章 55: Chapter 55: Graves Probably Shouldn't Be Empty

Less than an hour later, we pulled off to the side of the road under a gloomy forest of trees, which blocked any and all sun from lightening the mood. The road, which had quickly gone from a two-lane, well-maintained stretch of pavement to a one-and-a-half lane, pothole-ridden obstacle course, curved out of sight up ahead. The stillness was both apropos and creepy, and I tensed up, seeing menacing dead people lurking in every shadow.

“Why’d we stop?” Asked Gary.

“Santa’s Village is just yonder around the bend,” said Cecil.

“So, again,” pressed Gary. “Why’d we stop?”

“One does not simply walk into Mordor,” he said.

“Huh?”

“Lord of the Rings,” explained Ronnie.

“What, from the movie?” He asked. “Which one? Weren’t there, like, four?”

“Three,” I said. “Not counting The Hobbit.”