FicWad

"Hello, dear!"

The voice made me jump. "Hello?" I said before turning around, my dirty blonde hair getting in my face. As I pushed my hair out of my face so I could see, what I saw was NOT human. It was much bigger than me with a cone nose, colored with black and white stripes. It looked like a clown. When I saw its smile, I jumped. It horrified me, but I tried to be polite. I gave a nervous smile. "Oh, hi!"

"Why hello there, my name is Jack, Laughing Jack. Would you like to be friends?" I shivered, but I figured that it didn't have any friends. Reluctantly, I nodded. "Okay! Hello, Laughing Jack, I'm Alana!" I extended my hand for it to shake, and it reached out and grabbed it, and I could feel its claws poking my pale skin. It looked down on me, and that's when I realized something.

It was standing almost seven feet away from me! How could it even reach? When I looked at its other arm, it was very long, passing its waist. 'Oh god, what have I gotten myself into?' I questioned myself in my mind. Jack let go of my hand and came closer. He crouched down to be face to face with me. "Hello, dear Alana, I will walk you home, but don't tell your parents about me yet and I will give you a toy. But! If you DO tell your parents, very bad things will start to happen. Do you understand?"

Without thinking, I nodded. "I understand!" I exclaimed sweetly. We began to walk to my house.

"So, dear," he began, "what could somebody as young as you be doing outside at such a late time at night?" I looked up at him. "Oh, I was just giving a game back to my friend." He smiled, giving me the chills. "Sharing is nice."

"So, child, what toy would you like?" I tapped my finger on my head, thinking of an answer to give him. "Maybe a slinky? All my others tend to get tangled and break," I replied. He chuckled and reached down with his long arm, petting my hair. I could feel his sharp claws on my scalp. "They can be the darnedest things."

"How far from here is your house?" "Oh, my house? Do you see that grayish brown house with the silver truck and the blue car? That's mine." I pointed to the house I was talking about. "So, do you have a window in your room?" he questioned. "Yeah, there are two," I stated blindly, not thinking about what Jack might plan to do.

When we are almost home, he asked me, "How did I look when I met you? Scary? Don't be afraid to say the truth because I won't be offended." I shrugged.

"Well, you certainly surprised me when I saw you, and I have to admit, you are kind of intimidating, but I trust you now," I explained. "Trust. Trust is good," was Jack's reply.

Jack and I arrived in my driveway. "Hurry to bed, dear Alana, I will be seeing you soon," he said, and turned around, but then stopped and faced me again. "Oh wait..." He crouched to see me again. "You do remember what I told you, right? Just remember, don't tell your parents about me and I will gift you with the toy, however, fail to keep me a secret, and such horrible things that could never cross your mind will begin to happen. Do you understand?" he explained again. I nodded. "Now hurry to bed, I will be seeing you soon."

I gave Laughing Jack a friendly wave before disappearing behind the door.