Darkness fell upon the pavement. A cold wind passed by. Within the wind, a laugh could be heard. It was a laugh so sinister and so evil that no man would dare attempt to find out what caused it. Tonight would be that laugh's night.
"I don't mind riding that bike trail, ok? If I get to see you it's worth it. I'll be there in 20 minutes. I love you." The words "I love you" echoed back across the phone as John hung it up. He was going to see his girlfriend, Anne. Anne was a beautiful young girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. To John, she was the perfect image of an angel and he would do anything for her. One of those things was to trek the 5 miles that separated them. John made it a point to see his love at least once a week. "Great, it's dark already - this should be fun" said John as he prepared his bike for the journey. Since he didn't drive, the only way for John to get there was by bike. After a short while of pedaling, the bike rolled onto the bike trail for the first time that evening. John squeezed the brakes and came to a stop. Darkness seemed to have swallowed the trail. Only the outline of the trees on the moonlit sky could be seen. John got his flashlight out and hooked it onto his bike. He continued on his way.
Many stories have been told about the bike trail - stories of murders, mysteries, and ghosts. But there was one specific story that caught onto John's fear. It was the tale of a ghostly creature that haunted the bike trail. It has been said that the creature committed murders so horrendous that it would bring the toughest man to tears. The creature supposedly lurked around a certain bridge that lay just before John's exit to see Anne.
For about 20 minutes, John pedaled through the darkness. He got to the last stretch of trail that he'd have to ride before reaching his destination. John looked ahead of him and saw that one certain bridge. Even though he had a fear of the story mentioned earlier, John thought nothing of the bridge. He clinched onto the thought that the story was not real. The tires of the bike moved onto the wood that made up the bridge As he crossed, John looked off to the side of the bridge to a bench like log. This was a special place to John. It was where he and Anne first kissed. They had returned there many times to share a passionate kiss. Tonight would be no different. As John smiled at the thought, he was brought to a sudden stop and flung off his bike. A cold wind passed by while John painfully got back to his feet. He walked to his bike and looked towards the front tire to see what caused his stop. Sitting there was a dog like skull with a collar and leash attached. John quickly picked up his bike and move away from the skull. He stood and tried to control his fear. He glanced back to get another look at the skull but it was gone.
John started pedaling again. A few minutes later he reached the end of the trail. As he came out of the darkness, John saw Anne. "Hey Sweetie, you're late! Did you see anything strange on the trail? A guy went past me with his dog. A few minutes later, I heard the dog yelp real loud. Did you see anything?". John broke into a cold sweat as he thought about Anne's words. He had seen something, the skull. John took a deep breathe and quietly answered "No". Anne was a young and fragile girl and John knew the thought of the skull would scare her. The two hugged and began to walk to park John's bike. "so, what do you want to do? We can goto the radio station, sit by the church, I could buy you something to eat - Whatever you want to do" said John as he gained control of his fear. He did not want to goto that bridge. He parked his bike and nervously awaited Anne's answer. John really did not want to goto that bridge, not after the dog skull event. "John, I haven't seen you all week, let's goto our spot by the bridge". A cold wind passed by as Anne smiled. John tried as hard as he could, but could refuse the offer. Anne had a certain God-given innocence that made it impossible for John to say no.
John and Anne got on the trail and headed towards the bridge. They held hands and carried on conversations about how their days were. After a short time, they reached the bridge. Anne stepped onto the bridge and was brought to a sudden stop. "John! Don't do that! You know that you're stronger than me, I can't drag you!". John stood on the pavement just before the bridge. He desperately held onto Anne's hand tight. "Come on John, I want to look at the stream before we sit on our bench" said Anne as broke free of John's grip. As Anne walked farther onto the bridge, a cold wind passed by. This wind was stronger than the ones mentioned before. John began to follow Anne. The moment his foot touched the wood, John was pushed down. As he looked up, John heard Anne scream in terrible pain. He jumped to his feet just in time to see his love being pulled off the bridge. Tears ran down John's face as he ran to the side of the bridge. Another cold wind passed. This time, a laugh could be heard. Fear completely took control of John's mind. In a panic, he turned around. There, in front of him was a human skull with strands of blonde hair. John fell to his knees and let out cries of fear and heartache. As his sounds of grief echoed around the bridge, a strong, cold wind passed. John looked up and saw a dark creature lunging at him.
The first few rays of morning sunlight shone through the trees. A final cold wind passed as daylight ate up the darkness. The laugh heard within the wind died down to a quiet whisper. Night time would fall again in a few hours and the cold wind would then return. The laugh would also return to claim another unsuspecting victim. Tonight would be that laugh's night.
