The Man

Harley was only 7 years old when The Man dressed in black and wearing the bleak Doctor mask, a crow like face with a pointy curved crow beak that smelled of fresh roses. Entered the house and snatched her older sister away never to return, Harley is 12 now and she is still waiting for Hanna to return.

What was so strange about that moment for Harley was that despite Hanna's screaming and pleading for mercy and her hair being pulled almost of her head. Her parents did nothing, not even cried they just stared as their daughter was being ripped away from them. And what was more stranger was that after the incident her parents never talked of the name Hanna.

When she would ask about what happened to her sister they either ignored her or assured her that she was only her imaginary friend. It was as if she never existed, all traces of Hanna were removed from the house hold the photos she was in, her drawings, her collection of shells even her clothes anything that may of proven she was real evaporated. Her existence out side the house was more vacant, when Harley would ask or talk about her missing supposed sister at school or around town she would always be told to hush or ignored or told she was deluded.

It was as if she never existed, but Harley knew this wasn’t true she knew she wasn’t deluded. Her sister did exist even if no body agreed with her.

The truth was, that it would of been better if she just accepted what she was told by everyone. It would of saved her much unnecessary suffering.

 “Harley Medicus, are you paying attention?” Exclaimed the teacher growling sharply at Harley, she shot up her heart racing “yes miss" she feebly whispered.

The fellow students rejoiced in her humiliation and turned to gear at her discomfort, her face went red with guilt as the teacher began to speak sternly. 

“Good. Now can you tell me what caused the Great event of 2082?”

“The. Um, um. The, the something to do with the.”

The bell screamed loudly saving her from the embarrassment of being laughed and scorned by the class. 

The teacher looked surprised and sighed heavily “very well I have more important matters to rush to, you may all leave. Have a good evening everyone.” With that the student began to scramble their school gear to their bags and make a hasty escape from the class. Harley was about to go before her teacher once again stopped her. 

“And Harley?”

“Yes miss" was her snappy reply 

“try to pay attention please.”

“I’m sor-"

“You may go" she ordered her last order to Harley for the day. 

Not wanting to stay in further, Harley raced off out of the class room and began her descent down the hall decorated with students work no matter how bad they were they would always be put up instead of any of Harleys work.

It was unfair the hallway was a place that reminded her that she wasn’t the student that got recognition for her achievements or efforts. But today she decided to hurry home and did not take the time experience her guilt for not having what other students have. 

Which she will eventually realise was a normal life a life that doesn’t need to be hidden form or protected.

“That was ruff" announced Samantha jumping to surprise her at the end of the hall way near to the exit, she turned to meet her friend who was waiting for her.

“I swear she hates you" 

“You think? Don’t know why I’ve done nothing to her" Harley claimed defensively

“Yeah what about the time you pushed her son during the-"

“hey come on, he had it coming that dim!” 

They couldn’t stop themselves from laughing immensely, perhaps too loudly for the old Mr Brown peered over with his long goatee beard from his classroom and demanded they stop disturbing him. They obeyed and walked to open the doors where the cascading sunlight met their skins and the gentle summer breeze flowed harmlessly through their hair.

“so you wanna do anything interesting today" Asked Harley indulging in the warm evening summer sky glow.

“I I, I can’t. Sorry not to day.” 

“why?” she inquired with urgency to her voice 

“My dad is picking me up th-"

“Your dad?” Harley gasped with shock “he never picks you up, doesn’t he work in the capital?”

“Yes bu-"

“That’s extremely far away and didn’t you say his job was vital for our survival or something?”

“Harley listen please will you.”

“was he sacked? I’m so so sorry, must be ruff.” Harley went in to comfort Samantha but she was met with rebuke and an uncomfortable push.

“what no, please Harley let me explain th-"

“I’m sorry I did no kn-"

“Harley!” Her seriousness got her attention this time.

“you listening?” Harley nodded not wanting to further inconvenience her friend any further, it was true she did often interrupt people. She made a quick mental note to try to stop that habit.

“ Good, you see Harley girls like me are going missing never to return or be spoken about.” 

The fear must of sparked her curiosity, “really? Girls like you?”

“Yes, they somehow keep it all secret. My dad told me that girls like me were, were how did he put it?”

“Attractive?” Burst out Harley almost smiling but also concerned. It was true she did have better blonde hair than her. It was always wavy and golden no matter the weather, unlike her own.

“what? No, no no. Why?” 

Harley bent down her head with shame for what she had suggested.

“No not attractive. Loose ends, yes that was the word he used, loose ends.”

“loose ends how?” Harley gasped with horror. “I, I don’t know but dad said there are men supposedly dressed in long black clothes that may come for me" Samantha began to cry, Harley offered her a hug of comfort which she excepted this time, joyfully sobbingly. “which is. Which is . Which is why I may not be able to see you any more.” 

“I thought it was just for today, this evening.” She protested, tears began to rain slowly from her small Hazel eyes.

A loud relentless bell rang and the name “Samantha” was called multiple times. “that’s him, that’s my carriage”. Samantha whispered slowly pulling back and slowly moving away towards the sound. 

“will always keep in touch, via letter and stuff. Right?” Panicked Harley seeing her best friend vanish from her sight.

“actually” Samantha sobbed refusing to meet Harley's eyes “it’s best we don’t, for my safety. I’m so sorry!”

With that she harried off, Harley stood numb as if a viper had bit her she was too shocked to greave. It all came so fast half the stuff Samantha was saying she did not understand but yet felt the full consequences of what was going on.

What exactly it was she didn’t bother to ponder all she could think of is how her evening just got worse and she walked slowly out of the school premises shacking with sadness. 

What she didn’t know is that her evening was going to become so much worse.

The walk back home was slower than usual she only looked up when passing a crossing or when she needed to mind her way through a crowd. For most of the journey she was unaware of the outside world only focused on her own inner torment and the dirt bath below. 

Not paying attention to where she was going she smashed aggressively on to a thick wall of flesh knocking her down to the ground staining her beautiful blue dress with mud. The plump gentleman glared at her for a moment with his sleepy gluttonous eyes before announcing heartily, “Pardon me, my dear I’m afraid I wasn’t looking where I was going.” He laughed uncomfortable and offered his hand, she accepted it embarrassingly as he lifted her off the mud.

The gentleman bowed his brown top hat with courtesy and carried on walking down the street like he was before.

With shock she noticed the man had dropped his wallet with urgency she scoped the snake leather masterpiece from the scowled ground and breathlessly called for his attention. He paused and rotated towards here quickly. Harley ran to him and presented the stained wallet to which he smiled and opened his hands in gratitude, it was at this moment she noticed a slender figure dressed in a deep pitch black coat that reached his ankles and a blackened bowler hat that curved at the edges.

He looked entranced at her but almost instantly bowed low to avoid detection and stared at his news paper held by a golden hook and a red gloved hand. But he wasn’t fooling her.

The Gentleman took his wallet with speed and rushed as fast as a mountain could to his coach that was about to leave him behind.

Harley looked to where she saw the figure, he wasn’t there.

Harley slowly shifted her focus away from her lingering danger. She began to rush home this time, not bothering to take the time to be disgusted at her abominable stained clothing. Eventually she saw her neighbour hood street finally in the distance she also heard the rushing of footsteps coming her way and the panting of a determined pursuer. 

Once again she tilted her neck to reveal the same figure watching her now hunting her. Fear stricken her heart started to bleed as shock consumed her as she sprinted to an ally way that she hoped would loose the hooked man. 

The dark ally awaited her the glass snapped under her feet as her momentum exhilarated leading her to jump over a withered half rotten fence. She struggled for a moment wiggling her legs and burning her arms to lift her self over the fence. The pursuer now an arms length away from her, she felt his hook almost tug at her hair but she managed just in time to splatter on the other side.

Now her back hurt and her head rang with terror, the impact of the paved ground was felt across her aching body. A moments rest was not granted to her the hook smashed through rotten wood causing a section of the lower half of the fence to calloused from the impact of the man’s boots.

Her head rang and the world seemed to spin but she forced her self up still her legs bleeding but still of use yet, the snarling of blood from an army of dogs ripped her ears with dread as she stumbled quickly towards a stunted wall. To which she clumsily jumped over landing back again on the soft scowled mud ground. The sound of anguished cries and dogs chumping on flesh made her feel a moment of safety allowing her to navigate awkwardly her way back home.

At last she reached the heavy iron Oak door of her house, her legs were now beginning to fail her and she rested on the door heaving for air and scrambling her pouch for the key. She opened the door aggressively and cried.

“Mum! Dad!” 

There was no answer, she slammed the door and made sure she locked it twice before yelling.

“Mum! Mum! Dad! Dad!”

Still all remained silent, she rushed to the kitchen. None was there, she slammed her bag on the floor and rampaged up the stairs again calling for her parents. Nothing still, aggravated by their neglect she parked through the door slammed it and rammed her way in screaming their names. 

She opened her eyes, nobody was in sight. She attempted to exit but something grabbed her with so much force she was nocked off her feet passively as a knitted hand smelling of roses tor at her mouth leading her to suffocate on a piece of pure white hankie.

She struggled her eyes upwards where she saw the blurred image of a black mask the resembling a terrifying long crows beak now cackling with pride. Harley’s feet stopped kicking, her arms relaxed from the suffocation leaving her eye sight to blur and turn white.

Darkness over ran Harley, she blanched out whilst her body was lifted by the doctor and placed into a rudimentary sack.