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"You wanna see something cool, Peter?"

Marnie's hair was long, shaggy. She peered at me through it. Shy. Brown eyes behind black curtains.

Every time she said that, it was an adventure. Danny'd snicker at me. "Where'd she drag you off to this time, Pete? Catch a chicken and kill it? Pull the wings off butterflies?"

The whole town thought Marnie and her family were strange. Marnie was bullied at school. One time Danny shoved a cup of worms into her locker. Everybody thought that was real funny.

I didn’t. It was stupid. Marnie was just quiet. Her mom drank a lot, didn’t leave the house much. Her dad, well. He wasn't around.

Marnie drummed threadbare sneakers on my porch. One of her knees was scabbed.

"Sure," I said. We grabbed our bikes.

--

Marnie led me down a dirt road. She stopped, skidded up dust. I did the same. "There," she said, "We're going under the fence." She slipped her thumbs under the barbed wire and scooted under it like a raccoon. She held the wire up for me. I followed.
The mesquite trees were thick and brushy. Marnie hopped and dodged her way over and around everything like she'd lived here all her life.

The trees emptied out and we stood in front of still water. Probably a stock tank at some point.

There was a car under the water. I couldn't tell what kind. Covered with that green stuff that covers everything under water long enough.

"Damn." I said. "Did it crash?"

Marnie smirked at me. "You see any roads running through here? Somebody hid it there."

"Why?"

"You’ll find out."

"Huh?"

"I asked if you wanted to see something cool. Let's go back in the trees a while. Be dark soon."

We shared an apple and a Coke that Marnie stashed in her bag. Marnie smiled at the way I peeled it with my Scout knife. I felt myself blush.

It was dark. I mean, dark dark. Stars like you only get in the country, reflecting off the water.

"You ready?"

"Yeah, I guess."

Marnie lit a huge flashlight, one of those red ones that uses the big, square batteries.

She trained it on the car in the water. The beam played across the eerie green of the thing.

She handed me the light. "Take it."

I took it. Pointed it at the car.

"Driver's seat."

I pointed the beam where the driver would sit.

Someone was there! Couldn’t see much, looked like someone or some thing sitting in the front seat, green moss or whatever waving from it.

“Marnie! Is that really a dead guy?”

She took the flashlight and lit up her face in that creepy-storyteller way.

“Yeah. Cool, huh?”

“Marnie, who is it? How did it, you know, get there?”

“He’s my Dad,” Marnie said. “I put him there.”

I stared at her, my mouth hanging open. “Your…Dad?”

“Yeah. I killed him.”

I blinked.

“He was a bastard. He’s why my sister is in the state hospital. He used to visit her at night. Every night. Mom tried to get in his way. He hurt her so bad she won’t even leave the house.”

I looked around. “Why here?”

“My family owns the land.”

“Owns it?” I look around at the black pool, the gnarled trees in shadow around us. “So this is all…yours?”

“When Mom’s gone, it’ll be mine.”

“What did you do?” I whispered.

“The women in my family have always known how to…do…certain things. Not my Mom so much, but we have my Grandmother’s books. I sneak into the attic and read them.”

“What kinda things?”

“You know,” she said. “Powerful things. This one thing I found. Pretty simple. I just needed a graveyard. One that ain’t been blessed. Like this one.”

“What graveyard?”

“All around here. The water covers most of it up now, but my family’s been burying our dead here a long time. Preacher won't do it.”

She flashed the light around the trees. I saw them. Makeshift markers on rocks, Weathered wooden signs.

No crosses.

“Are you Devil worshippers?” I hissed it.

Marnie snickered. “You’re funny.” She put down the light and dug into her bag again, brought out a half-empty whiskey bottle. She emptied it into the lake. Then a sandwich bag, pulled out a long, slick earthworm. She dropped this in, too.

I was mystified.

“Danny Callahan, right?” She said. She’d picked up the flashlight again and was pointing it at me.

“What?” I held my hand up to the light.

“That’s his name, right? He your friend or what?”

“Uh, yeah, that’s his name. We hang out sometimes. Not really friends.”

But she wasn’t listening She was whispering.

DannyCallahanDannyCallahanDannyCallahan. Swaying back and forth. Holding the flashlight like a candle.

The she hocked and spat into the pond.

Marnie turned suddenly. “Let’s go,” she said. “We’re done.”

“Wait,” I said. “We’re done? What did we…what did you do?”

Marnie didn’t answer. She packed up supplies, turned the flashlight on the thin path, and started back to the fence. I half-ran after her.

“Marnie! What was that? What did you do? Was that magic?”

She still didn’t answer. Finally, I grabbed her shoulder. “Marnie!”

She whirled, light in my face.

“Never touch me.”

I backed away. “I’m sorry. That was dumb. But you’re being really weird.”

“I asked you if you wanted to see something cool. That was cool, right?”

“Yeah. I guess. Scared the shit out of me.”

“Yeah,” Marnie grumbled. “It’s magic.”

“Like for real? What’s going to happen to Danny? Why did you do that?”

She was shaking. The flashlight beam shook with her. Finally, she stomped off, growling her words.

“You want to know what’ll happen? Nothing. Nothing will happen. I’ve tried so many things in those damn books, and nothing ever happens. It’s all bullshit. I just do it to make myself feel better.”

“Huh? If it doesn’t work, then how did your Dad…”

“I poisoned his drink, Peter. Recipe’s in one of my Grandma’s books. That worked. Then me and Mom tied him down inside that stupid car of his and rolled him into the pond.”

She was crying. We were at the fence. She put one hand on the wire.

“I just want it to stop. The staring. Everyone talking about me. The laughing. I know what you all say about me, about my Mom, my whole family. I’m tired of getting beaten up at school, head dunked in the toilet, my bike stolen and thrown on the roof. And then the other day, Danny put the worms in my locker. Everybody saw it! Everybody laughed! Those fucking worms!”

I just stood there. She sat down, I sat next to her while she cried.

I hated that she was in pain, and yet, I would have given anything to stay like that forever.

--

I hadn’t seen Marnie in days, but I expected her soon. Now, she was knocking at my bedroom door. I was surprised Mom let her in.

“Hey.”

Marnie looked confused. “Have you been here the whole time? What are you doing?”

I shrugged. “Finishing up homework. Come on in.”

“Why is it so dark?”

“I like the desk lamp. Overhead lights give me headaches.”

“Oh. Look, I need to tell you. Um. Danny’s dead.”

“What? Danny?”

“Yeah. Danny Callahan.”

“He’s dead? When? How?”

“Couple hours ago. They said he was beaten to death. And Peter, his mouth was full of worms!”

“Earthworms? You mean just like…”

“Yes, Peter. Just like the…thing we did. That I did.” She hugged herself, looked away.

“Hey,” I said, holding her shoulder until she looked back at me, “Isn’t this good, though? Isn’t this what you wanted?”

“That I wanted?” She looked confused. “I don’t know…I…”

“Your magic worked, Marnie!” I said. “You’re powerful. No one will ever laugh at you again!”

“My magic…worked?” Her eyes got wide.
I smiled. “Are you okay now?”

Marnie held her fingers to her chin. “Yeah. I think so.” Then, she smiled. “Thanks, Peter.”

I smiled back.

“I’d better go. Mom might need me.”

“Should I come with you?”

“No. But I’ll call you later on. Maybe we can go back to the pond.”

“I’d like that,” I said.

Marnie turned to leave. She stopped halfway out the door. Without turning, she asked, “Peter?”

“Yeah?”

“Those pictures all over your walls. Are they all of me?”

I smiled and looked at the ground, embarrassed. I’d hoped the lights were too dim, but. “You noticed, huh? Yeah, pretty much.”

“Cool.” She said, and closed my door behind her as she left.

I reached my hand under my mattress. I drew out the baseball bat, inspected the layers of Saran-Wrap to make sure none had come undone, and shoved it into my duffel bag. Good thing I saved my paper route money, I thought to myself, I’ll need a new bat soon.

After all, who knew when Marnie would need to use her magic again?