I don't know have long I have, but I need to get this out there. I am running and need to warn others to be careful. This is what happened to me, when I meet the man in the van. I still don't know who or what he was, but he was the nicest of them.

It was a pretty warm and sunny Saturday. I was walking from the church where my dad was having choir practice to the library. It was a 10 min walk that I have done many times before. My dad told me that I needed to call him as soon as I got to the library so he knew I made it there safely. I didn’t know that would be the last time for a long time for me to see my dad. I would have hugged him longer, and I would studied his face longer.

As I was walking to the library I was stopped by the man in the van. He said “he needed directions to a friend’s house because was lost.” I told him “that there was a gas station up a head and ask them for help.”

He got angry and raised his voice insisting that I help him. My next action was the worst thing I had ever done. I stepped closer to the van. I should have ran away, but there was something about his eyes that made me want to help.

“where are you trying to go?”

He told me an address, but I don’t know addresses very well. I took another step towards the van.

“what streets are close? Did your friend give you more than an address?”

“No, but I wrote down what he told me. Come closer so I can hand it to you to read. Maybe something will help you, help me.”

I took one more step toward the van, there was this sickly sweet smell coming from the van. I leaned in toward the open window and then my world went dark. I screamed and couldn’t hear my own voice. I tried to move my arms and legs but they felt heavy. I was scared and calm, awake and asleep. I don’t know much time had passed before I could see the world around me again.

I was in the van. Just sitting in the van, the man with the eyes was driving. I wasn’t scared, I just was there. I didn’t remember how I got in the van. That sickly sweet smell was intoxicating.

“where are we going? Why am I here? How did I get here?”

“We are going to our friend’s house. You promised to help me, and I know my friend is going to want to meet you.”

“ok.” I just sat there on the floor of the van as he drove on and on and on. There was a humming sound that was soothing. I was getting sleepy. I always napped when we went on road trips. So, I laid down and fell asleep.

The van suddenly stopped and I was jerked awake.

All I saw were his eyes that were gleaming and his smile as he said “We are here.”

I was tired and it was now dark outside. I got out of the van to see this huge and amazing house. He grabbed my hand and dragged me toward the front door. This door looked like it was going to swallow me.

“I don’t want to go inside. I’m scared. Let me go. Please you’re hurting me.” Tears began to sting my eyes are his grip tightened on my arm.

He was angry, and he had this wicked looking smile, dark eyes, and sharp teeth.

“You said you would help me. You don’t want to be a naughty girl and be a liar. You won’t like how we punish naughty girls.”

The smile was back on his face, but his eyes were different. There was something wrong with his eyes and face. They looked sunken in and haunted. But his smile and his voice was like silk.

“Now let’s not keep our friends waiting. They are so excited to meet you.”

I remember walking up to the door and going inside…..

The house was really really hot. I could see those waves in the air from the heat. It was like everything was on fire around me, the heat was all consuming. We kept walking through the rooms of the house. I could hear sounds coming from behind all the doors…so many doors. Each door was a different color, but the walls and floors were bright white. They were blinding if you looked directly at them.

It just seemed like the house went on and on. Never ending. We kept walking, I remember seeing only one staircase in the whole house. I won’t ever forget this staircase. It looked like it was floating. The stairs themselves stood out against the white everywhere. They were the blackest thing I had ever seen. It also seemed like it was moving, like smoke. The staircase seemed to go on forever, I couldn’t see the top of the stairs, but I had a feeling that I shouldn’t ever go near the stairs. I recall that the banisters had red tops, and the columns that connected the stairs and banisters were crystal clear, you only noticed them if the light reflected off.

I started to walk toward the stairs. I had this urge to touch them. I had never seen anything like them. They couldn’t be real. They couldn’t be floating there. I just had to touch them. Suddenly I was up in the air being carried away from them.

“NO!!!!!!!!! put me down. I need to touch them. I need to see if they are floating.”

We were moving quicker and faster through the house. My hair was flying passed my face. The man wasn’t listening. He was just running faster and faster away from the stairs. I kicked and punched him. The stairs were starting to disappear. But I needed to touch them.

He stopped in front of this black and green door. He set me down. The door creaked opened. There was no light coming from the room.

I was pushed into the room and the door slammed shut behind me. There was that sweet alluring smell again. I started to walk further into the dark room. I had to find the source of the smell.

I have to go for now. I am afraid they will find me if I stay put too long. I will continue sharing my story when I find a new place to call home for a little while. Just beware of the man in the van.

​

UPDATE: List of other parts.

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9