The Safe Place

Ten Years Ago:

This isn’t over yet sweetheart. Dig deep. Think.

Just around the corner to her left was the treehouse.

Lexi ran. The monster let out a sound somewhere between a bark and shout, and charged.

Benji had built the treehouse for his daughter many, many years ago. Dad had double checked it for safety and once it had checked out Lexi played in it and loved it; it was her safe place.

Within just a few steps she was there at the base of the tree. The structure wasn’t fancy. It was pretty small-built high in the branches of an old hickory. There were spaced-apart wood planks nailed to the trunk that made a ladder. Lexi climbed as fast as she could, hearing thudding footfalls getting louder. And closer... Lexi tossed open the trapdoor in the bottom of the treehouse and pulled herself in. When she looked back down, the monster was there; its eyes and teeth bright in the moonlight as she scooted over, dragging the rifle, and slammed the trapdoor closed.