The House On Top Of The Mountain

Today my initiation test is taking place. On exactly 2 pm I am supposed to run to the top of the mountain, get to the house and knock on the door. I am not allowed to run away from the door for a minute.

I am not afraid of doing it. Everyone in the gang have done it before me. Usually the freak who lives there doesn't get to the door at all, so it's a pretty safe shot. What is a minute? There's nothing to it. Isn't it?

The guys on our gang aren't bad, but they are respected at school and no one bullies them around. I also want to be respected at school. I am sick and tired of all the pranks people throw at me. I have had enough of the beating, the name calling and the lunch money stealing. I want to belong and in order to do that I must run up the mountain and knock on the freak's door.

How hard can that be, right?

I am tying my shoe laces twice - no one needs a loose shoe lace when running away after those 60 seconds of waiting. I am running as fast as I can, sweat pours down my forehead and through the apples of my cheeks. Some drops falls down through my eye lashes and into my eyes. The salty sweat stings my eyes. I am wiping my face with my sleeve, while running. I can't stop, or they'll look at it as a sign of weakness. A moment of fear. Finally I am standing in front of the crooked house on top of the mountain.

I knock on the old mahogany door three times. The guys are watching so I knock hard and confidently and start counting.

One. Two. Three. Four... up to sixty. On my 10th count I hear heavy steps coming toward the door. My heart drops. The freak is coming to the door. Fifteen. Sixteen. Seventeen. I hear him closer and closer and my heart is racing like crazy. Pumping blood and transferring oxygen. Twenty four. Twenty five. Twenty six. I hear the key turning inside the lock. "Why me?" I am thinking. "Why does he have to be so fucking close to the door on my day of initiation?". Twenty eight. Twenty nine. The door squeaks and opens... I cannot runaway or I would turn into the laughing stock of the entire school.

The freak peeks out and invites me in.