I always knew there was something wrong with our neighbor across the street Mr. Toliby. Since my bedroom window overlooks his lot, I see him very often. My friends around the neighborhood say Mr. Toliby is a very evil man, and that he sold his soul to the devil for unknown reasons. I don’t believe one word of that nonsense.
“Mom” I asked.”
“Yes Scarlette?” Mom Replied.









“What happened to Mr. Toliby?
“I don’t know love. Why don’t you go and ask him?”
“I’m scared; my friends say he’s mean.”
“Well Skylar do your friends know him?
“Well…. Umm…. No I guess.” I stammered.
I got up from the kitchen table and pushed in my chair without eating breakfast.
“And where do you think you’re going missy?” Mom asked suspiciously.
“Mr. Toliby’s”
“You be careful, there are a lot of ca-ray-zee people in the world.” She sounded out the word really long.
I knocked on the door and waited for what seems like a few decades... Finally I heard a “Ker plop, Ker plop” and Mr. Toliby came to the door. I couldn’t help but notice how his white unruly hair went uncombed for what seemed like a couple of years. Mr. Toliby was a tall man, I would say 6,5 or 6,6 he had a worn down crutch under his right arm. His right leg seemed somewhat limp. I stared at him though my mom had taught me it’s highly disrespectful to stare at anyone.
“Umm Mr. Toliby, I wanted to speak with you.”
“Okay would you like to come in?”
“No thanks my mom would prefer if she could see us. She has weird and crazy phobia that everyone is mentally insane and will try to kill me. I grinned, and he just looked over to my house and shook his head disapprovingly.
We sat down on his porch swing and the stories began…
“So my friends say you sold your soul to the devil… Is this true?” I asked like I was a detective conducting an investigation.
He looked at me like I had insulted him and finally said – “Of course not! Every single word of that is a lie. You don’t believe that do you?”
“Of course not would I be here if I really thought that?”
“Well good point… So why are you here?
“For the cold hard truth whatever that may be.”
“Okay then, are you ready for a story?”
“Yes sir” Then I nodded my head for good measure
“It was the summer of 1994 and I was out in the field. I saw a fellow officer chasing a suspect on foot. I got out of my vehicle to help the other officer. I ran and I almost caught up to the suspect when I felt a stabbing pain shooting up my right leg. I fell on the ground and my leg was bleeding profusely. I thought I was going to die right then and there. But the grace of God willed me to stay alive. Shortly after that I woke up in a hospital bed. They told me I had been shot numerous times in my leg. My leg was numb and I haven’t felt it since that day. I almost got it amputated but I figured it would make me seem more normal. But I guess not since rumors are still flying around about me.
“Oh and I’m sorry about that, It won’t happen again I assure you.”
“Not your fault, just go and tell your little friends the truth”
And that’s just what I did.