“I’m melting. Melting.” Joey nudged Stanley, and pointed to the headstone. “You think this is a gag graveyard?”

Stanley shrugged. “Could be. That one over there says, ‘Can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread…’” He shrugged again. “_Wizard of Oz_? _Gingerbread Man_? But who ever heard of a gag graveyard?”

Joey’s eyes went wide. “Maybe those old story tellers just told history as fables and fairy tales. Maybe there’s more truth to them than we think.”

Stanley shrugged again. He did not think it was plausible. But you never knew.

The two friends walked deeper into the graveyard. The full moon was rising higher in the clear sky. Joey looked at another headstone. “This one says, ‘Let’s get out of here. It’s a trap.’” He smiled. “I think it’s a gag graveyard.”

Stanley saw Joey’s smile disappear. He followed his gaze. There was a headstone that had the day’s date and the words that Joey had just said, “I think it’s a gag graveyard.”

Stanley stopped smiling too. He looked to the right of Joey’s headstone and saw a blank one. Blank except for dates. His birthday was there followed by a dash and the day’s date.

Stanley reached to his left to tap Joey on the shoulder, but even though he could not feel him, he started speaking. “Look! That’s today’s date. And… And… It’s like it’s taking dictation.” He looked over to where Joey had been standing. He was not there. In his place was a mound of dirt in front of the headstone Joey was looking at. Stanley looked at it again. He saw Joey’s name, birthday, the dash, and the day’s date. Along with Joey’s last words. “I think it’s a gag graveyard.”

Stanley turned a full circle looking for Joey. “I think it’s time to go. I mean, it’s probably too late, but that’s okay. I’ll just run along now. No harm, no foul. Right?” He kept babbling and watching with his eyes widening as he spoke and read. The headstone inscription was getting longer with each word he spoke. Stanley could not move. Then, he realized he was sinking. He could not move, much less run, if he wanted to. He screamed, “Nooooooooooo!” He could not help but watch as the headstone kept etching his scream even as he was sinking.