Sadistically Sweet (Watty Awards Finalist 2012)

Sadistically Sweet

On October 16, my life changed forever. There were so many things I could have done differently, but I hadn’t. 

That is why I am in this situation; cold, petrified, and kidnapped.

***

With my beige messenger bag slung over my arm, I walked on the side of the road en route to my house. There were no sidewalks on this side of town - only streets, ditches, and woods. Deep, shadow filled forests surrounded both sides of the street.

Even though children were warned never to go near the forest, I had been walking alongside them since I was thirteen. It was too dark and too deep for children. Nobody knew what may have been lurking around the corner. A few of the town drunks live out there too, so I had to be extra careful.

My parents couldn’t afford the skyrocketing gas prices to drive me to and from the bus stop every day. With Dad's pay cut and Mom going out of work, I really had no option. So I walked two miles every single day. The only thing that separated me from the hazardous woods were three foot-deep ditches.

Although it was a long walk, it could’ve been worse: The school bus had made a special stop just for me, since I was the only student who lived out this far the road had an unimaginable number of forks and dead ends; something a bus driver could get lost in very easily.

I would be able to get my license soon, but it was useless unless I could get a job to pay for a car and the outrageous gas prices; jobs for teenagers in Willow Springs were as rare as a sidewalk leading towards my path to school.

My shoulder began to ache from the weight of my bag. I had homework for all my classes today, which meant I had three thick textbooks to bring home. I really needed to get a bag that didn’t dig into my shoulder blades every time a teacher decided to load us up with homework.

I was in a pretty solemn mood as I turned a large bend in the road. When the trees finally cleared out of my way, I saw a little girl farther up the road. She was only about twenty feet away, and standing on the side of the road, the girl had to be only around five years old - way too young to be on her own, in my opinion.

She continuously bounced a red rubber ball against the worn pavement of the roadside. She wore a pale yellow dress, and matching sandals. The outfit complimented her golden blonde hair well.

As I got closer, she didn't even seem to notice me I decided I might as well talk to her.

"Hello sweetie," I greeted, when I finally reached her. I bent down to eye level, so I wouldn't seem too threatening. "Where're your mommy and daddy?"

She mumbled something that I didn't catch in reply. I leaned closer to hear her, when she squealed.

"My ball!"

Her ball slipped out of her hands, and bounced out into the middle of the road. She ran out after it, but only got halfway before she tripped and fell. She began to cry, right as a car tore around the bend. The driver was zigzagging in his lane, obviously intoxicated. I knew he wouldn't see the child, nor would he slow down. My muscles tensed, my breath stopped, and then the adrenaline kicked in.

"Hey, kid!" I screamed at the girl. The car was swerving closer, and I knew I could not reach her in time. A few seconds could mean the difference between life and death and if I didn't move fast enough, then death would take away the life of an innocent child.

I launched myself against her, grabbed her around the waist, and held her close to protect her. I held her head to my shoulder so it wouldn't hit the hard road. We bounced off the pavement and tumbled into a ditch, right as the car flew by. They didn't even stop as they ran over my discarded book bag.