One Wrong Turn

The night is cold and dark. I can hear vacant sounds from the wildlife around me. A fox here and an owl there. That is the problem with going to stay in the countryside. You never know what could be a few yards away. The pavement before me feels uneven and stone.

I can see shadows in the darkness. They didn't frighten me. Why should they? The countryside is one of the safest places to be. I know that because my granddad lives here. I know that because I have come here every year without missing a visit. It is where I want to live when I am older. It is the loveliest place I have ever seen.

I feel a tug on my sleeve. I look down to see my little brother smiling up at me. "What is it?" I ask him.

"I am cold," he says back. I feel his coldness. I touch his hand. He is stone cold. I take off my pink cardigan and hand it to him.

"Put that on," I tell him. "It will keep you warm."

"Thanks," he says, pulling it on. He then takes my hand. It feels soft inside my hand. I look into his warm green eyes and smile. He is so lovely. He is the sweetest five year old you could ever meet. He is my little brother.

We walk together down the road. I hear my mom and dad talking behind us. They are laughing and joking. I am glad that we came back. It is such a lovely area. I can't see much in the dark night, but I don’t need to anyway.

I know that the street is around here somewhere. It will lead us straight down to granddad’s house. It is a short cut. I saw it on my adventures in the day with the other children. We were playing a war game and I found it. I can't wait to show it to my parents. They will be so pleased. They love short cuts as it makes the journey a whole lot quicker and more fun.

I see two side roads ahead of us. I can't remember which on it is. I think back to the game. I have to remember; otherwise it will take us ages. Which one? The left? Or the right? I have to take a guess. I have to choose which one. I think it is the left, but I am not too sure. I stop and think

Our mommy and daddy stop behind us. "What is it, darling?" mommy asks me. “What’s wrong?”

"I found a short cut the other day while playing with the other children," I tell them. "It will take us straight to granddads."

"Marvellous," mommy says, happily.

"Which way, sweetie?" daddy asks. I realise that I need an answer. Which way? Which one was it? I can't remember. Oh, no. I have to think. I look straight ahead of me. Which one? Banana, banana, banana split. The left one it is.

"The left," I say, brightly.

"Well done, sweetie," daddy says. "You really are the adventurer."

"Thanks, daddy." I say, overcome with happiness. We continue walking towards the left side road. It is deep dark and feels cold. I feel a chill go up my spine. My hairs stand on edge.

We walk into the side road. The floor and bricks are dirty. The floor is even more uneven. It is as though it hasn't been done properly. My uncle would do a better job. He works on building sites. He is brilliant at his job. They should have asked him to do the road. He would have made it completely straight.

I look ahead of us. I can't make out anything. I pray that this is the right side road. It has to be, doesn't it? Banana split says so. It must be true. If not, we can go back. We could go back and take the right side road. We could just change our direction.

I can see moving shadows now. I can make out a couple of objects and things that I can’t quite make out. They look like people. They look like boys. They are probably looking for the right side road too.

"Honey, come here," I hear daddy say to me.

My little brother is no longer holding my hand. My little brother has gone. I look at the shadows before me. They are boys. They are tall boys. They look quite scary. They look like they are from the wrong place. I am a little scared.

I know that daddy and mommy won't let anything happen to us. Daddy is strong and brave. Daddy is brilliant.

I hear a thud behind me. I turn around. Daddy is lying on the floor. Red juice is pouring from his head. It is like when it cut myself in the garden, or on an adventure. There are tall boys standing in front of me as well. They are all around us. They are surrounding us. They look really scary. They are laughing.

Why are they laughing? What is so funny? I can hear my little brother crying. Mommy is asking them to stop. She is begging them to let us go. What do they want from us? What do they want to do? I don't understand what is going on. Why are they surrounding us?

One of them steps forward and grabs mommy’s arm. He pulls her away and pushes her into a corner. He pulls up her sparkled dress, pulling his pants down. He pushes at her in the darkened corner. I grab my little brother’s hand. Mommy is crying. I can hear her tears.

The man moving against her is moaning. He is using words I don't know. I look down at daddy. He isn't moving and the red juice is still pouring out. I scream his name, but he doesn't move. He won't get up. He won't save us. No one is going to save us. My grip on my little brother’s arm tightens.

I feel him pulling away. I look down at him. They are pulling him away. They are pulling him into the darkness. They are taking off his clothes. They are pulling away my cardigan. I see it fall to the floor in a heap. I can hear him screaming my name. I can hear his cries.

Tears pour down my cheeks. I don't know what to do. My head rags back. One of them has my hair. He pulls me into the darkness.

"Hello, sweetie," he says. The way he says it frightens me. What are they going to do to me? They rip away my clothes. He pulls down his pants.

Something flops out in front of me. Then it sticks up. He moves towards me.

Then I scream.