Groundhog nightmare

It was 1999 in Birmingham England, I was around 8 or 9 at the time and far too forward for my age. Being a young girl, it was natural for my Mother to be concerned about my wellbeing when out and about alone. Especially considering I wasn't from Birmingham and it's safe to say, there are some less than pleasant characters roaming around the streets. Especially at night.

It was a warm summer evening, maybe 6-7pm and I was staying with a friend who's Mum happened to be a friend of my mums. A little back story. I grew up with a single Mum, my dad left when I was 5 and he was never massively hands on or involved. My mum and I had travelled between hostels and refuges after a spout of poor relationships on my mothers part. This lead to her being very protective and only trusting me with certain people. One of those people at the time was her friend in Birmingham.

My Mum wasn't due to pick me up until the next day, so I enjoyed the little bit of extra freedom my friend; who we'll call Kathlyn, was allowed to have. Running up and down the green banks opposite her flat, we rolled around in the summer sun not a care in the world. It wasn't due to get dark for several more hours due to it being the middle of Summer.

Kathlyn's mum suddenly called us as she needed something from the local shop. Now, if my mum had been here she wouldn't have dreamed of letting me go. Even though the shop was a few minutes walk away, it was still out of site and far too dangerous for a girl of my age; no matter my mentality, to be walking there alone. My mum always exaggerated the danger. Or so I thought.

Skipping up the steep green hill towards the shop, I felt my heart racing with excitement. I was going to out of adult view and simply enjoying my freedom. I felt ecstatic and maybe a little anxious but this soon disappeared with laughter and jokes with Kathlyn.

The sun was extra hot for a British day that day. I remember I had dramatically caught the sun; which wasn't hard for a younger me to do, but that day I was extra tanned. Sweat was near streaming from my head and every time I slipped off my shoes to cart wheel or hand stand, my feet burned. I didn't care. I use to curl my toes on the hard gravel floor and dig them in until my toes became sore.

" You're so strange" Kathlyn would say before laughing. I was.

As we got to the top of the hill, we turned right to walk over a road and through a narrow alley that lead us to the shops. There was an eerie calm, unusual for a summers day in Birmingham especially, but the rude song Kathlyn was singing out of site from adults ears soon made me forget this as we giggled across the street.

As you come out of the alley on the right is a small area with communal bins and a maisonette. A good friend of Kathlyns mum lived at the bottom and we would often play with her children. We'll call her Babs.

We knocked Babs door; no answer, so we knocked again. Still nothing. "Maybe she's at the shop," I stated to Kathlyn as she turned and nodded in agreement and we began to walk away.

Out of nowhere that eerie silence returned, only this time I could hear very faint laughter. It wasn't like our laughter or even that of a human. It was strange, distorted and down right creepy. I suddenly felt an overwhelming feeling that I was being watched and in that moment, I craved for the safety of my mothers arms.

Standing on Babs doorstep, you can see the shop only about 100 yards away. Yet, in that moment they felt 100 miles away as out from behind the bins appeared what I can only describe as a man. A very large man with a very large knife and big, curly red hair.

"Fuck off weirdo" Kathlyn giggled at him. I just froze.

He continued to stand in our way, face obscured and down, hood up with his curly locks falling over his face. He was wearing all black but with yellow trainers. An image I would later be reminded of.

"I said fuck off, are you deaf?" Kathlyn shouted again.

This time her tone had changed, she was no longer giggling and I was no longer of the opinion that my mum was overprotective. I actually blamed her in those moments for leaving me here alone. How poor was her judgement?

The man just stood there, so we attempted to step around him. As we began to move he took a stride to the left, so we went the opposite way. He did the same.

"Move or we'll scream" I finally said.

"Fucking scream and I'll slit both of your throats in one swift motion" He replied.

His voice was deep, so deep it was almost inhuman. I could hear slight sinister laughter in his voice and I thought in that moment I would shit myself. Literally,

Kathlyn began to cry, shaking with fear I didn't know what my next move would be. Here I am, 8-9 years old and faced with what could only be described in that moment as a giant of a man, with a huge knife and an inhuman voice; threatening to slit our throats. How dumb did I feel for all of those days I moaned to go ' Out alone'.

Although I was young, I had been bought up to always scour my surroundings. To use anything and everything to my advantage. I looked quickly behind the large figure stood in my way. I dare not turn my whole head in case he said or worse yet did something to me. It didn't matter. he noticed anyway.

"It doesn't matter what you do, you won't get away. Nobody will get to you in time. It's late, it's dark and you're alone."

Late, dark, alone? I didn't understand what he meant. I wasn't alone and it certainly wasn't dark. I began to wonder if he was mentally stable. Then again, pulling a large knife out on two young girls in the middle of a light summer evening doesn't leave much room for sanity.

Just as my mind began to process these thoughts, I blinked and it was in fact dark. I looked to my right and Kathlyn was no longer there. I panicked, looking up at him I suddenly wet my pants and began to cry.

A faint laughter echoed from his mouth as I finally saw his face. It was him, the man my Mum had left before we went to the refuge. I looked away. I hated his face then and I hated it more now. Again within a blink, his face changed to nothing. But still he laughed.

I decided I was going to run. The shops I thought, they would be my best bet. As I picked up the courage he just looked at me and tutted.

"tut, tut, tut, I told you not to move" He said.

I briefly glanced at those bright yellow shoes once more before he slit my throat. And now I'm forever telling this story.

It was 1999 in Birmingham England, I was around 8 or 9 at the time...