Sunday 18 December 2011

Never Accept Sweets From a Stranger





Hel --- lo there, little one!

 Hello?

What's your name then, handsome boy?

Erm, my name is Max. Why?

That's a pretty name for a pretty boy;
How are you, pretty boy?

I'm, Err, fine, thank you, lady.
How are you?

What lovely manners you have, little one.
Would you like me to buy you an ice cream?

Erm, I don't know.
My mum says I shouldn't.

Does she?
Just for once maybe she won't mind.
Or maybe we just won't tell her.

I don't know, lady, my mum wouldn't like it.

But you would really love an ice cream, wouldn't you?
One of those big ones, with a chocolate flake in it.
Come along, I know a lovely ice cream parlour not far from here;
you'll be back in a minute.
No harm done.
Where is your mum, anyway?

There she is, coming out of that shop.
M U M
I'm over here.

Max, who were you talking to?

There was this lady, Mum, 
and she was going to buy me an . . . . . . .

Now, where did she get to?
She was here a minute ago.

Never mind, Max, let's go and have an ice cream, shall we?


38 comments:

  1. Nice sting in the tale. Yes, I had made assumptions. Always a mistake. Thank you for the reminder.

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  2. From snow to ice cream ... brrrr!

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  3. Max has an awful tall shadow for a little boy whose Mum is looking out for him....

    Evil thing that I am, this ran through my mind:
    Want some candy?
    My mommy wouldn't like it.
    Your mommy doesn't have to eat it.

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  4. I've spent the last three hours watching crime shows. That tale chilled me!

    Pearl

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  5. ...haunting...



    awesome ! please have a kind new week ahead.

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  6. she does look sinister- nicely done!

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  7. it does have the creep factor...the photo...doesn't it
    good thing mum wasn't far away

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  8. Creepy! One of those scenarios that I don't want playing in my head.

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  9. kinda scary...dont trust the strangers offering sweets...

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  10. what flavor ice cream?

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  11. I was hoping he'd keep saying no, but I was so glad the mother showed up. Female criminals can be just as awful as the male kind, we have learned, although when I was small I'm sure my parents said "strange men" rather than "strangers". Times change, or awareness changes.
    K

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  12. and such are life's little ironies.

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  13. Very disturbing and creepy with an evil twist at the end :-).

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  14. This is somehow a disturbing photo, yes? A biting and pointed effort...your photos and musings are spectacular, Friko. xxj

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  15. Thats a really tricky picture. I thought it was something else when I first saw it and went back for another look after the poem. Really enjoyed both. Much better developed than Ms Pea's efforts lol ;p

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  16. Enough to put any little boy off ice cream for life! LOL ♥

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  17. one warns one's children about life's dangers every day ...but i dídn't ever think of warning them about Bearded Ladies.

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  18. These days I ask strangers if they have any sweets, then insist they give me a ride in their car!
    That usually works keeping other strangers at bay.

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  19. Creepy and scary!! Yikes! It can happen so quickly!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  20. I bet there would have been a gingerbread house in the woods if the mother hadn't returned in the nick of time.

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  21. There's a moral buried there somewhere...
    Like the style of it.

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  22. The prompt lady really worked with your story! Now she looks sinister to me. ;)

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  23. An interesting take on the prompt, well written...

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  24. Excellent tension in this tale of torment. Dianne

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  25. That photo--imagine if you saw that when you walked in to your first grade classroom. You'd hate school for the next 12 years.

    Thank heavens Mum came out and scared the naughty fiend away!

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  26. I love the illusion of a beard and the creepy door.
    Beware of sweeties and strangers indeed.
    Xo
    WWW

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  27. Ooh, creepy! Stranger Danger - but sometimes the stranger is nice.

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  28. I'm still laughing at "The Cranky Old Crone, She Lives Alone's" comment: you both turned the tables admirably!

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  29. Oooh -- made me think of Snow White's wicked step-mother. Disney's version gave me nightmares in my childhood.

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  30. What an interesting interpretation for the prompt, Friko. Well done and open to several interpretations, isn't it?

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  31. Nightmares for mums even more than little boys I think - excellent Friko & happy holidays & stay well

    Isabel x

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  32. I couldn't imagine where you were headed with the title of your Magpie ... WOW, you gave all of us a gift this week.

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  33. Creepy and clever. Thank you!

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  34. Chilling. But the ice cream sounds good. :)

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  35. Creeped out a bit by this one.....!

    If anyone offered me a Pralines and Cream Häagen-Dazs these days, I'd be off like a shot with them.....!!

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  36. This piece is interesting, and I like it because its a thinker piece. Is he imagining this woman?

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Comments are good, I like to know what you think of my posts. I know you'll keep it civil.