Enter iF You Dare

Task One

Task One: Maysilee Conners of Video Games. Character Design by CrimsonSilhouettes, story byAnonymousRice4.

She looked up to me with these pleading eyes that were enough to make your heart melt. She pressed her palms together around my own, lips pressing to a little smile. "Please Mommy?" She begged. My lips parted, releasing a light resonating sound as I laughed.

"Alright, one." I spoke, smiling to the clerk behind the counter of Bert N' Berta's Gaming Supplies. Bert, who was the owner of half the business with his wife owning the other half, grinned and selected a glass jar off the shelf behind him. He leaned as far as he could over the counter to reach Annie, giving her her choice of lollipop flavors. Her shy little hands extended, grasping onto the handle of a strawberry lollipop.

"What do you say, Bug?" I gave her hand, grasped tightly around mine, a gentle wiggle to remind her of her manners, which she'd temporarily forgotten.

"Thank you, Bert!" She squealed, and hid behind my leg. I gave Bert one last smile, and he handed me the receipt for my purchase. I thanked the kind man in his late forties, walking Annie out into the street where nightfall had just begun to grace the land. Annie skipped beside me as I directed our path towards home. It amazed me how much a child's world could completely change because of one simple act; how amazing it was that she could be so happy when the only thing I did was give her a sucker. The immense joy which she displayed crawled up and nestled in my heart, causing me to smile.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Annie's squeal brought my attention back down to the grinning three-year-old. "You wanna lick?" She held up her lollipop to me, and I bent down to give it one little lick, just so that she wouldn't be hurt.

"Mmm, stawberry! My favorite!" I added once we returned to walking. Annie giggled so loud I almost felt embarrassed. "Mine too!" She squealed frantically. I smiled. I wanted tonight to be very special for us; it was a late Friday evening, the sun was barely visible on the horizon but it was the most important day of the year. Today Annie turned three years old. We'd had so much fun already, I hardly had any idea what more fun we could possibly have yet, but there must be something. Cake perhaps? We hadn't had cake yet. Annie was much too young for kindergarten, so aside from when she went to daycare, she never really got out much. As a result, Annie had few friends. But, I reminded myself, that would all change when I could finally send her to kindergarten. There would be plenty of girls her age, she was bound to make lots of friends, I hoped. Truthfully, Annie was a lot like me, as much as a three-year-old could be anyway. She was shy, just like I was. I hoped this wouldn't hinder her ability to make friends or socialize, like it did me. I wanted her to have all the friends she possibly could, perhaps to make up for the lack of friends I obtained through all four years of high school, and in kindergarten. I had a few friends in preschool, none in middle school, and perhaps one or two in high school as well. But we never talked much anymore.

I glanced down at Annie, holding my hand, lollipop inside her mouth, happy as could be. She was all I ever needed anyway.

Suddenly all my thoughts and reminiscing came to a halt as a shadow leapt from the darkness, smothering me in some sort of black cloth. My first instinct: to protect my daughter.

"Annie!" I cried out for her, kicking my assailant as hard as I could. I heard a slight groan, but it was barely above a whisper. Annie softly cried quite a ways away from me, and that sent me into this rage that just built up with every second that I couldn't be with her.

"Let me go! Somebody, help me!" I screamed again, heart pounding in my chest. I'd be worried it might burst right out of my body, but for the moment, I had only room to be terrified of this attacker. His hands felt like giant claws gripping my upper arms, his breath felt hot against the back of my neck and suddenly it took me back to that night -- three years ago, in a similar situation, it had been. From the darkness came a shadow, it followed me for quite some time before I had the nerve to turn around, and call it out. He came for me, I kicked and screamed and fought, but it was of no use. He was so much bigger than me. He dragged me, weak from all the resisting, into a dark alley...