Honor the Horrors of the Internet

Slave By Sundown

I sped down the street on my bicycle, feeling the wind rush through my hair as the sun prepared to take a dip down below the horizon for the evening. Dead leaves blew around on the road like schools of fish evading a predator, and the crisp autumn air felt wonderful as it engulfed my speeding bike and me. Being in the fourth grade in a small town in New Jersey, I loved riding my bike every day after school, especially in the beautiful fall weather. I liked doing it alone. Sure, I would get my friends in on it during the weekends, but there was a part of me that needed solitude after a busy day at school.

During my treks around my neighborhood, I would come across something new each day. It could be the discovery that someone in my community owned a Great Dane, or that a house down the street from me was egged on Halloween night. But one day in the middle of November, I made another discovery. See, on the far side of my neighborhood, there is a road with a "dead end" sign. However, on this particular day I decided to see what was beyond it. After all, that sign didn't signify in any way some sort of end to the world. No, there was more beyond it, and on this particular afternoon, I decided to venture beyond it.

I sped past the sign and pedaled hard up a hill. Of course, when I got to the top, I looked down at a cul-de-sac, sitting dead and lifeless. Beyond the cul-de-sac was a dense forest. However, I noticed something about this forest. Right at the front of it was a dirt path, winding its way into the depths of the woods, just begging to be explored. Pedaling down the hill, I parked my bike at the edge of the forest and began walking down the dirt path.

I strutted down the path as my neighborhood seemed to move further and further away. Deep into the woods I went, past ghastly trees that had shed there autumn leaves. The cawing of crows filled the air as my footsteps crunched on the dirt path. After a couple minutes of walking, something began to come into view. It was none other than a small house, sitting in a clearing in this mysterious forest. The house looked like the most innocent little cottage one had ever seen.

For some reason, I had the urge to walk closer to the house. It had some sort of enchantment to it, one that simply said, "Come to me". I began to move toward the house, inching my way through the tall grass that surrounded the place. Suddenly, someone rounded the corner from the side, startling me. I almost jumped out of my skin, until I realized it was just a frail, old woman, hunched over and carrying a watering pot. Once she noticed me, she immediately developed an overly friendly expression.

"Well," she exclaimed, "hello, stranger!"

"I'm sorry, ma'am," I stammered, "I was just walking down that path, I didn't realize you lived here."

"Oh, it's quite alright," the old woman said, "in fact, I was just thinking about how much I would love a visitor!"

"Really?" I said.

"Certainly," she said, "won't you come in for some tea?"

I was shocked by her hospitality. I had never met someone so nice in my life. I wasn't sure about her offer, though. I told her that I wasn't sure how long I had until dark. The old woman told me I had at least an hour before sundown. I finally agreed to come inside.

I walked inside of the house, right behind the friendly old woman. I was immediately hit with a scent of candles and the aroma of newly baked cookies. A black cat walked out in front of us, giving me a cold stare before scampering off to another part of the home. The old woman and I entered her kitchen, where I sat down at the table as she prepared tea.

"So," said the old woman, "what is your name?"

"Stella," I said.

"What a pretty name," she said.