He was there

Emma was nine years old. She was in third grade. She was a little over four foot three and had pretty blond curls. Her eyes were a pretty brown and she never picked her nose.

Every day Emma would walk home from school. It always took about ten minutes to get home, because she didn’t want to go through the alley. It always scared her. But one day, when Emma was feeling brave, she decided to walk through the alley, for a shortcut home.

She reached the edge of the dark alley and looked in. A dog barked and ran across at the other end, a rat scampered into a tipped over trashcan, and a man leaned up against a wall.

The little girl was scared of the man, and said a small reverent prayer to God. "Dear God, please lead me through this alley safe and unharmed. Amen"

With a deep breath, Emma took a bold step forward, and then another, and soon she was confidently walking through the alley, past the creepy man, and closer to home.

That evening, Emma’s dad was on the couch, watching the news, but he got up to go to the bathroom. Emma stood in front of the television and watched and listened as the reporter read off the latest news.

“And a stunning story comes in from just today. In a small town called “Benson” a man called the police. He said that he was quote; “Reporting himself” he said that he was going to murder a little girl as she passed the alley in which he was standing. When asked why he hadn’t, the 36 year old man replied. “Well because there was a man with her. And right then, I felt like I shouldn’t be doin’ this and turned myself in…”

Emma watched the t.v. Thinking about the man in the alley. She smiled and thanked God. Because, He was there.