by Janet Blaylock

Created on: April 04, 2009   Last Updated: April 12, 2010

"Are you Penny Jenkins?" a tall, slender man asked, when he stopped two young girls walking home from school.

"Yes," Penny answered, politely. "This is my friend Kelly."

"I'm Tom Rogers. I'm a friend of your parents, and they asked me to pick you up and take you to my place until they could pick you up."

"Where are they?" Penny asked curiously.

"They didn't tell me where they were going. They just wanted me to pick you up."

Penny, who was in the third grade, thought about this strange man and wondered if she should go with him. Since he said he was a friend of her parents, she thought it might be all right to go with him.

"All right," Penny replied. "Kelly, I guess I'll see you later."

"Penny, can I talk to you first."

"Okay."

They walked a short distance from the man and talked about the situation. "Are you sure you should go with him?" Kelly asked.

"He said he was a friend of my parents."

"But do you know him? My parents won't let me go with someone I don't know personally."

"No, but since he said he was a friend of my parents, I should be all right."

"Okay, Penny. If you’re sure you should go with him, I'll talk to you later."

Penny and Tom headed south of town. “Where do you live?” Penny asked.

"In the country."

"Why do you live so far away from town?"

"It's peaceful in the country, and my house is surrounded by large oak and maple trees."

When they arrived, they walked up to the front porch. He unlocked the door and told Penny to go inside.

As Penny entered the house, she saw a sofa, a chair, a lamp, and a coffee table. "I'll make sandwiches for supper, so you make yourself comfortable."

"I'm not hungry. I'll wait for Mommy and Daddy."

"Suit yourself, but it’ll be awhile."

“When will they come?"

"I don't know, so you might as well sit down and eat."

After he made the sandwiches, Penny decided to eat. During their supper, Penny asked, "Are you married?"

"No."

"Do you have any children?"

"No, but I've wanted to be married and have children."

"Why didn't you get married?"

"You sure ask a lot of questions. Finish your supper, and then you can go down the hall to see the room that's full of toys where you can play while you're here,” he said.

Penny thought he wanted to change the subject because he didn't want to talk about his personal life. She got up from the table and walked down the hall. She saw a bedroom with a bed, dresser, chest, a bathroom, dolls, and stuffed toys.

She walked into the room and sat on the bed. She

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