Felicity Van Dort pulled her quilt over her head and cuddled up closer to her mother, Victoria. During storms, like this one, Felicity refused to go to bed unless her mother or father, Victor, stayed with her. Although, like tonight, they usually fell asleep before her. There was a strange noise, almost like a grunt, that came outside the windows. Felicity carefully walked up to the window and opened the doors that led out to the balcony. It was so dark, Felicity could hardly see anything. She realized that something was climbing up her house. An animal perhaps? No, it was to large. It was… A MAN! The 4-year-old gasped as she ran into her room, closing the doors behind her.
"Mummy!" Felicity yelled, "wake up! Mummy!"
"Lissy? What's wrong darling?" Victoria asked, sleepily, "why are you all wet?"
"A man!" she screamed, hugging her mother, "There is a man climbing up the side of the house!"
"A man? What are you talking about?"
"There is a man climbing up the side of the-"
"What's all the shouting?" Felicity's father, Victor asked.
"Daddy!" Felicity cried running over to her father and hugging his legs, "Daddy, there's a man at the climbing up the side of her house!"
"A man?" Victor asked.
"Look!" Felicity cried, moving him over to the window, "look, Daddy, look!"
A hand reached out for the ledge of the balcony, followed by a man with slicked back white hair and blue skin. Victor and Victoria gasped. They started to back away from the door holding Felicity protectively. The door handle shook a few times, and then opened. Felicity his behind her mothers nightgown and screamed quietly. Victoria kept one arm behind her, holding Felicity. Felicity closed her dark eyes not wanting to see what was going to happen.
"I see you've had a daughter," the man said, walking over to them. Victor and Victoria protectively shielded Felicity, who was clinging to both of her parents and covering her eyes.
"You?" Victor and Victoria gasped at the same time.
"Don't worry, I was only giving you a fair warning," the man said.
"Warning for what?" Victoria asked fearfully.
"A chance to try to hide you're precious little girl," he said, "though I doubt you can."
Felicity clung onto her parents even tighter. The man knelt down and grabbed Felicity's wrist.
"Every night before you go to bed," he whispered to Felicity, looking straight into her fear filled eyes, "Tell them goodbye, you might not see them when you wake up."
Victor grabbed Felicity and pulled her away from the man, and, again wrapped her protectively in his arms.
Then man muttered the word 'hopscotch', and he disappeared. Felicity stood there for a moment frozen in fear. Victor and Victoria wrapped their arms around Felicity, who was know clinging to them in tears.
"Come on, Felicity, you're sleeping with Mummy and Daddy tonight," Victoria said taking Felicity's hand.
"But, what does he want with me?" Felicity asked, lying down between her parents.
"Do you remember the story of 'The Corpse Bride'?" Victor asked.
"The one where you married the corpse? Of course! It's my favorite." Felicity said.
"Well, Darling, the story is true," Victoria said, "and that man was Barkis Bittern."
"The bad man who married you, Mummy?"
"Yes, and now he wants to get his revenge by taking you," Victoria said.
"He's not going to, is he?" Felicity gasped, hugging her father.
"No, No of course not," Victor said reassuringly, " We would never let anything happen to our little Lissi"
Felicity looked up at him, and smiled with her big brown eyes twinkling.