three kids and a monster

It was a dark and stormy night.

Ok, it wasn't actually stormy, but it was definitely dark.

There were three kids on a large, netted trampoline: a twelve-year-old girl, a six-year-old boy, and a seven-year-old boy.  The six-year-old boy was Simon, the seven-year-old boy was Luke, and the twelve-year-old girl was me.

The only light that reached the trampoline was a faint glow from the windows of the three-story, curtain-less house about fifteen feet away.  Twenty feet away in the other direction, the branches in the dark forest blew in the Oklahoma wind, and reached out towards the trampoline like dark, gnarled hands against the black sky.

For a while we just jumped and laughed, enjoying our freedom from the grown-ups and their endless gossip over coffee.  The social dramas, disagreements, and political agendas of the adult world did not concern us.  We wanted something otherworldly.

"Tell us a story!" they begged.  I smiled, and thought for a moment.

"Ok," I replied, "but first I have to tell you something.  I'm not really Chloe."

They seemed confused, but they kept jumping and listening, their attention caught.

"I may look like Chloe, but I'm actually a monster, disguised as her.  The real Chloe is tied to a tree out there in the forest, with her mouth gagged so you can't hear her scream."

They watched me, two pairs of wide, blue eyes.

"And now," I said, as I sat in front of the entrance to the trampoline net just so my face was dark in the shadow, and I blocked off any exit, "I am going to eat you."

Simon, ever the hero, let out a warrior's cry and catapulted his tiny body towards me.  His small mass was not enough to even knock me over, but he used the velocity of the trampoline's bounce to his advantage, attacking again and again, constantly yelling.  I braced myself against his attacks.

Luke, ever the lawyer, started yelling as well.  "Chloe, say you promise you're really you!  Say it, Chloe!"

I gave them a minute or two of suspense as the three of us jumped around, I laughing, the two of them yelling and making their various attacks.  Finally, I caught my breath enough to say:

"Ok, ok, I promise I'm really Chloe!"

"Let's go inside!" they said immediately.  I was in no position to argue.  We slid off the trampoline and entered into the comfort of the bright, safe, air-conditioned home, filled with the familiar sounds of chatter and laughter.