“You promise?”
Aged only six years
A promise meant trust
Strangers meant no harm

The night had descended
Silence roamed the eerily air
It was dark, blinding and unnatural
Grass sounded brittle in the coldness

Sudden fear ensnared her vulnerability
He held her hand with an iron grip
“I want my mommy!”
She screamed at him

The tight grip hurt her
“You want to play?”
“I will show you a game.”
Pulling her into stretched shadows

A pale moon hung just above
Sprinkled stars surrounding it
The sky appeared velvet black
As if foreseeing impending horror

Stormy emotions circled her
Helplessness
Confusion
Fear

Tears rolled down her cheeks
She tried to free from his grip
Power was with him
She couldn’t

Nights like these transformed him
Drove wild his animal instincts
Hunting for naive fluid beauty
Obeyed demanding sounds

Subdued in the stretching cold night
Flames leaped within her body
Sending sharp sparks of pain
She couldn’t scream
Not anymore