“Oh, what a tiring day it was!” said Anna. “All this shopping has really made me hungry. I could eat an elephant. I hope the mother has prepared something really nice,” said Alan. Both the youngsters had been to the mall with their father and were now returning home. Soon enough, tired as he was, Alan fell asleep in the backseat of the car. Anna, who was sitting in the front with her father, kept on talking. It was a stormy night and there were very few vehicles on the road. Since his children were tired, the father decided to take a short-cut. He left the highway and entered a side road. It was a wide, tree-lined road and no other vehicle was in sight. From afar, Anna could make out something white on the road. When the car neared the object, Anna cried out, “Look father; it’s a girl. Please slow down the car.”
The Figure on the Road
As the car neared the girl, they saw that she was carrying something in her hand. Looking closely, Anna noticed that it was a baby swathed in blue towel. They stopped the car next to the girl. They could hear her wailing. Her hood had come undone and her hair looked dishevelled. Anna felt pity for the girl. “I think she needs our help, father. Let’s get out and find out what happened,” said Anna. So, her father stopped the car next to the girl. Both of them got out of the car to talk to the girl. However, as they approached the girl, something strange happened. She started running away. Anna was taken aback, but her father suggested that it might be because the girl was scared of them. “OK; I will convince her that we are here to help,” said Anna and she ran towards the girl to talk to her.
The Silent Baby
Anna tapped the girl on the shoulder and spoke to her. “Why are you crying? Did something happen to your baby? Maybe we can help you,” she said. She then looked at the baby and was stunned. The cute baby wrapped in a blue towel, lay with its eyes closed. It neither moved nor could she hear it breathing. It was too still to be alive. Anna was speechless. She turned towards her father looking for help. The sight of the still baby had frightened her. Just then, she felt a hand on her shoulders. When Anna turned back towards the girl, she realised that her eyes had turned bloodshot and her face was contorted in a fierce expression. The baby was no longer in her hands, but was placed on the side of the road. She then attacked Anna and scratched her on her face and hands. Anna screamed in terror.
The Family Escapes
Anna tried to shield her face from the girl, but the girl wouldn’t stop. She started running towards the car, but the girl continued to hit her. By then, Anna’s father was at her side and tried to stop the girl. But the girl was stronger than both of them. The girl started hitting the father, too. Hearing the commotion outside, Alan, who had been fast asleep till now, awoke with a start. Looking out of the window, he saw the strange sight. He quickly jumped into the driver’s seat. He then started the engine and quickly directed his sister and father to hop in. Somehow, the daughter and the father managed to jump into the car. Alan then drove off leaving the girl and the baby far behind on the road. The family reached home safely, but never spoke about the incident nor drove on that road ever again.
