Hello again, Story Club members.

I'm Ivy, your ghostly host with the most, and the keeper of the strangest,

spookiest tales on earth.

Today's Ivy's chilling tale goes out to my beloved listener Sylvia, age four.

Sylvia has come up with a scary tale that might just make you lose your head.

This tale's for you, Sylvia, and it's called Neighborhood Watch.

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Rose. Rose lived in a typical suburban neighborhood,

with well-maintained lawns, streetlights, and plenty of well-decorated homes, with autumn wreaths,

garden gnomes, and pumpkins on porches proudly displayed. It was a nice place to live, a safe place to live.

And that's why Rose thought that she should be allowed to stroll around her much-loved neighborhood at night.

After all, Rose loved nighttime.

She loved the cool breeze, hearing the night critters going about their business

and the peacefulness of it. I mean, sure, there were rumors of a spooky night watchman that had

circulated for generations, but Rose wasn't scared of those. Grownups made up things all the time

to keep kids from doing what they wanted to do as far as she was concerned.

Which is why one night, Rose decided to break her parents' rule about staying inside after dark.

She crept out of her window after tuck-in' time, landing gently in a soft patch of grass,

before tiptoeing over to the pavement and freedom.

Rose felt like the whole neighborhood belonged just to her.

She skipped happily past a puddle that held the moon like a mirror,

past Mr. Gomez's hedge that looked like a funny dinosaur,

and passed the green mailbox that squeaked like a mouse.

...