Secondhand Shoes, A Novel: pedophile

Three weeks had passed, and Bob’s attitude toward Niki had worsened. It left Maddie no choice but to call out sick on a Wednesday morning. She needed to find a before-and-after-school program to care for her daughter.

Maddie slugged to the kitchen. She reached into a cupboard for her canister of Maxwell House. Something small and metal-like flew out when she pulled out the coffee can. The thing spun a around for a good thirty seconds before it collapsed on the floor.

She knelt beside it, gingerly scraping it from the floor. After, studied the strange female skeleton face clothed in long flowing robes. In one hand the depiction held a scythe and in the other a globe. Weird.

Maddie held it up and squinted. Tiny letters bordered the bottom half of the coin: Santa Muerte.

Niki screamed form her bedroom, jolting Maddie to attention.

The mom stuffed the coin in her robe pocket and ran to her six-year-old’s room.

There, Niki stood frozen in front of her bedroom window, staring out of it. Her little body shuddered while curtains billowed out and around her.

Maddie grabbed her daughter’s shoulders. “What’s the matter?”

“The bad man wanted in my room.”

“You mean Ed.”

Slowly, Niki turned to face her mom. “Ed’s not the bad man. It’s the bald Spanish one.”

Maddie reached toward the open window. Her hand slipped away from the metal frame but not without taking something small and cold into her hand. A coin. She flipped it up. Another Santa Muerte coin.

Sunday, October 27, 2013

The House on Mendocino Street-9

Hey, everyone:

I know I’m posting late again. Had to drag myself to work again this morning. Whatever virus is going around, I’ve got it.

Anyway, not too many days left before Halloween. I’m wandering if I’ll have a solid end to this story by then.

Hugs and chocolate,

Shelly

PLEASE NOTE: This has not been edited.

If you want to follow the story, click on the links below:

THE HOUSE ON MENDOCINO STREET

Maddie forgot about the mail thief and ran up the walkway to the house. Her daughter being left alone concerned her more.

“Niki,” Maddie said, unlocking and opening up the door. Tears filled her eyes as thoughts of the mail thief doing obscene things besides stealing her mail.

Niki lifted her wide eyes. “Why are you crying?”

“Are you okay?” Maddie dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around her daughter, squeezing her close. “Where is Mr. Bob?” She sniffled.

“He said he was going to 7-eleven for a coffee. Why are you crying, Mommy?”

Maddie pulled away from her daughter and held her by the shoulders at an arm's length. “How long has he been gone? I don't know what his problem is. She swiped at her tears. I just bought coffee.

“He told me to wait here. Ed's been watching me. It’s okay.”

“Did he touch you?” Maddie would hunt down that letter thief and kill him herself if she had to.

“He gave me a hug when he found out Mr. Bob left me alone.”

Maddie gasped, and then stood, flipping open her phone. She needed to call the police department. That pedophile would pay for touching her daughter. So would Bob for leaving her little girl to fend for herself.

“But mostly we played tea party.” Niki glanced up at her mom. “And Sylvia likes him, too.”

“Is Ed the man that was out at the mailbox?”

“No. I don’t know who that was. But he scared me.”

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

The House on Mendocino Street

Hey, everyone! This is the fourth scene of the story that I’m posting as I write. I’m doing my best to keep it at or under 300 words. It’s based on a true story. Mine. The names of people have been changed to protect the innocent. Also, this has not been edited so it’s not going to be perfect. I plan on expanding and polishing this later on for publication.

If you want to follow the sequence of this story click below:

PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE

THE HOUSE ON MENDOCINO STREET

Maddie pulled her brows together. She had searched the Florida Department of Law Enforcement website the night before for pedophiles and sex offenders in the area. It showed twelve within a five mile radius. "What man?"

"A man?" Bob walked through what looked to be the dining room toward a Florida room covered in jalacy windows. He peered through one of the slats, scanning the backyard. A big black bird sat on the lowest branch of the large tree. “I don’t see anyone. You sure this isn’t a new imaginary friend, Niki?”

"His name is Ed," Niki said. “He’s not pretend. He’s real and he pushed me on the rope hanging from the tree. Sylvia said she would do it. But didn't." She twisted a long strand of hair, wide-eyed looking at her mom. “He’s real, mommy. His head is bald. And he has really bushy eyebrows. And he smells like a candy cane.”

Bob chuckled.

Maddie’s considerations kept her from hearing either one, but she said to Bob, "Maybe you should go outside and check." She writhed her hands together. The thought of some sicko touching her daughter gave her a sick feeling.

Bob spun around, casting a steady gaze on Maddie. “She’s making it up for attention again. Why do you let her do this?”

A pasty lump formed in Niki’s throat. She tried swallowing but it wouldn’t go down.

Maddie cocked her brow. She didn’t want to argue in front of a complete stranger about her daughter’s need for imaginary friends. Nor did she want anyone to know her panic button had been pushed by the man her daughter said she saw. Besides, her daughter never told lies to get attention.

"Why don't we all go," the realtor suggested, sauntering to where Bob stood. "The backyard would be great for your little girl to play in."

"Not with some pedophile lurking about.” Maddie couldn’t help but blurt her thought out. “Niki and I will stay right here.” She knew she never liked this real estate agent. There could be a psycho running lose and all he can think about are his pockets? Jerk.