Shorties

The Ice Cream Man

"Mooooommy! Can I have money for the ice cream man?" Cristy yelled from the front door as she heard the melodious sound of the ice cream truck.

"Grab a dollar out of my purse honey!" Her mom yelled from the laundry room.

Cristy ran to her mom's purse and grabbed a dollar, then raced out of the house to the sidewalk. She swayed in that childish, impatient way as the ice cream truck rolled to a stop in front of her. She smiled as the ice cream man opened the counter window.

"What can I get you, pretty little lady?"

Cristy stared at the ice cream man. He had only one eye and his face was shaped kinda funny. He reminded her of Quasimodo.

"Well?" He smiled down at her, showing crooked teeth.

"Can I have a fudge pop?"

"You certainly can, little lady." He grabbed an ice pop out of the freezer behind him and handed it to her.

Cristy took the fudge pop and held out the dollar.

"It's on the house. Have a nice day!"

"Thanks! Bye!" Cristy ran back to the house with her dollar and her fudge pop. "Mommy, the ice cream man gave me my fudge pop for free!"

"That was nice of him. Did you say thank you?"

"Yea."

"After you get done eating that it is bath time."

"Okay, Mommy."

Cristy finished with her bath and dressed in her princess pajamas that she had gotten for Christmas. "Lumpy, it's bedtime. Mommy will read us a story and then we have to go to bed."

"Cristy, what would you like to read?"

"Can we read The Slipper and The Rose?"

"Sure can sweetheart." Mommy read the story to Cristy until she fell asleep and then tiptoed out of the room.

Cristy woke up to the sound of tapping. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, and looked around for the source of the noise. Nothing was at her window and her door was cracked open so Mommy could check on her. She followed the sound of tapping, it was coming from her closet. Mommy must have forgotten to check it for monsters. "Lumpy, I'm scared."

The closet door creaked open. She watched as claws reached through the space and gripped the door. She whimpered as the door opened wider and wider. The monster walked into the room and grinned at Cristy.

Her eyes widened as she recognized the monster as the ice cream man. She opened her mouth to scream, only to have it cut short by his hand. She struggled against him but wasn't strong enough to break his hold. He pulled her from her bed and dragged her to the closet behind him. They entered the closet and stepped into a land of horror. The closet slammed shut behind them.

Cristy's mother came in the next morning to wake her up only to find an empty bed. She frantically called the authorities. The authorities searched everywhere but never found a trace of little Cristy.

The ice cream man stopped so a little boy could buy a blast pop.