Home, Alone

An innocent ponytail bobbed back and forth as the girl pranced down the deserted path. A fluffy pink scrunchie topped her head, matching the colour of her shirt. She looked up towards the sky and knew the sun would set soon by the way the light filtered through the leaves of the giant fig. She looked at the same tree every day but today the leaves seemed to radiate and reach into the sky with hopeful yearning. The girl knew she should really get home as soon as she could, but it had been the best day of her life.

The giant fig in the park had set the scene for her first encounter with The Boy. She had seen boys before; ten years exploring this city had guaranteed that; but in all her years she had never actually spoken to one of them. As a fifteen year old girl her parents were very cautious with who she came in contact with. They scared people away. Her mother had told her that it was the job of a parent to guard, protect and provide for their kids. Recently, however, the girl had wondered why they were so protective of her and her brother. They were a normal family. Besides, other kids got to play in the park without having to stop on their way home to grab dinner.

The Boy had caught the girl’s attention even though most people who walked through the park ignored the young attractive boy.

His eyes. That’s what had caught her attention. The focus in their smoky blue-grey stare, accented with flecks of green. She caught her breath as she recalled the intensity of his stare. His focus was on a tattered red journal perched in his lap and he seemed lost to all that sped around him. Focussed on whatever the pages in front of him held. For an instant, she felt jealous of the book and the attention he was giving it.

She shook her head to try to get rid of the thought. There was no way he would be interested in a girl like her. Besides, she really should get home before her parents got worried and she still hadn’t grabbed dinner yet.

A slight whisper of wind blew a sheet from the pages of the book and from his grasp. It seemed to twirl and dance in the wind as it escaped his grasp. She grabbed it from the air and with this simple act, also grabbed The Boy’s attention. His gaze was on her. Her heart skipped a beat as he stood up and smiled; his focus totally on her. She couldn’t help but smile in return.

“Be strong,” she thought to herself, “You are allowed out of the house once a week. Don’t get distracted or waste time. You don’t want to be grounded. Get dinner and go home.”

The Boy rose from his position under the giant fig. He skipped over the gnarled roots of the tree protruding through the grass, towards her. She paused; wondering what to do. Should she smile or scream or run away. She really had to get home.

Leaves crunched under his feet as he stepped towards her.

“It’s you,” he breathed. Not a question but a statement.

The girl’s smile faltered as she tried to comprehend what The Boy meant. She handed the paper back to him, a quizzical look crossing her face. Their hands touched briefly and The Boy’s smile grew. She couldn’t help it. She smiled as a blush crept into her cheeks.

Not sure what else to do, she turned and ran. Past the fig and around the pond towards the children’s playground. She needed to be somewhere safe. The playground was safe. From there she would grab dinner and go home.

Grab dinner and go home.

Grab dinner and go home.

A view of the blue slide appeared around the corner of the hedges that surrounded the playground. She slowed her pace as she looked for somewhere to grab dinner. The sun was getting very low now. It would be dark soon. She took a deep breath and steadied herself.

Grab dinner and go home.

 The cold metal of the gate made her shiver as she touched it handle.

“Breathe,” she told herself.

Grab dinner and go home.

The gate squeaked as she opened it and again when she closed it behind her. Crossing the road, she avoided the pothole but a stray piece of rock tugged at her foot. She faltered and tried to steady herself. She fell. Managing not to fall on her face she fumbled to get up. Hopefully no one saw her embarrassment. Especially not The Boy.

A slight stinging in her hand focusses her attention on the task at hand.

Grab dinner and go home.

Her mother would be able to remove the glass from her hand and bandage it properly.

She acted like nothing happened, but she had got the attention of a man sitting on the bench across the road. The man stood and offered his napkin to her. She paused slightly before accepting and letting the man help her finish her way across the road.

She forced a smile knowing that her parents won’t be pleased with her talking to a skinny man in his 40s, but she was thankful for his assistance. The napkin would slow the bleeding.

He asked her where she was headed and why she was out when the sun was about to set.

“It’s not a good time for kids to be out on their own,” he informed her.

“It’s OK,” she told him, “I’m just grabbing dinner and going home.”

The man grabbed another napkin from his table as she tried to walk past.

“Now hold on there little lady.” The concern in his voice punctuated the noises of the streets around them, “Surely you aren’t home, alone?”

Again, she told him that she just had to grab dinner and she was on her way home.

“Maybe I can help you,” the man stated. The smell of stale beer oozed from his skin but he seemed so helpful. After all, it wasn’t that far to her house.

She was about to answer but hesitated.

The man saw her hesitation and offered his thoughts, “It’s alright honey, I’ve got a daughter about your age at home. You’re alright with me. I just want to make sure you don’t run into any more accidents like your hand. Make sure you get home safe and all that. I’m not dangerous.”

His smile seemed genuine so she smiled in return and nodded her agreement, “It is a pretty scary city at night.”

“So where am I taking you?” he asked and pointed towards a white van parked a little way away.

“I can’t accept lifts from strangers,” she told the man, “My parents will have a fit when they get home.”

“So, you’re home alone are you?” the man asked.

There is something in his voice this time that worried her, but it was fine. She’s only one block from home and it’s not like the man was being nasty or anything like that. Really he was just being helpful.

“My brother is home now, but he’s only four. My parents will be home later but I get my brother sorted for bedtime before they get home. I really shouldn’t have been out this long with my brother home alone, but it was such a nice day and time just slipped away from me.”

The man seemed to hang on her every word and a glint appeared in his eye as she tells him that her parents are out. Maybe he was just concerned after all. Not everyone in this city was as dangerous as her parents told her they were.

“I can’t let you wander these streets alone honey, let me take you home and take care of that hand,” he said.

“I really can’t get into your van but I’m only a block from here,” she replied, “You can walk with me if you want.”

He nodded and counted out coins from his wallet to leave on the table for his coffee. Usually it was the mothers and nannies that sat at this café as it gave a perfect view of the playground, but the man had managed to find a table outside. Strange, but a good thing for her that he was there to help.

She lead the way down the street to the North. The man seemed to be more jittery now that they were walking alone together. Maybe he had more coffee than he should have. Surely he didn’t need to keep looking over his shoulder; it wasn’t as if anyone was near them. A lady walking her dog heading into the park was the last person they saw really. Maybe the man was scared of dogs.

Oh well, it didn’t really matter; they were nearly at her front door. She pulled her keys out of her pocket and put the right one into the keyhole to her house. She turned around to face the man and thank him but he seemed to be even jitterier now. Looking up and down the street and at his watch then around at the windows in the street. Maybe he was afraid the dog was going to come back and get him. He certainly was breathing heavier now than he was before.

“Thanks for walking me home,” she told him politely, “I think I can sort my hand out from here. It’s only a little bit of blood really.”

He nodded while scanning the street then took a few steps closer to her. His breath reeked but he seemed excited about something, “Wait, I thought you had to grab dinner.”

She turned the key in the lock and pushed the front door open.

The man was swift and threw her against the wall inside the door while keeping a hand over her mouth. She struggled in his arms but he was deceptively strong for such a thin man. His thin frame pushed her body into the wall as he got a better grip on her wrists.

“Don’t scream honey. That will only make it worse,” he told her, “What sort of an idiot are you? Letting a strange man into your house? I’m going to teach you a lesson you will never forget.”

He signalled to her that he was about to remove his hand from her mouth.

She caught her breath as his hand moved from over her mouth; then she uttered two words, “I did.”

“What?”

“You asked if I grabbed dinner?” she whispered, “I did. I got you.”

Her parents were home after all. They looked disappointed at the skinny nature of the man but food was food; and food was so much tastier when you didn’t have to chase it. The front door to the house swung shut as the man’s screams filled the air.

“Don’t scream honey. That will only make it worse.”

A flash of red splashed across her face as the dagger slit the man’s throat. Warm blood with its metal tang was the best part of the kill; that and the human steaks they would fill the freezer with.

As the girl held the man down she thought to herself, “Maybe next week The Boy would be in the park again.”

But how would she ever bring him home to meet her parents?