The dark gray house set way back from the street was the spooky home of Mrs. Olds. Darren's friends said the house was haunted and that Mrs. Olds was a witch! It is true that she was old and had long white hair. She would shake long bony fingers at children and yell with a terrifying shriek every time she chased them from her property. She ran after the kids with a broom, although she was only waving it, not riding it.
One afternoon a friend dared Darren to run into her yard and touch her garage door. It was one of those double dog dares. So, he had to do it, and horror of horrors; she caught him in her yard and wouldn't let him get away.
"Come here young man," she said, "Come inside with me."
Darren said the only light on in the house was in the kitchen. Darren said that light came as no surprise, for where else would the giant stew pot be where she boiled the neighborhood kids to eat? They passed a dining and living room on the way and he noticed that all the furniture was covered with white sheets. It was very spooky! In the kitchen she invited him to have a seat at her table.
Obediently, he told her where he lived and his name.
She opened her refrigerator door and reached in and removed something shiny. Darren though it might be a knife. She laid it down on the counter and opened it. But it was not a knife, it was just something wrapped in aluminum foil! As her long fingers carefully unfolded the foil she asked him in the softest voice, Do you like smoked salmon?
He couldn't stand fish, but at that moment smoked salmon sounded like it would hit the spot. After pouring Darren something to drink, she took a seat across from him at the table. She told him she thought he was a real nice little boy--much nicer than the other kids. He didn't speak, He felt that focusing on the salmon would help him live longer.
"The other kids are so mean to me," she said.
"At night they throw rocks on my roof or throw eggs at my door. When I go outside they run away laughing. Sometimes at night they knock on my windows and run away."
"Oh, I would never do that Mrs. Olds," he said, "I'm only brave enough to touch the garage door."
It was getting late and she could tell he was anxious to leave. He thought he noticed a tear in her eye so he asked her if he had said something wrong. She said, "No you didn't say anything wrong. It's just that you are the only neighbor I have had in this house since my husband passed away."
Sitting up straight in his chair and said, "Well, I'll come visit you again. I'll be your friend."
"Please do," she said as she rose to lead to him to the door.
The next day everyone wanted to know about the witch.
"She's not a witch," he said proudly. "She's just an old lady who doesn't have any friends. But she's my friend, and we can all meet her together and you can be her friend too."
In time the house of horror looked a lot less scary. Now, instead of chasing kids out of her yard, she would talk to them. In the afternoon Darren would show up with garden tools and spend time with her in her front yard pulling weeds and trimming bushes. Instead of shaking her finger, she would wave at the children as they played near her driveway.
As time went by Darren saw her less and less. She was either not home or was too sick to come to the door. Then one day her driveway was filled with cars. It looked like the parking lot at the store. There were people all dressed up walking in and out of Mrs. Olds house.
He couldn't remember who he asked, but he was told that Mrs. Olds had passed away and that only now, her huge family who never came to visit, was in her house hoping she had left something for them in her will.
Now, nobody told him this. It's something Darren just knew--he was the last friend she ever had.
He thought, "Having friends is no small thing. To old Mrs. Olds it was the only thing."

Discussion Points:

• Who was at fault for Mrs. Olds loneliness? (She was--at least in part responsible)
• How easy is it for things to get exaggerated?
• Can we hurt each other deeply with words?
• Could she have acted as she did because she was lonely?
• Can we help people with our actions, such as showing ourselves friendly?