Heckel Casey Read Free Page A

with the minds of all the kids that were in ISS with me, but for some reason she wasn't able to get into my head and my parents got me out of school before she could find out why I was different. When did you run into the malevolent Miss Blackwell?"
    Leonard settled back into the cardboard, trying to get comfortable. "I first met her way back when she was probably seven or eight years old. I was a new doctor, fresh out of med school. I think it was about 1975. Her mother brought her in for an examination one day. Madeline was a pretty, charming young girl."
    I wrinkled my forehead, trying to do some math regarding her age. I was about to interrupt when Leonard shook his head as if he knew what I was thinking.
    "I know what you're thinking. She doesn't age. She should look like a woman in her early fifties. Instead, she looks perpetually like she is in her late twenties."
    That's exactly what I had observed before the collapse. Every time I would see her on the news or in the media somewhere, she looked exactly the same as when I first encountered her when I was thirteen.
    "So, what was Madeline like as a six-year-old?" I asked, sitting up with my legs crossed.
    Leonard explained that his first examination of her was very uneventful. "She seemed like a normal six-year-old. Her mother brought her in for a checkup. I looked her over and Madeline was the picture of good health. She seemed like a normal, happy six-year-old. However, later that year, something happened that made my blood turn to ice. I was in the local drugstore and spotted Madeline standing in front of the candy rack. Madeline turned around and glared at the woman behind the desk for the longest time. I watched as she picked up a handful of chocolate bars and started walking out. The cashier started to speak, but was immediately silenced by Madeline, who turned to stare at her as if she were sending a laser beam into the woman's brain. The woman's eyes rolled up into her head. I wanted to do something to stop…whatever she was doing to the woman, but I was in shock and couldn't move. After what seemed like an eternity, Madeline simply smiled at the cashier and walked out of the drugstore. From that moment on, I knew there was something evil about that little girl."
    I hung onto every word Leonard spoke. I shivered after that first accounting and looked around to find anything I could cover up with. I saw an old curtain on the floor over by the window. Hurrying, I grabbed the cloth and sat back down next to Jerky who only lifted one eye to see what I was doing.
    Leonard yawned, and commented on how it was getting chillier each evening. "Hope it's not an early winter. I was planning to get to the West Coast before the snow flies. Looks like I'll have to head south. Maybe get down to Arizona or something. Then head up north."
    "Yeah, me too. So, tell me more about the early days of Madeline. The more I know about this…whatever she is…the more I can defeat her," I stated confidently.
    "Defeat her?" Leonard asked incredulously, followed by a slight snigger. "Yeah, right. Highly doubtful."
    I debated whether I should tell Leonard about my little secret. Something happened to me a few months back. Leonard's the first person I've encountered since my discovery.
    He looked at me as if I had sprouted another head. "Are you insane? You can't stop the evil that enshrouds her. She is a master at deceit and deception. I've heard the stories as well as saw with my own eyes what she is capable of. She is not human."
    "Can you tell me anything else about Madeline's early days?" I asked, hearing the first light drops of rain hitting the sidewalk outside. That rain-on-the-concrete smell drifted in and filled the room.
    "Sure glad we found a place to hunker down for the night out of the rain. I miss having weather reports. Whew, I've gotten caught in some real downpours," Leonard said, shifting his weight. " Okay, another story it is. I've got a few more about Madeline before she