It had been there as long as he could remember. As a child he and his schoolmates used to run past it at full speed when coming from and going to school, lest they be caught by a ghost or vampire. As pre-teen he and his friends challenged each other to jump the fence on Halloween night to prove their bravery, no one ever accepted the challenge.

Now as he approached age sixteen it took on a whole new face and he was deeply curious about it. The chain and lock on the gates were covered with rust and frozen in place. The paint of the black iron fence was beginning to chip and the metal underneath also showed signs of rust due to many years of neglect and exposure to the elements.

The lettering on the private property sign had faded and rust had begun to eat at the edges so it was hanging from only one side. It was not a very large property but large enough not to be able to see the back of the grounds from the sidewalk. A lover of the old black and white horror movies made this place irresistible to him and he just had to get inside to look around. He kept this plan to himself as he had enough nicknames heaped on him my his classmates because of his love of the old horror movies and his fascination with these kind of places.

It promised to be a clear Summer night when he decided tonight was the night to explore. It took some doing but he found he was able to duck and squeeze his way through the chained fence and with his trusty flashlight in hand he began his tour of the grounds. It seemed that the noises from the street faded as he got a few feet inside and he hoped no one had seen him enter and alert the police of a trespasser.

The groundskeepers cottage was empty and had been for sometime based on the amount of dirt on the windows and the debris scattered across the small walkway. He ventured further back occasionally shining his beam on some of the grave markers as he walked and discovered that some of the headstones dated back to the 1700's and the inscriptions had all but faded away thanks to endless years of wind and rain.

What a shame, he thought. Such a beautiful quiet place so full of history had been left unattended and wondered who was responsible for neglecting it. There were about a dozen mausoleums scatted throughout the grounds. They were really old and despite the piles of leaves and twigs against their gated doors, the structures appeared to be intact as he inspected each one. Some of the gates had locks built in them that the rust had corroded while others had chains and large old fashion padlocks securing the interiors and the rust had frozen them all.

There were numerous stone benches also scattered throughout the cemetery that appeared in good condition, they just needed a good cleaning. He decided that it was time to leave as he had school tomorrow and if his parents discovered that he had sneaked out there would be hell to pay. He squeezed his way through the fence and started walking home.

Tomorrow he would visit the public library and gather as much information as he could about this place.