I can't breathe , Tommy whispered in the dark. He could feel sweat run down his cheek soaking the pillow. The wet satin against his face made him feel sick.

Some joke, he thought. Why did he let Sam get away with these pranks? He could still hear his buddy laugh as he explained his latest Halloween trick for the girls.

Since the funeral parlor where Sam worked after school was closed for renovations and he still had the key, the stage was set for the ultimate prank.
Sam figured that Tommy could hide in one coffin until he brought the girls around. It would scare them silly when Tom would pop out of the mahogany box.

What a hoot, Sam laughed.
Not a hoot, Tom gasped.

Tom again pushed feebly at the lid. He knew it would not open. He knew this as soon as he heard the distinct click when Sam lowered the lid.

The girls were at the diner just around the corner. Not more than ten, fifteen minutes.
Jeez, it must be over two hours by now.

What Tom couldn't know from within his dark prison was that the girls were hugging and sobbing less than a block away as the ambulance pulled away from the curb.
The patient was a young man badly hurt in a hit and run.
Jones, Sam.