Blood of the Impaler (55 page)

"You said you were going to give me presents, Bogey Man."

"Oh, and I shall, my dear Constance, I shall. As soon as you leave this place and go home, I shall begin to give you gifts such as you cannot even begin to imagine."

"I want a puppy," Constance whispered, "but I don't want to have to eat him."

"You shall have your puppy," the soft, seductive voice said. "You shall have whatever you want. You shall have nice clothes, and lots of rings and bracelets, and you shall travel all over the world to do favors for me."

"Can Bonnie come with me?" Bonnie was her best friend.

"Of course Bonnie can come with you," the voice agreed. "And maybe, if I find that I like her, Bonnie can be my friend, too. And when time has passed, and you are all grown up into a fine lady, and you have gone all the places I tell you to go and have done all the things I tell you to do, then I shall give you the greatest gift of all, a gift of which most little girls only dream."

"What, Bogey Man?" she asked eagerly. "Tell me, please!"

The child was too young and innocent to detect the subtle hint of malevolence. "You, my dear sweet Constance," the soft voice answered, "shall be the bride of a prince. . . ."