Originally published on Triond
Tony Wilson sat on the couch and picked up the newspaper. The headlines were about a murder.
The killer had not been caught and the police had published a special phone number for anonymous tips.
Tony's cat rubbed against his leg. "Meow."
"Aye, Tiger. What's the matter?" Tony picked up the cat. "You hungry?"
After petting the cat for a few seconds, he gently placed it on the floor.
He placed some dry cat food in the cat's bowl and ensured that the other bowl was filled
with water. The cat walked up to the bowl and ate the food.
Tony heard his son, Jason, talking to a friend as the front door opened. "Bye"
Jason waved and turned toward Tony. Jason removed his backpack and laid it on the chair.
"What's the matter?" Tony saw the tears rolling down Jason's face.
Tony led Jason to the couch where they both sat down. He waited for Jason to stop crying.
Alice came out of the kitchen. She sat on the other side of Jason.
Jason barely voiced the words. "Mom."
"Yes, honey." Alice kissed Jason on the forehead.
"Timmy died." Jason wiped his tears with his shirt sleeve.
Alice and Tony glanced at each other. Timmy was Jason's best friend. Timmy would come
over and play with Jason every day.
Tony used the remote control to turn on the television. They listened to the latest reports
about the murder. A eye witness claimed the killer was six feet tall. The eye witness only saw a silhouette of the killer but he said it looked like the killer was dressed in some sort of oversize cloak that covered the killer
from head to toe.
"Where do people go when they die?" asked Jason.
"They go to Heaven." Alice smiled.
"Can they ever come back?"
"No, honey." Alice kissed Jason on the forehead. "They stay in Heaven and
they watch over us from there. " Alice looked tenderly at Jason. "I think heaven is the kind of place folks just don't want to leave."
"Can we see them when they are in heaven?"
"We can always see them with our hearts." Alice suddenly remembered Jason's
birthday party. "Would you like a picture of Timmy for your bedroom? Pictures can help the heart remember."
"Yeah. Maybe that would be good."
Alice left the room for a few moments and returned with a photo of all Jason's friends
gathered round the kitchen table while Jason blew out the birthday cake candles. She pointed to Timmy. "See? There he is."
Jason grabbed the picture. "Gee. Thanks, Mom! Do you think Timmy would like my having
this?"
"Of course, he would!" Alice smiled.
The cat jumped up on Jason's lap and licked his hand. Jason giggled and said. "Awe,
go on! Tiger! Stop kissing me. You silly old cat."
Jason fell asleep on the couch. Tony carried Jason into his bedroom. Alice removed Jason's
shoes and laid him on the bed. The she covered Jason up to his shoulders with a blanket and kissed him goodnight.
Tony and Alice entered the living room just on time to see the news broadcast about Timmy.
The reporter said Timmy's family was killed by a person dressed from head to toe in a long cloak.
"Its good that Jason fell asleep and did not hear this." Alice turned off the
television. "Would you like some tea before heading to bed?"
"Sure." Tony entered the kitchen and sat at the table.
Alice poured water into the coffee maker and turned it on. The kitchen window was facing
the back yard. Suddenly Alice gasped as she pointed out the window. The moon light shone on a cloaked figure about seven feet tall.
Tony ran into the bedroom and got his gun out of the closet. Then he ran out the back
door yelling "Stop!"
The cloaked figure tried to run but fell to the ground. Tony removed the cloak only to
find a 14 year old boy on stilts. The boy was laughing.
"That's not funny, Frank Watts!" Tony picked up the cloak. "Get up!"
He grabbed the boy by the arm. "We're going to see your dad. Now!"
Alice had been watching from the kitchen window. She ran out into the backyard and approached
Frank and Tony. She was about to tell Frank about Timmy.
"Tim ..." Her voice faded as Tony shook his head back and forth.
Then she returned to the house.
Frank Watts was the neighborhood prankster. He had frightened young children on many occasions.
On the previous Halloween he had dressed as a bear and recorded the sound of a bear on a digital recorder. Then he had hid in the shadows and played the tape whenever a youngster came by.
Alice opened the back door and entered the kitchen. She sat in the chair and realized
her hand was shaking. She thought about the tea. Then she opened the cabinet door and removed some brandy from the top shelf. She put a tea bag in the cup, poured some hot water in and let it brew. Then she poured some brandy
in. She sipped it slowly.
She heard Jason moving around. She walked into his bedroom. "What's the matter, honey?"
Before Jason could answer, Alice saw the open window. "Who opened the window?"
She picked up Jason and turned toward the door. That's when she saw the cloaked figure.
It was upright in the doorway. The surface of the cloak had numerous knobs designed to hold its victim. It looked more like a large tongue than a cloak.
Alice backed up toward the window. She turned and held Jason out the window, looking at
the ground five feet below. She did not drop Jason for fear he would get hurt. She screamed as the cloaked figure grabbed her leg and pulled both her and Jason back into the bedroom.
Alice and Jason laid on the bedroom floor. She was unable to free her leg. She let go
of Jason and told him to run. The cloaked figure wrapped the cloak around her and pressed the cloak against her face. She let out a smothered scream as she felt excruciating pain.
Jason darted around the figure and grabbed a souvenir miniature baseball bat from his
dresser. He repeatedly hit the cloaked figure with the bat. "Leave my mom alone!"
Tony was outside the front door. As he opened the front door, he heard Jason. He ran into
the bedroom. He released the safety pin on his gun and shot the cloaked figure. The cloaked figure lay lifeless on Alice.
Alice laid there after Tony pulled the cloaked figure off her. She had been stabbed several
times. Tony phoned the police and an ambulance.
The police arrived and removed the cloak from the killer. The ambulance arrived a few
moments later and took Alice to the hospital. Alice's operation lasted seven hours. Doctors expected her to survive.
Headlines appeared in the local newspapers and on the Internet. The story described Alice's
horrible experience and the heroic efforts a her five year old son Jason. From that moment on, Alice referred to Jason as "My little hero."
