The Tombstone

Ahead

  The weeks that followed shook the town more than the abduction. The body, of a seven year old girl, was found. A girl who had been missing for the past two weeks. The body of the girl people believed they would find, but alive in a breathing manner. But when found, she had not been breathing for awhile. Two weeks awhile. The citizens mourned for a girl they didn't know. Some knew, but not all. But you didn't have to know the girl to be sad that it happened. People cried, for the girl herself, and for the family she was taken too soon from. For the friends as well. Some of her friends didn't exactly know themselves what happened; only that she was gone, and not coming back. Her hopeful family now heartbroken, grief stricken and confused.
How could this happen to a sweet little girl who never harmed a soul? A girl who loved her tiny life that was growing bigger and wider everyday. A life where she looked forward to things and had dreams. Big dreams at that. How could a tiny, little girl be treated like trash and thrown away like she was. Like how she was found. How could she, be treated so inhumane. Like an animal more so that a tiny person. How?
Questions everyone seemed to have; but no answers to follow. Questions, her family asked more themselves. Who would do that? How could anyone strangle someone with their own bare hands? A little girl at that. A helpless child who didn't have a care in the world. A child others looked out for, the innocence within them.
A monster did this. A monster that needed to be punished and killed themselves. Of course, the death penalty was the easy way out for that psycho. A life sentence would have been much more justifying than that.
Those were some opinions. Others liked the idea of capital punishment, but others not so much. Some believed in the right to life, that everyone deserved to live, no matter what they did. Some believed that it was a mistake, and that the person should be given a second chance, but those were all debatable.
How could someone with so much anger towards children, girls, be given a second chance? A second chance for what? To kill again? No!

  Little Cindy Miller was found first by a police officer who held one of their bloodhounds. The dog took the officer straight to the little girl, without hesitation. Which was odd, since the very area she was found had been searched over a dozen times. An area of woods that had been combed with police radar and dogs sniffing for miles.  Her petite hand stook out from the cold, dirt covered ground in a heap. From a freshly dug grave. It was rather shallow, meaning the man responsible meant for her to be found. Leaves and branches helped cover her, but limbs stuck out from beyond the dirt like weeds from front lawns and fields. Both being dead. Her limbs looking lifeless as the weeds and the colour being long gone.

  The next week that followed, the funeral was in the path. It was held in the only funeral home there was in their town, 'Homer's Funeral Home'. Owned by, of course, the Homer family; which consisted of a brother and sister team. The more immediate family and friends were invited, with no invitations going out to neighbours or others in the community, as much as others tried nosing their way in. The funeral home was small to begin with. Couldn't hold too many people. But the family didn't mind people nosing in at this point, they didn't mind if others mourned as well. It was alright for people who never knew the girl to feel sad. Perhaps they had lost someone close to them recently, hitting close to home. Or perhaps they lost someone awhile back, and could feel for the broken family. But they wouldn't know for sure.

  Families kept their children close after that encounter, hoping, and trying their best to not let that very thing happen to them. But if that man had a particular girl as a target, he would get her for sure. And the town would all learn that eventually. Maybe too soon for some families.

  "I'll see you tomorrow. Bye!" Stephanie yelled as she exited the pet store and started her path back home. It was three o'clock now, the time her shift had ended on a Wednesday afternoon. That day was a pretty day. The way the sun shone through the tall trees that hung over the sidewalks. The dazzling strings of yellow, bright light. There wasn't much of a breeze, and when it did pick up it blew against which her light hair would dance beyond her shoulders to the beat of the wind. Bouncing with every step. Her shoes made a soft stone noise as she stepped all over the smooth rock sidewalks. Stones lining up against the walk way, leading to the far lake that was right up ahead. That lake always looked beautiful, to anyone who lived there. That was one of the main attractions; Sparrow Lake. It sparkled no matter what colour the sky laid. That was Steph's favourite lake around their town; not that they had many lakes. Even though it wasn't very big, it was very pretty. Pure. Clear. Like she was in a way, as funny as that may sound. She never thought of herself as that, but that's how others would describe her. Steph was never one of the popular girls, however she was noticed by many. She liked to hide in the shadows at school, when she was in it. But no matter where she was, people still saw her. Some looked up to her, even though she didn't see herself as anything special. She of course had her group of friends, but they were nothing special either. Well, to her they were, like any friendships. She was never rude to anyone; always had nice things to say, most of the time. But she was honest; clear. Although at the same time, secretive. She rarely let anyone into her life, or close enough to see the ugly parts. Not many of those though. The only friend she had that knew almost everything about her was Mary. And that was all. No one besides her mother knew everything. The way she liked it.