One Day in the Life of Doug Graves

Like every other night, it was dark. Doug woke up to the distinct sound of coyotes yelping in the background, his nightly alarm clock. He turned to face his brother who was sound asleep on his back, with his hands lying across her chest in a delicate position, as if he were dead. He shuddered and climbed out of bed and down the ladder. Mice scurried across the floor with bread crumbs held protectively in their hands and disappeared into the darkness. Doug sighed and shook his head. He cautiously opened the front door and stepped outside into yet another humid night. He kicked off his slippers and sat on the front step, took out a cigarette and moved it skillfully between his fingers, not intending to smoke it at all. A light fog swam across the star-studded sky over the local graveyard. As Doug began to fantasize about life in the countryside with a farm full of animals and abundant crops, a station wagon rumbled across the uneven pavement to the graveyard’s gates. Doug stood up and groped for his worn-leather boots underneath the porch. He pulled them on in a swift motion and began to walk across the grass to the wooden shed on top of the hill.

The shed cast a lengthy shadow that blocked the graveyard lights from reaching Doug’s house. After he reached the top of the hill he approached the shed and pulled out a small key from inside of his shirt. He had sewn a little pocket in his shirt to keep his key in so he would not lose it, and to make it harder to steal (grave robbers crept stealthily about in the middle of the night). He put the gold key into the keyhole and turned it slowly, as if the key was fragile and would snap at any moment. The door creaked open and he went inside to grab his shovel. The station wagon pulled up a few feet away from him and two hefty looking men hopped out of the wagon. Doug came out of the shed holding an old, worn shovel and a pair of rubber gloves. Four body sacks came sliding out of the back of the wagon. Doug’s face lightened up.

He would not have to work hard tonight, and he could go back to sleep before school started. He was glad this was his last year of high school, for all he wanted to do was live on the countryside with his brother for the rest of his life. For now, Doug was stuck digging graves in order to keep him and his brother alive. Since his nightly routine became monotonous, he did not complain about it anymore. Doug had no aspirations for going to college like the other kids in his class did. In fact, he was the only one in his entire high school that lived in the middle of nowhere and had nothing going for him. He did not care. His only concern was his brother and his little house that he proudly built with his father before his father had past away. Despite all of his troubles and anxieties, Doug still considered himself a normal teenager with normal responsibilities, even though his
responsibilities were different from his friends. He thought nothing of it.

He dragged the shovel behind his as he walked towards the bodies. He stopped at what seemed like a good spot and drove the shovel into the ground. After he was done digging four holes in the ground he cast the shovel aside and tossed the bodies into the freshly dug holes. Even after he was completely done packing the soil back into the holes he did not break a sweat. The two guys from the station wagon tossed silver and gold coins through the air and Doug caught them swiftly in his hands. He slipped the coins into his pocket and waved goodbye as the men hopped back into the station wagon and rattled off. After he had put his shovel back into the shed and locked it up, he put his hands back into his pocket and pulled out the shiny coins he had received for his nightly effort. Although he had buried fewer bodies than usual, he had received more money for his work. He cocked his eyebrows and shrugged; the two men made this mistake occasionally, and today was once again one of his lucky days. He waltzed back to his home and kicked off his shoes in front of the patio.

He walked inside to find his brother already up and doing the homework he had neglected until now. Doug smiled and climbed up the ladder to his bedroom. He plopped down on his bed and heard an awful noise that sounded like someone was scraping his or her nails on a chalkboard. Confused and startled, he put his hand underneath his bed and dug out a handful of copper coins. His face lit up as he remembered saving them for his brother’s present. He grinned as he shoved his findings in his pocket with the rest of the coins and climbed down the ladder to eat. To his surprise, his brother had already set the table and prepared a delicious meal of tomato soup and bread; he only did so when he was in an excellent mood. Doug silently thanked God for such a bright start to a dark night and picked up his spoon to enjoy the meal, and the day to come. (922)