Stranger Danger

When school let out for the day, Maya slipped on her backpack. She began walking in the direction she and her twelve-year-old brother always went.

Normally, Tyson would be with her. But he'd gone home with a friend of his for an overnight sleepover. Since their parents wouldn't be home until 5, she'd have to go it alone. At 10 years of age, she felt like she could take care of herself well enough.

Maya strolled along the sidewalk as she thought about a Halloween costume. A good witch like Glinda, in the Wizard of Oz, she decided. That would be perfect.

As she continued trudging along, a noisy car came down the road. The driver pulled up beside her and called out, "Hey, little lady. Can you give me directions to Hemp Street?"

Maya paused, peering over at the man. He had wavy brown hair and dark eyes. Something about his intense stare made her feel uneasy.

"Uh, Hemp Street is the next road over," she replied, hoping he'd go away.

But he grinned and said, "Will you hop in and help me find it?"

His teeth reminded her of a shark's fangs. She'd heard all the warnings about stranger danger from her parents. So she knew better than to ride anywhere with this man.

"I'm sorry but I can't. I have to hurry up and get home."

"Aww, come on. I'll take you to your house. Your parents sent me to pick you up. Heck, I'll even buy you some candy and a cheeseburger on the way," he coaxed.

"What's the password?"

The man frowned. "Huh? What password?"

"Thank you for the offer, but no thanks. Have a good day, mister."

Maya continued walking as she did her best to ignore the guy. However, before she could put more distance between them, he slammed on the brakes. Putting the car into park, he quickly jumped out, rushing towards her.

Maya screamed and took off as fast as she could. When she glanced back, he was in his car again coming after her. She searched the area desperately for a place to hide.

Seeing the park entrance off to the side, she darted in there. She'd heard rumors of a gray, giant man-beast, nicknamed Skulky, lurking in the area. But she'd rather face down a monster than deal with the weirdo who was chasing her.

After running for some time, she looked back and didn't see the man pursuing her anymore. So she stopped at a fish pond, taking a moment to rest.
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A few minutes went by while Maya tried to calm her racing thoughts and heavy breathing. Thinking she'd escaped the creepy guy, she startled when some bushes near her began to rustle.

Suddenly a gnarled hand reached out to grip her shoulder. She gasped, turning to look behind her. A giant monster with huge, yellow-green eyes stared back. It had grayish-white skin and appeared to be half-man, half-animal.

Oh, no! It must be the monster that she'd heard townspeople talking about. Skulky!

Maya shrieked, then tried to bolt. But the icy, cold fingers of whatever she'd just encountered snagged her ponytail. She tugged hard in an attempt to free herself. The monster's long fingernails snagged in her scrunchie, ripping it out of her hair.

Freed at last, Maya flew across to the far side of the park. Grunting noises and big, heavy footsteps pounded after her. The closer they sounded, the more terrified she became. Yet determination helped her run even faster than normal.

But just as she neared the rear park exit, a man stepped out from behind a bush. He was the same weird guy from earlier. Now she'd gotten trapped between him and the monster. She glanced about frantically for an escape route but found none.

The man laughed wickedly then started walking towards Maya. "When you ran into the park, I figured you'd go for this exit. So I drove around here to head you off. And now, I've got you right where I want you, little girl."

"Leave me alone!" she yelled, spinning around. Not seeing the monster, she sprinted in the direction from which she'd come.

"Oh, no you don't!" the man snarled. "You're not getting away from me this time!"

He rushed up behind Maya and grabbed her. As his arms clamped upon her like a vice, she kicked at his shins. She tried to pry herself loose from his steely grip, to no avail.

"Let go of me!" she screamed. "Someone help me!"

All of a sudden, a thunderous sound erupted. When the source of the noise came into view, it was the man-beast bearing down on them. Skulky growled ominously and shook his fists as he approached.

Tears trickled across Maya's face. A feeling of hopelessness filled her. Caught in the middle of two evils, what chance did she really have to survive?

But then the monster did something unexpected. Skulky grabbed the horrible man by the hair of his head and pulled it hard. This seemed to frighten Maya's would-be captor so much that he turned loose of her. He attempted to flee the scene but Skulky held onto the guy and punched him in the face. The man went limp, sliding to the ground with a groan.

Skulky walked over to Maya and gently touched her face, brushing away a tear. He grunted as if trying to communicate. She didn't know how he'd come into existence. But it was then that she realized this man-beast wasn't a monster at all. He had a protective nature and he'd just saved her life.

"Thank you," she said, hoping he could understand her. "I'll repay your kindness somehow. Maybe I can bring you food sometimes and we can be friends."

Skulky made low-pitched sounds. Maybe he did know what she'd said to him. After softly squeezing his hand, she took off running until she flagged down a female motorist. The lady called the police and the man was arrested.

Maya raced on home. Once there, she rushed into the house and threw her bookbag onto an armchair. She stood still for several moments, taking in deep breaths, blowing them out slowly. Although scared out of her wits during the events she'd just experienced, she was finally home and safe at last.