Story: Rash Judgement by Willian Barclay

Story title: Rash Judgement
By: William Barclay


     One day, we boys were flying kites on an open lot in town. Mine took a dive into a garden surrounded by a high fence. I had heard all kinds of weird stories about the wicked old man who lived in the big house behind the fence. They said that if he caught children in his garden, he would torture them and lock them in a cave.
    Despite it all, I decided to go over that fence and get my kite. So my friends helped me to climb
over. I jumped down, ran for the bush where my kite hung, and suddenly there stood the old man, holding a grass knife and looking right at the kite. I wanted to turn around and run; and he would probably be right after me. But the old man walked up to me slowly and in a very soft voice said, " Sonny, don't be afraid; I won't hurt you."
    He let me untangle my kite and then accompanied me to the gate. He smiled and said, "Don't worry. If it happens again, just ring the bell at the gate."
    He patted me on  the head and let me out. A nice kind old man nothing at all like we had been told he was.