The park just does not seem as lively as it normally is. There are no kids playing on the playground, there is an eerie breeze with very few ducks in the pond, and even the few people that are there have a gloomy look on their face. You would think that I would take all of these factors as an omen that I should probably go back home, considering I am an extremely superficial person; however, I just ignore them and continue on with my day. I walk my normal route that I do every morning before I head off to my afternoon classes, but something does not feel right, yet I am still unable to figure out what. I pass underneath the canopy of trees decorated with vivacious colors of green, red, brown, and yellow. While walking, I shiver as I feel the nipping tail of the wind. Suddenly, I hear a crunch behind me and, naturally, I whip around, straining my neck in all directions attempting to locate the sudden crunch of leaves. A shot of fear pierces through my body when I realize that there is nobody within a mile radius of me.
Now becoming aware of the bad omens that are haunting me, I quicken my pace, retreating back to the pond so that I am no longer isolated. Of course, with my luck, I take a wrong turn and am now on an abandoned road. I feel as though I have entered a completely different world because I have never been on this road, even after living in the city all my life. You would think that in a big, busy city like this at least one person would stumble across this road, but, of course, I have to be the one to find this gloomy, sullen, and sketchy miles-long road. I continue further down the road in the direction that I am hoping will lead me back to civilization when I stumble across a ringing phone booth. Startled by the new sound, I stand in place surveying my surroundings. I can feel the hot rush of adrenaline pumping throughout my body as I am prepared to defend whatever is about to come my way. However, the only thing on my mind at the moment is if I should answer the phone or not. I am now faced with an internal struggle because my gut is telling me not to, but after every piercing, reverberating ring of the phone, my resistance is becoming weaker and weaker. Eventually, I am too late because the phone stops ringing.
Just as I begin to sigh of relief that I did not have to add any more stress onto my hectic morning, the phone rings again, louder and more rapidly. This time, with less hesitation, I answer the phone. “H-h-hello?” I say to the unknown caller on the other line.

“Well, it is about time that you answered this phone. We have been waiting years for you to pick up.” The mysterious, raspy voice responds back.

“What? Who are you? And what do you want from ME?”

“We have been watching you since you were five years old, Elise.” I freeze. How do they know my name? Why have they been watching me? HOW have they been watching me? I start to feel my body go numb as my mind becomes fraught with emotions and questions. “No. Stop this, Elise. You have to keep it together to find out what exactly is going on.” I think to myself, trying to keep my body from completely collapsing on me.

“What? When? H-how? W-why? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?” I scream into the phone, now becoming terrified of the heavy breathing voice at the other end of the line.

“There is no time for the answers to your questions. We will answer anything you want to know after you have done exactly what we tell you to do.” He says as I continue scanning the area of this unknown place while listening to this anonymous person, who seems to now have the fate of my life in palm of his hands.

“Now, we need you to listen closely, Elise. If you are to mess up just the slightest bit, you will not only put yourself or us in danger, but also your family. Do you understand what I am telling you?”

“What?! My family! No! Please do not get my family involved! Please, no!”

Anxiety sweeps over my entire body as I tremble with fear. Suddenly, I wake up to the grasp of my dad’s hand around my shoulder shaking me awake, “Elise! Wake up! Why are you screaming?”

“No! Stop! Please do not hurt me!” I scream, unaware that it is my dad.

Confused, he looks at the chocolate wrappers on my bed stand and then back to me and replies, “That will be the last time you have sugar and watch CSI before you go to bed.” Embarrassed, yet thankful that it was only a dream, I curl back into a ball and fall back asleep, hoping to not re-encounter that awful dream again.