There's A Man In The Woods

I

???'s (POV)

"There's a man in the woods... What a spectacle," I mumbled before getting into my car.

"Before the story started, this school was still respectable, my students used to skip down to the Honeysuckle, pluck a little or collect their nectar till they picked their fill," I whispered.

"Except one obnoxious kid, Sid," I gripped the steering wheel tightly at the thought of that brat.

"Who just watch them eat the flowers while he sieved and scowled 'cause he couldn't bare to share his sweet treats throughout our recess hour," I glare at the road in front of me.

"I remember Sid sing, "there's a man in the woods"," I gritted my teeth together, "that's how the rumors began." I looked at road with a board expression.

"Of course Sid had spotted him first, the poor kids, he got 'em immersed in his spiel about a serial killer whose gun barrel glint hints at peril," I felt bad for the kids that believed his lies.

"A visit to the nurse or worse a hearse just "waiting" beyond the Dale," they shouldn't have listened to him.

"The children saw him everywhere, "look over, that man had bat man ears, we swear and crazy yellow eyes! We saw something rusty, his shotgun!?! It must be! I saw a ladie's severed thigh!" Trust me, every word I heard was absurd," I took deep breathes to remain calm.

"Yet each day Sid would stray down past the playground, who else was brave enough to "save us" from the killer's next plot," I glared at the memory of the spoiled brat.

"The rest of the lot would stop back at the black top, sure enough, that they be found deep in the woods left to rot," I continue telling my story out loud.

"I pleaded with the kids to think and learn to be mature, but after a few more rumors, doomed my attempt to prove the school was secure, their fear was undeterred and when the buses drove them all home... The parents finally heard," I remember seeing Sid's mother, pissed off at me because of his lies.

"Everything just blew up, I received a wall of emails and calls full shrieks, wails, and all from terrified families who heard word of the "murderer" and didn't like my lack of action at all," I sighed remembering all of the angry parents that believed Sid's lies.

"What was I supposed to do? Comb the whole forest!?! Yeah right! Would you?" I grew angry, "that means I didn't care!?! And that's not fair, the stories that word you aren't true!!! Of course I would feel regret had there been a real threat and I ignored it and some poor kid got kidnapped while the kids were napping!!!" "but of course you couldn't admit that "your good little kid" could formulate a fib so you ignored what I said, "your little angels could never cook up such incredible creation an overactive imagination maybe but my kid never"!!!" ""how dare I accuse a kid being dishonest" just monstrous, the parents were displeased and when the PTA took action, they dismissed me from the classroom!!! But they knew what was best for their kids!!! Do you know how difficult it is to get a job when a bitter mom slanders your rep with child neglect from the outset? Now who's in control of your classes!?! "Single file line" single file line, little file swine a killer a pint!!! Really, are you blind will, you find your spines!?! Sid, a child decides to fill our minds  with lies and the next thing you see is people treating me like I'm committing crimes!! I was in my grind, those kids were lucky to have me!! Do you see what you did!?!" I calmed down and take a deep breath.

"But I can play along, I can be good, do you hear that Sid?" I appear out of the shadows, grabbing my gun from my inside coat pocket.

"There's a man in the woods," I whispered, Sid looked at me with fear and sadness in his eyes as I raised the gun.