by Christopher Heinz

Created on: April 28, 2008   Last Updated: April 29, 2008

Mike walked hurriedly past the alley. Every day he heard wails of terror and cries of pain as he passed the alley. His mom told him the screams were just in his imagination, but he knew better. One day, as he had passed the alley, an old beggar had spoken to him.

"The Drainer lives in there," he rasped, "No one has ever returned after entering this alley."

"Who is the Drainer?" Mike had asked.

"Best you didn't know," replied the beggar.

Mike wondered why he was called the Drainer. He asked the beggar, "Does he suck out your brains? Does he steal your soul? Does he take your memories?"

The answer, though, was always the same: "Oh, no, what he does is much worse than that." The beggar had told Mike that if he listened closely, he could hear the screams of the Drainer's victims, and, indeed, Mike listened and heard howls of torment coming from the alley. Eventually overcome by his curiosity, Mike braved the alley. He decided to sneak in just far enough to see what the Drainer did, and then he would run. As he made his way into the alley, Mike heard footsteps approaching behind him.

Mike sprinted down the alley as fast as he could, but he eventually hit a dead end. Turning slowly, Mike found himself face to face with the old beggar. The beggar lifted a wrinkled hand and pressed it gently against Mike's forehead. Mike gasped as the old beggar transformed. The beggar's skin became smooth, his hair grew in full and wavy, and his body shrunk. In a matter of seconds, the old beggar had become a young boy. Laughing gleefully, the boy ran back toward the street.

As Mike stared in horror, his skin wrinkled, his hair fell out, and his back hunched forward. Mike was now an old man. Hopelessly, Mike wandered back toward the street. Days passed, and Mike wasted away by the alley. Then one day, a young boy wandered by.

"You don't want to go in that alley," wheezed Mike.

"Why not?" asked the boy.

"Because the Drainer lives in there."

"Who's the Drainer?"

"You don't want to know."

Mike knew that the boy's curiosity would eventually cause him to enter the alley, and when he did, Mike would be able to take back his youth.

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