The Mystery of the Old Barn

“Who is Nancy Drew in this scenario?” Thomas asked.

“Does one of us have to be?” his big brother Terrence replied. “Can’t I just be Terrence and you just be Thomas?”

“But it’s an old Barn, Terry. Old. Barn. Totally N. Drew.”

“Old Mill.”

“Huh?”

“Nancy Drew investigated an Old Mill. Not a barn.”

“No,” Thomas retorted. “You’re thinking Hardy Boys. They investigated the Old Mill.”

“Then what did Nancy investigate?”

“A clock, I think.”

“Then we’re more Hardy Boys than Nancy Drew?”

“If you say so, Big Bro.”

“Clock vs. Mill. Pretty different.”

“But it’s a barn, Terry, not a clock or a mill.”

“But you were saying…you were comparing…uh never mind.”

Terrence and Thomas were about as close as brothers could get. They called each other every week, regardless of schedules and always found time to get meet up in person, regardless of living on opposite coasts. But this wasn’t a get-together they had planned.

“No sign of Dad.” Thomas’s mind replayed the cryptic message from his father over and over again. “Come to the Old Barn. Bring your brother.”

“His truck is still here so he didn’t go far.” Thomas spied the brown pick-up truck that his father had driven for decades. Brown was a good color; it blended well with the mud caked all over it.

“Fishing maybe? You can easily walk to the lake.” Terrence had received no message from his father. Though he and his brother had a bond unlikely to be broken, Thomas had the stronger relationship with their father. “Dad still fishes doesn’t he?”

“Yeah. We went just last year, it was—” Thomas trailed off. “Sorry, Terry.”

“Why?”

“Bringing up good times with Dad.”

“Not a crime, Thomas. I’m pretty sure.”

“But—”

“Thomas. Look. You and Dad were close. Don’t feel like you have to hide that from me. Trust me, I’m fine. Let’s just figure out where he is.”

“He didn’t go fishing. His gear is still hanging up in the hall.”

“Dad, where are you?” Terrence’s face was filled with concern.

“I have never seen you so worried, Terry.” For Thomas to see worry plastered all over his big brother’s face made him want to hide his own worry that much more. Terrence was the brave one. Terrence was the one that was never phased by the random hands life dealt him. So for Terrence, of all people, to stand there, legitimately worried about their father’s well-being, spoke volumes.

“Stop it, Thomas.”

“What?”

“You have been staring at me for two minutes. Stop it.”

“We’ll find him, Terry.”

“Of course we will.” Terrence approached the doors of the old barn.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m going inside. Obviously.”

“I doubt Dad is in there.”

“His message said ‘come to the old barn’. This is the old barn, Thomas.”

“Maybe he wanted us to just wait for him outside the barn. You know, come to the old barn, wait outside the old barn. Don’t go inside the old barn.”

Terrence took hold of one of the barn door handles.

“Terry, stop!”

“Wow. Still scared, little brother? We’re going to be knee deep in our forties soon and you haven’t gotten over your fear of the old barn?”

“Hey. You grow up on your time, I’ll grow up on mine.”

Terrence begins shaking the barn door menacingly.

“Terry…”

Terrence accompanies the menacing shake with a maniacal laugh.

“You suck, you know that?”

“Thomas. I’ll make you a deal. I will go in first. How does that sound?”

“It sounds like you want me to go in second. Which doesn’t work for me, because that requires I actually go inside.”

“Fine. Stay out here.”

“Really.”

“Yeah. Really. If something did happen to Dad, the real danger is outside. Everyone knows that.”

“Nice try, Terry. I will be cool out here.”

“Suit yourself.” Terrence slowly opens the barn door. The barn doesn’t really show its age as the door opens quite easily, barely even a sound.

Thomas watches as his brother steps inside the barn.

“Did you find anything? Is Dad in there? Terry? Terry?!” A scream is heard from inside of the old barn; a scream of pure terror. Thomas collapses to the ground.

“Terry!” The fear of the old barn pales in comparison to the fear that something has happened to his brother. Thomas hops up, runs towards the barn door, throws it open and goes inside.

“Terry? Where are you?” The old barn is pitch black except for a shaft of light streaming from a hole in the ceiling. Terrence is nowhere to be found.

“What the—”.

As Thomas approaches the light, sitting there, in the center of the beam, carefully positioned on a small pedestal, is a large chocolate cake.