then the branch he was on broke and Teddy fell. Chris just managed to grab hold of Teddy's hair as he went past. Although his wrist hurt for a week afterwards, he held him until his feet found a branch to stand on. When they got down Chris was grey-faced and almost puking from fear. And Teddy was angry with him for pulling his hair!
'I dream about it sometimes,' Chris said. 'Except in the dream I miss him. I just grab a couple of hairs and Teddy goes screaming down through the branches to the ground. Strange, eh?'
'Right,' I said, and for a moment we looked in each other's eyes and saw some of the true things that made us friends.
After we had all had enough to drink and had thrown water at one another for a while, we sat in the shadow of the dump's only- tree.
'This is really a good time,' Vern said simply. He didn't mean just being here in the dump or going for a walk up the tracks. All that was only part of it. Everything was there and around us. We knew exactly who we were and exactly where we were going in life. It was great.
We sat under the tree until the shadows grew longer, and then we realized someone had to go and get some food.
'The dump opens at four,' Vern said. 'I don't want to be here when Milo and Chopper arrive.'
'OK,' I said. 'Odd man goes?'
'That's you, Gordie,' Chris said. 'You're odd all right.'
I grinned and gave them each a coin. 'Spin,' I said.
Four coins shone brightly as they turned in the sun. Four hands grabbed them from the air. Four flat slaps on four dirty wrists. We uncovered. Two heads and two tails. We spun again and this time all four of us had tails.
'Oh, Jesus, that's bad luck,' Vern said, not telling us anything we didn't know. Four heads meant really good luck, four tails the opposite.
'Nobody believes that garbage,' Teddy said. 'It's baby stuff. Come on, spin.'
This time the other three all had tails and I had heads. And I was suddenly frightened. They still had the bad luck. Then Teddy was laughing his crazy laugh and pointing at me, and the feeling disappeared.
'Go and get the food,' Teddy cried.
'Go on, Gordie,' said Chris. 'We'll wait by the tracks.'
'You guys had better not go on without me,' I said. And away I went.
I never had any friends later like the ones I had when I was twelve. Did you?
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