Archie Smith

"Hi, shrimp," said the blonde-haired, brown-eyed Thomas. "We didn’t think we’d see you again." Thomas’s friends snickered to themselves, as their leader rightfully took charge. "I think you owe us some lunch money, punk."

"Now children, get to your seats, please," called the stubborn, young teacher Ms. Starr, before Archie could hand over the money. Archie, an eleven-year-old boy, always wondered why Ms. Starr never gave Thomas and his friends detention. The brown-haired, green-eyed, boy walked around the class bullies towards his seat and quietly sat down. Archie was a quiet young boy, who never talked much, had few friends if any at all, and was as bright as the North Star in the sky. He had the potential to be the next Einstein, but no one cared about that. People only cared that his parents were always leaving him with old lady Finch, so they could travel the world.

Ms. Starr gave up on calling him to answer questions when she realized that he knew all the answers. She always wondered what was going on inside his brain. But, she pushed the thought out of her mind as she started class.

* * * * *

Later that night, as Archie got ready for bed, he grabbed a picture frame off the side of his nightstand and looked tearfully at it. He looked out the window and saw the first snowflakes of the season begin to fall down. He suddenly screamed, "Mom, Dad!"

He fell into a heedless sleep and dreamt about his parents in another time and place. All of a sudden, the wind changed and the icy breath of winter came crawling into Sunset Beach, North Carolina. It was the winter of 1987 and the little town would change drastically forever. Archie stirred restlessly, when two bright lights came through his window towards his bed.

The glowing spheres looked intently at him for a while. After a time, murmurs and whispers were about the room as if the tiny lights were talking. A tiny voice asked, "Is he the one?"

The next week at school, Archie was more cheerful than ever, and his classmates wondered what was up. They started following him after school, but nothing unusual happened. Then, one day Archie went to the beach instead of home. He looked out at the water and it seemed as if the water was boiling and bubbling. All of a sudden, the water roared and two water ripples were headed towards Archie.

He didn’t move, but gladly looked at them as they surfaced from under the water. The whole 5th grade class gasped as two bright lights appeared. Archie started talking to them as he reached his hands out and held on to them as they pulled him into the water.

Ms. Starr screamed, "Archie, no!" She ran out after him, but he was too far out for her to get to him. He was gone in an instant. By then, the class had gone out to where Ms. Starr was standing. They were shocked, puzzled, and most of all scared.

They ran to the Sunset Beach’s Police Station and reported what happened. The police thought it was a joke until they realized that Archie was no where to be found. So, they started a search party and searched the whole lake, but found no bodies or any trace of Archie Smith ever being there. From that sunny day at the beach, no one ever found or saw him again.

Old lady Finch had a heart attack when she heard the news, for she loved him like her own grandson. His parents, Jacob and Lisa Smith, were forced to end their vacation early and come home. They held a funeral and to everyone’s dismay, Mrs. Smith never shed a tear.

At the funeral, a tape was brought to Mr. Smith’s attention and he started watching it tearfully with some of his guests. Archie was playing with his sailboat, saying that he wanted to get lessons on how to sail a real boat with his father. Then, Mrs. Smith, Archie’s stepmom, came in to his room and fed him some chicken soup. When, he wouldn’t take a nap she slapped him across the face and yelled at him saying that she was his new mother and must obey her.

At that very instant, the tape stopped and Mrs. Smith entered the room. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw the looks on everyone’s faces. Mr. Smith divorced Lisa and never forgave her.

Fifty years later, another boy disappeared in the lake. The story is quite similar to Archie’s, but different in its own way. Every winter, you can bet that the wind changes and blows the icy breath of winter into Sunset Beach.