excerpt
He ran through the dense dark forest. He could hear the creature’s lapping breath. Hendrick was almost there. He could already see the light of the village.
“Almost there,” he thought. He thought about his family, his friends. What would they become without him? He thought of his little 10-year-old daughter. What would she do without him? The beast was getting closer, the fallen leaves crunching under its feet. Then the sound stopped. He looked behind him. “Where did it go?” he thought uneasily. Then he heard some leaves rustle above him. He looked up, and saw it, staring at him with its evil grin.
*
Helen jumped when she heard a far-away scream. “What is that?” she thought fearfully, hoping that it was not her father. He had been gone for days. She shrugged and went back to sleep. Little did she know what would happen next.