Uncertainty Read Online Free PDF

tradition, or merely tear the old wreck down. It also occurred to me that someone might be inside, watching me trespass. But I realized I didn't much care, and I would be quick.
    I was wasting time I didn't have. Hedging around the side of the building, I patted my pocket for my little pink emergency flashlight. I brought it out but didn't turn it on yet. I just wanted to have it in hand, in case something jumped out at me.
    My hand brushed against the building's gritty brick. I snatched it back. For a brief second, it had felt like something else. Like rough, calloused skin. Pulling at my sleeve absentmindedly with my teeth, I thought about how alone I was out here. Just me and the old place.
    You are ridiculous, Ariel. Although I had no desire to touch the brick again, I forced myself to run my fingers over it. It felt like regular old brick this time, bumpy and dry.
    But I didn't forget what I'd felt before.
    Rushing around the back, I clicked the flashlight on. This was it; the moment of discovery. A sudden, unbidden burst of excitement rose in me. Maybe the words would be glowing. Maybe I'd find a secret panel or something.
    My hopes were dashed the instant I shined the flashlight beam on the wall. The entire surface of the building had been scrubbed thoroughly. Maybe even power-washed, too. Heavy tarps had been stapled at every inch over the broken windows. It was hard to imagine my friends and I had ever used those windows to sneak in.
    No graffiti remained. No trace of the paint that had once defaced the wall. I plucked tiny fibers of yellow sponge left behind in the grit. Mission failed.
    I couldn't move for several seconds, maybe minutes. I just stood there like an idiot, the flashlight shining a bright circle on nothing. How could my trip have been wasted? I took a foolish risk, walking all the way there, and had nothing to show for it. Why hadn't I made the connection between what Warwick had said and what I'd seen sooner?
    At least the mosquitoes had stopped attacking. Now that I looked around, there weren't any insects at all. No signs of life. The trees were still. Even the stars were hidden by the humid clouds, only a few holes from which the dark sky leered.
    The lonely feeling became stronger. What had before made me feel free now just made me feel vulnerable. I was so far from home. I turned and slowly began retracing my steps. I had to stop chasing smoke trails, before I stepped into a fire.
    Another hole parted the clouds above. The nearly full moon shone a spotlight on me. I froze, about halfway back to the front of the building. The orphanage had no close neighbors, and tall trees lined the fence. But I still worried I'd be seen. There was no sign anyone had occupied the orphanage yet, but I couldn't be too sure.
    The dead child's mouth is a screaming hole if I die here today I'll never get out
    The awful image, a swirling wasteland of a mouth, intense hungry darkness, had flashed in my brain. I couldn't remember seeing such a thing, yet it was a memory. It must have been from one of the horror movies I'd seen. It must've been.
    I was standing parallel to the caretaker's shed. The building was sagging towards the earth, having taken a beating from the Michigan weather. The jackpine that stood guard before it had grown even more twisted and bushy, tangling within itself. Like the tree had lost its mind.
    I have got to get out of here. But my legs wouldn't move. Shadows cast by the still-shining moon made it appear that the shed door was cracked. I squinted. It wasn't an illusion. The door was open a sliver.
    Almost like it was extending an invitation.
    I couldn't stop my feet from wandering over. I peered around me for any sign of being watched, or being caught. But I was still alone. So alone. Always alone, aren't you, Ariel? Even when there are others around...
    It was almost like someone else's voice was putting words into my head. I tried to clear my thoughts and focus. I reached out and pulled the