Dont Make Fun Of The Unknown

The candy man dare.

It was Halloween night, 31st of October. The worst night of out lives. It was definitely no normal night. She was lieing there, our best friend, Lauren. Blood pumping out of her like water pouring from a tap. We were beside her desperately screaming for help but no one could help us, no one could help her. I was screaming "How? WHY? why go for our best friend when there are billions of others in the world?!?" We were devastated, two twelve year old girls watching their best friend die right in front of their very own eyes. I didn't get it, I didn't understand. How come everyone was talking about it in school...loads of people did it there was videos of it all over YouTube! Nothing like that had ever happened I never saw videos of someone actually being killed from it. I didn't think it would turn out like that. I don't think anyone would...

We were walking down the street on our way back from school. It was our last day of term and it was Halloween. We all got to dress up, so as best friends Lauren, Evie and I dressed up as funky witches. We were walking down an abandoned old street called 'elm street' My parents and I aren't so keen on walking down there, but it was a shortcut to my house. Lauren said that if we didnt go down that street we'd be known as the "scaredy cats" she started annoyingly repeating the two words. She annoyed me so much that I had to give in so yeah back to the story. We started talking about our sleepover later on that night, Evie started mucking around by poking me with her broom stick and I poked her back then Lauren joined in and it ended up as a broom stick war...but then suddenly we all jumped at the sound of a car alarm going off not too far away but then calmed down because it was only a car alarm and we all burst out laughing. A few minutes later we got half way down the street where only one house stood,I actually don't think I can physically call it a "house" it was more like a ruin. It had boarded up windows half the roof had fallen and the only part left standing was a small porch. Strangely enough there was a wooden rocking chair on it just sitting there, it was slightly rotting away. I guess there was lots of rubbish and furniture and loads of stuff just out the front and all around the area but this chair was one thing that stood out...it was just sitting there. The only item on the porch, no coke cans, bottles smashed , the odd cigarette packet. Nothong. Just the chair. I pointed it out to Lauren and Evie as we were walking past. We stood and looked at it for a minute then decided to walk on silently we all stopped talking and we heard it. A small creaking noise but you could here it clearly. My eyes widened. I stood there I didn't want to look round neither did the other two but we all knew it was that chair. I started walking on again. Lauren and Evie still stood there I shouted back "it's just the wind!" Evie replied quietly "but there is no wind" they both caught up with me. Lauren started joking around in her own silly ways saying "ooh the rag and bone mans coming to get us!" To make me and Anna scared but we got fed up and just walked on home.

We were at my house, upstairs, third room to the left. We had the music banging so loud you couldn't hear a thing, we were just back from trick or treating and we had gotten loads of sweets,they were scattered all around my room. We were, as girls do singing and dancing to One Directions 'what makes you beautiful' and 'live while we're young'. We were jumping on my bed and sofa, basically having the time of our lives! Then the door bell rang so Evie and I both went downstairs, it was the trick or treaters and they took ALL the sweets. I shouted to my mum "MUM, all the sweets are gone!!" While we were downstairs Lauren was having a nosey round my room and had found my little brother's freaky scream mask which always freaks me out. She put it on then hid behind the door waiting for me and Evie to come up the stairs. So as soon as we had got up the stairs and to my bedroom she jumped out "BOO!" I screamed and Evie did too but all three of us fell about laughing hysterically. My mum shouted up to us saying "I'm out to get some more sweets are you okay to stay on your own for a bit?" All three of us shouted back "OK!" The door shut and all the lights flickered.

"It's been an hour and mum still isn't back! She was only meant to be getting sweets! " I shouted pacing back and forwards. I was so nervous wondering where she was, what happens if she was getting chased by a gang of thugs or a wolf was biting through her arm. Evie thought that if we played a game it would take my mind off of it...so we decided to play 'truth or dare'. It was Lauren's turn first. She chose dare...obviously. Evie and I decided on a dare that we would never have chosen before. Never. It was one of those dares that would be idiotic to agree to because you can never,ever know what could happen. Lauren was a dare devil...at least she wanted to be called one and after this dare she definitely would be one. It was...the dare was...the candy man dare. In the dare you have to go into a small room on your own, she used my bathroom. You have to bring in two candles with you, light them the repeat the sentence "are you there Mr Candy Man?"twice. Next say "Candy Man" 5 times...between each time you have to look right in the mirror. After you'be done that you have to wait...until you hear the music...then you know he'a there.

She walked into the bathroom, two candles in one hand and a lighter in the other. She looked back at me and Evie, we could see the fear in her eyes. For the first time ever Lauren was actually "scared" but she wasn't the only one. Evie and I were regretting it before she walked into the bathroom. She shut the door, turned the light off, lit both candles and set them beside the sink, she was shaking. It was time. She said once "Are you the mr candy man?" Then twice. She opened her eyes and looked in the mirror, he wasn't there yet. Not yet. She said "candy man?" Once,twice, three times, four then the last. She did it, 5 times. She looked right in the mirror, the music started playing "boys and girls come out to play 🎶" it started off very quiet. Then louder. Louder. Louder. She saw the door lock quickly and she was trapped. Screaming and thumping on the door. She had turned her back on the mirror for a millisecond...he was there. The man was in physical form, an apron hanging round his neck with blood all over it. His eyes...you couldn't bear to look into, they didnt even look like eyes...they were more like black holes. He had something in his hand. It was a long,thin peice of metal wire with two handles at each end. It was a cheese wire. Something that people use to cut through big peices of cheese. His purpose of it was nothing like that. He came in closer to Lauren with his teeth gritted. He knew what he came for and he was going to get it. A few centimetres apart from eachother...you could smell Lauren's fear. He wrapped the wire round her neck. She couldn't do anything it was hopeless. She tried to get her fingers through the wire but it was just too tight. He gripped the handle bars and pulled across. Her eyes started being trying to catch a breath but it was no use her whole face and neck had turned purple colour. She dropped to the ground with a thump. He was gone in a blink. The door unlocked itself. Lights on. Candles out. On the floor, Lauren, DEAD. Evie and I rushed into the room crying, the line round her neck just proved she'd been strangled. The wire he'd used cut through her neck a few centimetres. Blood was pumping out of her like water pouring from a tap. We were on our knees beside her shouting for our dear lives "how? WHY?? Why go for our best friend when there are billions of other people in the world??" We were devastated,crying,helpless.

20 years later I still don't know exactly what happened on that night. I now have two children and a husband. My life seems perfect but there will always be that one memory that will haunt me forever. FOREVER. one thing that happened too was remember my mum left to go and get some sweets? She never came back. She was found dead on elm street, the abandoned house was still there. It had no porch and the rocking chair was gone. I have no idea what happened...but there will always be an answer.

I just warn you never make fun of the unknown.

Thank you for reading :)

By Rebecca Palmer