Are You Afraid Of The Dark   ::   Sheldon Sidney

"These are your uncles," Ethel told her. "Don't bother them." Kelly was pleased that she had such a large family until she became old enough to realize that they were all strangers.

When Kelly was eight years old, she was asleep one night in her small, darkened bedroom when she was awakened by a guttural whisper: "Shhh! Don't make a sound." Kelly felt her nightgown being lifted, and before she could protest, one of her "uncles" was on top of her and his hand was over her mouth. Kelly could feel him forcibly spreading her legs. She tried to struggle, but he held her down. She felt his member tearing inside her body, and she was filled with excruciating pain. He was merciless, forcing himself inside her, going deeper and deeper, rubbing her skin raw. Kelly could feel her warm blood gushing out. She was silently screaming, afraid she would faint. She was trapped in the terrifying blackness of her room.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she felt him shudder and then withdraw.

He whispered, "I'm leaving. But if you ever tell your mother about this, I'll come back and kill her." And he was gone.

The next week was almost unbearable. She was in misery all the time, but she treated her lacerated body as best she could until finally the pain subsided. She wanted to tell her mother what had happened, but she did not dare. If you ever tell your mother about this, I'll come back and kill her.

The incident had lasted only a few minutes, but those few minutes altered Kelly's life. She changed from a young girl who had dreamed of having a husband and children to someone who felt that she was tarnished and disgraced. She resolved that she would never let a man touch her again. Something else had changed in Kelly.

From that night on, she was afraid of the dark.



CHAPTER 8

WHEN KELLY TURNED ten, Ethel put her to work helping around the boardinghouse.

Kelly rose at five every morning to clean the toilets, scrub the kitchen floor, and help prepare breakfast for the boarders. After school she did the laundry, mopped the floor, dusted, and assisted with dinner. Her life became a dreadful, tedious routine.

She was eager to help her mother, hoping for a word of praise. It never came.

Her mother was too preoccupied with the boarders to pay any attention to her daughter.

When Kelly was very young, a kind boarder had read to her the story Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and Kelly was fascinated by the way Alice escaped into a magic rabbit hole. That's what I need, Kelly thought, a way to escape.