It was night when they asked him to tell.

            Their windows were opened slightly to let in the cool summertime air as it breezed through their room. What time it was however, he could not say for sure but the sun had set an hour before so the night blanketed the sky in its dark blue embrace. The stars glistened over the sky in a sparkling array of speckles of glitter that cut through the darkness in the sky. The breeze felt just like the wind after it had just rained, but it had not rained recently but the night time felt just perfect. Crickets chirped through the silence, birds fluttered from window to window, and the occasional car horn sometimes honked in the distance.

            Very average, but also very soothing.

            A humble man had just finished getting his children ready for bed since their first day of fifth grade was tomorrow, and he was not one to let his kids have a tiring day trying to stay awake. So, he wanted them in bed as early as possible. He wasn't harsh--not in the slightest--for he was a gentle spirit, one of kindness and gentleness. But he did have his morals of course, morals that took him years to understand himself but with time he had succeeded. The man was in his late twenties with shaggy hair and a small stubby beard upon his face, his eyes showed his gentleness as they reflected the man himself.

            He had two children--a younger son and an older daughter. The son was around the age of ten while the daughter was eleven. They shared a single room of their home but didn't seemed bothered by it in the least.

            Upon tucking his daughter in her bed, right after tucking his son in, she looked at her father and sat up.

            "Daddy," she spoke. "I can't sleep."

            The father knelt down at her bedside and smiled. "Now, why ever not, pumpkin?" the man's voice was deep but smooth as the flow of water.

            He took her teddy bear next to her and held it close. "I'm scared, daddy, that something is gonna come out at night and scare me."

            The father cocked an eye and stood up, looking to his son as the boy nodded back to his father shyly. The man merely smiled at the boy then turned to his daughter and smiled to her as well, using a hand to caress her face.

            "Hmm, maybe a story could fix that?" he asked the girl as her eyes and mouth widened. She nodded to him and giggled. "I think I can spare enough time for a story to help you sleep, young ones."

            Just as the man got up to grab a chair, the daughter perked up. "What about 'The Story', daddy?"

            The man stopped dead in his tracks and shivered a little bit. He wondered if his children knew about the story she was talking about. He had mentioned it before, which was a foolish mistake on his part of course, so he expected that moment soon catch up on him soon. Curse his mouth.

            He turned to his child again and sighed. "That 'story', my daughter, is not a pleasant one actually, in fact, I don't think it'll help you sleep at all and you need your rest for tomorrow of course." He tried to speak casually but found it difficult since he was trying to get "The Story" away from his mind.

            She shook her head. "Please, daddy?" her voice quivered a little as she didn't meet his eyes that time, looking down at her stuffed bear.

            The man sighed again, looking to his son for a little aid. The boy just looked away and said nothing, but his expression told the father that he wanted to hear "The Story" as well as his sister. The dad rubbed his eyes, trying to think of something that could get him out of this situation because he didn't want to tell this tale to anyone, let alone his own children. Maybe when they were older, sure, but now was a little too early.

            Seeing how his children were not going to go sleep brought the man to his last legs of his thoughts. Persuasion was out the window, he guessed. Bribery was just cruel and showed he was scared. Lying, that was unthinkable and would make he look un-trustworthy to them.

            He sighed then held up a finger and left the room. He came back shortly after and had brought him a wooden chair with a cushion at the seat. Taking his seat he spoke "Alright, alright. I'll tell you 'The Story'." But he also held up his hand and cut them off before they could speak. "But you will not speak word of this to your mother, understood?" his voice took a stern and strict tone of voice.

            They nodded quickly without hesitation.

            "You also have to trust me and let me speak from end to end, understood?" he asked them, getting quick nods in return.

            His son finally spoke up. "What about Uncle--"

            "No!" he said sharply, not trying to sound mean. "Not even to him, I'm sorry. I trust him, but I do not think he would appreciate me telling you this tale. Now, listen close, alright? I will only speak this once and one time only until you're older and can understand better. Ready?"

            They nodded.

           "Okay, now, it started out like this..."