Paul's laughter was cut by a shriek from Jum who was staring behind me, over my shoulder. A face peered through the window while fingers scrabbled at the glass. We screamed and the face disappeared.
Footsteps crashed down the stairs into the livingroom. "What's going on?" Dad roared.
"Man!" We pointed at the empty window.
Dad tore open the door and ran outside.
Then Mom was there. "John!" she cried.
I rushed after Dad; I knew I had to. My heart pounded so loud I could barely hear.
"It was you!" a voice was yelling. It was the same bubbling voice from the night before. "You pushed him, John. God-damn you!"
"No Del!" Dad roared. "Leave us alone!"
"It was you! You pushed him! And now he's come back! I knew he would!"
"You're sick, Del!" Dad cried. "It's all in your mind!"
I raced around the corner. They were struggling in the rain. The light on the wall lit them as they were sprayed by water from the roof. The man looked up and saw me; Dad turned around and froze. Then the man ran away and Dad fell down.
Dad spent the next afternoon splitting wood. The police had spoken to him and Mom, but Dad kept a warning look on his face and I stayed away from him.
Finally I couldn't stand it any longer. When I saw him sitting in the lawn chair, staring at the pile of wood, I marched out and sat beside him. "Who was that guy?" I demanded. "You gotta tell me. It's not fair!"
Dad nodded and sighed. "Yeah, you're right." He reached over and squeezed my shoulder. "Delmer Wiggins. Poor Del. He used to live just down the road, where the Baxter's are now."
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