The Child

Uni was twelve when his family moved into the new house in Wisconsin. He was thoroughly unhappy with the changes to his school and surroundings. His old schoolmates had gotten past making fun of his name and now he’d have to go through that all over again. His name was pronounced oony, but most of the kids liked to call him puny. Almost immediately Uni realized he may not have to worry about that anymore.

His mother sent him down to the corner to pick up some things from the grocer the day after the move. That was where Uni met Sam. Sam was the same age as Uni, but slightly smaller in frame. They both found it funny that they were dressed similarly. Both boys were wearing red shirts, jeans, and white sneakers. After that, they became good friends. Sam began introducing Uni to the other kids in the neighborhood and even made him an honorary team member of the Grant Street Jo-Jo Lovers.

Jo-Jo was a girl who lived two streets over that most of the baseball team had a crush on. Their team was named by the opposing team, the Bay Court Jo-Jo Haters. Jo-Jo wasn’t enthused by all this, but she was a little flattered to be mentioned at all. The Lovers and the Haters usually had a game on Holloway Lane every Saturday afternoon. The reason for this was because Holloway Lane had fewer houses on it, which meant fewer chances to end up spending allowances on broken windows and dent repairs.

The day of his first official game, Sam laid down the ground rules.
“Never make any of the Haters mad because they’re bigger than us. If Jo-Jo comes to watch, never make eye-contact with her because that makes everybody jealous. This one is the most important one of all; never go near number 5211.” Then Sam pointed at the ugliest house Uni had ever seen. It reminded him of the house from The Addams Family. A chill went up Uni’s spine as he wondered why anyone would want to go near it. The house sat alone on a very large, unkempt piece of property.
“The whole world knows about that house”, Sam continued. “Right when it starts to get dark you can see a girl in the upstairs window. The thing is no one lives there. They say she died there a long time ago. She was supposed to be really pretty or something. People who’ve seen her say that she has pig-tails and she’s got a pink dress. I don’t care, though, because nobody is as pretty as Jo-Jo. Plus, ghosts can’t be pretty, can they?”
“You don’t have to worry about that rule”, Uni said. Just then, the most beautiful girl Uni had ever seen came around the corner. Her hair was long and dark, and her lips were as red as blood. Her skin was almond and her dress was bright blue, matching her eyes perfectly. “Who is that?”
“Oh, that’s Jo-Jo. Remember what I said”, Sam urged. Uni quickly looked away, but not without massive effort. He realized this wasn’t going to be easy. It was easier once the game got started, but Uni kept finding his focus returning to Jo-Jo. That was when he realized she was looking at him! Uni went through two quick changes: At first, he got real nervous; then he got real good at baseball. Nothing got past Uni. He was like lightening. Thanks to him, the Lovers finally got a chance at bat. Since he was the new guy, Uni was first up.

His team was cheering him on as he snuck a peek over at Jo-Jo who was standing alone on the sidewalk. She was still watching him and he blushed harder than ever before. The pitch was thrown and Uni swung with everything he had. Just as the bat cracked into the ball, Uni closed his eyes and envisioned that ball sailing through the clouds. The sound of glass shattering made Uni open his eyes. The ball had landed inside number 5211.

Unfortunately for Uni, the ball had been supplied by the biggest boy on the other team. It didn’t come as a shock when the kid demanded Uni get his ball back. Trying to remain nonchalant, Uni said, “I’ll just have my father buy you a new one.”
“The game isn’t over. We can’t stop the game now. We have six more innings”, the big kid replied. This statement was followed by a chorus of “Yeahs” and “Go-get-its”. Uni noticed Jo-Jo was biting her lip and looking at the house. That was the clincher. The ball had gone through the living room window, so all he had to do was open the front door and reach in for the ball. He would come back to the street and Jo-Jo would run over and plant a gigantic kiss right on his lips. Plus, an added bonus would be that everyone would see he wasn’t afraid and would want to be his friend. It was a win-win situation! Still…

Uni started up the walk to the front door. He felt disconnected, like he wasn’t inside his body. Everything was moving slower. The sounds of the other kids making bets on his bravery faded into silence. Was he walking normally? It didn’t feel like it. Uni imagined he was walking through waist-high water. He could actually feel his heart beating – no, he could hear his heart beating. Looking up at the house, Uni felt as if the house was looking back. The house is breathing, he thought, just before realizing it was his own slow breaths he was hearing. It seemed days had gone by when he finally reached the doorstep of number 5211.

As if Uni’s arm were submerged in molasses, he slowly reached up to grasp the old doorknob. As his fingers encircled the cold, brass knob, a short prayer raced through his mind begging for the door to be locked. The knob turned easily in Uni’s hand, almost as if the house wanted him inside. The “clack” of the bolt sliding back from the door jam was deafening to him. Uni’s heart sank. There was no turning back. He remembered Jo-Jo was watching him and that one thought gave him the strength to push open the door. It swung inward revealing empty walls and floors made from rotting wood and spider-webs.

Uni looked around the door and spotted the baseball lying right near the front window. He calculated that it would take approximately three large steps to get to the ball and three more steps to get back to the open doorway. He decided to count the steps out loud as he took them just for comfort purposes. No sweat. Easy as pie. Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy. He decided, he would count to three and then go.
“Ready…one, two, THREE!” Uni cried, and the race was on. First giant step – “One!” Second giant step - “Two!” Third giant step - … The door slammed with such force that the wood splintered and the already-broken window cracked even further. The only sound to break through the stunned silence of the neighborhood children was the scream that came from Jo-Jo.


After a search was begun that continues to this day, Uni is still missing. The house at 5211 Holloway Lane was found to be completely empty. Only the children know what really happened to him. Every now and then, it is said, a pretty little girl in a pink dress and pig-tails is seen skipping along the lane smiling and singing nursery rhymes. If approached, she will never acknowledge another’s presence and she is always seen last in front of number 5211.

The Haters and the Lovers disbanded those thirteen years ago and there are no baseball games played there now. The new children of that neighborhood tell their own tales of the old abandoned house on Holloway Lane. The most common story is that on some nights when the moon is high and the air is clear, you can see a little boy looking from the top-most window of number 5211, and if you look very closely, you might be able to catch a glimpse of a baseball gripped tightly in his little hand.