It was an early autumn day, as an old raggedy woman strolled away from her home. Her thin, stringy, yellowish grey hair hung loosely around her shoulders as she tightly wrapped her musty, threadbare shawl around her shoulers. Her bulbous, wart covered, long and pointy nose dripped a clear viscous fluid in the bitter wind. Her ashen, paper soupbone -thin arms tugged tighter at the frayed woolen fringes of the woolen shawl. Her knarled grey fingers looked like knobby tree stumps. Despite the cool, chilly air, the old woman had one thing on her mind; lunch.

She was hungry and searching the woods for a meal; a special meal. She heard rumors that the woods were inhabited by juicy young fairies and elves, and she was determined to find one.

It wasn’t long before she found a fairy. She was a thin girl about six years of age; not as hearty and plump as she preferred her meals. “But she’ll d0”, she muttered to herself. Her long chestnut brown hair was tied in the back with a pony tail. Her cheeks and hands were dirty from playing in the leaves. The knees of her flowered print leggings were brown with mud ,and her shoelaces were untied. Before the girl knew what was happening, the hungry old hag lifted the fragile young girl over her shoulder; she dangled like a limp rag over the old woman’s boney shoulder. The brown haired girl was overcome with shock; she was imobilized with fear.

”I must have one of those long tasty hard rolls to complete my sandwich”, she muttered to herself as she walked briskly towards the deli. Inadvertantly she tugged at the girl’s hair as if she were nothing more than a sack of potatoes. “OWWWWW!” yelped the girl.
Within minutes, the old bat was eyeing all the choices behind the counter; tomatoes, pickles, onions. Viscous green drool poured from her salivary glands as she stared at the pasta and potato salads. A fishy odor filled the air with each breath she took.

”May I help you” asked the man at the counter.

”Yes, l’d like a long ,hard , roll, mayo, oregeno, onions and tomato”.

”What meat would you like; turkey, ham or salami, madam.”

”I have my own, thank you.” Turning around towards the frightened girl, she waited impatiently with an open roll in one hand and a salt shaker in the other. “Now if you don’t mind, please step into that roll. Place yourself between the onion and tomato, Then I shall sprinkle some salt and pepper.”

The man strained from the counter to look behind the old woman; seeing nothing he simply shrugged and computed her bill. He suspiciously inspected the credit card she provided. It had an expiration date from 1985. “I am sorry but we cannot accept this card, do you have another” he asked. At that, the old crow became argumentative and threatened to boil him in a pot of steaming brew. Concerned, he called for security. Seeing an opportunity for rescue, she screamed. Immediately, upon arrival, The security guard restrained the old woman and contacted the police. Apparently, the senile, old woman had a habit of wandering away from the nursing home where she lived. It was discovered that she was responsible for the abductions of a handful of other young girls, claiming that she was simply looking for her supper. In her bedroom at the facility, the putrid remains of flesh, greasy fat and bits of bone, as well as slimy strands of assorted colored hair, were recovered from a huge plastic trash bag, stuffed under the bed.
-Patricia Janes