Come on!

‘Come on it’s not that bad’ Phillip said. He smiled happily to Andrew who sat cross legged on the bedroom floor at the foot of the bed. Phillip was two years older than Andrew, his face had started to grow spots upon it and a few new sprouts of hair poked out beneath his chin and long nose. 

‘I just don’t think it’s a good idea’ Andrew replied, he wrapped his arms around himself as though he was being cradled. Andrew had a round face and dark hair which flopped down to one side. 

‘There really isn’t much to it, it’s like gardening’ Phillip was pushy, he was good at pressuring Andrew into doing things he didn’t fully want to do. Andrew had been in trouble a few times at school and every time it was due to doing something Phillip had convinced him of. 

‘I am not worried it’ll be hard to do’ Andrew argued, he crinkled his brow frustrated. 

‘Then what?’ Before Andrew could answer Phillip continued, ‘is it money? If it is then that’d nothing to worry about! If you pick the right ones you can actually make money!’ 

Andrew looked to Phillip sceptically as there was a knock on the bedroom door. Andrew ducked down frightened. 

‘Cookies boys’ the soft voice of Andrew’s mother called from the other side. Phillip leapt off the bed and swung the door open. 

‘Oh thank you mrs G!’ He said over enthusiastically. Andrew saw the disapproving look that his mother gave Phillip before the cookies were removed from her hand and the door slammed in her face. He heard her footsteps stomp down the stairs and the resonance of her voice sneaking through the floorboards. 

‘So’ Phillip said, he bit into a cookie and threw the rest of the plate onto Andrews lap. ‘What do you think?’ 

‘I still don’t think it’s a good idea’

‘Right, how about this’ Phillip said pacing over to the spade that he had brought to Andrews house earlier in the day. ‘We go there now, and if you are still scared then we can come back’ he smiled. 

‘But what if something jumps out at us?’ Andrew fell back inside himself whilst scoffing a cookie. 

‘Like a ghost?’ Phillip mimicked an impression of a ghost. ‘Don’t be such a baby!’ 

‘Fine!’ Andrew finally resigned. Phillip let out a small squeal of excitement. 

‘I knew you would come around to the idea!’ Phillip gloated, he shoved the spade into his rucksack that he always had with him, it was dirty and old. The bottom of the rucksack was held together with sellotape and the cover of his maths book. Phillip was very proud of his handiwork.  

‘I haven’t come around to the idea’ Andrew said as he hoisted himself to his feet. ‘We are just going to have a look remember. 

‘Ah yes, just having a look’ Phillip tapped his nose as if he knew something that Andrew didn’t and walked out of the bedroom and down the stairs. 

‘Are you off home Phil?’ Andrews mother asked as she saw him come downstairs with his horrible rucksack on. She smiled hopeful, but her smile quickly dissipated when Andrew followed behind with his coat on. 

‘No, we were just going out for a walk’ Phillip smiled back cheerfully, he hated Andrews mother, and she hated him. Phillip hated begin called Phil, and Andrews mother hated being called Mrs G. 

‘At this time?’ She looked out of the window onto the pitch black driveway behind it. 

‘A bit of an adventure Mrs G’ Phillip replied, ‘don’t worry we’ve got supplies!’ He tapped the rucksack on his back which he had filled with crisps, chocolate and fizzy drinks. 

‘Well don’t be out too long’ she came over and hugged Andrew tight kissing him on the forehead and neatening his hair. She didn’t want to lose him to becoming a teenager, but she knew the time was coming. Especially because of Phillip. 

They left into the darkness and Andrew struggled to find the button on his torch. ‘God your mum is so needy!’ Phillip shouted as they stepped out the door barely out of earshot. 

‘She just wants what is best for me’ Andrew replied still unable to find the button. 

‘Yeah yeah, parents want what is best!’ Philip repeated in a baby voice and reached to snatch the torch away, ‘give it here stupid!’ Andrew turned away trying not to let Andrew reach the torch, but his friend was quicker and stronger and snatched it from his hands. He heard the satisfying click of the button as the torch turned on. ‘There’ Phillip said shoving the torch back into Andrews hands. 

‘Thanks, but I didn’t need your help’ he said frustratedly. 

‘Don’t know why you need it anyway we can see fine in the dark’ Phillip boasted, Andrew couldn’t see anything in the darkness, he could barely see his own hands. 

The torchlight zig zagged in front of them by their feet. Andrew was worried about falling into one of the many potholes that lined the roads of the town. 

‘Keep it still, I’m gunna have an epo if you keep flashing it like that’ Phillip said as they skirted the corner of the thatched house on the corner. 

‘No you won’t’ 

‘Alright, I won’t. But it’s pissing me off!’ Andrew coward away from his friend. He could sometimes hurt him when he got angry, or even sometimes when they were just playing games. 

Andrew saw the stone moss covered wall ahead in the torchlight. The gate was old and crooked hanging on by its hinges. The hinges creaked in the breeze. 

Phillip leapt over the wall athletically, Andrew watched and considered trying to copy but instead made his way around to the gate beside. 

‘Andrew?’ Phillip called, ‘You haven’t run off have ya?’ The light from Andrew’s torch came around the side of the gate and Phillip sighed with relief thinking he had been left in the darkness. 

‘No, I’m still here. I don’t think it is right though’ Andrew trudged through a puddle by his feet that he didn’t see as he wasn’t pointing the torch at his feet any longer. He groaned in frustration. His groan was met by the raucous laughter of Phillip. 

‘Which one are we going to then?’ Andrew said shaking his foot that was now soaked through his new converses. 

‘I heard there was a pirate around here somewhere, we should go to him’ Phillip rushed off into the darkness in front of Andrews torchlight. Andrew chased on behind not able to keep up with his older more athletic friend. 

He looked around in the darkness, ‘Phillip?’ He called, there was no response. He could feel his heartbeat growing heavier in his chest, he turned around and the cold stone of the church walls stood towering over him. He let out a yelp as he felt a hand grip his shoulder. 

‘Are you getting scared?’ Phillip laughed. He knelt down beside a headstone that Andrew was almost staining on. Their breath was steaming in front of their faces. 

‘I’m not scared’ Andrew replied pushing out his chest, but deep down he was terrified. 

‘I think this one’ Phillip pulled the spade from his back. 

‘Eric Shaftsbury?’ Andrew was confused, ‘I thought you said it was a pirate?’ 

‘I said there is a pirate somewhere, but I don’t know where. Now are you helping or what?’ Phillip stuck his spade into the dirt near the head of the grave stone. ‘Come on!’.