He crouched in the alley on that cold rainy night, searching for a victim. His heart was cold and hard as steel, like the thirty-eight that lay beside him on the ground. He knew that it wouldn’t be very long before an unsuspecting fool came his way. All he had to do was wait.

A short time later he spotted her, a little gal ‘bout five feet tall. She had rings on every finger and a purse that weighed her down. “Such an easy prey,” he thought.

She knew she shouldn’t have come this way, but it took a distance off her walk, and the weather was horrid tonight. The alley was cold and full of shadows. “Creepy,” she thought. “How stupid of me to take the short way.”

Suddenly, she heard a strange noise. A chill ran up her spine. She unsnapped her purse and groped for her cell phone. Just at that moment the shoulder strap on one side broke and the purse’s contents scattered in every direction. Down on her knees she went and grappled for the phone among the ghostly shadows.

It was at that moment that she heard footsteps thudding toward her in the darkness. “Forget the phone”, she thought, “just run!” As she scrambled to lift her body off the ground, a thirty-eight was shoved in her face. “Back on your knees”, the man growled, and gimme all them rings. If you make a strange move I’ll blow you away!”

“I have money in my purse”, she stammered, “take what you want!” He quickly lunged for her purse and threw himself off guard.

Like a tiger, up she came, and kicked the gun from his hand. A right knee to the groin, and down he went in agony. She set her foot on the purse, yanked the attached strap loose and tied his hands and feet behind his back. Suddenly, a bolt of lightening lit up the alley. She stared into his eyes and saw fear and humiliation.

“Next time you want a patsy, jerk, pick on someone your own size!” She laughed like a crazed woman as she ran down the alleyway to the lighted street, where she hailed a cab. “Call 911!” she yelled to the cabbie. “There’s a man tied up in the alley. Then take me to 108 Downey Street. Tell the police where to find me. I’ll make a statement later. Right now, I’m late…I teach a karate class!”

Copyright © 2008 Barbara Cagle Ray