"Daddy, tell me a story!" My childish voice yelped, squirming around on my bed. Dad sighed, and came over to me, sitting on the edge of my bed and folded his hands.
"Alright, honey, what will tonight's story be about?" He asked, his gentle smile causing me to giggle in delight.
"Something scary!" I screeched and laughed like a clown. Dad shook his head with a smile.
"I might as well tell you the story about the Masked Man." He cleared his throat. "A long time ago, before Mommy and I lived here, there was a man, wearing a white mask with black eyes and lips who roamed the forests alone. He would kidnap children who stayed out past curfew, and for those who disrespected him and the people he cared about."
"He would be all alone in those woods?" My tiny voice croaked.
"Yes, darling. He was all alone in the woods, some people say that he just wanted a friend, but no one dared to step into the woods after sunset, in fear that they might get taken by him." My eyes grew wide.
"I wanna be his friend..." I sulked and pouted. Dad tisked.
"Well, honey, that was a long time ago. No one knows if he's still there. I would imagine not, he's probably dead at this point." He kissed me on the forehead. "Goodnight, sweet dreams." He stood up, and walked over to my door. He shut off the light, the nightlight in the corner of my room coming to life, and he quietly exited my room. I lay there, wondering: does this masked man exist? I rolled over, onto my side and fell asleep, having the strangest feeling that I was being watched. Like the Masked Man was watching me. Waiting.
