The little girl clutched the raggedy teddy bear as if it were the only thing holding her together, and it might as well have been.

“Amanda,” a police officer said in a tone that implied he was running out of patience, “you were the only witness to the murder of Merrily Black. I really need you to tell me what happened last night.”

The little girl - Amanda - shook her head wildly, strands of greasy brown hair shielding her face.

Her mother crouched beside her and patted her shoulder gently. “Please, baby, please tell what happened.” Amanda was silent.

Her mother looked at the police officer with wary eyes. “She’s only seven, sir. She doesn’t understand-“

The police officer held up a hand to silence her. He was glaring sternly at the little girl, and Amanda’s dam burst. She took a seat on the floor, sobbing. Her mother gave the police officer a killer mother bear look before comforting her daughter.

“It’s okay, Mandy, it’s okay…” her mother closed her eyes and hugged Amanda close.

Amanda cried still. This was because she couldn’t tell them… this was because she would die if she told them.

She had watched the masked man stab Merrily Black right in the middle of the forest behind her backyard. He had seen her sitting there trembling with the teddy bear.

“Little girl, don’t you tell a soul about what you just saw, or I will come back here and kill you myself,” he had said.

Amanda had widened her eyes in terror and started bawling. That scared off the masked man. He bolted back into the forest, grabbed the limp body of Merrily Black, and disappeared into the night.

The police officer sighed. “Well, I guess this means we’re just going to-“

“I did it!”