Chapter 3

“Owww.” I landed hard on my elbows and knees.

Pain shot down my whole body.

I struggled to climb to my feet. The strong

smell of the mud floor rose to my nostrils. Wet

clumps of dirt smeared my hands.

Riru and Sai peered down at me. I growled

and shook my fist at my brother. "You pushed

me — you rat! I'll get you! I'm not kidding. You'll

be sorry, you jerk.”

Sai's eyes grew wide. "But ... I didn't,” he

stammered. “Asahi - I swear. I didn't push you."

"Liar!" I screamed. “You dirty liar!” I tried to

rub the mud off my hands on the legs of my jeans.

“I never touched you," Sai insisted.

"He's telling the truth," Riru called down. The

wind gusted hard, almost drowning out her

voice. She brushed her hair out of her eyes. "I

was watching him, Asahi. He didn't push you."

“Oh, yeah?” I snarled. “Someone shoved me

down here. Who was it?”

Riru laughed. “Maybe it was a ghost.”

Rain started to come down. Big, heavy drops

that made a splat sound on the muddy grave

floor.

I rubbed my back. It still ached from the hard

push. I don't believe in ghosts. Sai had to

be lying. He pushed me. It's the kind of thing

Sai likes to do.

Riru was just trying to protect him.

Rain slapped the sides of the grave. “Get me

out of here," I said. “It's too deep. I can't climb out

by myself.”

Riru had her hands on her knees. She bent over

the grave. “You can't climb up the side?”

"It's too muddy,” I said. "I'd just slide right

back down."

She turned to Sai. "Come help me.”

They both reached down for me. I raised my

arms to them. They each grabbed a hand and

tugged. I saw the dirt at the side of the grave

crumble away.

"Noooo!" Riru screamed as she started to fall.

I staggered back as they both came tumbling

into the grave.

Sai landed on his feet. His body appeared

to bounce, but he kept his balance.

Riru landed facedown in the mud.

"I don't believe this," I muttered. I grabbed

Riru by the shoulders of her sweater and helped

pull her to her feet.

She blinked a few times, stunned. Then she

grinned at me. “I wasn't expecting a mud bath

today," she said. “Look at me. I'm dripping in

mud. So this is what pigs feel like."

Cheerful. Always cheerful.

"I ... I'm not happy right now," Sai

murmured.

"Going down into the grave was your idea,”

I said.

He shook his head. “I wanted you to go into

the grave - not me."

The raindrops came down harder. Above us, I

could hear the wind swirling through the graves.

I dug both hands into the grave wall and tried

to climb. But my hands slid right back down. The

mud fell off in big clumps.

Lightning crackled above us.

"We've got to get out of here," I said.

Without another word, all three of us began to

scream.

"Help! Help us! Can anybody hear us?

Somebody - help!"

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