That Night -A SHORT STORY-

That Night PART 6

As she was eating her pancakes, her father sat down and looked her in the eyes.
"Makenzie, me and your mom were thinking we could go to the park today. How does that sound?" He prompted, a small smirk on his face. Makenzie's eyes widened in bliss and nodded really quickly.
"Yeah! Yes! Yes! Pleeeeaaaaaasse!?" She said excitedly, hopping a little bit in her seat as her parents chuckled.
"Ok, ok, we will, just let me finish my paperwork and we'll go, sweetie." Her mother added kindly. With that, Makenzie quickly got ready for the day, combing her chocolate brown hair behind her ears. She chose an outfit that consisted of a bright pink shirt, some purple leggings, and to top it off, a tutu she wore for Halloween one year. It fit like a glove, and she excitedly slipped into her little cowboy boots. She strut out into the living room as her mother finished up. Both parents looked her up and down with a smile.
"Well, 'Kenz, you look beautiful!" Her mother said with a chuckle. Makenzie smiled and twirled. Her parents sorted out her outfit before leaving the house. Making her leave the boots and tutu behind. Instead, she wore tennis shoes.
They drove to the park and Makenzie barely gave her dad time to stop the car before jumping out and rushing to the playground. She played for a while, then had that weird feeling in her stomach again... she turned to see a man staring at her and a few other kids from a distance.
Makenzie stood there staring at the strange man for a moment, thinking he looked very familiar like she'd seen him somewhere. The man just kept staring at her, he wasn't moving. Suddenly he started walking towards her and she quickly ran to her parents "Can we please go home? I'm tired" she stretched her arms out and let out a fake exaggerated yawn. Her parents laughed and both nodded. They got to the car and Makenzie looked back seeing that the man was hiding behind a tall tower but his head was peaked out staring at her. She felt the jitters rush over her and quickly jumped into the car.
They arrived home and Makenzie trotted to her room still feeling woozy after seeing that creepy man, where had she seen him she thought to herself trying to recall anything.
   She flopped onto her bed and just stared up at the ceiling. She couldn't quite wrap her mind around the idea, so, she decided to drop it. She looked around her room and pulled out her dolls. She started playing with them and got completely lost in her own little world. After about an hour of playing, she heard a scrape underneath her bed. She flinched, as the sound itself startled her, but she quickly grinned and laid on the floor, staring into those familiar red eyes. He smiled and waved, as did she.
"Hi, monster!" She whispered delightedly.
"Hello, my dear. How was your trip to the park?" His low voice grumbled in an understanding and happy way. Makenzie nodded, grinning from ear to ear. She retold everything that happened with glee, and paused when she mentioned the strange man. She noticed a change in the monster's facial expression. It was still friendly to her, but it seemed like he was worried about something. Like he expected something to happen. He looked her in the eyes and responded after she stopped talking.
"Makenzie. Did this man speak to you?" He asked urgently.
"No... is he a bad guy?.." she asked timidly. Her face dropped and suddenly, she started recalling what happened a few nights ago. Suddenly, the occasional creak of the house sounded like a footstep to her. She grew paranoid, and tears welled in her eyes. She dropped her dolls and started rubbing her eyes in hopes that she wouldn't cry. She started recalling her nightmares, real life, all of it. And finally, she started to softly cry. She was shaking a little bit, now that she could properly think about it, the situation was actually much scarier than she had made it out to be.
"No, no, Makenzie. Don't cry. It's alright, my dear. No one will ever harm my child." He said smoothly, sliding out from under her bed. His bony figure unfolded slowly, he was a bit frightening to look at, but Makenzie pushed that thought to the back of her head. The monster grabbed a blanket and draped it around her before carefully setting her on her bed.
"B-but my mommy and daddy don't believe me! They think you're not real! But you are! You're real! They don't want me to see you, it's not fair!" She continued to ramble about the unfairness of the situation, but eventually, she had nothing left to say. The monster held her affectionately, like a mother does with her child, stroking her hair.
"I know you want to tell them. But it's not use, you see, adults aren't meant to believe in monsters. They aren't supposed to know the truth, my child. No matter what you do, they'll never believe your words. But I do." He said calmly, occasionally wiping the tears off her cheeks.
   Makenzie smiled slightly at the gesture but tears continued to drip off her pale face. "Is the man going to hurt me?" Makenzie looked up at the monster with worry in her eyes. "Not at all, don't worry my dear I will keep you safe." He spoke in a comforting voice before stroking her head. Makenzie's eyes felt very heavy as she grew tired from crying. Suddenly they closed shut and the only thing heard was the soft snores coming from the small girl.