While babysitting the new neighbors’ children for the first time, Katie answered the phone. “Hello,” she asked. They hung up. “Who was that?” asked one of the kids.

“I don’t know. They hung up,” answered Katie. Thirty minutes later the phone rang again, this time a kid answered it. “Hello,” she asked. “One hour!” said a rough, scratchy voice. “I think it was that man that hung up,” said the little girl.

“This is getting creepy,” Katie mumbled to herself not wanting to scare the kids. They settled down and watched some more T.V. Half an hour later the phone rang again. Katie reached it first.

“Hello,” she asked. “Thirty minutes!” said the old groggy voice. “Okay, I’m calling the police!” Later, after she’d called the police the doorbell rang. “Ah the police are here,” thought Katie. She opened the door and there was an old raggedy man. The kids screamed as he came in. Then the door slammed loudly behind him. Slowly the man reached into his pocket. They didn’t know what to do. They ran, they hid, they screamed at the top of their lungs. Before Katie got away he grabbed her by the hand. Katie screamed as loud as she could! He pushed her down to the ground and held the knife over her neck.

Just then, the police arrived. “Let her go!” boomed a police man. They then grabbed him by the arms and took him away.

At 10:00 the kids’ parents came home. “Wow, looks like you did a nice job,” their mom said. “Any time,” Katie replied. “Can we have you back on the 13th?” their dad asked. “Sure,” Katie stuttered. “Great!” the parents said. Katie walked home from the house, frightened.

People say the man escaped from prison. That he committed many murders before he fled from the country. Some people say they’ve seen him, others say they never saw him again. Who knows, he could be captured, still running, or dead. The legend lives on forever.

— Hannah Fowler is a fifth-grader at Deerfield Elementary School.