The BEK Who Wanted My Car

Recently I have been thinking about something that happened to me a few years ago. This was in the 1970’s when I was ten or eleven years old. During summer break from school, I had gone with my mother to the mall.

It was a normal day, we did some shopping, and then I went back to the car while my mother did some grocery shopping and got her hair cut. I was sitting in the car listening to the radio when I saw a boy my age walk down the sidewalk. He looked kind of familiar and I just watched him.

He must have noticed me because he turned and walked towards the car. He stood outside the car door staring in at me. I stared back and at the time I couldn’t believe this—but his eyes were completely black. I also remember that the radio had been playing loud and clear until the boy had walked over to the car. Now all I could hear was interference and white noise. It was like the boy blotted out the radio signal.

His eyes were completely black. For years I told myself that I imagined that—but they were. He didn’t move, flinch or blink. He just stared until he spoke.

“Let me in,” he said quietly.

I said nothing but kept staring at him. The car door was locked. I always locked the doors when I was in the car alone. The part of town we lived in was pretty rough, and you never knew who would try to steal the car.

“Let me in,” he repeated.

I forced myself to turn away…

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