The Waving Girl

It’s amazing how vivid childhood memories can be.

I’m an adult now, currently a student in college, and yet I remember these events like they had just happened yesterday.

It was the beginning of second grade, and I was 7 years old. School was going by as usual. A few classes, lunch, and now recess. Recess took place on a blacktop behind the school. On the side of the blacktop, there were some small bushes and underbrush.

It was a warm September day, and the summer was beginning to end. I was playing a game of kickball with a whole bunch of other kids. I was in the outfield, standing around and waiting for the opportunity to catch a ball. I found myself looking around, considering leaving the game and finding something more entertaining to do.

And then I saw it.

In the distance, behind one of the bushes in the woods, was a waving arm. I was intrigued, wondering if it was a classmate looking for someone to play with. I left my spot in the game, no one really batting an eye as kids were free to leave any time they wanted.

I headed towards the bushes, the kid’s arm still waving at me from behind the bush. Once I reached the spot, I crouched down in front of the bush and watched as the arm retreated behind it.

“Hi,” I greeted the stranger.

“Hello!” A voice replied back. Even as a kid, I could tell something was off about this voice. It was high, too high, almost cartoonish in nature. It had an unnatural squeak to it, and seemed to echo slightly. I didn’t question it, as my parents have told me not to judge others.

“My name’s Sarah, what’s your name?”

“Tommy,” I replied.

The girl then told me that she was in the middle of a game of hide and seek with her friend. She said she couldn’t come out of her spot due to the risk of her friend spotting her.

The two of us sat and talked for a while, Sarah never leaving her spot behind the bush. She asked me questions, such as what tv shows I liked and what games I liked to play. Time seemed to fly by as I chatted with my new friend, and I didn’t even notice the recess bell ringing.

Sarah pointed towards the blacktop.

“I think recess is over.”

I turned around, expecting to see her get out of the bushes and return to class with me. However, she seemed to have vanished. I called her name, getting no response. Shrugging, I followed the rest of my classmates back into the building.

The next day, during recess, I saw her arm waving again. She was in the same spot, behind the same bushes I spotted her in yesterday. She told me that yet again, she was playing hide and seek with her friend. She said she liked to take advantage of this spot, since her friend could never seem to find it.

The two of us talked for yet another recess session. I remember asking her why she didn’t come back into the building with me after recess ended. She was quiet for a moment, but then claimed that she had brought her backpack with her to the hiding spot, and had to find something in it before going in.

I found that strange, as we all left our backpacks in the classroom throughout the day, but I didn’t judge. Maybe she wanted to sneak a toy outside with her, or maybe she had homework she wanted to finish. Either way, I didn’t question it.

After talking for a while, she pointed from behind the bush.

“I think one of those kids is calling for you!”

I told her I’d be right back as I got up to check. I asked my classmate if he wanted something, and he looked confused. He said that he wasn’t calling for me at all. Before I could question Sarah, the recess bell rang, and I had no choice but to head inside.

As I walked back into the building, I thought about something. Sarah’s arm looked strange. Being a child, I couldn’t exactly pinpoint what was off about it, but I knew it somehow looked different from yesterday.

The next day passed and as usual, I found myself spotting Sarah’s waving arm during recess. I was used to meeting up with her in the familiar spot in front of the bushes. I began to find it odd that I’ve never actually seen her before, but it didn’t really matter. At the time, I was just happy to have found a new friend.

When I approached the bushes, I saw her arm up close. This time, the difference was clearly visible. Her skin was grayer, slightly veiny, and sickly looking. But I, yet again, being the polite child that I was, didn’t question her about it.

We talked as usual, about whatever came to our minds, until Sarah changed the topic. She asked me if I wanted to have a playdate with her this weekend.

I told her that my parents probably wouldn’t mind, and asked her if she wanted to do it at her house or mine. She said that we could do it at her house, and that her dad could pick me up from my house to take us there.

She then asked me for my address, so that her dad could find my house. At the time, I wasn’t really thinking about the dangers of giving a stranger my address, even if it was just another kid. In my mind, I was just excited about the thought of a playdate.

But before I could even give it to her, I heard footsteps behind me, and a voice calling my name.

“Tommy?”

It was my teacher, Miss McNamara.

“Tommy, recess is over. It’s time to head back to class.”

While I was talking with Sarah, I must’ve completely missed the recess bell. I found myself looking at the bush, expecting Sarah to come and join me.

“Tommy, who are you talking to?” Miss McNamara questioned me.

“I’m talking to my friend!” I happily told her. “She’s playing hide and seek with her friend, and she’s hiding in the bushes.”

Miss McNamara turned towards the bush and spoke.

“Come on out, recess is over.”

There was no response.

“Hello? Recess is over, you need to come inside with the rest of the class.”

There was still silence.

Miss McNamara walked towards the bushes and peered behind them.

Suddenly, she let out a bloodcurdling scream.

She took my hand, and started to run as fast as possible back to the rest of the class, lined up on the blacktop. They were all staring at her with wide eyes. She spoke, panic evident in her voice.

“Everyone inside, right now.”

The class was quickly ushered back into the classroom, and Miss McNamara had called in another teacher to look after us while she left the room. Not a single student knew what was going on.

Not long after, the police had arrived. Through the window, we could see the police near the bushes by the blacktop. However, the teacher quickly closed the blinds and told us to remain quiet.

Miss McNamara never told us what had happened that day. For the next few weeks, recess was held indoors. Eventually, we were able to go back outside. I never saw Sarah again.

It was years before I actually found out what had happened that day.

I was 14 years old, a freshman in high school, when I decided to ask my parents about what had happened that day in second grade. I thought about it on and off, but only started getting curious about it as I got older.

My parents exchanged nervous glances, and sat me down.

It turned out that “Sarah” didn’t actually exist.

I had been speaking to an adult man. In reality, he was hiding behind the bushes to conceal his appearance. He was also using a voice modulator to make himself sound like a little girl, explaining the odd pitch and echoing voice.

Worst of all, the arm that I had seen waving wasn’t his at all.

It was the dismembered arm of a child.

It turns out this man was a pedophilic serial killer who had been targeting children in local schoolyards. He would attract children, talk to them for a while to create a comfort level, and eventually invite them to his house. There, he would rape them, and then murder them, dismembering the bodies. The arm he had with him had been taken from a previous victim, a little girl.

When Miss McNamara peeked into the bush, she was greeted with the wide eyed stare of an adult man holding a child’s dismembered limb. By the time the police had come, the man had escaped.

Thankfully though, he was caught a few weeks later thanks to DNA evidence on the arm he had left behind. He was already in the police system due to a previous case of breaking and entering into a schoolyard.

Looking back, there were so many red flags that I have missed due to being a child. The entire situation was terrifying to learn about.

However, the most terrifying thing was the fact that I had almost given him my address.