When I was little, I was different from most kids in the way that I was fascinated by scary things. Horror movies, haunted houses, and scary stories was an obsession of mine. It all started at a bonfire when I was on vacation one summer with some family friends in the Poconos. I had spent the week there, swimming and kayaking with my friends. On the last night of our stay, we decided to have a bonfire. I sat down in front of the fire as we passed marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers around. As we roasted our marshmallows, my friends and I told each other scary stories that really weren't that scary. They were mostly dumb ghost stories that we just made up in our heads 5 seconds before telling them. My friend's dad told us that our stories were stupid and that he could tell us a real scary story, only if we were mature enough to handle it. He hesitated to tell it, but we begged him so much that he gave in, and began to tell the story.
This is a story that I will remember for the rest of my life. I was only 8 years old when I heard it, but it was so shocking to me at the time that I will never forget it. So here it goes:
There was once a young boy named Max that had a dog named Henry. Max and his dog Henry were alone one night because Max's mom and dad were out late at a party and wouldn't be back until morning. Max was watching TV when all of a sudden Henry ran over to the window and started barking. Max couldn't see anything outside because it was so dark, so he ignored the barking and continued to watch TV. As he flipped through the channels he saw a warning on the news that a serial killer had escaped from the high security prison that was only one mile from Max's home. Max decided to lock the door and go up to his room to do some reading before bed. "Come on Henry!" Max yelled to his dog from across the room. Henry stopped barking for a second to look at Max, and then turned his head towards the window and continued to bark again. "Stop barking Henry there's nothing out there!" Max said to his dog. He grabbed Henry by the collar and dragged him across the floor as Henry continued to bark at the window. "Come upstairs!" Max said to Henry. Max started up the stairs, and eventually Henry stopped barking and followed behind him. "Good boy." Max said as he fed his dog a treat. Henry licked Max's face as they both climbed into bed. Max read his magazine for a while as Henry laid next to him. After a while, Max got tired and turned off his light.
A few hours later, Max woke up to the sound of someone knocking on the door. Max got up from his bed, turned on the light, and said "Stay here Henry I'll be right back." Henry stood up on all 4 legs, licked Max's hand and sat down again on the bed. Max ran down the stairs put his ear up to the door before opening it. "Who is it?" he said. "It's the police!" said a man on the other side of the door. Max wasn't sure if he should trust the voice, so he looked out the side window only to see a police car with its flashing lights. Max slowly opened the door as the police officer greeted him. "Hello son, I just wanted to let you know that we are looking for the serial killer that escaped from the prison, so if you see anything we want you to call us right away. We'll be back in about an hour to check up on you again. In the mean time, make sure you keep your doors locked." Max nodded at the policeman and said "I got it, keep the doors locked." "See you in one hour son." said the police officer. Max closed the door and locked it behind him. He walked up the stairs and pet his dog Henry. "The police officers will be back in an hour" said Max. Henry licked Max's face as Max laughed and hugged his dog. Max turned off the light and fell back to sleep.
An hour later, Max woke up to the sound of another knock on the door. Without turning on his light, he got out of bed and said "Stay here Henry". He felt Henry lick his hand because he couldn't see in the darkness. Max walked down the stairs and opened the door. Standing at the door was the same police officer holding his dog Henry who seemed to dead and covered in blood. "I'm so sorry son, I think your dog was stabbed." said the police officer. Max was shocked but then realized something. "Who had licked my hand upstairs?"
And that is the end of the greatest scary story that I have ever heard. As soon as my friends dad finished his last words, I bursted into tears. I had never been so scared in my entire life. I cried for an hour before it was time to go to bed. I didn't sleep at all that night. I trembled in my bed as a watched my friends sleep from across the room. It was the longest and scariest night I had ever endured. Not only was I scared out of my mind, but I also had the worst stomach ache from eating so many marshmallows while listening to the story.
Aside from the scary stories, these s'mores are actually really delicious. They're perfect for a summer night bonfire, or just whenever you're in the s'mores kind of mood. Completely vegan and gelatin free, Chicago food marshmallows have the same taste and sweetness as a regular marshmallow, just without all of the unnecessary junk.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Roast a marshmallow over the fire and assemble your s'mores!
Enjoy
