Rich was a junior in high school. He had parents that were well-known in the small community. His mom was a nurse at the local hospital. His father was an estate attorney.
Rich always carried a bit too much flare when it came to his confidence levels. He knew he was popular. He knew his looks were better than most guys in his class. He wore the best clothes, the newest shoes.
But what lacked in Rich was the caring attitude that we so desperately need in this world. He was a ME guy. Everything he did and thought of was within the circle of his eyes.
It was nearing Halloween. A group of his friends were tossing ideas around on what tricks they could pull off without getting caught. After several talks they decided to soap and toilet paper the minister’s home.
Rich had his eye on Darlene, the minister’s daughter for months. She was a knock-out. Curvy little body, long blonde hair, sky-blue eyes. The problem was, Darlene wouldn’t give Rich the time of day.
He would leave notes at her locker. He had flowers sitting on her front window of her car. He had even taken the time to go to the store and buy her the most expensive card he could find and mail it to her. Nothing worked. He could have charmed the pants off a frog easier than he could get Darlene to look his way.
The night before Halloween, the group of guys went shopping for the soap and toilet paper. With all supplies bought, he anxiously awaited darkness to arrive Halloween night.
The guys gathered at the local burger joint. After eating they got in their cars and parked in the downtown public parking area. They put their black masks and gloves on and started towards the minister’s home.
There they stood, all silenced, excitement racing through their blood, scoping out the property. A rustling could be heard within the trees. No one took notice as it was a fall evening and there was a breeze that made you want to grab for your jacket.
Each one started taking one step closer to the front porch. As they approached they saw the big oak tree that during a hot summer day would provide ample shade. They got their toilet paper out and started tossing it up in the air. Before long it looked like long, white icicles were streaming from the roof top.
They covered their mouths to quiet the rumbles of laughter as they stood back and admired the work they had performed. Proud of their performance, a few of them sneaked around to the side of the house. They soaped the windows until no one could see either in or out of them.
Rich hung back as he wanted to be the sole person to soap Darlene’s car. He took the two bars of soap out of his pants pockets and walked towards her car. With one bar in his hand he started decorating her side windows as if he was an infamous painter.
He did both sides and the back window. Walking towards the front window he heard the rustling of the tree leaves again. This time it was a much rougher sound and it caused him to stop in his tracks and look up towards the skies.
At that precise moment, a creature jumped from the trees. It pounced on him so hard it knocked him to the ground. He immediately covered his face with his hands to protect himself.
He tried screaming out for help to his friends, but no sounds were to be heard. Two huge wings covered his body and whisked him up in the two, giant claw feet and carried him off to a tree down the street.
The creature let loose of her hold on him and he dropped gently in a pocket of branches. ” So, I hear you want to meet me. I have felt your stares through my clothes. I can hear your mind letting me know that you want nothing more to do with me than to get my clothes off and make a score you can brag to your friends about.”
Rich opened his eyes and looked up into piercing blue eyes. He could pick out the familiar sounds of Darlene’s voice, but this voice was ragged. A scary and lulling voice that make him want to pee his pants right there.
He started to say something. Anything that would help him escape the claws of this creature, but she leaned into him and covered his mouth with her beak. Forcing his mouth open she breathed a terrible taste into him.
It made him feel instantly dizzy, light-headed. He was scared. He tried to wiggle his way out from under her, but she had the wings of super powers. He tried once again to scream for his buddies, but his mouth became dry and frozen.
Darlene flipped him over on his stomach and started picking at his hair with that sharp beak. Within a few minutes she had picked him clean. He felt his head and tried to scream as he discovered he was totally bald.
She poked him over and over on all sides of his neck, leaving large welts. He looked worse than any Frankenstein anyone had ever seen. She flipped him back to his back side and picked at his forehead. She picked until she had opened an area wide enough to see part of his skull and brain.
She ate a small part of him and then blew in some hot liquid out of her nostrils. With pieces of fine twigs and leaves she sewed him back together, like a newly formed nest. She picked him up, and flew him back to where her car was and dropped him down on the ground.
” I hope you enjoyed meeting me face to face Rich. I doubt you will ever forget this Halloween. In fact, I am pretty sure you will not even remember the Rich you once knew. For you will never walk the halls of school with an attitude that you are all that and more. You will coward in the halls, you will duck into the bathrooms. You will sit in the back row of classes. You will learn a lesson that not even your parents could ever teach you.”
With that, she flew back up into her tree, waiting for the next victim.
Who I am 