dark in the park

Chapter One



Samira Samad was thirteen years old. She lived in a detached modern cottage within the grounds of a huge London Public park.

Her father was the groundsman and would keep a check on the park every day and night to make sure it was safe and secure.

The house was painted white with brown window frames.

Inside had the same coloured decor throughout. Downstairs, off the hallway there was a parlour, living room, larder and kitchen. Upstairs were four bedroom, a bathroom and an airing cupboard.

The modern cottage was situated on the west side of the park, the front driveway along the main road and the back door leading into the park itself.

It was like having a massive back garden. Yet there were no street lamps lit of an evening within the grounds, so after dark the vast empty space of grass, oak trees, benches and the adventure playground, were nowhere to be seem amidst the pitch blackness. Only a few branches of the nearby trees could be seen swaying with the wind under the pale moon light. 



This Friday around six in the evening, her elder teenage sister was staying at her friends house and wouldn't be back until tomorrow. Her younger brother was staying at their grandparents. And her parents were off out for dinner and a movie.

Samira sat in the living room watching the t.v.

"Are you sure you don't want to go to your nan and grandad's tonight?" asked her mum as she stood in the doorway dressed in a sharp beige skirt suit and matching headscarf.

"You look nice."

"Thank you. Are you going to be okay here on your own?"

"Mum, I'm thirteen years old, of course I' going to be okay. You's go enjoy yourselves."

"okay my darling I see you later, unless your asleep."

Her husband called from the doorway. "Come on Love we'll be late for the film. See you Sam."

"Bye dad, bye mum." she called back.

The front door slammed as they exited.



Chapter Two



Samira had already had a bath and was wearig a confy sky blue Onesie with cosy socks. Her brown wavy hair was pulled up in a ponytail and she wore no make up but was still very pretty with small brown eyes and neatly shaped eyebrows.

She attentively watched a programme but was really in anticipation of the t.v soaps and reality shows. She was more than happy to spend the night in front of the t.v  Plus, she had a box of chocolate ice- cream in the freezer, all to herself.



A slight shuffling noise could be heard from the bedroom above the living room. She grabbed the remote next to her and pressed the t.v on mute. She listened but there was no more shuffling noise. She un-muted the t.v

BOOM! Something fell on the floor upstairs. Samira slightly jumped. But she was a brave young soul and went straight up the hallway stairs to investigate.

In her parents bedroom she found the wall picture on the floor. She huffed and picked it up and hung it back on the wall. She didn't think much of it and went back downstairs.



After five minutes the living room lights began to flicker lower than higher.

"Bloody electrics." She got up from the sofa and switched the light off then on again. It stopped flickering.



She went into the kitchen and pulled the box of chocolate ice cream out from the freezer Then she got a spoon and dug in. "Hmmmm. And all mine."

"(i)Mine(i)" Came a whisper.

"Huh.?" She spun around and stared down the hallway.

No one was home.

"I'm hearing things, Must be the t.v" She said to herself. And took the ice cream box with her in to the living room then sat herself back on the sofa, tucking into her treat.



Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, in the doorway, Samira noticed something. She slowly turned her face to see. "Ahhhhhhhhhh!!" She jumped up and slammed the living room door and locked it from her side with the small bolt. The ice cream was tiped over on the carpet.

She was panting hard. "On my God. Ya Allah. Its from Hell itself. Oh my God!"

Samira took the remote from the sofa and turned up the volume on the t.v.

She took her IPhone from her pyjama pocket and went into her contacts list. She rang her mum...no answer. Her dad,..no answer. He elder sis,...no answer. Her little brother didnt have a phone and what use would he have been anyway.

Then the name Jenna appeared on the screen as the phone rang.

"Jan?"

"Yeah, whats up?"

"You have to come home now!" Samira's voice was shaky and in a lowered tone.

"Whats wrong?"

"You have to come now. You have to come ight now."

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! The living room door thumped loudly and harshly.

"COME NOW!" Samira shouted with tears in her eyes, "Please, Please come home!"

"Oh my God, whats all that noise? Whats ging on?"

Samira began to cry. "I sdont know, i dont know, im on my own here, are you coming?"

"Dont move. stay where you are, ill be there wihn ten minutes." her sister hung up the phone.

Tears streamed down Samira's face. She stood against the wall looking at the door and waited for Jenna to come home.