It lived in the alley behind the pizza place, way in the back where the sun can’t reach no matter how hard it stretches.
Even Bud won’t go there, no matter how badly he wants to beat you up and take your lunch.

That’s why I was there, crouched over the dirty pavement, pb&j sandwich in hand.
All I was looking for was one day, just one day, in which I could eat my lunch in peace. If I had known what I’d find…

It lumbered out of the shadows, surprisingly silent given its great size and bulk. I didn’t notice it until it was standing over me, drool dripping onto my forehead.

Leaping to my feet, I flailed my way backwards until my back hit a wall. I stared at its leathery, gray skin, its stringy long hair the color of wet seaweed, its big thick teeth that jutted out of its bottom lip. My mind raced, heart pounded. What do I do? What do I do?

I held out my pb&j, trembling.

“Friends?” I asked.

It blinked, then smiled (if you could call it a smile), and gently plucked my sandwich from my hand.

“Friends.”