It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day that I will never forget. We lived in a small country house with a garden and toys that were everywhere. I was a nine year old girl with brown hair, blue eyes, and I was short. It was about that time, he came at the same time each day, and Charlie was his name, he was the ice cream man. Who was tall, fit, with brown eyes and he was also a brunette.  I always chose the same Tinker Bell ice cream bar each day. We talked about family, school, and friends and Charlie would sometimes ask me odd questions and since this day I figured out why.

 

      Here he came driving down the street faster than ever, I was playing by myself on the rocking horse I had just gotten when he stopped abruptly in front of my house and he got out quick, Charlie seemed mad. He ran over to me and picked me up off the horse and ran back to his truck. I was confused so I said to Charlie “I thought we were friends.” He just threw me in the back and said we were taking a small trip. Then he drove away, fast. I started shaking and I cried “Just take me back.” This all confused me, I didn’t know how to react and I was very sick to my stomach at this point. I was banging on the back wall of the truck and Charlie screamed “you better be good Izabella or things will be worse.”

 

     Finally, the truck stopped so sudden and I fell on my back. He came around to the back door, opened it, and threw me over his shoulder. I wanted to kick and scream but I did my best to stay calm. He smelled of an awkward smell. Something I was very unfamiliar with. Charlie opened a door and we went inside. He went to a closet and pulled from a hanger a dress but nothing else. He ripped every piece of clothing from my body, even my underwear. I kicked him in the face because my mother always told me “don’t ever let a man see you baby girl, don’t ever let a man touch you inappropriately either.” His nose started dripping blood all over the cold, wooden floor. He just wiped it away.

 

      Charlie then put this awful looking dress on me. I still remember to this day what it looked and felt like. It was purple with buttons down the front and it was so itchy, and I scratched myself constantly. He put me in a room with a bed that had two pillows and one blanket. The bed wasn’t big at all. To me, it looked like a daybed. He laid me on the bed and said “I’ll be back little brat, I have to go clean my nose.” He sped out of the room and locked the door on the outside. As the water ran in the bathroom, I just thought to myself about what I needed to do. I was in such shock I could barely think. Then I heard the lock click and the door opened. There Charlie was just standing, staring at me with this awful, creep look.

 

     He tied my arms and legs to the bedpost and threw himself on me. I screamed for him to get off and that he was hurting me but it was no help.  He took my dress off and said “you’re so much prettier undressed.” All I could do was cry and I shook vigorously from this point on. It was the most painful thing I have ever endured and I have been through plenty of surgeries. Nothing would ever be able to compare to this. Then he forced himself into me. I couldn’t help it anymore. I screamed an awful scream. He made me tell him I liked it.  

 

     This went on everyday at least once, if not twice. I remember going through the same routine every single day. I also memorized every inch of that house inside and out. Every day I prayed and asked for God to help me through this time. That he would keep me safe and give me peace and the strength to go on. At one time I had wanted to commit suicide because I would’ve rather been dead. I know now that it was never meant for me to be dead, and I just had to keep the faith.  He made me clean my body with alcohol and peroxide everyday for seven years. I was 16 now. Seven years of pure torture and pain! But I would give him everything he deserved one day when I was strong enough. When I was younger I didn’t understand it but now that I am older I know how to act and the mind games you can play with a man.

 

      So, I started thinking of ways to get away and finally I had a getaway plan. He would never see it coming. My plan was perfect! One night, unexpectedly I would sneak into his room with the alcohol. I would drown him just to the point of unconsciousness. Then I would take myself home in that awful truck and finally see my parents for the first time in seven years. The night had come and all I could do was pray and ask God for strength and peace about my plan. He went to sleep at the same time every night, 12:45am. It took him a few minutes to fall asleep and be asleep for the night. So I waited until 1:45am. That gave me an hour to prepare myself and to make sure he was asleep. I walked slowly but quickly so he wouldn’t hear me. I had an urge to kill him but I had a different plan for him, all I had to do was hold him down and pour, and that’s what I did!

 

      I got away that night and hid for at least two weeks because I knew he’d be looking for me. After I decided to come out of hiding I had arranged for a private investigator to follow him. This private investigator followed Charlie for 6 months. Until Charlie became “friends” with another little girl named Rose. I was going to save this little girl from pain and horror one day. I had to keep waiting for the right time though. Finally, one day I got a text from the private investigator saying “He is on his way with Rose, keep your guard up and do your thing.” I knew that was my cue, I sped over to the house. Luckily, I had just gotten there a little before he had. My goal was to make him suffer as badly as I did for seven years.

 

     There he was I hadn’t seen Charlie in 6 months. Not since that night and I had flashbacks of the day he had taken me. I started to become angry but I had to focus. I saw him flip Rose right over his shoulder as he had done me. I had everything ready. If only he knew what was coming. The lock clicked and the door opened. This was it! He set little Rose down and went over to that same closet. Rose saw me and I made sure she kept quiet. I had said to her “don’t worry sweetie everything is going to be alright.” He came back with that ugly dress only this one was blue.

 

     Just as he was going to rip her clothing from her body I jumped on his back and hit him in the head with a hammer. He was instantly knocked out. While he was out I took him to the same bed that he had strapped me to. So many memories hit hard. I could barely stomach this but I had to finish what I had started. I made sure he was held tightly and then I went and checked on sweet Rose. I told her if she would just wait everything would be back to normal in no time and she agreed to stay calm and wait. I gave her a hug and a kiss on her forehead. I got everything I needed from downstairs then I headed back to the room he was in. I walked in and he was still unconscious, I had gotten a cup of water to wake him up. He would suffer the way I did. I threw it on his face and it took a minute but he was back. He tried speaking but I taped his mouth shut.

 

     Charlie had cuts for which I poured alcohol on. I took a knife and cut just little cuts and also poured alcohol on those. He squirmed and his face was red. He had eventually started crying and I had said “now you know how I felt, all those years of being in pain and suffering.” This is only half of what I wanted to do. I cut it short to save time for Rose. I finally stabbed him 22 times in the torso area to end it! I checked to make sure he was gone. Then I put a sheet over him. I couldn’t look at this disgusting man any longer. I couldn’t believe myself and what I had done. But in a weird way I felt relief. I took some deep breaths and went downstairs.

 

     Rose was sitting quietly just staring off into space. I asked “are you ready sweetheart?” She just nodded her head at me. Before we walked out she gave me a big hug and said “thank you so much for saving me.” I couldn’t help but cry of happy tears and I managed to say “I wouldn’t have it any other way.” We drove to her parent’s house and we talked for a little while and I told them my story of what happened to me for so many years. All they could do was cry and were just so grateful of me. I left after about an hour and went home. I just sat in my room and thought, I thought about everything that had happened. I needed a day to breathe and be stress free. This whole thing was so unreal to me. I had killed the monster! What is the monster in your life? I’ll never forget this day or the seven years of my life that I’ll never get back.