~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Chapter 3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The door was wide open now. A black shadow scurried across the floor.
"Taily-po, taily-po, who's got my taily-po?"
The creature climbed up to the foot of his bed, staring at him with glowing green eyes. It was smiling, showing rows of razor-sharp teeth. "Taily-po, taily-po," it said, "you've got my taily-po."
It climbed across his legs, up to his stomach.
Terrified, the man managed to scream out, "I haven't got it! I haven't got your taily-po!"
The creature spread its clawed, human-like hand and placed its claws against the man's stomach. Grinning, it whispered, "yes you do."
A month later, a woman from town noticed that the man hadn't come there for a very long time, so she decided to check on him to make sure he was okay.
As she was riding out into the forest, she found a most ghastly sight. A dead dog on the side of the path.
She rode on, but soon she found another dead dog, and very soon a third.
Shuddering, she hurried along to the man's cabin to make sure he was okay.
With a scream, she found him in his bedroom, his sheets soaked in blood, a look of horror frozen on his face forever. His stomach had been cut open by something razor sharp.
She rode back to town with all the speed she could, to inform the people of the town and get the man a proper burial.
As she was riding through the trees, she heard - or thought she heard - an eerie, singsong voice sing out through the trees, "taily-po, taily-po, now I've got my taily-po..."