Words by Ella, 23 VIC
1800RESPECT – 1800 737 732
Lifeline – 13 11 14
You never believed the scary man in the dark story.
You never believed, until the scary man in the dark was real.
Until the scary man in the dark was at the base of your bed.
The scary man wouldn’t listen.
The scary man was still, whist you screamed “get out”.
The scary man was calm.
The scary man came towards you as you realised the scary man was a threat.
You are in danger.
The scary man doesn’t stop.
The scary man grabs you and he is strong. The scary man is tall.
The scary man does not care that you’re screaming.
You plead with the scary man ‘please don’t rape me’.
The scary man touches you.
The scary man won’t let you go.
You push and pull and twist and jump.
You are free from the scary man but he grabs you again.
He tries to pull you back.
You run and run and run and scream and scary man is gone.
But the scary man is never really gone.
The scary man is there whilst I’m waiting at the bus stop.
The scary man is there during my work meeting.
The scary man is in the supermarket.
The scary man doesn’t let me sleep.
I am still screaming.
Still running.
Still fighting.
The scary man won’t let me go.
Illustration by Aileen, You can find more of her work on Instagram @aileenetc
