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It was a sunny, nice day. Me and my big brother Gary (who was nice to me that day for a change) were walking home from our school (Broun Park Elementary) we wanted to go home quickly because it was hotdog and spaghetti day (our favorite)
We were on Townsend Street and crossed onto Victory Avenue, halfway down Victory Avenue we could turn onto Grice Lane, (where Grandma and Grandpa lived)
We saw a van sitting there, it was weird to see a van there because people here don’t have vans unless it’s for cable repairs or workmen stuff, most parents have SUV’s and stuff.
I didn’t see any dug up roads or houses being repaired, there was music coming from the van, (it was that song by that scary man that I saw on MTV once) the windows were tinted and we couldn’t see anyone inside. I tried to get Gary’s attention but his friend Jordan had been sick and was hanging out of his bedroom window to talk to him. I knew there was something important about that van but I didn’t know why I didn’t like it…it just made me scared.
I kept pulling on Gary’s hand and he kept telling me to wait a minute.
Jordan’s mom told him to get back inside the window and scolded him a little so Gary hurried us on, as we were going to cross the street the driver door opened and someone got out, he was older than us but not old like Daddy, he looked like he was maybe at high school.
His clothes and the picture on his neck made him look like a bad man, like the time Daddy had made a late night gas stop in a neighborhood we had never been in before and there were these boys hanging outside that made kissy faces at mommy while we waited for Daddy to pay, he waved at us. Gary frowned at him
“Your name’s Gary, right? And you’re Holly?”
I looked away from his smile because it made me scared,
“How do you know that?” Gary asked him, I rolled my eyes. Gary was always trying to talk to big boys, like mean Scottie Larsen, he was 10 and kept hurting Gary but he always went back to play with Scottie because Scottie was a ‘big boy’.
“Magic” the bad boy laughed wiggling his fingers at us, his hands were dirty and his nails were all bitten short but there had been a magician at my birthday party, just before daddy went to live far away.
He’d had drawings on his hand, he drove in a black van and he had wore strange clothes too, maybe this man was really a magician, how else would he know my name? and Gary’s? and I’d been scared of the magician too, he had made me feel better by giving me a bunny to hold..and he knew my name too. Mommy said that she hadn’t told him and it was all magic.
I’d been sad because I missed Mommy and Daddy and Daddy was so sad when I saw him last.
It was nice to think that there might be a magician sat waiting to make me happy.
“Wanna see how I do my tricks? I have all the stuff in my truck” he smiled at us
I nodded thinking of what I’d be able to tell Ashley and Hannah tomorrow at school. The magician held out his hand to me but as I took it Gary pulled me back,
“Holly, no”
The man looked angry for a minute but then he smiled the smile again “Hey kid, you like Pokemon? I have these cool cards, hang on”
He opened the side door and got the silver envelope, he sat down on the floor and spread them out. I could see candy inside too.
“C’mere and have a look” he patted the floor beside him
Gary went inside and I went with him.
“Wanna go see your Daddy?” he said, looking at his watch
“You know my Dad?” Gary asked
“Well, kinda” the boy smiled again
I nodded “I miss him” I said
“Well” the boy stood up “You sit here and play and I’ll take you to him”
Me and Gary looked at each other, a little scared but if he was a magician that knew Daddy he couldn’t be bad.
He jumped out of the van and looked around before he slid the door shut I saw Jordan watching us and I saw his mom looking out the door with the phone in her hand, I saw a look on the boys face as he saw her too.
As he slid the door shut with a bang I looked at Gary and started to cry, we were in big trouble.